Sales Motivation - Ron Karr's Business Development Blog

Posts Tagged ‘sales motivation’

Biggest Mistake Sales Managers Make

In the gym of my daughter’s high school (Northern Valley Old Tappan-NVOT), there is a banner that reads-

Welcome to NVOT-Where sportsmanship is an expectation. So please let the players play. Let the coaches coach. Let the officials officiate. Let the spectators be positive.

This sign caught my eye because all too often I see people in leadership roles who don’t understand what they are supposed to be doing. For example, sales mgrs often travel with sales reps and usually take over the call under the guise of trying to get the deal. I know we must close the business. However, the true role of the sales manager is not only to come in and save the day, but to also coach his people on how to effectively sell. That means letting the salesperson do the talking so you can see where the gaps are. Then, once the call is over, the mgr should review the call, identify the gaps and provide guidance. Then go on to the next call and do the same process.

This is critical because if the sales manager always closes the deal, then the salesperson never really gets trained on how to do it and will not be able to do it when the sales manager is not there.

Bottom line. Are people in your organization really doing the things they are supposed to be doing. If not, the growth of the business is at stake. Like the sign says- Let the players play, let the coaches coach, etc.

If you want to give your salespeople a great education on how to double, triple or quadruple their sales, check out Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way and our Two Day Sales Boot Camp Happening in Two Weeks!

Tags: Business Development, Closing, Closing sales, cold calling, cold calling techniques, Customer Loyalty, customers, employees, Increase Profits, Leadership, leadership speaker, leadersship expert, leadrship, marketing, motivation, Motivational Speaker, Negotiation, Negotiations, ronkarr.com Larry O'Donnell, sales leader, sales motivation, sales strategies, sales trainer, sales training, sell effectively, Success, Telemarketing, Telemarketing sales, value added sales
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Want Success? Increase Your Velocity!

Instead of concentrating on being more successful, work on increasing the velocity in your efforts on a daily basis. What is velocity? It is the ability to get more done in less time. It is about gaining speed, power and momentum in your actions to achieve your goals in less time than originally anticipated.

Granted this is what we all want. But how many times do we let the small things in life mess with our velocity. Things like false assumptions. Too often we take people’s words and create our own stories as to what we think they are saying. Then our actions are based on these stories we have created and often miss the mark. It happens in sales and leadership all the time. And we wonder why we don’t get the sales or move the organization forward in a timely manner. There goes your velocity!

How about when you don’t think things through clearly and you operate out of a task mentality vs. purpose mentality. Yes, you may be busy. But are you doing the necessary work that needs to be done so you can achieve your goals? If you are letting your tasks drive you vs. your purpose, there goes your velocity!

How about when we try to influence others based on what we need vs. what they want and need? Are your recommendations truly being heard and acted upon? Or are they being received as some pushy sales pitch or order that is less likely to be accepted? There are two types of actions in this world: The limited action necessary to keep one happy and pretend you are doing your job, and the action of being all-in; where you are doing whatever it takes to get the job done. If you want people to accept your ideas, support you and be all-in, make sure you’re positioning them in the context of how they are going to benefit. Not because you need it. If you don’t change your context, there goes your velocity!

Velocity is the key to success in sales, leadership, negotiations, customer service and just about anything else in life. Ask yourself, what can I do today in my conversations and actions that will add velocity to my life and help me achieve my goals quickly? Here’s the funny thing. Your answer, if you think this through clearly, has more to do with how you can help others succeed vs. your own success. This is what generates true velocity!

Velocity is the key theme woven throughout the entire book Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way!

Tags: Business Development, CBS, Closing, Closing sales, cold calling, cold calling techniques, Customer Loyalty, employees, Increase Profits, leadership speaker, leadersship expert, Motivational Speaker, Retail Sales, ronkarr.com Larry O'Donnell, Sales, sales coaching, sales leader, sales leadership, sales motivation, sales process, sales speaker, sales strategies, sales trainer, sales training, sell effectively, Success, Telemarketing, Telemarketing sales, value added sales
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Do Baseball Coaches Need Sales Skills?

Why did Steve Teel of Teel’s Baseball (academy softball and baseball) bring me in to speak with their coaches on sales skills? The answer is simple. Coaches need to know how to communicate to all of the buying influences if they are going to grow their business.

Steve Teel is a smart business owner. He knows there are several buyers in any sale. In his market, you have the kid taking the lessons. Let’s call him or her the end user. You also have the parents who sign the checks. They usually have a different set of needs and desires than the kids do. And then you have the area coaches who can act as a great source of referrals.

Steve realized that if his coaches do not spend time with the parents asking about their expectations, they will feel neglected and the possibility will exist that the coaches will fall short in certain areas. Steve understands that his coaches need the same set of skills a professional sales person uses. Afterall, any coach at any level has to sell their ideas to their students or clients. Therefore, you need to know how to ask the right questions, how to present the ideas so they are acted on and how to listen to your customers.

After spending an hour with his coaches, the results were dramatic. Some coaches left with a renewed sense of purpose regarding the tremendous impacts they have on the lives of their young clients. All of the coaches now have a greater appreciation of the role the parents play in the success of their lessons and are now making them an active part of the process.

Bottom line, referrals have increased as have revenues from satisfied clients.

By the way, Teel’s Baseball was very successful before they brought me in. Like all successful companies, they realized there were things they needed to pay attention to if they were going to stay at the top.

