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Sales 2.0 and the Changing Face of Sales With Christian Maurer – Episode 27

Nov 11th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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So, what’s the deal with Sales 2.0? Is it enough to have a Facebook or Twitter account, or to use LinkedIn to connect with prospects?  How about using new software applications to track your CRM data?

Well, according to this week’s guest, Christian Maurer, Sales 2.0 is much, much more than that.  You might recognize Christian’s distinctive accent, as he is a returning guest to the SM 2.0 Podcast.  We were certainly glad to have him back.

So what is Sales 2.0?  Christian says (and we agree) that Sales 2.0 is primarily an attitude.  As we wrote in the What Is Sales 2.0? (2091) e-book (click that link to download the full e-book for free), approaching your clients with what is of interest to them is the essential ingredient.  As Christian says, you’ll never get any benefit from social media and Web 2.0 applications if you don’t put your customers first.  In other words, it’s all about them.

One of the biggest challenges in adopting Sales 2.0 for many traditional organizations is the handing over of the brand to the customer.  Many companies are hesitant to lose control of their marketing message, and they fear that entering the social media space will cause that to happen.  Well, we hate to be the ones to break it to them, but the truth is that social media has already created a world where the customer owns the brand.  The only thing companies avoid by staying out of social media is the opportunity to participate in the conversation their customers are already having about them!

Christian also touched on an incredibly important topic: the “frenemy” relationship between marketing and sales.  Traditionally, sales departments have been kept in the dark and not allowed to participate in the marketing process until marketing is ready to hand over the leads they’ve created.  This is another place where Sales 2.0 is causing traditional systems to break down and be replaced by new, more effective ways of getting things done.

For example, what happens when a prospect finds your company’s website using Google?  Does your company have an effective way for your sales department to get in touch with that prospect while they are still thinking about what they saw on your website, maybe even while they’re still on the website?  If not, you may be missing out on a golden opportunity to strike while the proverbial iron is hot!

Sales 2.0 is changing the way business gets done. Are you keeping up? If not, it’s time to start paying attention.  Give this episode a listen, and leave a comment below to share what you’re doing to put the tools of Sales 2.0 to work!

Brad and Jerry

 
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Posted in: Pipeline Management, Prospecting, Relationships, Sales, Sales Strategy, Sales Tools.

Terri Levine and “Sell Without Selling” – Episode 26

Nov 4th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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This was a special episode for us, as it marked the return of sales coach and author Terri Levine.  Terri was here to discuss her book “Sell Without Selling: Lessons From the Jungle for Sales Success” and to raise awareness about Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a devastating disease that causes excruciating pain in its victims.  Not only is Terri donating all the proceeds from the sale of her latest book to support a child suffering from RSD, she’s matching the sales, dollar for dollar, out of her own pocket.  Talk about a HERO!

Terri struck a chord with us by talking about learning how to be “in rapport” with prospects and clients, in other words, taking into account their human side and really connecting with them.  As we’ve discussed many times in the past, this means being genuine, authentic and in integrity at all times.  The most important question you should be asking yourself is “How can I be of service?”, NOT, “How can I make the sale?”

According to Terri, the lack of trust on the part of consumers toward salespeople is rooted in the fact that many salespeople have forgotten this fundmental principle.  The whole point of Terri’s book is to encourage salespeople to stop using traditional selling techniques that are manipulative and pushy.  Consumers no longer want to be talked down to; buyers want to be an active part of the decision-making process, not be told by a salesperson what they should do.

The key word Terri wants people to get is “authentic”.  Letting people into your life can seem scary at the beginning, but it is well worth the reward.  Being human is a skill we seem to have forgotten, but if we focus on building relationships with other people, we’ll get everything we want.

Be sure to get your copy of “Sell Without Selling” today, and remember that your total purchase goes to help children with RSD, and that Terri is making matching donations.  Go to http://www.terrilevine.com/orderinformation.htm to get your copy.

Brad and Jerry

 
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Randy Illig and “Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play” – Episode 25

Oct 21st, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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This was a great episode for us, as we had the chance to catch up with a true thought leader in the sales profession: Randy Illig.  Randy has over 25 years experience in business, ranging from accomplished salesperson and general manager to successful entrepreneur (CEO) and board member.  He is currently CEO of ninety five 5 and is a member of the leadership team at The Sales Perfomance Group, a division of FranklinCovey.  Randy has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Ernst & Young “CEO under 40″ award for innovative management philosophy and leadership, and the Arthur Andersen Strategic Leadership Award.  Randy is a sales practitioner, not an academic.

