How Can I Get More Sales

By Peter DeHaan

Almost every day, someone asks me, “How can I get more sales?”  In fact, for my clients and prospects, increasing sales is usually a primary concern.  Rarely does anyone tell me that their company is making all the sales they want.  I wish they would ask me easier questions, like “How can I improve quality,” “How can I increase revenue,” or “How can I reduce turnover?”  All of these I have successfully dealt with, but the sales issue is a bit trickier.  It seems that people are looking for a quick fix, a simple strategy.  It’s as if they are expecting me to say, “Invest X dollars in Y process to produce Z sales.”

But alas, there is no magic secret.  If there were – and I knew it – I would start a sales and marketing business.  My clients would merely tell me their sales goals for the month and I would fill their order.  But it is not that simple.  Consider the following list:

• Direct mail

• Outbound telemarketing

• Direct mail followed by a phone call

• Cold calls

• Trade shows

• Networking

• Referrals

• Yellow page ads

• Print media

• Web sites

• Internet advertising

These tactics have a proven record of producing sales in many instances  Unfortunately, these same methods have been repeatedly demonstrated to be total failures.  Campaigns that have consistently generated high sales numbers for one organization have proven to be colossal flops in others.  Therefore, it is not the strategy that is important, but what surrounds that strategy.  Here then, is the ultimate – yet elusive – formula for sales success:

Personnel + attitude + execution + management = sales success

Personnel: This is the critical element in the formula.  Without the right people in place, nothing else matters.  This starts with finding the right person for the job.  Over the years, I have hired many sales people.  Some worked out, but many didn’t.  (My main problem was that I was reluctant to pay enough to attract the best people.)

What is true for all candidates is even more valid for sales applicants: you see them at their very best during the interview.  In fact, even mediocre salespeople know that they must give their best sales performance during the interview.  If they can’t convincingly sell themselves to you, how can they possibly sell your service to someone else?  To cut through all of this, I have a few key questions I like to ask sales candidates:

How much did you make at your last job?  If they made six figures, but can only expect half that at your firm, they are unlikely to work out.  They will be unhappy, develop a negative attitude, and leave as soon as a better paying job comes along.  Conversely, if they barely cracked the poverty level at their last job, they may be out of their league to produce at the level you expect.  Ideally, their prior compensation should be 5 to 25% less then what you expect them to make with you.

How much would you like to make at this job?  The response to this is most telling.  Why?  Because if it is unreasonably high, they won’t be satisfied working for you.  On the other hand, if it is lower then what you are prepared to pay, then they will start coasting once they hit their target compensation.  Again, you are looking for a salary expectation that is consistent with what you can deliver, but is still motivating to them.

Would you like to work straight commission?  I don’t advocate that anyone be paid straight commission, however this question is designed to throw them off track and see how they respond.  To make this work, you can’t ask the question directly, but need to back into it.  If they are at all good with sales, they will have already regaled you with their accomplishments, assured you that they will be your best sales person ever, and promised they will produce at a level beyond your wildest expectations.  And, if they have moxie, they may even say you’d be foolish not to hire them or suggest your company will fail without them.  (Yes, I have been told this – many times.)  Given all of this, they assert that you must pay them top dollar.

At this point, you are in a position to say, “I don’t normally offer this, but based on your track record and past performance, I think you’re worthy of special consideration.  I suggest that we consider a compensation plan where you will be highly rewarded for your results and given an open-ended opportunity to exceed your compensation goals.”  Then pause, lean forward, and confidentially whisper, “How would you like to work for straight commission?”

First, watch if they can quickly and smoothly react to an unexpected turn of events.  Next, you want to see how they retreat from their prior boasting.  Often a more realistic picture emerges.  Lastly, you will quickly get a true idea of what they expect for base pay and how much they are willing to put on the line in the form of commissions, incentives, or bonuses.

In the event that they are shocked or hurt by this question, simply apologize and indicate that, based on what they were saying, you thought this idea might appeal to them.

Attitude:  Having the right sales staff, however, is just the beginning.  They also need to have the right attitude.  How many times have you seen salespeople talk themselves into a bad month?  The thinking goes like this, “Last August was bad.  I wonder if August is always bad?  I better brace myself for a bad month.”  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and they have a bad month.

Or, how many times has a sales person said something like, “I don’t set any appointments for Monday because everyone is always too busy.”  Then they add Fridays to the list because prospects are focused on wrapping up their week.  The first thing in the morning doesn’t work, nor the end of the day.  Before and after lunch is bad, too.  I once had a salesman use this logic and he actually concluded that he could only successfully sell on Tuesday and Thursday in the mid-afternoon.  It should surprise no one that he sold nothing and his time with the company was a record in brevity.

Another self-defeating attitude is negativity.  Consider, for example, the salesperson who says, “Direct mail?  That won’t work!”  And of course, with that attitude, it won’t.  Or how about, “That didn’t work last time and it’s not going to work now!”

Lastly, are they willing to try new things?  If they are open to new ideas and plans, then they have a much greater chance of success than if they are closed-minded.  Strangely, all too many salespeople would rather continue to do what has failed in the past than to try something new.

Execution: Closely linked to attitude is the proper execution.  In fact, without the right attitude, successful execution is impossible.  I have seen ideal marketing plans flop because of poor or haphazard execution.  Conversely, I have seen the most ill-conceived and contrived strategies succeed famously because they were diligently, steadfastly, and consistently implemented.

Quite simply, there needs to be a plan.  The plan needs to be meticulously followed.  And those involved need to be held accountable for their work.  This brings up the fourth element:

Management:  The glue that holds all this together is management.  Good management starts with hiring the right salespeople, giving them excellent training, providing them with appropriate compensation, and motivating them effectively.  This must be followed by a sound marketing plan and a supportive environment in which to implement it.  Lastly, sales management means investing time, on an ongoing basis, to encourage, observe, teach, and adjust what they do.  Put more succinctly, the right management keeps them on task and holds them accountable.

There is nary a salesperson who can be truly successful without attention and oversight.  They need to be lifted up when they are down and celebrated when they make a sale, held responsible for their schedule and made liable for their results.  This takes considerable time and effort.  As such, proper sales management is not just one more hat to wear, but a full-time job.

Successfully managing salespeople is hard work.  It takes time, perseverance, determination, and dedication.  But then don’t all things that are worthwhile?

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