Standards build Traditions - Traditions build Legacies

Legacies are the impact of traditions on today’s world ... left behind by people who struggled to meet standards for the benefit of others.

Sometimes people lower their standards without a fight ... and, they build new traditions that leave a poor legacy for those who follow.

Leaders often set the standards for future traditons before the future fight makes them a reality.  They decide NOW what they will stand for in the days to come. 

So, let’s stand for those things that help our country, company, associates, customers, and families - great things, excellent things.  Let’s teach our children to build a wonderful legacy for future generations.  Lance.

(Note:  What are YOUR sales team standards.  What are YOUR minimum standards, average standards, GREATness standards?)

What are YOUR STANDARDS?

Great coaches and teams of people put their very best into what they do.  Standards, performance norms or accepted levels of behaviors emerge out of their fight for greatness. The emerging standards, produced from great thought and toil, define the limits of minimal and great performance.  For sales teams, these standards include:

Where to Set Standards - Minimum, Average, Great
• Appointments and quotes by person and period
• Closed sales per every ten (10) quotes
• Sales results by a sales person, team, or area
• Income levels per salesperson

Do not confuse standards with goals.  Standards are accepted and measurable levels of belief about what’s right.  For example, think about your favorite college football team - one that has a great tradition.  At a certain number of wins each season, the fans feel either terrible, OK, or great.  And, somewhere between terrible and great, they fire a coach.  That’s because they believe their team ought to win ‘x’ amount of games every season, win the conference once every so many years, and occasionally compete for a national championship.  It’s just apart of the standards in their tradition.

So, what are the minimum expected standards for your sales team?  For a salesperson?  What’s average?  What’s GREAT?  What will you tell new salespeople?  What do you stand for?  What will you not stand for?  When will you feel terrible, OK, or great? 

Knowing these things is vitally important.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  Go and make things better.  Lance

How Do Salespeople Remain Relevant?

Salespeople remain relevant to a buyer depending upon how well they practice the consultative sales process.  In theory, a sales conversation “can be” 100% relevant if the steps below are practiced perfectly.

But, tada!  That’s why we practice in sports and in sales ... to keep striving for greatness. 



First, how does a salesperson remain relevant? By ... 

Adaptation 

1. Adapting to a person’s buying style ... socialite, dynamo, or thinker. 



Listening

2. Asking great questions to understand a person’s situation: their needs and problems relevant to our product or service. 
3. Paraphrasing understanding, taking notes, and summarizing as we “sincerely” listen. 
4. Getting the customer to describe the impact of needs and problems - financially and/or emotionally. 



Presenting 

5. Showing only those products or services that fulfill customer described wants or needs. 
6. Showing only those features and benefits that fulfill customer described wants or needs. 
7. Explaining how the negative impact will be replaced by a positive impact: the new emotions or better financial numbers. 

8. Checking for feedback as we advise - answering questions, or providing solutions to fears or concerns about our advice. 



Finishing and Following Up

9. Helping them make a decision and “opening up a long term customer relationship.” 

10. Following up to make sure that the new customer is satisfied or to help with the use of the product(s) or service(s). 



These steps and others help the salesperson remain relevant during and after the sale.

The sales teams, that great managers coach, fight to get better at making the buying process comfortable for the buyer.

It’s a guess, but I would say that less than 1/2 of most sales experiences are relevant to the buyer in today’s marketplace.  The buyer fights to be adapted to, listened to, and cared about during and after the sale. 

But, you’re different.  You want to learn, use, and even coach sales skills and attitudes that make things better.  You want to build lasting relationships and repeat business.  So, go do it.  Make a difference.  You can.  Many of you are.  Lance.

An Old Key Worth Using

Today, It was my privilege to interview a seasoned veteran for a new sales job.  As I listened to his answers to my rather “structured interview,” I began to learn - to hear the wisdom of dedicated years ...

... and, I was reminded.  Wisdom resides mostly with those who have tried several doors in a productive life. It remains true in disparate areas like marriage, sports, and sales.  Many failures lead to one success - three quotes or so lead to one sale - a lifetime of commitment through trials and testing leads to a greater love among committed lovers.

As the interview continued, I, with years of experience and a few gray hears myself, began to learn that there are still some old keys still lying around, that if found, and then turned, will open important doors. 

Sales plans need wise counsel.

They need others to question them and to offer competing thoughts and wisdom.  And, they especially need those with grey or white hair to offer a smile as they reach in a pocket and bring out an old key worth using.  Then, confidence grows in those that learn from the unlocked wisdom. 

Stimulating Competition or Pursuing Greatness?