Randy is the co-author (with Mahan Khalsa) of the new book “Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship”, and our discussion focused on the main idea presented in the book: creating true “win/win” buying situations by helping your customers find an exact match for their need.  Randy is a true believer in the philosophy that selling is nothing more than helping clients succeed.

Randy states that intent is far more important than technique in a sales situation.  In other words, when a seller’s intent is anything other than creating an ideal solution for the customer, the customer’s defenses go up and the presentation is basically over.  We all have a built-in “salesperson radar” that warns us when the person across the table is pursuing their own ends instead of ours, and we shut down the minute we sense it.

On the other hand, when a salesperson is truly looking out for the best interest of the prospective client or customer they’re dealing with, the game fundamentally changes.  Creating high-trust/high-integrity relationships is based on understanding the client’s needs, and the only way to understand a client’s needs is to ask questions and engage in conversations with them.  One of the best ways to get other people talking is to demonstrate a little humility.  Only when we do this can we expect to get to a solution that exactly meets the clients need.

Randy was an inspiring guest.  If you haven’t read it yet, get your copy of “Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play” today.  You’ll find a practical, step-by-step “how-to” guide to creating winning relationships with your clients.  Enjoy!

Brad and Jerry

P.S.  We’re getting our schedule ready for 2010.  If you’d like to be a guest on the Sales Management 2.0 Podcast (or if you know someone who’d be a great guest) please use the contact form on this site so we can set up a time to chat about your topic.  Thanks!

 
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Sales and Social Media With Alejandro Reyes (AKA Successfool)-Episode 24

Oct 13th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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 This week, we had the chance to catch up with Alejandro Reyes, aka the Successfool.  Alejandro is a social media rock star, and he’s been on the scene since 2006 (an eternity in the online world).   Alejandro’s drug of choice is people; he gets really excited about helping people follow their passions and making a great living using social media and the internet.  Alejandro’s big question for salespeople is simple: how can you use social media and personal branding to differentiate yourself from your competition?

Let’s face it: in today’s economy, there is a lot of competition for every piece of business out there.  As a salesperson, you need to be using social media tools to enhance your reputation and open more doors of opportunity so that you can stay ahead of your competitors.

As Alejandro says, social media has leveled the playing field to the point that a new saleperson has the opportunity to keep up and even surpass a more established but less internet savvy competitor.  At the same time, you have to be sure to go at it the right way.  In Alejandro’s words, “Don’t be annoying!”

Just like networking in person, networking and making connections on social media sites requires that you show respect for the person you’re talking to.  Coming at them with a canned greeting and a slick sales pitch is going to get you branded as a moron pretty quickly, and people will un-follow you faster than you can say “Tweet”.

Alejandro’s best advice is really simple: be yourself and do what you love with a lot of passion and you’re going to be successful in the long run.  Having 80,000 followers on Twitter means little if you can’t get them to do anything.  So how do you become a “person of influence” in the social media world?

The answer is simple: Take your passion and build your brand around that.  While you’re at it, be genuine, sincere, interested in other people and always look for ways to provide massive value to your audience.

Thanks again for listening!

Brad and Jerry

P.S. Please pardon the feedback between minutes 7 and 8…we did our best to get rid of it, to no avail.  Sorry about that!

 
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Is It Coaching, or Is It Training? – Episode 23 with Terri Levine

Oct 8th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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So, what’s the difference between coaching and training anyway?  That was the topic of our conversation with Master Coach, CEO and entrepreneur Terri Levine, The Guru of Coaching and owner of The Coach Institute.  And what was the answer?

According to Terri, coaching has the intent of inspiring and improving the recipient, as opposed to training, which in Terri’s mind is an activity that involves teaching and instructing (in other words, telling).  And Terri contends that sales coaching can take place in a group environment just as effectively as in a one-on-one setting.

