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Archives for May 2015

Are You Likeable Enough?

Posted on 05.27.15 | Doug Robinson | Leave a Comment

People only buy from those they like and trust. “Everybody knows that”, as they say in the GEICO commercials. But do salespeople know what to do to become more likeable?

Know Like Trust Factor in SalesNearly 80 years ago Dale Carnegie released his world famous, How to Win Friends and Influence People, which has sold 15 million copies worldwide! With that success it seems to me that he would be able to provide some pretty good insight into increasing likeability. So in today’s post I want to zero in on one simple suggestion he made in the book on this subject. Wait for it… “Remember that a person’s name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

Carnegie once said, “If you don’t remember people’s names, you are headed for trouble.”

In the book Carnegie wrote this: After his father died by being kicked in the head by a horse, his oldest boy, Jim, was ten, and he went to work in a brickyard, wheeling sand and pouring it into the molds and turning the brick on edge to be dried by the sun. This boy Jim never had a chance to get much education. But with his natural geniality, he had a flair for making people like him, so he went into politics, and as the years went by, he developed an uncanny ability for remembering people’s names.

He never saw the inside of a high school; but before he was forty-six years of age, four colleges had honored him with degrees and he had become chairman of the Democratic National Committee and

Postmaster General of the United States. I (Carnegie) once interviewed Jim Farley, asking him the secret to his success.

He said, “Hard work,” and I said, “Don’t be funny.” He then asked me what I thought was the reason for his success. I replied: “I understand you can call ten thousand people by their first names.” “No. You are wrong,” he said. “I can call fifty thousand people by their first names.” Make no mistake about it. That ability helped Mr. Farley put Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House when he managed Roosevelt’s campaign in 1932.

Like-ability and SalesDuring the years that Jim Farley traveled as a salesman for a gypsum concern, and during the years that he held office as town clerk in Stony Point, he built up a system for remembering names. In the beginning, it was a very simple one. Whenever he met a new acquaintance, he found out his or her complete name and some facts about his or her family, business and political opinions. He fixed all these facts well in mind as part of the picture, and the next time he met that person, even if it was a year later, he was able to shake hands, inquire after the family, and ask about the hollyhocks in the backyard. No wonder he developed a following!

For months before Roosevelt’s campaign for President began, Jim Farley wrote hundreds of letters a day to people all over the western and northwestern states. Then he hopped onto a train and in nineteen days covered twenty states and twelve thousand miles, traveling by buggy, train, automobile and boat. He would drop into town, meet his people at lunch or breakfast, tea or dinner, and give them a “heart-to-heart talk.” Then he’d dash off again on another leg of his journey.

As soon as he arrived back East, he wrote to one person in each town he had visited, asking for a list of all the guests to whom he had talked. The final list contained thousands and thousands of names; yet each person on that list was paid the subtle flattery of getting a personal letter from James Farley. These letters began “Dear Bill” or “Dear Jane,” and they were always signed “Jim.” Jim Farley discovered early in life that the average person is more interested in his or her own name than in all the other names on earth put together. Remember that name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment.

Most people don’t remember names, for the simple reason that they don’t take the time and energy necessary to concentrate and repeat and fix names indelibly in their minds. They make excuses because they think they are too busy.

If you think the topic of this post will be relevant in your business, you really want to get a copy of Sell is NOT a Four Letter Word, my book that contains 116 individual topics like this one. It will cost you 14¢ per topic, and I will ship if to you FREE … What do you mean you don’t think so?…Oh, p-lease. You mean you’d rather continue to have high sales turnover and miss your sales budget again? OK, whatever!

©2015 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC

Face-to-Face Passive Sales Recruiting

Posted on 05.20.15 | Doug Robinson | Leave a Comment

Blue Collar Sales RecruitingSince blue collar businesses have very little initial “glamour” in the eyes of potential job applicants; electronic ads and website postings may not yield all the raw material you need. As a matter of fact, while the headlines have continually touted high unemployment numbers for the last several years, most companies never been able to attain their sales staffing budgets.

How and where in the world will you find the right people to staff your selling machine? Obviously management must become more proactive and begin to think outside the box to complement what traditional recruiting practices bring to the table.

Out of curiosity I did some research by looking at the top 15 outside salespeople that work for an environmental services company where I used to be a sales coach. I was interested in determining what they did for a living before onboarding at this firm.

Three things jumped out at me as I uncovered the list of previous occupations:

  1. Over 50% had prior sales experience
  2. Over 50% worked in other blue collar fields
  3. 93% of these prior occupations are in regular contact with blue collar employees, like yours

I think this information could possibly be used by you to help find the caliber of people you are looking for and hopefully fit your company culture also.

