If there is one thing for certain… change
happens. What we sell today and how differs greatly even from a few short years
ago. Yes.. . sales fundamentals stay the same but the requirements of the
market and the challenges professional sales people and sales managers face
have changed… clients are more demanding, product offerings may be more complex
, and there are more choices in the marketplace… we have to constantly improve
our skill sets just to keep up let alone achieve sustained success. On top of that… research has shown that
traditional sales methods are increasingly unproductive.
I recently spent some
time with Kevin D. Crone former CEO of the Dale Carnegie Business Group in
Canada and author of Canada’s Monday Morning Mentor. Kevin shared some insights
from a 2013 worldwide research project the Dale Carnegie Centre of Excellence commissioned
to find out what has changed in today’s sales environment across all sales
channels and industries.
This is some of what
Kevin shared from their research…
•
Only 14% of customers see you as unique
•
Business owners view 90% of enterprises as
being commoditized – (comparing apples to
apples... how do we differentiate?)
•
Sales stories are tired and they all sound
alike.
•
Only 38% of customers appreciate “service” “responsiveness” and “high
quality products”
•
However,
62% of customers
appreciate help, advice, coaching
on how they can reduce costs or increase revenues
•
Every buyer has A.D.D. -
Info overload leads to buying inertia
•
More sophisticated buying pressures, consensus based buying, increased risk aversion, greater demand for customization, &
a demand to reduce the complexity of the purchase
“Customers think they know it all! ... So
they immediately ask... where are my discounts?”
All this makes it extremely
difficult to solve customer problems let
alone get them to spend their time doing so when they think they have the
answers.
The study also suggests what is needed to compete…
Customers don’t actually know their needs
like we think. - They are too close in the business. (Doctors can’t heal
themselves.)
The top 20% of salespeople are “Value Creators” - (They get over 50% of the sales and are
getting better)
The “Value Creator - creates value with every contact in
the process. (53% of customers value the
advice the most)
What do the Value Creators look like?
•
They are bold, interruptive coach like salespeople
who disrupt a customer’s thinking teach their clients, how to reduce costs or
increase revenues and continue doing so.
•
They begin calls by giving interruptive
perspectives that shed new light on business problems and listen to trends and
motivations of customers and then re-think offering/story to match motivations
•
Develop industry insights and point of view that
elevates customers thinking and match their perspectives to the insights that
the customer hasn’t thought of yet.
•
“Package” offerings/services to solve their
problems that lead to your unique benefits & strengths
•
Tell a compelling story including costs,
business case, ROI
•
Know how business works, industry insights, market
trends & educates customers on trends
•
Can handle complexity - (They help buyers get what they want & need)
•
Help navigate alternatives to reduce risks
•
Can dialogue well & control the sales process. (Closing!!!)
This all makes sense but are they (Carnegie) alone in their perspective?
Harvard University also
recently conducted an international study with thought leaders in sales and
sales management. These included top sales leaders in major corporations,
leading academics who have published in the sales field, and senior
practitioners within sales associations or research-oriented sales
consultancies.
What they found was that today’s Professional Sales People and Sales
Managers need a distinct set of skills and abilities.
• Business Acumen and Customer Insight - specifically, beyond what the
customer has articulated. In complex relational sales, customers expect sales
people to act as Business Consultants and demonstrate a broad strategic understanding of their
business and how our solutions will Impact Bottom Line.
• Relational Skills - across
all the research in sales and key account management, Trust is
repeatedly cited by customers as important in their selection of a supplier.
• Managerial & People Management Skills - ethical standards and
integrity, adaptability, & openness to change, and strong influencing
skills.
• Cognitive Skills - innovative problem solving; mental toughness,
resilience and the ability to work under pressure and Identify Sales Opportunities with both Existing
Customers, as well as with New Business.
In fact, there is plenty of evidence & research that high-performing
sales people are those who listen and respond, who are flexible, adaptive, and
who think in terms of developing a solution to an emerging customer problem in
the real world of ever-increasing customer expectations and more emphasis on
return on investment and value. A trusted professional who challenges customer
concepts and builds a true business partnership to grow their business and
achieve success...
After all isn't
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