When coaching in a group, Terri has found the interaction to be more inpsiring and energizing; she also observes better interaction and even mentoring between team members.  And when team members begin coaching each other, synergy happens.  Team members naturally begin to cooperate and make up for each other deficiencies, as well as to hold each other accountable.  This, of course, leads to bigger and better results for the team as a whole.

Terri talks about the seven facets of effective coaching: the art of coaching, inspiration, energizing, facilitating, performance, learning and development.  Each of these facets contributes to the overall effectiveness of the coaching effort.  For example, how do you help a coach develop the ability to energize their teams?  First off, you have to look at what’s working now.  This creates positive thinking that is focused on solutions, not problems.  This kind of examination makes us think differently and creates huge results.

If you want to be an effective coach, you have to coach your team on a regular basis and help the people you are coaching to be able to find solutions on their own.  That, coupled with great communication and bonding, makes for lasting improvement on a team.  Coaching, when it works, makes for great sales teams.

Thanks to Terri for joining us, and thanks to you for listening!  Don’t forget to email Terri (coachingguru@gmail.com) and tell her you listened to the podcast to receive your free gifts (a copy of one of Terri’s books and a free coaching session).

Brad and Jerry

P.S.  After a brief hiatus, we’re back! It’s been one crazy summer, but things have quieted down and we’ll be resuming our regular schedule of at least one new episode per week.  Thanks for your patience while we’ve been sorting things out, and we look forward to being a regular part of your week again!

 
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Motivating Sales People in Tough Economic Times with Jim Keenan – Episode 22

Aug 27th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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Cisco Virtual World Career Fair
Image by Text 100 via Flickr

What motivates sales people?  How do great sales managers keep their teams motivated in tough economic times?  Those were the topics we discussed with Jim Keenan in this episode.

Jim Keenan is the Regional Sales Leader for Emerging Service Providers at Avaya and author of the popular sales blog asalesguy.com.  He’s also the former CEO of CreateBuzz, the 2007 runner-up of Mashable’s Open Web Awards for Best Niche Social Network.  Jim has been a sales guy from an early age; Jim uses the same people skills today that he used to get out of trouble as a self-proclaimed “wild child”.

Managers have a choice when it comes to motivating their teams: they can do so in a positive way, using support, encouragement and rewards, or in a negative way, using threats, coercion and the dreaded write-up.  Jim considers writing someone up to be a failure on his part, a failure in the hiring process, the vision process or the support process.  In other words, if you hire the right people, give them a clear understanding of your vision for the results you expect them to achieve and provide them with enough support and encouragement along the way, there is no need to resort to the negative tactics.

Jim suggests that managers need to do two things when it comes to motivating their teams.  First, you need to find out what motivates your people, then you need to find out why it motivates them.  That knowledge will help you to have the critical conversations with your people that will keep them focused and motivated to stay on task, no matter what the economic climate.

Jim makes the bold statement that the only way businesses are going to get out of the current crisis is to have highly motivated teams of people who are confident they are not in danger of being laid off.  While recognizing the need for the tough business decisions that need to be made in times like this, Jim recommends that sales leaders do their best to create alternative solutions that will meet the needs of the company and at that same time take into consideration the human element of the concerned employees.

The basic idea is that people in fear for their jobs, not to mention their homes and 401(k)s, are far less effective  their jobs.  In order to sell effectively, your people, in particular your top performers, need to be confident that they are not going anywhere, no matter how bad things get.  Jim is one sales executive that we are proud to know.  Heck, he may even be a Business Heretic!

Give the episode a listen, then post a comment or start a discussion.  And definitely check out Jim’s blog and follow him on Twitter.  He’s a great guy to know!

Brad and Jerry

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Posted in: Awards and Incentives, Compensation, Hiring, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Podcast.
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Episode 21 – Scott Anderson, Chris Heggem and the Power of Sales 2.0

Aug 5th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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Making the links in a business network
Image via Wikipedia

So, you wish you had a magic pill for turning cold calls into warm leads? Well, we just may have found the answer for you.

Meet Scott Anderson and Chris Heggem from MyWay Interactive.  Scott Anderson is the VP of Business Development at MyWay.  He spent 28 years managing commercial channels at Hewlett Packard.  Chris Heggem is the Marketing Manager at MyWay.  Chris is a public speaking and persuasion trainer, an award-winning debater and a social media marketer for B2B startups.  What did these two experts have to say about the power of Sales 2.0 to bridge the gap between cold calls and warm leads?

