Book Sneak Peek!
A Few Pre-Publication Tips on Maximizing Your Sales Efforts
Beth Standlee
By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment
I’m excited to announce the upcoming release of my new book People Buy From People. I’m throwing a giant party when I finally get the darned thing finished! Our hope is to take pre-orders at IAAPA, but I thought for those of you who faithfully read this column, it might be fun to give you a preview of a small snippet of Chapter 3.
Times may be good today and though you have all the sales you need, getting into the habit of creating new sales can help when times get tough. I have found that in the tough times, my own head can block success with a bunch of crazy excuses. I’m an expert on this topic because I have been selling most of my life. I’ve found when you consistently focus on bringing new party business in, whether times are good or bad, you can weather any storm.
The excerpt below touches on a couple of the things all sales pros can do right now to help them build their sales muscle, which definitely builds new business. I hope you like it; I’m looking forward to sharing the rest of the book with you.
From Chapter 3 – The Deck is Stacked Against Me:
#5: Be Your Own BEST Marketing Piece
Sales and marketing are two sides of the same coin. People use these terms as if they were interchangeable, but they aren’t. Marketing products may include commercials, classic advertising outlets, a nice brochure, press releases, or events that provide introduction or exposure, and more. Marketing is all about you, your product, and/or your service. However, sales is all about the customer. As a sales professional, I don’t count on a marketing piece to do my selling.
Don’t get me wrong. Marketing is a must. I want good-looking marketing materials. I want my web presence to create excitement about my product. I want social media to do its job to provide positive peer reviews and recommendations. But at the end of the day, I represent my company as a sales professional. It’s how I show up and how I connect with the buyer that creates the positive word-of-mouth reputation and influences how my company is perceived.
Don’t wait until you have the perfect brochure to start selling. Print temporary business cards if you must. If you’re waiting on the marketing department to do your job for you, remember that it’s not their job to do the “heavy lifting” of sales. Whenever you delay action, it gives your competition time to connect and sell to your prospective buyer. Don’t let that happen. Figure out what marketing tools you can use right now and remember that you will make the best leave-behind impression.
#6: Data and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Are Your Keys to Follow-Up
There are many tools available today to help sales professionals stay alert and on top of their customer interactions. Heck, in the old days we used index cards, alphabetical dividers, and a file box to keep track of clients and client prospecting! The point is that you need a good system to track your data. I use the cloud-based CRM product, ZOHO, but there are many other robust systems available. The best system is the one the salesperson will actually use.
I believe that whatever CRM system you use, it needs to be online and accessible to everyone. Since selling is all about the client, the more you can document and share with each other within your company, the better you can care for your customers.
If you don’t have a CRM system, don’t let that get in the way of your success. Ask your company to invest in a CRM right away, or use Outlook or Gmail tools as a substitute. Document every interaction you have with a prospective buyer or client and be sure to schedule the next follow-up appointment while you’re with them. One of my dear friends, Phil Showler, schedules his next follow-up action or call while he’s with the buyer (and maybe even his friends). In fact, I’ve heard him tell a prospect that he could count on hearing back from him until they served him with a restraining order!
When you change your attitude and approach, you can become a successful sales professional.
And if none of what I’ve said in this chapter helps you drop the excuses that are impeding your success, then listen to what the great Zig Ziglar said: “You might need a check-up from the neck up to eliminate hardening of the attitude!” Boy was he right! Follow-up and follow-through are essential. Show up and win. If you consistently play every game, there’s no deck that can be stacked against you.
The salesperson who shows up is the one who wins!
Beth is the CEO of TrainerTainment LLC, a training company devoted to the family entertainment and hospitality industries. Beth and her team are focused on helping the companies they serve make more money through sales, guest service, leadership and social media marketing training. Training products and services are delivered in person, through books and DVDs, and virtually with e-learning courses, webinar development and 24/7 online access. Visit her company’s website at www.trainertainment.com.