The following may be a little controversial. However I do not intend to be divisive… just a little weird or unusual about the subject of competition. Alfie Kohn wrote a book several years ago. I believe it was called, “No Contest: the Case Against Competition.” His heavily researched work concluded that competition was unhealthy no matter how many sales managers decry the thought. (By the way, I love to WIN with the best of them. L.)

In my studies of all coaches with three (3) national championships or more ... very few focused on creating a healthy competitive climate within the team ... so few in fact, at present, I cannot remember one who did. Instead they worked to form incredibly strong bonds between the players in the struggle to give their best, on the field or on the floor, for the benefit of others ... while striving to get better each day.

In the last twenty (20) plus years, I discovered that I can inspire others and I cannot motivate them. I can create a ‘climate’ in which people release their own achievement drive for the benefit of others.

I’ve also discovered that competition lies naturally in the hearts of salespeople, but teamwork doesn’t. And, I’ve learned that teamwork focused on excellence is in the long-term more productive than competition flamed within the ranks. So, I’ve been able to lead sales teams in breaking records with a mature focus on personal goals and team goals. I’ve done this by building emotional meaning into those goals for themselves, their families, and their companies. And, if I’ve recruited well, each of the teams I’ve led have formed strong bonds very much like that of a family. I’ve also learned to teach salespeople to cheer for other salespeople, to encourage them, and share celebrations at team meetings.

Eleven companies, out of 1400, made the cut in “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. In each, a disciplined and relationship-centered company of people focused on striving for excellence - without finger pointing or dancing in the end zone. These companies quietly and incrementally improved for years without flaming out or having mass exits and without depending upon charismatic leaders or lesser motivational forces.

I believe a competitive nature exists. It exists as a spiritual energy - to be harnessed for men and women to fight TOGETHER against the forces of mediocrity and those issues that impede personal and team goal achievement.

Sales:  Is It Art or Science

Shakespeare knew the answer ... “Where for art thou?” (Romeo: “Romeo and Juliet") Romeo, while making the sale of his life knew that his true love needed wooing - She needed to know that she was a princess in Romeo’s mind and heart and so He did woo her.

And yet, while Romeo did understand that climbing the ladder, giving attention, and saying the words were important - he went beyond and painted a picture just for his true Juliet.  Ah!!  What a salesman!

Today, we prospect, get enough appointments, and make enough presentations to reach our sales goals. We approach the account, ask the questions, put together solutions, and ask for the business. And, there’s still more. As we age well in the the business of selling, we learn to see the moon where others do not, we climb the ladder to the balcony that others avoid or miss. We apply the Art of customization to a person’s needs and we make an IMPACT upon their life. They believe we care because we took the time, thought in areas others did not, and went the extra mile ... while the competition went home to bed. We stayed up and worked to make a difference - looking for the art in the deal - the extraordinary measure.

Science blended with Art - a beautiful canvas - a beautiful sale. Let’s all keep working to get better. It’s both Art and Science.  Dare GREATLY.  Lance

Are You a Professional or a Salesperson?

I was thinking, “What’s the difference between a professional salesperson and a salesperson?” Well ... the whole question is semantical or oxymoronic. 

Why, because a salesperson does not need the word professional to define his or her role. A good salesperson is a professional.  A bad salesperson is not a professional. It would be like asking, “What’s an integrity salesperson?” Honest, dependable, etc.  Well a salesperson is already honest, dependable, etc.  A bad one is not ...

I’ve asked hundreds of salesperson to tell me the first thing they think of when they hear the word “Salesperson.” I then ALWAYS hear the words, “Sleazy, slime ball, crook, money hungry, etc.” And, we write them down on the board.  I then turn to them and tell them that they just described themselves - because they are all ‘salespeople.’

The problem is there are so many bad salespeople - who are dishonest, or who have low listening skills, poor product knowledge, or poor presentation skills. And, we end up feeling like there is a difference between “a professional salesperson and a “salesperson.“

Another problem is a lack of value-focused sales process.  Very few people know how to focus on the value to the customer - to ask questions, summarize needs and problems, and then to advise solutions.  As a result, they listen poorly and present without a clear understanding of a person’s or company’s situation - therefore looking unprofessional.

Now, go and make things better - and work to solve problems and fill the needs of customers.  Salespeople - real salespeople are already professionals.  They listen to and care about helping their customers.  They use their product knowledge to fill and solve customer problems with customized solutions.  They are salespeople - good ones.  Lance

Thoughts on Beliefs

A sales manager’s beliefs and attitudes create 85% or more of a team’s success. They make up the substance of sales team culture.  And, this culture produces salesperson turnover or retention.  It creates teams or individualism – sacrifice or anarchy.  People lie or they tell the truth.  Character strength is more important than sales or sales are more important than virtue.  What a sales manager believes infects people in negative or positive ways.  These attitudes create an enduring market impact and leave behind a legacy that attracts or repels customers and employees.