Track
Selling Times - July 1998
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Track Selling Times
The Voice of the Sales Profession
Issue No. 104
July 1, 1998
Published by Max Sacks International
Home of 100% Guaranteed World Class Sales Training, and
Developers of the Track Selling System™.
Author/Editor: Roy Chitwood, President, MSI
Archives of this letter are available at
http://www.maxsacks.com/newsletter.html
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In this issue:
Newsletter
Archives
The Legacy of the Suede-Shoed Con Artist
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE
Whenever you confess to others that you're a salesperson, do you get the impression that the word conjures up an image of you as belonging to a bunch of suede-shoed, baggy-suited, smooth-talking con artists? Or perhaps you're sometimes made to feel like your profession ranks at the bottom of the food chain, somewhere south of lawyers? And how many of your college classmates used to tell you how much they looked forward to getting a good sales job? Few, if any. So why is it that our profession has such a bad reputation?
The way I see it, there are three main reason for us being poorly
regarded:
1. Bad Experience
Have you ever been sold something you didn't need, didn't want or
couldn't afford? Probably. Almost everyone has been subjected to a shady deal from one of the glib-talking, promise-them-anything
types.
2. Human Nature
Tom buys a new car. He drives to a friend's house to show off the
wheels he bought. A year later, if it turns out to have been a
lemon, what does he say? "Look at this heap someone sold me." It's a basic human trait to take credit for our wise purchases and blame the seller if something goes wrong. Everyone loves to buy. No one wants to be sold.
3. Well Deserved.
There was a time when you didn't have to have a lot going for you to 'get by in sales. There never used to be standardized sales training, sales certification or professional sales organizations.
As a consequence, the majority of salespeople simply don't know how to sell. This is backed up by a study conducted by the Harvard Business School on 360,000 salespeople across 14 industries. Their conclusion? 55 percent had little or no sales ability, and 25 percent were selling the wrong product or service.
The bottom line is that 80 percent of all products and services are sold by only 20 percent of the salespeople. So what are the others doing? Apart from performing a sloppy to downright criminal job of selling very little, they are engaged in creating a bad image for you and me. There are simply too many of these amateurs masquerading as salespeople for our reputation to be anything less than awful.
So how do you recognize true professionals from the rank and file?
They are committed to a calling, have the expertise that the amateur lacks, are a pleasure to do business with and are held in high esteem by professionals in every other field. Interestingly enough, this elite group have no qualms about telling anyone exactly what they do for a living. And, if you're in this group, neither should you.
The only way to make it in the 21st century, therefore, is with your head held high. And to do that, there's no choice but to become a bona fide sales professional.
Integrity Pays: The Importance of Being Up-front
Jay Youell is vice president of sales for Magellan Behavioral Health, a Columbus, MD firm managing healthcare benefits for mental health and substance abuse. Jay's seen others in his field violate their sales integrity with damaging consequences:
"This concerns a rival company several years ago. A Nebraska customer asked for certain hospitals and doctors to be added to his health care contract. Six months later, the company noticed that the added hospitals and doctors were charging substantially more than their usual providers. Without consulting the client, they dropped them. People were then unable to continue with those
specific healthcare professionals. End result: the company was fired, losing a multi-million contract."
Can you give a positive application of the integrity concept?
"One of our Ohio customers was concerned that we were changing our information system midway through his contract. We were faced with the choice of either lying or being up-front. We chose the latter. We also specified an extended time period on the old system with a dollars and cents performance guarantee on the system transfer. This was structured to alleviate concern over data being lost or reports delayed. We, in fact, were offering a rebate if we failed to deliver exactly what was promised. This approach was very much appreciated and the customer decided to buy from us. Since then, everything has gone smoothly."
Why is integrity is so important in sales?
"Everything in selling is built on the foundation of integrity. Without it, it's like having too much water in the concrete when you pour a house's foundation. Put any real weight on it and it crumbles."
