5 Ways to beef up sales...immediately

Last week, one of my clients—we'll call him Rick—had a demo scheduled with a prospect. The standard "show up and throw up" they typically did early in the sales cycle. Trying to shorten the sales cycle, I asked naively, "Why does the customer want to buy? What are they trying to accomplish?" Rick couldn't tell me. I asked if he thought the salespeople knew. He said no. I gave him an assignment: he had to find out "Why," "Why now," and "What's it worth." Otherwise no demo. In other words, no compelling reason to buy...No demo. So Rick took a risk, and is rapidly moving to a fully-paid trial implementation. Sure, long-term objectives and plans still matter, but I've been getting more and more inquiries focused on "what to do now." Entrepreneurs and executives alike are demanding help on how to improve revenues and profits right away. How do you make the quickest difference? Focus the bulk of your energy on revenue generation. In other words, sales! And don't do it the same old way either, because -- as you may have noticed -- it isn't working that well. Here are five ways for your sales force to bring in more business in short order. There are no magic bullets, but just last week I taught one of these techniques to a client (#2) and he used it to close a deal the following day! Use one or use them all. Each technique will have its own effect, and each will multiply the power of the others. 1. Sell return on investment, and sell it to the CFO. Sales people are complaining that while the pipeline may be full, the deals are taking too long to close. Perhaps that's why the pipe is so full! What are the reasons for this? Companies have money, and in many cases they have needs. But many people are so scared THEIR customers aren't going to buy THEIR wares, they are loath to spend any money themselves. The result? They are only willing to spend money when they absolutely see near-term financial payback, and the CFO is killing many deals. The solution? Sell the return on investment. Sell the payback. And sell it to the CFO. Arm your salespeople with two things: A series of case studies that document the returns from using your product, and a well-defined ROI process worksheet. Work with the CFO to build the ROI case so that he or she owns it. This is the only way they come to believe it. Make it their idea and instead of killing your deal, they will help you close it. 2. Forget USP. Determine your Usage Cases Instead of focusing on why your product is the latest and greatest, clarify the ways in which potential customers will use your product to solve specific problems and produce tangible results. Then, instead of touting the "benefits" of your product--which often fall on deaf ears, anyway--engage your prospects in conversations about what costly and quantifiable problems they now have, and how they might use your product or service to alleviate those. And, as sales guru Mike Bosworth says, don't tell them your offering IS the solution. You're a sales "guy" and they won't believe you. Instead, ask them if your possible solution might help them. If they believe it does, they have accepted your solution as truth. Then get them to tell you, in real dollar terms, what fixing that problem is worth. 3. Increase Sales Training. Use the 10% solution. But don't expect any one salesperson--even your superstars--to be 100% at every part of your sales process. They almost never are. But there is a way you can raise the level of every person in your sales organization—immediately. Use this process adopted from W. Edwards Demming's principle of optimization. Break your sales process into as many discrete--but meaningful--steps as you can.. Cold calling. Letter writing. Setting appointments. Identifying pain. Writing proposals. Presenting. And so on. Find out who in your organization excels at each step, and have those reps explain their methods and mindset to the rest of your sales force. Do all the steps at once in a marathon session, or one step at a time. Either way, the results will be amazing. 4. Use the 80/20 Rule. And get rid of the bottom 20. There's no room in today's world for mediocre producers. Hold each member of your team accountable for reaching two kinds of performance benchmarks: results measurements, which include not only revenue, but perhaps new accounts and repeat business, and action measurements, which might include prospecting calls, appointments, and new contacts. Not every sales person will be a superstar, but every one should pay their own way--and then some. Salespeople who aren't producing not only cost you money, they drag down the performance of your whole organization. You may not pay them very much, but why pay them anything? I suggest you do both yourself and them a favor, and let them go. Don't worry about having an empty desk: that warm chair was an expense your company doesn't need. If you feel it isn't fair to "dump" them, or if your sales cycle is too long to measure short-term revenue results, give the problem reps a 30-day plan to increase their level of activity in specific ways. That's long enough to see an improvement if there's going to be one. 5. Track your results and work harder Most entrepreneurial sales organizations fail to analyze their efforts. They have no idea how much effort--or money--it takes to create a new customer. The only indication they have of whether salespeople are "doing enough" is based on the revenue numbers. The answer? Track both activity and results, and use the statistics your garner to quickly raise performance. Break your sales process into a series of meaningful steps, counting each time a rep completes one. Calculate averages and set a benchmark. And while you're at it, analyze the percentage of deals that close whenever you complete that step. That knowledge can dramatically improve your sales forecasts. Once you establish benchmarks--this one's a no-brainer--RAISE THE BAR. Yes, that's right, because the fact is, revenue isn't coming in fast enough. Do everything discussed above to improve your sales effectiveness--then do more of it. Just working smarter isn't going to cut it. You're going to have to work harder as well. And anyone who doesn't want to? See number 4 above. I've developed a unique Sales Audit Process based on the work of W. Edwards Demming. This program is guaranteed to produce an immediate 10-25% improvement in your company's sales, or more. If you'd like to find out more about how you can increase sales right away, call me at 858-951-3055, or visit paullemberg/contact. html and send an email with details about your company's sales situation.

It s not your job to lower your fees to help the client afford you

I constantly receive questions and complaints from my creative professional clients about what to do when a prospect claims, "I can't afford your prices, but I want your services." My clients are frustrated, because they are usually being told this while standing in a mansion-like home, furnished with top-of-the-line furniture, with a beautifully manicured lawn, and three luxury cars parked in a four-car garage. How much your client can afford is relative to their values and beliefs of what is important. It is not your job to lower your price so the client can afford you. It is your job to help the client see the connections between their values and your services, regardless of how much money they've spent on other items. In other words, don't lower your price because the client says she can't afford you. What a client can and cannot afford is all relative. For example, I know a woman who enjoys eating out at expensive restaurants, though she claims she cannot afford to go on vacation every year. On the flip side, I know families who rarely eat out and cook low cost meals at home, so they can afford to vacation twice a year. Therefore, it is valuable to the first woman to eat out and it is valuable to the other people to go on vacation. What they can each afford is based on their values of what is important, not on how much money they have. What people choose to spend their money on and what they can afford is not the job of the restaurant, nor is it the job of the vacation spots. Just as it is not your job to lower your price just because the client wants you to. You have to help the client see the value in your services by learning more about what is important to them and why. During your initial visit with the client (either on the phone or in person) you must ask them questions about what they want and, more importantly, WHY they want it. Buy uncovering "the why" behind their wants, you can help them connect their needs to the value of your services. Don't just pitch your services to the client, ASK them what they want. Then follow up with a question (or several questions) which help you understand why they want it. Keep in mind, if the client continues to whine that she cannot afford your services, then move on. Don't lower your price. If she wants you and finds value in your services, she'll find the money to be able to afford you.