Modern Sales Training Books - A New Slant
There are millions of pages written on getting appointments in all sales training books.
I have even written a compilation piece on this, it is a good article that results in appointments, if done.
There are also millions of pages written on the sales strategies that cover the gamut of the different types of sales methodology, and range from the very simple to the extremely complex, i.
e.
Dale Carnegie to Neural Linguistics.
The simpler methods are good, and the complex is beneficial too, but they all seem to have the caveat of leaving too many sales on the table.
Sales closing ratios average from very low percentages (8%) up to the 30% range from sales consultants that I have talked with.
We have a tendency to almost be apathetic about those percentages and have the attitude that it is the best we can do.
Is it? Most sales training books themselves remind me of an old joke on how to become a billionaire.
The first line is "...
first you get a million dollars...
" In sales books, the first lines generally include words that seem to say, "...
First you get an appointment...
" The appointment is assumed.
Companies, and the sales consultants that work for them, need sales now - both want more profitable revenue.
They have a common goal.
There are two solutions that I can see for better results.
• Get more appointments • Maximize the appointments you are already getting Possible solutions for companies to get more appointments: • Increase telemarketing • Increase marketing • Increase inside sales efforts • Demand that Sales makes more cold calls • Attend more conventions • Create webinars and market to suspects • Utilize social media • Create a referral program For companies to maximize current appointments: • Change sales training • Change sales management • Change sales consultants If you took both lists and analyzed each item you would discover that there is tremendous expense to the company for each, and most solutions listed are not what we could call immediate deliverables.
What to do? As you can see, "change in sales training" has been highlighted, as it presents the most cost effective solution.
The question then becomes which sales training.
This subject would also have its' list of questions.
1) Does this work? 2) Is implementation quick enough to have immediate impact? 3) Will this work for my sales consultants and me? Sales consultant training has begun a new era.
The sales process has been steadily moving toward a process that dictates that sales consultants follow a structure that allows the prospect to be responsible for content and then comes to their own conclusion whether or not you have the correct solution.
Prospects need to sell themselves.
Just winging it will not cut it anymore, as after decades of statistics, we know that the brilliant conversationalist is not necessarily the best sales consultant.
It takes a structure that contains targeted questioning that will give birth to a sharing of ideas through two-way communication and making a decision with no procrastination or hesitation.
I have even written a compilation piece on this, it is a good article that results in appointments, if done.
There are also millions of pages written on the sales strategies that cover the gamut of the different types of sales methodology, and range from the very simple to the extremely complex, i.
e.
Dale Carnegie to Neural Linguistics.
The simpler methods are good, and the complex is beneficial too, but they all seem to have the caveat of leaving too many sales on the table.
Sales closing ratios average from very low percentages (8%) up to the 30% range from sales consultants that I have talked with.
We have a tendency to almost be apathetic about those percentages and have the attitude that it is the best we can do.
Is it? Most sales training books themselves remind me of an old joke on how to become a billionaire.
The first line is "...
first you get a million dollars...
" In sales books, the first lines generally include words that seem to say, "...
First you get an appointment...
" The appointment is assumed.
Companies, and the sales consultants that work for them, need sales now - both want more profitable revenue.
They have a common goal.
There are two solutions that I can see for better results.
• Get more appointments • Maximize the appointments you are already getting Possible solutions for companies to get more appointments: • Increase telemarketing • Increase marketing • Increase inside sales efforts • Demand that Sales makes more cold calls • Attend more conventions • Create webinars and market to suspects • Utilize social media • Create a referral program For companies to maximize current appointments: • Change sales training • Change sales management • Change sales consultants If you took both lists and analyzed each item you would discover that there is tremendous expense to the company for each, and most solutions listed are not what we could call immediate deliverables.
What to do? As you can see, "change in sales training" has been highlighted, as it presents the most cost effective solution.
The question then becomes which sales training.
This subject would also have its' list of questions.
1) Does this work? 2) Is implementation quick enough to have immediate impact? 3) Will this work for my sales consultants and me? Sales consultant training has begun a new era.
The sales process has been steadily moving toward a process that dictates that sales consultants follow a structure that allows the prospect to be responsible for content and then comes to their own conclusion whether or not you have the correct solution.
Prospects need to sell themselves.
Just winging it will not cut it anymore, as after decades of statistics, we know that the brilliant conversationalist is not necessarily the best sales consultant.
It takes a structure that contains targeted questioning that will give birth to a sharing of ideas through two-way communication and making a decision with no procrastination or hesitation.
