There’s a mystique about outside sales. It can seem like rockstar reps are able to close deals like magic, like they never make a misstep. Because of this, many business leaders have questions about outside sales and how to succeed in that field.
Wonder no more, because Base has asked three sales experts to help explain the facts behind how the best of the best maintain that excellence. Geoffrey James is an author and blogger specializing in sales. Wendy Weiss is president of ColdCallingResults.com, as well as a sales trainer and coach. Elinor Stutz is also a sales trainer and author, and she is CEO of Smooth Sale. Here are their answers to some of the most puzzling outside sales questions.
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Meet the experts.
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Elinor Stutz
Smooth Sale
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Elinor Stutz started the
company Smooth Sale to
empower business owners to
thrive in the competitive market
today. Elinor’s motivational and
inspiring talks and articles have
garnered serious praise for
Elinor as purveyor of fresh ideas
in the crowded sales landscape.
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Wendy Weiss
ColdCallingResults.com
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Wendy Weiss is the president of
ColdCallingResults.com. She’s
an authority on lead generation
and new business development.
She has written and contributed
to numerous books on all
aspects of business, and is
known as the Queen of Cold
Calling for her focus on helping
businesses learn to make cold
calls that get results.
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Geoffrey James
Sales Source, Inc. columnist
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Geoffrey James authors the
popular Sales Source column
on Inc. and has written several
books, including “Business
Without The Bullsh*t” and “The
Tao of Programming.” Geoffrey
spent 6 years doing market
research and product branding
for a Fortune 100 company, and
his combination of writing,
programming, and business
acumen make him a go-to
expert for sales leaders.
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1. What motivates outside sales reps?
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“Winning. Always.”
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2. How do you spend 15 minutes
before a meeting?
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“Outside sales reps should have already done considerable
research on the prospect they are about to meet.”
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“Use the 15 minutes before the meeting to review your notes.
Review your goal for the meeting and the general questions
you’re going to ask in order to reach that goal.”
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3. What are your best coaching tips for
outside sales reps?
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“My No. 1 coaching tip for outside sales representatives is to ask
good questions. No. 2 is to listen to the answers.”
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“Be yourself. Authenticity shines through above those who use
‘the usual’.”
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3. What traits should a great outside
sales manager or rep have?
“The ability to keep his or her mouth shut during a sales call and
then provide helpful coaching afterwards. The patience never to
intervene unless the salesperson actively asks for help.”
“The ability to shut up and listen will go a long way toward
helping an outside sales rep be successful. Selling is a
communication skill, and like any communication skill, it can
always be improved.”
“The best trait is a willingness to learn, observe and learn – and
incorporate only that which rings true into one’s own style again
to come across as authentic,”
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5. What is the hardest part about closing
a deal in outside sales?
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“Summoning up the courage to ask for the business, even though
if the answer is no, your dreams will come crashing to earth and
you’ll have just wasted all that time developing the account.”
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6. How should you go about writing a
script for outside sales reps?
“There are certain questions and/or objections that sales
representatives know they will hear. It is vitally important to be
able to respond well. If there are questions or objections that you
hear all the time, think of ways that you can preempt them by
bringing up that first. Bringing up the issue first puts you in control
and allows you to frame it in the best possible way.”
“Scripts are not natural and reactions to them are all over the
map. If you want consistency, develop your own style. If the script
is all that a rep knows, then they’re destined for failure. Don’t let
them become parrots reciting lines.”
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7. How should you measure ROI of your
outside sales team?
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“Actually, I think the term ROI has become a bit buzzwordy and I’m
not sure what it really means in a lot of cases. I’d probably say
compare your cost-of-sales to other companies in your industry. If
it’s a lot higher, your ROI is screwed up.”
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8. What are the best books for outside
sales reps and managers?
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“Spin Selling” and “How to Say It: Business to Business Selling”
“Unlimited Selling Power: How to Mastery Hypnotic Selling Skills”,
“Influence the Psychology of Persuasion” and “The Sales
Winner’s Handbook: Essential Scripts & Strategies to Skyrocket
Sales Performance”
“How to Win Friends and Influence People”, “No Bull Selling” and
“Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets
Results”
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9. What is the best sales compensation
model you’ve seen in outside sales?
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“I’d say a combination of 1) customer satisfaction, 2) revenue
booked, and 3) strategic sales (like big name customers who might
become reference accounts).”
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