Memories: Are you Making Them With Clients?

Did you ever wonder why the phone does not ring? Do you ever panic when prospective individuals ask you what you do and your struggle with your delivery? There are reasons why many struggle with what to say to prospective clients:

They are uncertain what to say
They have not practiced the proper approach
They try to say something different each time
There is no consistency with the brand

There is a solution to this issue and it is called the MEME (sounds like team). So what is this incredible tool?

A meme is an idea, behavior, style or message else that enters into your community and creates additional community and interest. Different from the way it is spelled a MEME does not create anything about you, however it does create output based messages that illustrate the value and benefits clients get from doing business with you.

If you follow a template I will share with you, you can use it to generate eye opening and memorable methods for clients to become attracted to you.

A meme can be used for:
Introduction to verbal conversations
Developed into a value proposition for your website
Developed into a tagline for marketing collateral
Used to introduce products and services
Incorporated into presentations and articles/tip sheets

Because your MEME illustrates the value you will need to use it to help communicate your brand and create the allure you desire for your business. Yet the best part of this is once it is developed you can use it throughout your integrated marketing communications.

So what does a MEME sound like?

Here is a MEME from one of my clients. “Hi nice to meet you. I am Dr. Ron and I work with men and women aged 37 to 55 who suffer from the ill effects of stress. I provide a unique process that reduces stress and provides increased mobility and flexibility!” Naturally the next statement you will hear is, “My Gosh how do you do that?”

Now how does that sound versus the rote, “Hi I’m Ron, I’m A Doctor.” Or , “Hi I’m Ron, I’m in Insurance.” Or , “Hi I’m Ron. I’m and Electrician.” Not to say there is anything wrong with these professions but there is something wrong in the delivery. One they’re boring. Two you sound like everyone else. Three it is stereotyped so that people instantly dismiss you and four, it is inward focused and says nothing of what you provide to the client.

Here are 7 things you can to do help develop a MEME:

Focus on the clients you want to provide and most importantly your perfect client. Who is the demographic and what do they value and benefit from? What are the solutions that you provide congruent with those desires.
Write down a list of benefits that you provide clients. Think about how you help them. Review your testimonials to help you here. When you come up with the list prioritize it so that you develop the best one.
Think of the three to four issues your clients have to say before you helped them. What do you typically hear before you develop solutions.
When you work with clients what are you processes, methods, steps etc that can be used to explain how you help. For example do you have a 7 step strategy or a 4 step proprietary choke hold, you get the picture.
Now look at your notes and write out your statement using the following, Target Demographic + Issue + Solution. Develop a few drafts so that eventually it rolls of your tongue. And to assist you make it two to three short sentences.
Practice this on friends and family as well as some other clients to see what they have to say.
Once you have this developed then I want you to think about two things 1) what you will say after they say tell me more and 2) develop a call to action.

I like to teach by example, so let me my MEME and others I have created. Contact me for a FREE NO OBLIGATION MEME session and in 30 minutes we will create a message that drops most jaws.

Creating a compelling a MEME is a vital part of the Business Acceleration System. How is yours coming along?

Hear me weekly on my renowned Podcast – Business Acceleration:
http://www.stevensconsultinggroup.com/free-resources/podcasts

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One of the Top 50 Sales Management Bloggers in the World as Ranked by Blog Rank and Sales Crunch

The Killer Sales App

In speaking with my clients recently all sales managers seem to have the same issue on their mind how to gain more production and profits from their sales staff. With audacious goals this is a grave issue.

Stunted growth still continues to haunt sales teams as organizations continue to sit on cash. Many continue to seek the magic bullet or in today’s vernacular the “killer app” to aid in sales profits. However, while many question where to discover “the secret”, it might very well be in front of them.

During any economic resurgence innovation begins. Such transitions are needed within many sales organizations. The recent recession created a need for organizations to terminate many non-productive selling personnel. Through attrition those that did not meet goals were asked to leave. However this does not decrease the notion that there exist some remaining underachievers.