Yes, it certainly does take time to drop by a manufactured home sales lot or stop and talk to a Schwan’s man to prospect for employment candidates, but I can’t imagine that activity taking any longer than you are probably spending now to continually chase internet ad suspects. And by the way, while you are out recruiting face-to-face, you also have an opportunity to expose your products and services to others!

I believe that having recruiting conversations with people currently working in a field not unlike yours that might be dissatisfied with their current situation, would be better candidates than a lot of the “Starvin Marvins” out there replying to your ads, many of which are currently unemployed.

Here are some resources/ideas to “help you help yourself” potentially recruit some additional sellers:

  • Current Employees

Conduct a meeting with all your employees outlining the type of person, background, general job description, expectations, and realistic income potential for the salespeople you are looking for.

Start a referral program for your employees where you make it worth their while to help you recruit the type of folks you prefer. (Example: Offer $300 to be paid in 3 installments over 90 days to insure integrity into the incentive). If your employees wouldn’t feel comfortable inviting the individual to their home for dinner, they shouldn’t recommend them to you as a potential teammate.

Create a business card-size recruiting card and make sure all your employees have an adequate supply, and know who NOT to give them to.

  • Chamber of Commerce/Industry association luncheons/gatherings

It would not be unusual for business people that you interact with through these organizations to be able to recommend good applicants they don’t have openings for, or who don’t fit their job profile, but may fit yours.

  • Ex-military personnelSales Job Fair

Ex-military people fit well in most blue collar businesses. They have a good work ethic, understand and respect authority, are normally well liked by the public, and like wearing uniforms. Find out the date for the next job fair on base and be there!

  • Bulletin board postings

Develop a simple recruiting flyer and post them at community colleges, technical schools, churches, community centers, libraries, apartment complexes, etc.

  • Examples of blue collar employees you might consider
    • Vinyl siding salesmen
    • HVAC sales employees
    • Home improvement store associates
    • Gutter salesmen
    • Manufactured housing sales reps
    • Security/fire protection systems sellers
    • Fencing salesmen
    • Lawn care/landscaping/sprinkler system sales
    • Route sales (Schwan’s, Tom’s, etc.)
    • Satellite TV salespeople
    • Construction employees
    • Retail store managers

All these professions, and others I’m sure that I failed to list, probably require similar skill sets and have similar hour and work demands as your business does. When your employees meet a sharp one, have them verify they might have some interest in a job change, and give them a recruiting card. Have them secure the individual’s contact info and conclude by telling them you can’t promise them anything by they should expect a short phone call from their manager.

I’m not dissing media recruiting, as I’m aware that when you are in a bad staffing posture, you need a quick influx of recruiting prospects. But face-to-face passive recruiting is very effective and allows you and your employees to first observe an individual prior to approaching him or her about a position at your organization. Additionally, this is a great way to maintain bench strength, even when you are fully staffed, with individuals interested in your business who might be willing to wait for an opening to join your sales staff.

The icing on the cake in this scenario is you will be able to manage your existing sales people more aggressively, since you won’t be as fearful of a turnover if you have some depth on the bench waiting to get into the game!

©2015 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC

Is Sales Coaching Worth It?

Posted on 05.13.15 | Doug Robinson | Leave a Comment

Benefits of Sales CoachingAn old prospector was digging for gold without success, so he decided to head into town and have a few shots of whiskey. He tied his mule to the hitching post and headed inside.

At the same time a drunken cowboy staggered out of the bar and said, “Old timer, can you dance?” The prospector said “no.”

The cowboy started firing bullets near the prospector’s feet and he naturally started to dance. Every time he stopped, the cowboy began to fire again. When the cowboy’s pistol had been emptied, the prospector quickly went to his mule, grabbed his shotgun, held it under the cowboy’s chin and said, “Hot shot, have you ever kissed a mule?” The cowboy said, “No, but I’ve always wanted to.”

The moral of the story is that you can force people to do things, but when they are doing things under protest, their attitude usually sucks pretty badly.

Fast forward 150 years and watch most managers spend the majority of their time running around at Mach 2 with their hair on fire performing activities they think are critical while neglecting the development and fine tuning of their sales teams. When you ask them why they don’t provide some form of sales coaching for their folks, they typically mumble one of several inane responses (excuses) that I will get to in a minute.

Without boring you with lots of statistics, suffice it to say that the case for sales coaching is pretty compelling, and bottom line, helps sales reps close more business. Isn’t that why you hired them?

Now back to the excuses. The first one that usually pops out is that managers think they are too busy. There is no doubt that sales manager’s work lots of hours, but much of this time is spent putting out fires and solving problems. They think they are providing adequate sales management because they find themselves handling reps requests for help on prospect and customer issues. Needless to say help of this nature provides a bump to sales results, but its short term in nature. What managers really should be doing is helping their sales reps learn to solve most dilemmas on their own. This type of help provides much longer lasting results for the sales team.

