Sales Training

Has yet another traditional information source forever been changed via the World Wide Web? Specifically, are printed sales magazines becoming obsolete? The following new realities appear to be signaling the death of the sales magazine:

• Content – The World Wide Web is teeming with fresh, informative and relevant sales content (i.e., articles, stories and illustrations) covering selling, prospecting, and every other subject or area of interest to sales practitioners. No longer is the printed sales magazine the go-to source for sales and related content.

• Sources – The large pool of unique sales content available on the World Wide Web comes from a variety of sources from around the world and is not limited to the same small group of sales experts routinely published in a sales magazine.

• Availability – Unlike content printed in a sales magazine (periodic publication) sales content published on the World Wide Web is made available to readers instantly without the traditional delays associated with print media (e.g., printing, distribution).

• Pricing – In some cases, if not most cases, the same sales content found in a printed sales magazine can be found on the World Wide Web at little to no cost. It has been suggested that trends show consumers are moving away from traditional subscription services (fee-based) to free information sources.

Continue reading… The Death of the Sales Magazine

It is not uncommon for organizations and businesses, large and small, to give out annual top sales awards or the like as public recognition of positive contributions and/or achievements by individuals, teams and departments in sales and/or professional selling. A number of these entities have a “Hall of Fame” honoring their own “Legends” or “Heroes” in the field of professional selling or similar. In addition, there are formal and informal peer groups that providing public recognition within their own member base in the form of top sales awards or something along those lines.

Continue reading… Top Sales Awards

One of the biggest myths perpetuated in sales is that selling is, or is becoming, a science. This suggestion assumes that individuals will respond predictably (i.e., stimulus-response model) to sales techniques, sales processes or selling systems which is often interpreted as meaning that if a salesperson executes the techniques, processes or systems correctly he or she will be invincible in selling (e.g., sell anything to anybody).

Given, among other things, different people’s…

* Models of reality (i.e., perceptions, perspectives, values, beliefs, languages, and ways of doing things)
* Individual competencies (e.g., perspective taking and decision making)
* Level of need awareness (i.e., conscious, preconscious, unconscious)

…nothing could be further from the truth.

Continue reading… The Science and Art of Selling

With Sales 2.0 through Sales 6.0 coming on the scene many people are asking the question, “What is Sales 1.0?” or even “What was Sales 1.0?”. That is a good question and the answer we like best can be found at Sales 1.0:

The label “Sales 1.0″ refers to the business or activity of selling prior to the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies. Prior to this point in time what is now labeled “Sales 1.0″ was simply referred to as “Sales”.

Answers to the questions, “What is Sales 2.0?” and “Does Sales 2.0 replace Sales 1.0?” can be found on the same website.

The great Jerry Bresser (“List More, Sell More”) once suggested that one of the most important thing a person can do is learn how to sell because “Everything that you hope to achieve and accomplish in your entire life depends on your ability to sell yourself or someone else on taking some form of action.” We at SalesPractice agree and are in the process of writing a sales training guide for everyone engaged in the process of selling. This guide will be posted on the front page of SalesPractice.com

The growing sales training community of practice (CoP) at SalesPractice.com celebrates its 6-year anniversary with +4,000 members and +40,000 posts.

Few online communities survive and thrive beyond the 5-year mark however SalesPractice.com recently passed the 6-year mark with flying colors. When asked what attributed to the sustained growth of the sales training community of practice (CoP) for the past six years Jeff Blackwell (founder of SalesPractice.com) replied, “The community of practice at SalesPractice.com is a group of sales practitioners who share an interest in practical knowledge, skills and competencies in sales training and personal selling. SalesPractice.com provides community members with a forum for interacting, learning from each other and developing a shared practice through discussions and learning activities. Finding out what people want and helping them get it is the essence of selling so it is no surprise that the opportunity for members to develop personally and professionally through interaction and shared practice fuels the growth of the sales training community of practice at SalesPractice.com”.