World Class Sales Management:
Getting Out on the Road
By: Dan Smith
Territorial Manager,
Mighty Distribution System West, San Jose, CA
I run two salesmen in the automotive parts business. They work established routes, as well as making new solicitations. Orders range from $100 to $20,000. My most successful actions are:
1. I meet my salesmen individually about once per week to review the steps of Track Selling. We take up one step in each meeting. I make them look at this point from all different angles. This is vital as most salespeople get excited about a new method for a while, but if you don't constantly review it, it's quickly forgotten.
2. Going out on the road with my men is probably the single, most vital action. This gives me the opportunity to critique, as well as show them how it's done. I do this with each salesperson twice a month.
3. I call on each customer every three months. For me, the customers are our greatest asset and I do everything in my power to see that they are happy. But it also gives me the chance to monitor my sales people.
4. I instill confidence in my staff. My reps phone in perhaps once per day. If I hear anything positive from any of my customer contacts, I let them know. I'm also careful to preserve their dignity when I'm correcting them. I tell them where they went wrong in a straightforward way, without any implication that they're not successful. If you keep telling them they're unsuccessful, I believe that's what you get - an unsuccessful salesperson.
As an indicator of how successful this approach is, in November our largest account went bankrupt, 17 percent of our total business volume. Yet 6 months later, we have fully restored that income in new sales. Without a doubt, Track Selling played a big part in this.
Focus on the Professional - Kirby Fox
Kirby Fox is founder and chairman of Excell Executive Leadership Exchange of Portland, OR. His company provides a unique problem-solving, planning and individual coaching program to corporate executives. "I sell to the toughest of all markets - CEOs. Everybody wants a shot at them. And not only am I asking for money, I'm after something more precious - their time."
Prior to learning Track Selling, Mr. Fox was having some problems. "Although I was an MBA, I just didn't know how to sell or manage sales. I wasn't making much money as a result. The training from Max Sacks International made so much sense. I've since used it to bring about a 500 percent increase in my business."
How do you apply it to CEO's?
"The biggest challenge is to bring them credibility in a short amount of time. I always focus on making the person comfortable with me and with my commitment to quality service. Another essential element is taking the time to understand their business. Then of course, the onus is on me to deliver what I promise."
Any other secrets?
"I don't nickel and dime them to death. I do what I do for a flat fee and don't try to get more. I never raise my prices either. If it takes me a couple of days more than usual, I don't worry about it."
What benefits has Track Selling provided you and your customers over the years?
"One of my clients, had a 1000-fold increase in business. Without the sales process I couldn't have achieved that. No training has had more impact on my life than Track Selling. Period! With it, I know I'll always have a good income."
Ask Roy
Brad Cosmos of Tucson, AZ asks,
"Our sales manager recently hired an
old timer named Al who he's holding up as the model for us to follow. If you ask me, he sounds more like a side-show hawker than a salesman. His sales are not bad though, and the boss is always telling me I would do better if I was everybody's buddy like Al. But I can't stand pretending to be a smooth-talking jokester when I'm not. What should I do to make it in sales without becoming a phony?"
Roy's Answer:
You probably need to change something in order to be more successful. But the last thing to want to do is to pretend to be someone you are not. First, you need to understand that selling is a profession and learning any profession requires time, effort and energy. By knowing and applying professional sales techniques, you don't need to adapt your personality. These skills will carry you through whatever personality type you are, provided you work hard and apply them.
Reader Survey
1. What do you think of Track Selling Times?
2. What else would you like to see included?
3. If you have sales questions for Roy, or know of a salesperson, sales manager or integrity story that should be featured in Track Selling Times, mail it to:
The Editor, Track Selling Times
c/o Max Sacks International
2442 NW Market Street #409
Seattle
WA 98107
Tel: (206) 706-4119 Fax: (206) 706-5359
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150 Nickerson St., Suite 109
Seattle, WA 98109-1634
Tel: (206) 217-0288
Fax: (206) 217-0286
Copyright: please distribute this e-letter freely
Credit any excerpts as follows: © 1998 Max Sacks International
Please obtain written permission from MSI before citing Track Selling Times in any promotion material
