The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

In Memory of Melissa Kelly – My First Sales Manager

I dedicate this blog in memory of my first sales manager, Melissa Kelly, who taught me so much. She lost a hard fought battle to breast cancer last year at the age of 53, but she NEVER lost a sale.

Here’s one of the main reasons why: In every stage of the sales process she used a very simple phrase, “If I (fill in the blank)?, Will You (fill in the blank)?" 

She made sure that every step she took when working with a client was a collaborative effort. Therefore, she always knew she was on the right path towards her next desired outcome in the sales process. Some examples:

Getting the Appointment

Melissa: “If I am able to share some capabilities I have to help you drive more sales from your website, will you allow me to spend an hour with you to really uncover your marketing challenges so I can determine what solutions might work best?

Anyone paying attention to the news these days can find both encouraging and discouraging signs all around us.  The same is true in business. I see this in the conversations I have with sales managers about how to drive performance in their sales departments.

Most of us can think of a few great customer experiences we’ve had… and maybe a few bad ones that range from totally frustrating to completely hilarious. But for a minute, don’t think of customer satisfaction from the customer’s point of view; think of it from the seller’s perspective.

Are you satisfied with your customers?

Do you invest way too much time for the ultimate revenue that account will generate?  

When you pick up the phone to call them or get in your car to head to that appointment with them... are you stressed, or excited?

Following is a letter of thanks that makes me feel good just reading it!

Thank you for trusting in me, and thank you for allowing me to get to know you and help you grow your business the past few years. I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with you; it’s obvious that your team feels the same way. You’re a great leader and while I know our partnership has played a part in your company’s growth, it’s because of your vision, your dedication and your ability to motivate and inspire your people that your company is thriving. 

While the competition in your industry has been fierce, you’ve succeeded in creating a culture that attracts high performing employees, one that promises to promote and support the continued growth of each individual person. Your turnover is remarkably low, and you’ve experienced record sales over the past two years. Those achievements were not reached by accident! I value your business and I value the friendship we’ve forged over the years. It’s because of circumstances like this, and people like you that I forget I’m “doing my job.” Working with you has never felt like a “job.” It’s a partnership that continues to motivate and inspire me. It’s why I get excited to get up each morning, and for that I’m truly grateful! Thank you!

As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s natural for us to reflect on what we’re thankful for. 

When it comes to crafting a proposal, there is a very real temptation to include whatever one thinks can be sold. C’mon. Fess up.

Let's Be Honest

At one time or another, most sales folks have considered tossing something into a package that may not actually contribute to solving a client need. This temptation is driven by too much focus on income, whether to the organization in the form of revenue, or to the seller in the form of commissions or other incentives.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been put on notice by a prospect—right up front—that they won’t be buying unless they get a terrific price.  (I know every hand went up… I’m clairvoyant.) “Right up front” is the key phrase that guaranteed all the hands would go up, but more on that in a moment.

Ready for a Fight

It’s not that every prospect acts that way, but enough do so that every salesperson has heard it. Many of you tell me you hear it every week!  A lot of prospects think it’s their duty, their job, their role in the great game of negotiation to announce up front that nothing is more important than getting a low price or a good deal. Their purpose, not unlike a boxer’s, is to put you off-balance and make you more vulnerable to their next punch. But it’s not every prospect, is it? It’s telling which prospects typically make these threats and which don’t.

Cleaning out the proverbial attic, recently, I came across a box of childhood memories that my mother had gathered over the years. There were diplomas, ribbons from a few track-and-field events, and a number of professional citations for excellence in my work.

Among the least of these:  A button celebrating my perfect attendance during the school year.

Really?

Seriously. They gave me a pin… for showing up.

Research has shown that 70-80% of online shoppers are abandoning their purchases in their shopping cart. This started me thinking about how many salespeople are also being left in the shopping cart as their prospects decide to “think it over” and ultimately never buy.  

The Marketing Mind Blog did an excellent job of covering the retail marketing implications of this trend. The research cited that a consumer can have many reasons to wait to complete an order including shopping anxiety, comparison shopping, and wanting to read reviews. Looking at some of the reasons consumers are hesitating can help you understand why your prospects may not be completing the sale. 

Here are a few lessons that can be applied to B2B salespeople in closing the sale:

That was exactly what I thought and then did after reading an email I received from a salesperson trying to sell me something. In fact, just to add perspective… here is what the email said:

Demrie,

Just wanted to reconnect with you. The organization is experiencing very exciting growth and I would like to update you. Would you be open to chatting tomorrow?

When I opened this email I immediately thought about a conversation I recently had with a client about how his salespeople seem to ‘just check-in’ with their prospects. He told me they don’t call them with a valid business reason nor do they offer any real value… or in other words, a compelling reason for the prospect to believe that having a conversation with them would actually help their business. He said his salespeople tend to call prospects and say something like: “Hi, I just wanted to check in with you to see how things are going? Is there anything new going on that I can help you with?”

If you want your prospects to take time out of their schedule to meet with you or talk with you, you must make them believe you can add value to their business.  

When I first started selling media, I had a sales manager whose mantra was to always get new business. So one of his expectations was that each week, each seller would make 20 new business calls.  Even as a new seller, I knew this was not the best use of my time, so I asked how he would determine these calls would be completed. His solution was that we deliver a business card. Simple enough.