Modern Sales Training Books - A New Slant

There are millions of pages written on getting• Create webinars and market to suspects
appointments in all sales training books. I have• Utilize social media
even written a compilation piece on this, it is a• Create a referral program
good article that results in appointments, if done.For companies to maximize current appointments:
There are also millions of pages written on the• Change sales training
sales strategies that cover the gamut of the• Change sales management
different types of sales methodology, and range• Change sales consultants
from the very simple to the extremely complex,If you took both lists and analyzed each item you
i.e. Dale Carnegie to Neural Linguistics.would discover that there is tremendous expense
The simpler methods are good, and the complexto the company for each, and most solutions
is beneficial too, but they all seem to have thelisted are not what we could call immediate
caveat of leaving too many sales on the table.deliverables. What to do?
Sales closing ratios average from very lowAs you can see, "change in sales training" has
percentages (8%) up to the 30% range frombeen highlighted, as it presents the most cost
sales consultants that I have talked with. Weeffective solution. The question then becomes
have a tendency to almost be apathetic aboutwhich sales training. This subject would also have
those percentages and have the attitude that it isits' list of questions.
the best we can do. Is it?1) Does this work?
Most sales training books themselves remind me2) Is implementation quick enough to have
of an old joke on how to become a billionaire. Theimmediate impact?
first line is "...first you get a million dollars..." In sales3) Will this work for my sales consultants and
books, the first lines generally include words thatme?
seem to say, "...First you get an appointment..."Sales consultant training has begun a new era.
The appointment is assumed.The sales process has been steadily moving
Companies, and the sales consultants that worktoward a process that dictates that sales
for them, need sales now - both want moreconsultants follow a structure that allows the
profitable revenue. They have a common goal.prospect to be responsible for content and then
There are two solutions that I can see for bettercomes to their own conclusion whether or not
results.you have the correct solution. Prospects need to
• Get more appointmentssell themselves.
• Maximize the appointments you are alreadyJust winging it will not cut it anymore, as after
gettingdecades of statistics, we know that the brilliant
Possible solutions for companies to get moreconversationalist is not necessarily the best sales
appointments:consultant. It takes a structure that contains
• Increase telemarketingtargeted questioning that will give birth to a
• Increase marketingsharing of ideas through two-way communication
• Increase inside sales effortsand making a decision with no procrastination or
• Demand that Sales makes more cold callshesitation.
• Attend more conventions