When asked about future plans for the community of practice (CoP) at SalesPractice.com, Mr. Blackwell stated, “SalesPractice.com has been providing sales practitioners with access to sales training and education content since 1999 and our most recent plans include providing a well-rounded learning opportunity for all community members by offering a vigorous and relevant program of study within a positive learning environment. These plans include bringing sales instruction, application and practice to community members through a variety of training media and learning activities such as training courses, instructional workshops, and educational seminars. We understand that members of the community of practice at SalesPractice.com are actively pursuing practical knowledge, skills and competencies in sales training and personal selling and our intention is to not only inspire excellence and success within every member but to provide community members with the resources they need to reach their desired outcomes”.

If you would like more information about the sales training community of practice (CoP) at SalesPractice.com visit: http://www.salespractice.com/

Questions surrounding professional sales training come up quite often during discussions among sales people especially when the discussions center on professional selling skills. These discussions more times than not boil down to which professional sales training program is the most effective and/or which professional selling skills are the most important for sales professionals to master.

It makes sense that professionals who sell are always on the lookout for any and all professional selling skills that could help them better achieve their desired outcomes in professional selling. However, what does not make sense is how in many cases the questions being asked in these discussions are being asked without providing context and/or the questions are being answered without knowing context.

Continue reading… Sell Me This Pen

A question that surfaces in the sales training community every so often is whether or not traditional sales training has been rendered ineffective by changes in technology, economy, etc.

Without an agreement on what is meant by “traditional sales training” and “ineffective” any discussion on the matter is likely to have a high probability of misunderstanding especially among participants who are not familiar with each others communication patterns. So, for the sake of this discussion “traditional sales training” will mean “a specific practice of long standing” and “ineffective” will mean “not having the desired effect”. With that being said, let us frame this discussion in the context of “fundamentals” which we will conclude to mean “basic components of effective selling”. Hopefully after reading the meanings we are assigning to those words and/or phrases you will immediately see the rub (i.e. fundamentals being ineffective).

Continue reading… Traditional Sales Training and Professional Selling

The Institute for Professional Selling is an organizational body founded for the purpose of promoting the advancement of professional selling. The Institute for Professional Selling is dedicated to providing sales professionals in all industries access to the latest in sales performance research and learning methodology through seminars, outreach programs, and a variety of other activities.

Earlier this week I was asked to answer the question, “If personal selling could be summed up in one or two words what would those two words be?” and the phrase, “Trusted Facilitation” immediately came to mind. I realize that the phrase “Trusted Facilitation” is not commonly referred to and/or used in the profession of selling so I thought I had better elaborate.

By “Trusted” I meant that the prospective buyer trusts the salesperson enough to allow him/her into his/her mental space effectively creating a “We Space” where the sales professional and prospective buyer can engage in open, honest two-way communication.

By “Facilitation” I meant the salesperson facilitates or makes easier the potential customer’s progression, when necessary, through the Buying Decision (Will I Buy?) and the Purchase Decision (What Will I Buy?). For this facilitation to take place the sales professional must know what the process looks like (recognition, interest, resolution, etc.), ascertain where the prospective buyer is at within the process and facilitate the journey from where that prospective buyer is to where he/she wants to be (ie. need satisfaction).

In my opinion effective selling begins with an understanding of “Trusted Facilitation“. If you were under the impression that effective selling was rooted in “Qualify, Present, Close” and/or “Always Be Closing” I encourage you to take a closer look.

I am of the opinion that many of the people engaged in the profession of selling would be considerably less frustrated if they better understood what was going on in the mind of their potential clients especially in the area of perceived differences between products and/or services being offered.

I once knew an agent who couldn’t figure out why private sellers would list with a relatively unknown and new agent who was just starting out in the business over a seasoned agent who had a proven track record, connections and marketing coming out of his ears. This was one of his favorite gripes.

At first blush it does sound a bit odd that a private seller would choose a newbie over a salty dog especially when the fee for service/ commission is the same. However, a closer look will reveal that more times than not this occurs because the potential client did not perceive a noticeable difference between the services being offered.

The way I see it… sales professionals cannot assume or take for granted that the potential customer knows or can readily notice the difference between products and/or servies being offered. Actively differentiate your offering from the competition and you will increase the probability of the potential client choosing your product or service.

To your success,

Jeff Blackwell
Mobile Homes For Sale