While many managers continue to seek new talents and personnel there is a dire need to look from within to discover sales mechanisms that harm sales teams. Many do not know they exist and many do not know how to identify them so here is a brief look at those applications killing your sales performance.

Value – Selling today requires a keener look at the value that organizations provide to clients. While this term tends to get as overused as that of “guerrilla” in the late 1980’s there is a dire need for sales professionals to focus on the value they provide. Organizations must strategize and help selling professionals articulate a message that attracts clients and helps manifest the brand. The use of value propositions and audio logs will be helpful here. Forget the “Elevator Speeches” and assist the team with the articulation of value.
Relationship – Just sitting at my desk writing this post I received two cold calls. These are transactional methods that do not work today. Consumers are simply too busy in this world with too much interference. They lack time and attention and will not reply to a cold call from someone “pitching” products and services. Transition your sales team to become less transactional and motivate them to create customer-centered relationships with true buyers.
True Buyer – We all know the power of negotiating with the decision maker but are your sales professionals really speaking with the proper person? More than 86% of sales representatives spend enormous amounts of time with gatekeepers. Sales Managers must ensure sales agents are spending less time with subordinates. Sales teams must only spend time with economic buyers since they control the budget, understand the objectives and realize how your services integrate with the firm’s strategy.
Knowledge – The single most alarming issue for any sales manager is working with professionals that do not know what to say before hello. Similar to an athlete that must practice prior to the competition selling professionals must conduct research or homework so that they have the right questions, are aware of any objections as well as have a “script” to articulate value. Content is king and a lack thereof will kill sales performance.
Behavior - Some sales managers are unclear of their talent. I have been asked many times over the years about the proper behavior for a successful representative. Too many today seek gregarious highly persuasive individuals. Behavior is dependent on the clients. When we speak of behavior there are really two issues the ability to be assertive as well as persuasive. Good selling professionals are good communicators that perform well under duress. While persuasiveness is useful it sometimes hinges on ethical boundaries since being too persuasive can equate to “pitching” products. Sales Managers must simply seek talent that understands the products, can articulate value as well as be assertive enough to generate prospective clients. Look at your team to discover whether the right individuals are sitting in the dugout.
Need – Sales professionals harm themselves and future business when they cannot establish need. The only method to ensure discovery of need is with terrific questioning skills. These questions are based on client objectives, the measurements to ensure success and the value to the organization. These questions should be scripted. True buyers will provide the answers. However the path to success is based on the selling professional that can lead the buyer in a clear direction.
Priority – With the crazy world in which we operate both buyers and sellers are extremely busy. The issue then becomes what is a priority. If sellers want to close business then the actual sale must be a priority to the buyer. When buyers do not see a priority the seller has failed to establish value and meet prospective client objectives. It is vital for every seller to establish value and illustrate the priority to buyers otherwise the sales cycle becomes very long as everything else takes precedent.

Selling today similar to many technological tools requires more innovative concepts. The notion is working smarter not harder. This requires a relentless focus on customer value so as to shorten the cycle and better performance.

Sales Managers what best practices do you teach your selling personnel so that they create value and better performance. Alternatively what ”killer apps” have you experienced in your sales team and how have you overcome them? Please provide comments in the area below.

Sales Difficulty – Return to Fundamentals

During my high school and collegiate days I ran track. I recall the numerous times I attempted new goals and failed to reach them. Or there were times when competing that required some changes. In both instances I returned to fundamentals,

Similar issues happen to those selling, Sales professionals compete each day with some days going great and others not so much. Sometimes no matter how hard you attempt to meet new prospects or close new deals it is similar to running up a mountain on a hot day with a 30 pound sack.

Rather than continuing on the path with no results it is best to review some fundamentals to center your efforts and reclaim your confidence.

