This is post #3 in the Ultimate Selling Skills series. For post 1 click here. For post 2 click here.
Partway through the morning’s sales training with a client, I typically conduct a “confession session,” in which reps share their most embarrassing moment.
It’s a very funny time. Colleagues who have known one another for a decade or more are shocked to learn some of the stupid things their peers did during their selling infancy. It’s also one of the ways I’ve collected the more than 600 hilarious selling blunders that are published on my sales stress relief site, www.SalesAutopsy.com.
Next, we take a break. As everyone rushes off to eat, drink, phone, text, and so forth, the cartoon (pictured here) is still up on the screen.
During one session, a woman walked up and barked loudly: “I am very offended by that image.”
“What? You are?” I was shocked. Then people started to gather in as they hear the energy in her voice.
“Are you serious?” I said. And her lips tightened as she nodded.
Then there was silence as everyone looks closely at the cartoon picture.
A fellow attendee chimed in, “But he has no eyes!”
She glared at him and retorted, “He is looking up her skirt and it is very offensive.”
I was shocked and struggled with whether to make a witty comment or a sarcastic one. So, I resigned myself to reply, “I’ll have to get that guy a male psychologist.”
Here’s the thought for you sales training pros: What kind of baggage was she bringing into the training? I’ve been training for 20+ years and continue to be entertained and at times, shocked, by what’s residing in the heads inside the room. In the real world, outside the classroom, we still deal with this as well, when we sell.
What kind of baggage do your learners and their prospects bring to the selling world? Everyone’s experience embeds these concerns—this baggage—into their brains. This focus (and I hope your fascination) with seeing how different everyone is will help you better train those who sell for a living.
I love this diversity of personalities and decision-making styles and company cultures. It’s really a reflection of the wildly unique world in which we live. For anyone who travels, you can’t ignore the variety in clothing, architecture, and the differences in geography—o n land, flying above it, even scuba diving beneath the ocean.
Because of this diversity, I’m always surprised that so many sales reps sell to every client as if they are all alike. It’s because of this fact that every buyer is truly unique, that a primary function of your sales training program is give your sales pros the agility to customize their conversations to match the buying style of each buyer.
The easiest new practice you can build into your selling system is to teach the distinction between Gain and Pain, we covered that in the previous post.
And there’s more…like understanding which buyer hates your marketing materials, testimonials, data, and social proof (that being existing clients). That’s because 40 percent of the buyers in the United States make decisions based on their own personal experience, instincts, and judgment (the percentage varies slightly in other countries and cultures).
Marketing executives hate to hear this, but it’s been quantified. And you need to adjust your approach based on the buyer in front of you.
There are some fun ways to increase mental agility in people, my favorite being to use Dr. Edward De Bono’s lateral thinking puzzles, like this:
In a company there is a sales rep named Jim. He is the worst salesperson. He is lazy, dumb, drunk, and a troublemaker. One day his manager said, "I wish I had 10 reps like Jim."
Why would he say that?
Because he has 100.
How flexible are your sales pros? You can increase mental agility, as one small step toward and improving team performance.
I can help you find out how. Come meet me in Chicago this September. Invest wisely in 2 days with me and your peers at the ASTD Ultimate Selling Skills experience.
ASTD’s Ultimate Selling Skills: Creating a High-Impact Sales Training Program
What Does Every Sales Team Really Need?
The key to high-performing sales teams is selling skills. Every organization knows this, but how many of them have the training in place to make sure each salesperson can consistently meet their goals? How do you make sure that your training fits for your team?
This workshop’s approach is critical to creating selling skills programs that drive consistent sales team success. You’ll learn more about 10 critical selling skills your team needs to know, and how you can quickly design training material for each of them.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is best for sales trainers, sales managers, and anyone who is tasked with designing and/or delivering sales training.
What’s In It for You?
- Build a foundational training program that uses 10 key selling skills your team needs to know.
- Leave with fresh ideas, potent techniques, demonstrated best practices, and actionable takeaways.
- Receive a complimentary copy of Dan Seidman’s book, The Ultimate Guide to Sales Training.
- Sign up for a 1:1 or group session where Dan evaluates your current sales training program and materials. Spaces are limited–Sign up here today!
For more information and to register visit http://astd.org/salesworkshop
