Managing sales in challenging times - The Sky is Not Falling!

‘Managing sales in challenging times’ - The Sky is Not Falling! Deiric McCann Four bestselling business books (soon to be five!) 1000+ articles on m...
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‘Managing sales in challenging times’ - The Sky is Not Falling!

Deiric McCann Four bestselling business books (soon to be five!) 1000+ articles on management topics

Senior Vice President - International

Recessions typically last six months to two years

Seasoned Pros? • If you started selling 1995 you’re a seasoned pro, right? • Yet, you haven’t sold in a really tough economy! • If you were around before that… – Do you remember what it was like?!

“Sure, the lion is king of the jungle, but airdrop him into Antarctica, and he's just a penguin's plaything” Dennis Miller

Get Your Head in the Game No Control: • The state of the economy • The future (except through what you do now) • Tighter markets • More aggressive competitors • Tougher purchasing practices

Get Your Head in the Game Total Control – Get rid of all negative influences – Refuse to engage in the ‘doom & gloom’ game – Close off the news & media – Don't sing the Recession Blues with anyone – especially clients – Get busy!

Get Your Head in the Game “You become the company you keep” …their talk becomes your ‘self-talk’

Affirmations

Hey! Who yawned?!

“Affirmations help you remember in your bad moments what you know to be right in your good moments”

Change your thoughts… ..and you’ll change your beliefs

Change your beliefs… ..and you’ll change your expectations

Change your expectations… ..and you’ll change your attitude

Change your attitude… ..and you’ll change your behaviour

Change your behaviour… ..and you’ll change your performance

Change your performance… ...and you’ll change your business!

What About Your Existing Clients?

Drucker on Existing Clients • 1 in 14 chance of doing business with someone new • 1 in 4 chance with someone you dealt with before but stopped • 1 in 2 chance with an existing client

Your clients are scared!

What About Your Clients? • They are scared of risk! – This is a ‘trust recession’ – ‘Trusted Advisors’ will excel in this market – You must know your products and their industry & challenges – Clients will pay a premium for the security of someone they know will help them succeed

What About Your Clients? • Sales cycles are longer – Plan for this – Start much earlier

• Money savings rule, you must – ROI is King! – – – – –

Save money – fast! Increase revenue – fast! Must prove $$ ROI ROI is critical Must be faster than ever before – Ideal: less than a year

What About Your Clients? • All spend goes through the CFO – Often several times – re-approvals the norm – If it’s not budgeted it must be completely irresistible • 200% - 300% ROI in year one

• Payment terms will be longer – 90 days has become normal – Include financing proposals

• Want much more for less • Will be forced to competitive bids

“We have a philosophy and a strategy. When times are tough, you build share” AG Lafley, CEO Procter & Gamble

Your Competition Is… • • • • •

Shaving costs Closing offices/depts Shedding good people Cutting marketing costs Cutting corners

Your Competition • • • •

Who is pulling back? Who is hurting? Who is getting bad press? They WILL fail their clients – exploit that – Build proposals to target competitor weaknesses – Highlight the risk

When they drop the ball nail them!

Won $0 Won $100,000

‘Slight Edge’

Three ‘Slight Edge’ Techniques • Take MASSIVE ACTION – raise your activity level • Improve your meeting quality • Avoid ‘Death Valley’

The “Sales Doctor”

What Ails Your Sales?

Too few presentations or just not closing?

Too few presentations

Not enough prospects or poor time management?

Not closing

Poor quality prospects or poor sales skills & techniques?

Not enough prospects

Poor quality prospects

Mailers not ‘cutting through’ or Poor Follow Up?

Poor Time Management Time Management/Priority System? Detailed Sales Activity Plans? Follow up level possible?

Prospect profile correct? Prospect qualification criteria? Prospect approach & offer (expectations)?

Mailers not cutting through Redesign Mailers? Reconsider Target Base? Re-position Product? Cold call reluctance? Time? Motivation? Phone skills?

Poor Follow Up

Sales process defined? Sales process appropriate? Point of failure identified? Skill training for failure point? General level of sales skill?

Poor sales skills

Four ‘Slight Edge’ Techniques • Take MASSIVE ACTION – raise your activity level • Improve your meeting quality • Avoid ‘Death Valley’

Four ‘Slight Edge’ Techniques • Take MASSIVE ACTION – raise your activity level • Improve your meeting quality • Avoid ‘Death Valley’

We found that… Over 90% of all of our failed sales fail in the information stage not in the presentation stage!

Show Up and Throw Up • • • •

Ask, don’t tell Have conversations, not presentations Position offerings situationally Focus on product usage and ROI – not features

As Is

As Is

Should Be

As Is

Should Be

Payout

As Is

Should Be

Barriers

Payout

Enter information where it belongs, not as it occurs

As Is

Should Be

Barriers

Payout

Re-cap key points and ask for verification, clarification or elaboration

Four ‘Slight Edge’ Techniques • Take MASSIVE ACTION – raise your activity level • Improve your meeting quality • Avoid ‘Death Valley’

Avoiding ‘Death Valley’

Every time you meet a prospect make the next appointment before you leave. Only two possibilities: • She Agrees • She Declines

…either way you win!

Key Messages • Get your head in the game – – – –

Cut off negative influences Work on your attitude and optimism Create affirmations Focus beyond the recession

• Get close to existing clients • Pick over the bones of vulnerable competition • Get more active than ever – make every day the last day before vacation • Become consultants & trusted advisors to existing and prospective clients • Avoid Death Valley

Some Reading • www.deiricmccann.com/sirbasku.doc • www.deiricmccann.com/antelopes.pdf • www.deiricmccann.com/SalesDoctor.zip • ‘The Answer’ – John Assaraf & Murray Smith

Success in 2010 and beyond is about activity - more activity than ever before

-and more activity than anyone else

‘Managing sales in challenging times’ - The Sky is Not Falling!