To assist you here are seven of 25 aspects:

Preparation – Never say hello without conducting complete research on your prospective buyer. Review annual reports, proxy statements, current news, and the company website so that you can engage in healthy conversations.
Questions – Many keynote speakers use notes to guide their presentations. Therefore prepare a series of provocative questions based on objectives, measurements and returns clients desire. Do not think on your feet when you can prepare questions that lead clients on a path.
Stop Prescribing – Clients desire value therefore your conversations must be value based. Stop sounding like other sales agents. Base discussions on results and outcomes. Stop telling information and listen to what they need.
Value – Engage clients with a value proposition. End the features and facts discussion. If you desire a template on a value proposition contact me.
Start Listening – A former mentor Norm Strauss had a wonderful ability to ask questions with a question. Sales representatives do not get information when they speak they do so when they ask questions. Be in control of every call by forming the discussion with purposeful questions.
Evaluate – Every athlete always reviews strengths and limitations of competition, why not selling professionals? Conduct a quick SWOT and make your next client call better.
Seek Council – Unfortunately when sales people reach out for aid they believe it is a sign of weakness; not true. Mentorship is a sign of power as individuals seek supremacy of their craft. Never be afraid to ask for help.

What fundamental practices do you use that aid you during difficult times? Place your best practices in the comment area below.

Marketing & Sales Alignment Best Practices

In How Sales Executives Can Improve Marketing and Sales Alignment in 2011, ExecSense examines easy-to-implement strategies and best practices used by leading sales executives to build alignment between their sales and marketing teams. Take the 60 minutes to view this webinar (on your computer, mobile phone, iPad, Kindle or printed out) and learn valuable tips and techniques to improve marketing and sales alignment in order to build a single, integrated revenue pipeline and generate and close more leads this year.

If you cannot call-in to attend the webinar and view the presentation at 4:30 EST, Friday, March 18th, ExecSense will email you the PowerPoint, audio and supplementary files by the next day for viewing at your convenience during your next commute, business trip, flight, lunch, or free hour in your schedule (you simply need to register before the webinar occurs). If you would like to ask an anonymous question or request a specific topic to be covered during the webinar, please email the moderator at lauraj@execsense.com after you have registered to attend and we guarantee your question/topic will be covered.

Find out how to order at:

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Sales Management Blog Voted in the Top 50

SalesCrunch releaes its Top 50 Sales Blogs.

The list is generated according to the “Grade” in Blog Grader and is updated daily so the list is always accurate and up to date. Stevens Consulting is ranked number 17 of the top 50 sales blogs. Thanks go to Kevin Vecchione and Tom O’Leary for their infinite wisdom and to Samantha Hartley for her power of repositioning and branding.

Please return often to read our valuable content on sales manager training and development.

Overcoming Sales Hurdles

Through trial and error we understand that the more issues remain the same the more they must change. Research in a myriad of periodicals mentions numerous challenges for organizations especially in the selling process. New issues abound daily impacting how selling professionals meet buyer’s needs.

What we know are the following:

➢ Decision Makers are hard to find. There are so many responsibilities for people that trying to find the time for discussion is difficult. Additionally, since organizations tend to focus on lean, more people are making decisions rather than management. A recent Wall Street Journal Report states that personnel without authority to purchase a laptop can plan a regional meeting with a budget of $500,000!
➢ Competitive Neutrality. The proliferation of the Internet and information is challenging. Buyers comprehend more of your organization than your own sales force!
➢ Organizational labyrinthine. Globalization, rightsizing, mergers and multitudes of organizational transformation are as perplexing as discovering the DaVinci Code. Reporting lines and decision processes are difficult.
➢ Financial Planning. The one constant is decreasing divisional funds. Agreement is reached only to discover the unavailability of funds.
➢ The best defense is unclear. 15 years ago, training your sales force was mandatory. With tightening budgets and productivity issues, selling professionals are sent into battle without armaments.
➢ CRM. The sales tool offered to assist selling professionals is underutilized and mis-understood.
➢ No Teamwork. Sales require more collaboration with the marketing department.