Scott and Chris began the discussion by acknowledging the fact that customers and sales people alike hate the unprepared cold call.  You know the one: “Hi Mr. Customer!  This is Joe from XYZ…I was just calling to follow up!”  We all know that those calls are painful to make, as well as to receive.  At the same time we know that, as selling professionals, at some point we’re going to have to pick up the phone and talk to someone we don’t know and who is not currently buying our product and talk to them.  How can we make these calls less awkward and more valuable to prospective clients?

Enter social media.  Social media has fundamentally shifted the kind of interactions we can have with our prospects.  It provides us with powerful tools to learn about the people we want to talk to and, eventually, sell to.  The information we can gather about our prospects online is virtually unlimited!  In addition to information gathering, we can begin to build great relationships with prospects all over the world.  Those social media relationships, if properly maintained, will eventually lead to business relationships for salespeople who know how to make the transition appropriately.

How can we make the salesperson’s job even easier?  You’re absolutely going to love this one.  MyWay Interactive and Sales Management 2.0 have teamed up to bring you The Lead Engine.  This incredibly powerful social media/Sales 2.0 tool is now available at http://leadengine.salesmanagement20.com and it absolutley rocks!  The Lead Engine is a worldwide, collaborative lead exchange tool that salespeople can use to work together to build incredible value for their networks.  This is permission-based lead trading at its best.  In addition, The Lead Engine is a cloud-based CRM software where you can manage all of your contacts in one place.  Best of all, Sales Management 2.0 is offering this tool absolutely free of charge.

So what are you waiting for?!  Click here to access the most powerful CRM and lead-exchange tool you’ve seen yet.  Thanks to Brad, Scott and Chris for creating this incredibly powerful engine to drive your business to the next level.

Thanks again for listening,

Brad and Jerry

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Posted in: Follow Up, Pipeline Management, Podcast, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Skills, Sales Strategy, Sales Tools.
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Episode 20 – Tom Schaber on Managing Generation X and Y

Jul 30th, 2009
by Brad Trnavsky.
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Generation Y
Image by dalechumbley via Flickr

As many sales executives are starting to realize, managing Gen Xers and Millenials (also known as Gen Y) presents new challenges that didn’t exist a decade ago.  That was the subject of Brad’s discussion with Tom Schaber, a sales management consultant who specializes in helping sales managers deal with the complexities of this situation.

Tom Schaber is the owner of Selling Dynamics , a sales management consulting company specializing in helping business owners hire and develop sales people.  Selling Dynamics also coaches owners and sales managers in the art of managing sales people.  Tom has spent about 35 years in the selling profession: ten years as a field sales rep in the medical device industry, managing five states and growing business on average 30% per year, then sales manager, national sales manager and VP of sales & marketing for medical device companies. He has built entire sales organizations, from interviewing and hiring new reps to skill development, creating targets and sales territories and conducting sales training.  He’s also the author of The Total Sales Manager sales blog, and the books Managing Those Who Make You Money: Taking the Mystery Out of Managing Salespeople and The Road Warrior’s Guide to Sales Management.

So what do managers need to take into consideration when working with the new crop of selling professionals?  Two things: genuinely care about them as people and be transparent in your communication.

If anything characterizes Gens X and Y, it’s a desire for genuine, transparent relationships.  Gone are the days of manipulation and coercion as management tactics: anyone still using them is a dinosaur on the way to extinction.  Why? Because the selling professional of today wants to be respected and, if they don’t get that respect, they will seek employment elsewhere.  It’s really that simple.

In order to effectively manage these folks, you need to really build solid, trusting relationships. Personally, I feel this is the best way to manage people of any generation. I don’t think any of of know people who do not prefer to be treated with respect and dignity. The primary difference with Gen x and Y is they will not stick it out someplace they are unhappy because of a paycheck or some perceived sense of security or loyalty to the company.

While we may be thinking these kids need to learn to suck it up and learn to work in the real world it is important to remember that Gen X is moving up the corporate ladder, Gen Y is on its way and the baby boomers are quickly retiring. This IS the real world now and we will all need to make some adjustments. Companies who manage this well will retain top talent and these who don’t will experience high turnover and the costs associated with it.

