Think About It… the e-book version

by Todd Youngblood

Customers remember the things you messed up all by themselves. It’s your job to highlight the times you went “above and beyond” for them

For some reason, human nature assures that all disasters large and small are memorable. Your customers simply will not forget. Conversely, you routinely stretch yourself and your company to go above and beyond the call of duty for them, only to receive – at best – a, “Well, that’s expected,” reaction.

They’re not callous. Mostly they’re just too darn busy going “above and beyond” themselves. Face it, when you are in the frying pan, you’re probably not even aware that the other guy just jumped into the fire.

That’s why a “KAPS” for your important customers is appropriate this time of year. (You tell me which ones are NOT important…)

A Key Account Performance Summary reminds a customer of where he was, explains what you have done, highlights the results you have produced and lays out what you intend to do next. Here’s an outline:

• Customer Issues & Objectives (as of 12 months ago)
• Customer Expectations (as of 12 months ago)
• Your Key Initiatives for the last 12 months
• Bios (of all those involved in the above)
• Other Resources Applied to the Customer in the last 12 months
• Results Delivered (quantified and “dollarized”)
• Expectations Met & Missed in the last 12 months
• Your View of Current Issues, Objectives & Strategies
• Your Action Plan for the next 12 months (with planned resources to be used)

All of the above should be preceded by a one-page cover letter that forcefully, humbly and accurately calls attention to why you are such a great partner/vendor for that customer. You should also create a presentation version of the whole package and formally deliver it to a customer audience that includes your highest level contact. (…and that person’s boss, if possible…)

There will be no doubt about your status with a customer following a KAPS meeting. You will hear about all of your warts. Chances are you’ll also hear compliments about forgotten activities and appreciation for going the extra mile. Why would you not do this?

by Todd Youngblood

Perhaps it’s not politically correct to talk about the role of power in business. We all know, however, that dealing with and wielding power is a day-to-day reality for sales reps.

Step one is understanding the four fundamental types of power:

• Position Power - derives from rank and/or authority. The title “CEO” carries more power than “VP”. Many travelers these days are not at all pleased with the new-found position power of airport security screeners.
• Personal Power - Confident, likeable, persuasive charisma gets things done.
• Referent Power - Who do you know? Who knows you? Every time we use a reference account, or the line, “Joe Smith suggested that I contact you,” we are using the “reflected influence” of referent power.
• Expert Power - Knowledge really is power!

Step two is assessing the power bases of your prospects and adjusting your sales strategy accordingly. For example, if the decision maker’s/influencer’s main power base is “Expert”, you probably don’t want to use a “dazzle ‘em with your brilliance” approach. (Even if you really are more expert!!!) It might be more effective, for example, to describe the resources you can bring to bear to implement your proposed system. In other words, demonstrate how your referent power can further enhance the prospect’s expertise.

Step three involves assessing and enhancing your own current power base. Rank them top to bottom. For example, your sequence might be Expert, Personal, Position, Referent. Your plan could be to capitalize on your current “expert” strength through continued study, research and dialogue while building up your base of contacts to increase your referent power.

Like it our not, power is the fundamental driver of business decisions. Understand the four power bases. Don’t fight your customers’ power – use what you have to help them exploit what they have and shore up their weaknesses. Focus on enhancing your own power.

by Todd Youngblood

If you were an executive’s gatekeeper, would you be reactive, focusing on keeping people and information out? Or would you be proactive, aggressively feeding relevant information to the boss?

The days of the secretary who took dictation, typed letters and brought coffee on demand are not only long gone, they’re gone forever. The job as the right-hand-of-the-boss has evolved and grown dramatically in terms of responsibility and the intellect required to perform well. The paycheck of today’s “Assistant To” has grown accordingly.

We sales reps must recognize these folks for who and what they are. Put yourself in the shoes of the decision-maker for a minute. Would you rather have an “Assistant To” that:

• Screens out all calls from sales reps? …OR…
• Continuously funnels appropriate and useful information to you?

Stopping the flow of information is not their job. Their fundamental objective is to increase the productivity of the principal. That entails enhancing and organizing the flow of highly relevant information.

