| The skills required for a sales person to help | | | | senior level decision makers are more likely to |
| prospects successfully navigate through their | | | | buy because of what you know about their |
| purchasing process vary by industry and | | | | company...not how much you know about your |
| distribution channels. This straw competency | | | | company and your products. |
| model is created for a company that sells | | | | 3. Probing - The most consistently high performing |
| products or services used commonly by other | | | | sales professionals are not surprisingly the best at |
| businesses, and that the predominant distribution | | | | probing. They probe for decision making process, |
| channel is direct to those customers. | | | | players & roles, current practices, potential |
| The first four skills are critical skills to gain access | | | | obstacles and they are always looking for the |
| to decision makers and key influence-rs. Once in | | | | components of a superior business fit. The very |
| front of the prospect these skills raise the | | | | best probers will tell you they rarely have to ask |
| prospect's awareness of their needs, probe for a | | | | for the order. |
| business fit and raise the urgency to take action. | | | | 4. Proposing and Closing - There are several |
| The last four skills are those that are necessary | | | | elements to the proposal presentation meeting. |
| for sales people to establish credibility as a | | | | Introductions, agenda, customer overview, the |
| knowledgeable resource, to effectively and | | | | business fit and next steps are all critical topics. |
| efficiently manage their territory and prospect | | | | 5. Industry Knowledge - Sales people should be |
| pipeline. | | | | very knowledge about their industry, and have a |
| | | | good working knowledge of the prospect's |
| 1. Prospecting - The ability of the sales person to | | | | industry. Knowledge builds credibility and everyone |
| recognize potentially valuable customer | | | | is more comfortable with credible business |
| relationships and find an avenue of introduction to | | | | partners. |
| coaches, key influence-rs and decision makers. | | | | 6. Product Knowledge - All sales people must |
| The effective sales person will utilize a variety of | | | | know everything about their products. The |
| tools to generate leads including networking, | | | | knowledge must go beyond the specifications of |
| on-line resources and good old fashioned "dialing | | | | the product. The must know how the product is |
| for dollars". It is essential that every sales person | | | | used! Spending time with customer service teams, |
| have a two minute sales pitch, and a telephone | | | | operations, and within customer's operations are |
| script committed to memory (my opinion). | | | | all splendid investments that will yield great returns |
| Prospecting is the one skill that fills a sales pipeline. | | | | over time. As important as product knowledge is, |
| No matter a talented sales people are in other | | | | it is also important that this knowledge is shared |
| areas, a gap in prospecting skills will always put a | | | | sparingly. Prospects are only interested in enough |
| damper on sales results. | | | | product knowledge to assure themselves that |
| 2. Presenting - While prospecting is a sales | | | | they are buying a product/service that will work |
| person's least favorite activity, most feel they | | | | for them. Product knowledge should be crammed |
| shine when it comes to presenting. However, | | | | into a proposal, not a presentation. |
| presenting is so much more than standing in front | | | | 7. Sales Pipeline Management - With the use of |
| of prospects and telling them everything you | | | | CRM the importance of sales pipeline management |
| know. Generally there are two types of | | | | has grown because so many companies are using |
| presentations. The first is an exploratory first | | | | CRM to help forecast revenue. Errors in prospect |
| discussion, usually with a coach or key influencer. | | | | assessment can make forecasting inaccurate if |
| The objective of this meeting is to exchange | | | | not misleading. In addition to correctly assessing |
| information and to probe for a potential business | | | | each prospect opportunity, each sales person |
| fit. I do subscribe the the ABC's of selling (Always | | | | should be able to identify sales obstacles and |
| Be Closing). The close on a first presentation is | | | | develop tactical plans to move each prospect to |
| usually not asking for the business, but asking for | | | | the next stage. |
| a next meeting. The next meeting is usually to | | | | 8. Resource Management - Sales costs |
| perform a needs analysis. The other type of | | | | continuously move higher, and it is the job of |
| presentation is more formal, generally to discuss a | | | | every sales person to judiciously apply the |
| proposal and the business fit between the two | | | | resources necessary to acquire new business. |
| companies. To many observers this meeting may | | | | Management relies on the sales person to call in |
| seem like a "love fest" when a talented sales | | | | the Calvary when necessary, but the Calvary is |
| person delivers a flawless presentation. This | | | | expensive and should only be called in when the |
| presentation is complicated, and many sales | | | | opportunity warrants the investment. |
| people are not as competent as they should be. | | | | Sales skills are one of the four controllable drivers |
| Topics, tones and delivery are critically important. | | | | of sales results. The others are sales will, |
| Senior level decision makers will be more from | | | | performance management and leadership |
| people that sell business fit, and demonstrate a | | | | credibility all drive sales results. |
| knowledge of their company. In other words, | | | | |