With over 27 years of research and analysis with numerous organizations we constantly hear about sales excuses- no return calls to numerous voice mails. I have made return calls to interested parties only to never hear from them again. The world has become more complex and navigationally difficult.

Read any present newspaper or periodical and you will begin to acquire the phraseology of the “knowledge economy”. This is defined as an economy based on creating, evaluating, and trading knowledge. In a knowledge economy, labor costs become progressively less important as opposed to the amount of knowledge acquired by individuals and organizations to become more effective. Simply put, the more information one has the more knowledge one gains. Content is king! This is the key differentiator.

Selling professionals similar to your clients must be content experts. Clients desire trust and respect and they desire intellectual conversation. Drop the features and benefit discussion- these left when public seminars did. Your clients crave illustrious council. Selling professionals must be advisors, consultants and experts. This is vital to your business success.

There are some rules about sales:

1. There are simply four techniques of selling that are vital. One does not need numerous methods and training. Learn the four simple steps and you will sell more than you realize.
2. There is no basic selling rule or principle that has been discovered in the last hundred years.
3. One needs to take these principles and use them daily. Practicing these rules and making them a habit in your daily life will make you better.
4. Do not rush learning. Rome was not built in a day. You must learn daily and practice daily but without haste and impatience.
5. Evaluate yourself. Be critical and learn by what you are doing and not doing to become better. Be honest in your assessment.

The one issue of selling never expressed in training or research is that it is not event based or linear. Selling is a process, it takes time, it takes effort and it takes patience!

Original sales article published here.

Lead Generation Slump

Steven understands that this is a difficult economy. However he is doing what all others do, complain. He has attempted numerous things but runs into issues such as:

Unreturned phone calls
Unreturned emails
A clearly whittled down pipeline
Lack of management support

The concern that Steven has is similar to many other sales representatives. Steven like many is in pain and does not understand how to navigate through it. Similar to a ship in the ocean during a storm, Steven has lost his heading and sight of port.

What has happened to Steven? He has lost his confidence. He has lost his swagger. More importantly he has lost how to play through the pain.

I remember when I was competing in track and got hurt prior to a very important and visible track meet. I had two options, 1) I can sit and complain or 2) I can practice while using methods that enabled me to do so without too much discomfort. This happens to athletes all the time.

Athletes find alternatives to slumps. A quick review of any athlete or team struggling illustrates ways in which they play through the “pain” so that they quickly find the winning formula. Sales professionals are no different.

The number one reason why sales professionals are in pain is that they do not conduct enough marketing, networking and customer communication.

Any sales manager today will tell you that their sales professionals spend too much time in the office, too much time on the internet, too much time completing reports and not enough time generating leads.

The purpose of any sales professional is to generate relationships. Nothing else in business is more important or should get in the way.

So what is a selling professional to do? What advice can be given to sales managers?

1. Seek out referrals. The bullion for any selling organization is acceptance of customer value. Request referrals from those that understand and appreciate the value you provide.

2. Network frequently. The life of a selling professional is best spent either with other prospects or with strategic alliances that can introduce you to prospects. Get out of the office!

3. Read voraciously. Look at the trade press and current events and determine methods to sell new and existing products to existing clients based on need. Determine need based on recent issues in the news that help improve the customer’s competitive position.

4. Create Client Communication. Discover ways to get close to clients. Send cards, newsletters and articles to clients and prospective clients.

5. What does the past suggest? A quick review of previous success might help uncover resources. Review what worked and repeat it.

6. Speaking. Increase visibility with speaking opportunities at regional and national events.

7. Create Performance Metrics. The only method to ensure sales professionals focus on leads and pipeline management is implementing and enforcing goals.

Athletes do not have the time or expense to decide how they got where they are. They take action to create new opportunities and re-establish their presence. Selling professionals must do the same. Sellers must create a series of actions that produce enough activity to fill the pipeline.

Have any best practices you like to share. Provide your tip here to share with the remainder of the sales community.