As an example, while managers may be able to “tell” a sales rep what they should do to advance a stuck opportunity they are sacrificing another opportunity. They won’t be able to get the sales rep to share their feelings on the best options, other options, or position their feelings on how to move forward under those circumstances. Of course, coaching will require more up front but it will produce a more motivated and empowered sales team.

Secondly, although some sales managers certainly have a nose for helping others succeed and maybe even a desire to teach, there is no reason to think or expect them to possess a bundle of coaching skills. Lowest common denominator means they simply don’t know how to coach.

For managers to become great sales coaches takes a lot of time and some serious dedication. It is just not a skill set arrow that most managers have in their quiver. Fortunately for salespeople, there are many Blue Collar Sales Coachgood coaches and sales coaching programs available for these sales managers to employ. Yours truly is a blue collar sales coach, currently providing sales coaching for commercial and residential HVAC sales consultants, termite & pest salespeople, and security system/fire protection equipment sales reps. It’s amazing what 30 minutes a week via video chat with a good sales coach can do for your sales budget!

Thirdly, if managers really knew how much of a bump in sales results that sales coaching provided, they would all be providing it. I saw the results of a five-year study published by the Aberdeen Group in 2012 that showed that among sales reps with at least a 20% increase in finding new business (prospecting and closing), 82% were receiving ongoing sales coaching. On top of that eye popping stat turnover among sales reps was 10% less among those being coached. What’s not to like?

The fourth excuse managers’ use for not providing sales coaching is that they mistakenly think that the confidence of their sellers will be diminished. The only time this is a valid reason is if coaching is only to be used as punitive action to inflict pain on lousy performers. Truth be told, coaching rarely works with reps in the bottom third of the pack. It tends to work best when directed toward the mid performers and above; the group that has and exhibits a desire to get better. So as opposed to hurting confidence levels, the real result of sales coaching is enhanced selling skills, which will bolster the confidence levels of this group of employees.

Would you be pleased if one of your sales reps felt like this one does in Mobile, AL. who emailed me this shout out…?

Doug thanks for all you do to continue sharpening the skills we need to be consistent in this sales arena! Dude you Rock!

Or what if one of your managers felt like this one from Missouri who stated…

It’s not often that kudos go out to the man whose coaching improves our sales success, but Doug I want to say congratulations and THANK YOU!

 There are some cool video testimonials on my website here.

©2015 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC

How Important is GRIT?

Posted on 05.07.15 | Doug Robinson | Leave a Comment

Today I am taking my fingers off the keyboard and re-posting an interesting article from The Sales Connection blog, written by Dr. Janet Spirer, co-founder of Sales Horizons in Scottsdale, AZ. Her firm designs customized sales training for Fortune 1000 clients nationwide. I hope you enjoy the post.

Sales success – just how important is grit?

One of the great studies of achievement was conducted way back when in 1926 by a researcher named Catherine Morris Cox. Cox was interested in identifying the factors that contributed to the accomplishments of true genius.  She studied the background and works of 300 recognized geniuses, from Leonardo Da Vinci to Mozart to Albert Einstein. One of Cox’s most interesting findings was identifying a number of qualities beyond raw intelligence and talent that predicted “greatness.”

Grit is important in salesBuilding on Cox’s data, University of Pennsylvania professor Angela Duckworth isolated two factors she thought were better predictors of outstanding achievement than talent or intelligence:

  1. The tendency to not abandon tasks only for the sake of change; not seeking novelty.
  2. The tendency not to abandon tasks in the face of obstacles; exhibiting perseverance & tenacity.

Combined, Duckworth called these two characteristics – GRIT: defined as the perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Here’s what the letters in the acronym represent:

Gut – referring to instinct for developing the courage to trust yourself to choose the right path

Resiliency – having the mental capacity that allows you to adapt with ease during adversity

Inventiveness – being able to continuously reinvent oneself as the marketplace changes

Tenacity – committing to your purpose

As it relates to the sales profession, although Cox did not include any superstar salespeople in her study, we think the concept behind GRIT holds some merit in sales.  Of course sales talent and sales skill matter, but we suspect a good case can be made for Duckworth’s formulation of the characteristic of GRIT.

Perseverance and Passion in SalesOne of the keys to sales success is working hard, crafting and modifying account strategies and rehearsing sales calls even after you have done it a hundred times.  Making that extra sales call on the internal champion who helped you during the last sales cycle, or insuring the data gets translated into the customer relationships management (CRM) system. And of course, putting in the time to complete that online course in order to update your selling skills.

Today, customer expectations are higher than ever; the competition is keen and the number of days in the week hasn’t changed, so this notion of GRIT may well be a piece of the puzzle for success.