Thanks for listening!

Brad and Jerry

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Posted in: Authors, Hiring, Leadership, Management, Mentoring, Motivation, Podcast.
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Episode 19 – Kevin Cook Discusses Assessment Tools and the Hiring Process

Jul 21st, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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Kevin Cook of Target TeamsWhen it comes to recruiting new salespeople, many hiring managers are at a loss for how to uncover what really makes the candidates they interview tick.  Enter Kevin Cook of Target Teams.

Kevin Cook is Director of Business Development at Target Teams, a Cambridge, Mass. organization that creates performance improvement solutions applicable for use with individuals, teams and executives.  Kevin has 15 years sales management experience with both startup and Fortune 100 companies.  He’s interviewed hundreds of salespeople over the course of his career, and has, by his own admission, made every mistake possible when it comes to hiring.  He is always looking for ways to help sales executives make better hiring decisions.  Kevin joined us on this episode to discuss how using assessment tools can do just that.

Making great hiring decisions is no easy task, and it can be even more difficult when hiring managers “fly by the seat of their pants”.  Kevin first encouraged managers to slow down in the interview process and not be in such a hurry to get a body in place that they overlook indicators of a possible bad fit.  He recommends a focus on the needs of the particular position and the of the stake holders (i.e. peers, managers, customers, etc.).  He asks managers to consider where they would rather spend their time: in the hiring process to make sure they get a great candidate, or in the re-hiring process when the person they hired too quickly falls out?  The choice is clear.

With an acknowledgement that gut feelings and intuition are important to the hiring process, Kevin recommends an approach that also includes a clear, unbiased assessment of the character traits and behavioral styles of the candidate.  In other words, you want to pay attention to how the sales rep is going to get the job done.  This can be difficult to determine in the hiring process; after all, we’re talking about interviewing salespeople, people who build relationships and rapport for a living.  That certainly increases the difficulty of the task!

One of the best pieces of advice Kevin offers is to slow down, take your time, and not rush into hiring decisions.  Always remember: no breath is better than bad breath in a territory.

Thanks again for listening, and feel free to share this episode and any others you enjoy with your peers and associates.  Also, we encourage you to leave your comments and feedback below.

Brad & Jerry

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Posted in: Hiring, Leadership, Management, Podcast.
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Episode 18 – Shaun Priest: Working With Objections And Concerns, Continued

Jul 8th, 2009
by Jerry Kennedy.
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Shaun_PriestThis episode is a fantastic follow up to last week’s conversation with Steven Bachert.  Shaun Priest Spent some time discussing how to work with objections presented by your prospects (no, not “handling”…dealing with!)

Shaun Priest has been a successful sales person and sales manager for over 15 years. He is currently Sr. VP of Sales for a technology company. He is often asked by executives and sales people for assistance with managing, deals, and career advice, so he decided to start a blog, CloserQ.com, for business people to post questions and get advice and opinions from Shaun and other selling professionals.  Shaun is also the author of Decisions, a novel about a sales guy with a gambling addiction.

Shaun has the distinction of being our first podcast guest to provide a PowerPoint to accompany his episode you can download it here to follow along: WinningSalesStrategies-Shaun Priest. The PowerPoint does a GREAT job of leading you through the ten best tactics for working through the objections and questions your prospects might present during the sales process.  The beauty of Shaun’s approach is that it takes the subject of objections and deals with it in a straightforward, ethical way, much as we discussed last week, and does so in a structured, well-planned way.

Shaun encourages salespeople to become familiar with the most common objections presented by prospects in their industry, to listen attentively to prospects concerns, and to tap into the power of “Feel, Felt, Found” as they guide prospective customers through the buying process.  He also discussed the choices salespeople have to make along the path, whether they will use their power of influence for the prospect’s good or their own.

Shaun’s perspective on working with prospects and helping them come to conclusions that are truly in their best interest should help salespeople work more effectively with potential customers.  Put these ten suggestions into practice in your career, and you’re sure to see immediate and lasting results.

Thanks for listening, and please leave us a comment to let us know how we’re doing.  Also, if you have any suggestions for future episodes, we’d love to hear those as well.  See you all next week!

Brad and Jerry

 
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