Drew Stevens PhD is a very rare sales and business development expert since he has over 28 years of real world experience. Drew’s uniqueness is his history of working in the trenches as well as leading sales efforts to the world’s largest commercial and investment banks, creating customer centered relationships with senior offices and sales directors. Drew Stevens teaches sales teams to create customer centric relationships that dramatically accelerate revenues and profits! His methodology is based on his widely acclaimed book Split Second Selling where he presents over 25 years of tested data that provides individuals with the use of the PRACTICE ™ method. Drew Stevens is a passionate, professional, and personable keynote speaker and workshop facilitator; and conducts over 50 presentations per year in over 20 countries. Contact him today to get your sales team on the track to success at 877-391-6821.

What Holds you Back?

One of the worst things that hurt individuals is the inability to grow. We all have skeletons that haunt our past- if we let them. Previous issues, phobias and concerns can be like anchors on boat, they can continually drag you down until you reach the bottom; and they can sink you.

If you feel you are held back, it just might be past ghosts. The focus must be on the present and the future- not the past. You cannot alter the past; you can only impact your future.

I learned this imperative life lesson many years ago as a survivor of child abuse. After many years of physical and mental anguish I was forced to mature quickly while making many life-altering decisions. Now as a professional entrepreneur and more importantly a joyful father and husband I understand the power of focus and future. Life from time to has been volatile but if you remain focused and positive you can create the future you desire. Here is what I have learned along the journey:

1. It is imperative to have goals and to write them down. When the mind views something on paper there is an implicit contract that gets committed to memory. Additionally, focus on time frames so issues you desire remain in reach.
2. Dreams are those visuals that instigate and instill our desires. Never let anyone tell you dreams are folly. Those that do are stuck in their own hubris.
3. Guilt is negative thoughts derived and devoured by self-deprecation. The “pity pot” cements us. Positive thoughts instill better outcomes.
4. Franklin Roosevelt once stated, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” This is not a trite statement but very true. Fear similar to guilt stops you. Fear derails you. Fear stops growth. The best attitude against fear is risk. Higher risk means a greater opportunity for high returns.
5. Similar to fear, procrastination when manifested will derail future growth. Procrastination is the resultant of both fear and guilt. To stop procrastination, one must create motion. Motion creates energy and with it the more speed to get more accomplished.
6. Stop engaging with negative individuals, they only sink you. You are the summation of the individuals you associate with. If those around you do not love you unconditionally then you need to find new people. Altering your associations will bring significant changes in attitude and behavior.
7. Never lose hope and never lose faith. Life has some hurdles and it is how you operate through and around them not avoiding them. Hurdles are unavoidable but can be speed bumps with the right attitude.
8. No matter what God you believe in, never lose faith. God does not want anyone to fail and is always with us in the shadows walking right behind or beside us.

Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and sales. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization to increase their business development skills visit him at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com

Overcoming Limited Beliefs Podcast

One of the worst things that occur in life is the belief we manifest based on things we believe we cannot accomplish. These stem from experiences in our youth that morph the values and beliefs we gained from those around us.

I grew up with an extremely abusive father. His mental and physical abusiveness helped to lay the foundation to things I thought I could not accomplish. By the time I was 13 this man explicitly told me, I would become nothing, be nothing and accomplish nothing. For many these beliefs would stop anyone in their tracks, and for many they do. There are two choices individuals have; manifesting these beliefs or altering them. I chose the latter.

Limiting beliefs are those concepts and ideas that you believe you are. These beliefs can and will hold you from accomplishments.

Discover the secrets and techniques needed to overcome limited beliefs and create a new vision and values.

Download the latest podcast at:

http://www.stevensconsultinggroup.com/sales-fitness-podcast.php

Warm Up those Cold Calls

One of the most difficult responsibilities for any selling professional is lead generation. And one of the oldest methods of generating leads is through cold calling. With little preparation and a lot of angst, selling professionals are sent adrift to call countless individuals in pursuit of income.

Click here for more:

http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/sales-selling/14422985-1.html