See the point? Think about what you have done lately for the “Assistant Tos” that are between you and your decision makers. Have you helped them to “enhance and organize?” Do you know their full names, backgrounds and key performance objectives? Do you know what issues and problems they face? Do you understand the basics of their day-to-day work flow? Have you discussed what type of information their principle wants/likes and in what form?

Next time you find yourself thinking, “Uh-oh, another tough gatekeeper,” execute your well-thought-out “Assistant To” sales strategy. That, first of all, means to avoid schmoozing. They see through that instantly and resent it. Next:

• Find out what you can do to help them help their boss perform better/faster/smarter.
• Do something that has real value to the gatekeeper. (maybe even several “somethings”) Demonstrate that you under-promise and over-deliver.
• After you’ve proven your worth to the “Assistant To”, ask for help in effectively packaging information for the boss and advice on getting an appointment.

It may add a few days or even weeks to your sell cycle. It certainly means more work for you. But isn’t that better than wishing you could get around that gatekeeper?

by Todd Youngblood

Conventional wisdom holds that continuous sales training is essential. I wonder why there isn’t more of it going on…

Ask any sales manager about the need for continuous sales training and you instantly get agreement that it is important. So why isn’t there more of it going on?
The fact is, most money spent on sales training is wasted. Typically, it annoys most reps, bores many and is totally forgotten within 30 days.

This is true due to three missing links:

• Credibility – “Who is this sales seminar leader and why on earth should I follow his/her advice?”
• Relevance – “Maybe this stuff works in the X industry, but I don’t see how it applies here.”
• Reinforcement – “I’ll implement these new ideas just as soon as I have the time.” (…yeah, right…)

You can get around these issues and reap bigger payback from your training budget with a Sales Excellence Council. Put the best of your best reps on it. (i.e., those who are most respected by the rest of the team) That alone takes care of missing links one and two.

Next, provide proof that you’re serious about mining the brains of these folks for the benefit of all your reps. In other words, provide funding for and relentlessly conduct monthly 1/2 day “SEC” meetings. Their objective is to identify, clarify and communicate sales best practices – the tactical actions that produce the fastest, most tangible results for your business.

At the risk of being repetitive …the mission of your Sales Excellence Council is to:

• Identify the best sales practices of your best reps
• Clarify – write them down in specific detail
• Communicate – make sure ALL your reps know how to replicate the power of each best practice

Many firms find it helpful to use an outside facilitator to start and keep the ball rolling. This person would need all the classic qualifications of a sales trainer PLUS expertise in knowledge management and process engineering.

I’ll conclude by stating the obvious… Your best reps will always be the best source of sales tactics and strategies that work. Don’t waste time and money on standardized sales training. Tap into the gold mine you already have on the payroll. Fund it. Plan it. Do it.

by Todd Youngblood

The good news is that the “collective intellect” of your sales force is really quite formidable. The key is to tap into it, capture it, and formally document it.

The second piece of good news is that it’s not at all hard to execute this collection process. Send an e-mail to your reps that asks each to reply with his or her top three “Sales Best Practices.” Ask them to name each one, describe it and state the benefits of its use. Give them 7 days to reply. Make sure everybody responds – on time.
Within 24 hours, get all the Best Practices consistently formatted into a single document and distributed to all. At the next sales meeting, give your reps five minutes each to sell the value of their own Top 3.

Guaranteed… you and your team will be so enthused about the results, you’ll decide to repeat this exercise every six months. Send that e-mail right now! And when you read the first batch of Sales Best Practices…

by Todd Youngblood

The whole concept of “Best Practices” has great intuitive appeal. How can you possibly argue against using procedures that are proven, efficient and cost effective? Given that, a formal, “living” document that contains best practices for each step in the sales process is a must for every sales organization.

It’s not hard to do. The knowledge is already there, just spread out among the brains of all your people. Get them to write it down! Get everybody to write down his or her personal best sales practices. Assign someone to collect and organize them all into a book – preferably an electronic one. Make it required reading. Constantly revise it, upgrade it and improve it. Make it an integral part of the sales and sales management process.

Your payoff will be an intense focus on pursuing excellence in sales. Start now! Do it purposefully!