End of Article

Hey it’s me, Doug, again. If you think the concept of GRIT has some merit and would like to measure how you stack up, try out the Duckworth Grit Scale Test.

Most managers would love to provide additional communication skills coaching to their salespeople, but think it is too expensive and time-consuming. If you see yourself in that picture you really need to check out the inexpensive video chat coaching Doug offers.

©2015 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC

Familiar with Occam’s Razor?

Posted on 05.01.15 | Doug Robinson | Leave a Comment

Outbound Sales ProspectingWilliam of Occam was a philosopher and a Franciscan monk who lived from 1285 to 1349, during the medieval age. He popularized a line of reasoning we now refer to as Occam’s razor, which boils down to three words; “simpler is better.” He asserted that the simplest solution is always the best solution. If you are wondering, it’s called a “razor” because it shaves away all the useless, nonessential junk.

It seems to me in the sales profession nothing could be closer to the truth, especially as it relates to outbound sales prospecting. In order to fill their prospecting pipelines most salespeople go to one extreme or the other. They begin by sitting back and waiting for their company’s marketing campaigns and advertising to make the phones ring and the internet leads pour in. When they realize no matter how many inbound leads are generated, there are never enough, they reluctantly get on the phones and make some outbound calls.

Some of the calls are cold, some are referrals, but regardless; all of the outbound activity between salesperson and prospect is one to one. That simply means one call only yields one prospect. Why would you prospect by addition when you could be working by multiplication?

Enter, stage left, Friar Occam. His theory, “the simplest solution is always the best solution”, when applied to the sales process can have profound effects on results, performance and job satisfaction.

The “simplest solution” is instead of making sales calls one-on-one, leverage your prospecting activity in venues where multiple prospects can be introduced to your products and services through a single point of contact. Here are two ideas, one residential and one commercial, based on Occam’s principle that will have a profound and exponential positive impact on your sales results.

The first idea (residential sales) is to network yourself onto the docket of quarterly local homeowner’s association meetings. Regardless whether you sell lawn care, swimming pools, HVAC systems, insulation, security systems, or termite control, you can sell more of it by telling your story once to dozens/hundreds of homeowners. Rest assured, although these groups have business to conduct, they are always looking for experts to speak for a few minutes on topics of homeowner interest.

Networking for SalesThe second tip (commercial sales) is to follow the same modus operandi as above at trade association gatherings. Googling the words, trade associations, will quickly show you every industry in the nation, small or large, belongs to one. Associations are desperate for content to fill their meetings, so make some contacts and get scheduled to speak to them. You might even get a free lunch!

In closing there’s one warning for speaking to both of these residential and commercial gatherings; NO SELLING at the meetings. Provide valuable and relevant information along with your phone number and an email/website address. For those who show immediate interest in speaking with you following the meeting, consider providing a “signup sheet” of some type.

Thank you Friar Occam for thinking outside the box!

Are you a service manager who would love for your technicians and installers to sell more of your services, but either don’t have time or don’t know how to plan sales meetings to teach them what they need to know? Recently Doug put together an inexpensive tool you can use to help. It’s a Study Guide for you to use providing open questions for each of the 116 training topics Doug wrote about in his book. It removes all the planning and time commitment, and you really should check it out here.

©2015 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC


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Look Who’s Talking …

Doug is a passionate and motivated sales leader. He understands the day to day grind that sales people constantly endure. Doug creatively presents the sales process in a simple, engaging manner in his book “Sell is NOT a Four Letter Word.” He takes you back to the focus on selling through his stories, ideas, and “Dougisms.” This book is great for everyone; those just getting started in sales, sales veterans, sales managers, and business owners that are serious about their sales teams growing and progressing. After reading this book you will be saying “Aha” and making lots of sales!
Juliana Pfeifer-Charleston, S.C.

I am a PC route technician and want you to know I just started reading your book and am finding it to be very motivating and useful. I have only read 15 pages so far but it’s like a hand pulling me out of the sales rut I have been stuck in. It truly helped me this evening, and I ended up selling over $1,000 of pest control for the day. I want to thank you for your words of wisdom and I’m excited to find the other secrets within the book!
Zach Shaw – Sikeston, Mo.

Filled with what the author calls “Doug-isms,” “$ell Is NOT a Four Letter Word” takes a unique approach in providing the “golden nuggets” of sales training with today’s salesperson in mind. Separated into eight separate chapters (titled “Enthusing,” “Essentializing,” “Engaging,” “Exploring,” “Elaborating,” “Encountering,” “Executing” and “Expanding”), “$ell” includes 116 two-or three-page standalone segments that each offers a tidbit that exposes an element of the sales game.
Carlton Fletcher-Albany, Ga.

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