What things do your sales people need to pay attention to in order to get to the top or stay at the top? What increases are you looking for in your sales career and life? If you are looking to increase your sales and earnings, then get your copy of Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way today! This is the book I used for the presentation to Teel’s.

Tags: Business Development, Closing, Closing sales, cold calling, cold calling techniques, Customer Loyalty, customers, employees, Leadership, leadership speaker, leadersship expert, leadrship, marketing, Motivational Speaker, Negotiation, negotiation speaker, Negotiations, Retail Sales, Retail Success, ronkarr.com Larry O'Donnell, sales leader, sales leadership, sales motivation, sales process, sales speaker, sales trainer, sales training, sell effectively, Success, SuperBowl, teamwork, Telemarketing, value added sales, Waste Management
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Voice Mail Messages that Generate Call Backs

Did you ever call someone with today’s technology and simply hang up if they did not answer?

If so, consider whether or not it is a wise move on your part – especially in a business setting. Here’s why!

Regardless if you left a message or not, with Caller ID, they know you’ve called!

If calling your spouse, friend, relative or someone you know very well, the act of hanging up can merely act as a silent code between the two of you that says “Hey, it’s me. Call me back”.

If calling a prospect, customer or someone you don’t know well at all, hanging up is simply too risky. For one thing, they have not established that silent code with you. Secondly, people hang up thinking “if I don’t leave a message, they will never know I called.” Hello! Is anyone home in your mind? Of course they know you called!

In fact, because the relationship is not all that strong, you have now given that person carte blanche to come up with their own reason as to why you did not leave a message and create their own message. Messages that often lead to false assumptions, emotions and actions based on those false assumptions.

People find it irritating me when others call and don’t leave a message. If you didn’t feel your call was worth a message, why would they want to waste any effort in calling you back? Or, ask yourself this question. How many business contacts are calling you back after you simply hung up without leaving a message?

If you are going to call a business contact, you need to act as if you really wanted to speak to that person! In other words, be prepared to talk.

Sometimes people don’t leave messages simply because they feel they have already called too many times and don’t want to bother the other person. If you don’t want to bother the other person, then don’t call them. Forcing them to think who belongs to your telephone number and making them create the message you were going to leave is more of a bother than simply leaving a boring message.

If you think you have called too many times and can’t understand why you didn’t get a return call, then maybe you need to re-evaluate the boring messages you are leaving. Change your message if it’s not working. Your market is sending you a message. It’s time you finally heard it.

Here’s the problem with most voice mail messages and why they don’t generate call backs. They are self focused vs. customer focused. Every time you hear a message, you make the mental decision as to whether or not that caller deserves more of an investment of your time. Leaving messages that record your name, company name and the request to call you back simply does not motivate many people to call you, especially if you are someone they don’t know. Leaving messages with the above and talking about a product or service will not get a call back either.

So how do you get call backs? Simply change your message from being self focused to being customer focused by putting an outcome in the message. A result the person will get from calling you back that will benefit them.

A client of mine was selling x-ray technology that converted paper x-rays into digital form. Getting frustrated that the radiologists were not calling her back, she changed to message to: Please call me if you want to put an end to the irate calls you are getting from the Docs because of lost films. She claims to have gotten 70% of her calls returned. Would you appreciate 70% of your voice mails being returned?

Bottom line, if you want your voice mail messages returned, then give the receiver a good enough reason to do so.

Want to learn more on how to get your calls returned and more importantly how to get people to buy off on your ideas? Then make the investment and get the book Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way. If you found gold in this short blog, imagine the wealth you will create from reading the whole book. Scott McKain, Author of Collapse of Distinction, calls Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way the most concise and powerful sales book he has ever read.

Watch this interview on Fox News in Providence on How To Sell Your Big Idea

Tags: Business Development, Closing, Closing sales, cold calling, cold calling techniques, leadership speaker, leadrship, marketing, motivation, Motivational Speaker, negotiation speaker, Negotiations, Sales, sales leadership, sales motivation, sales speaker, sales trainer, sales training, Telemarketing, Telemarketing sales, voice mail
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Are Opportunities Chance or Choice?

Do you believe things happen for a reason?
I do.

If it’s meant to be, destiny, or whatever you call it, opportunities are there for the choosing.

Now that may sound like a platitude, but bear with me.

I was leaving Nashville after a fantastic few days at the National Speaker Association conference and stopped by the Hudson Book Store to sign copies of my book Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way.

Truth be told, I was tired and just wanted to get to my gate, but I had promised to reach out to every airport bookseller, so I dropped in.

While there, two women came up and asked, “Are you the author? Will you autograph our books?”

Believe me, when you’re up at midnight writing your book, you dream about these moments.

It gets better.

Turns out these two women were sales executives for a company that was already considering my services as a speaker/consultant. Turns out we were on the same plane back to Newark. By the time we said our good-byes, they promised to recommend my book and my services to their management team. Whoo hoo.

What’s the point?

If I hadn’t kept my promise to myself to visit that airport bookstore, that connection wouldn’t have happened and that contract may not have materialized.

What’s a business-related promise you’ve made to yourself?

In the next few days, you’ll have an opportunity to keep it or quit it.

My advice?

Keep it.

Opportunities and results happen by choice, not by chance.

Tags: Closing sales, Leadership, marketing, motivation, Sales, sales leadership, sales motivation, sales strategies
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