SellingPower

What’s on the Minds of Sales Leaders? (Part One)

This week has been enlightening. On Monday we had our Sales Leadership Conference in Miami at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Here are my key takeaways:

1. What are the burning subjects on sales leaders’ minds? The day prior to the conference, we organized a dinner in a private dining room for our distinguished speakers. I asked them to share briefly one burning question each that they’d like to get answered, with the intent to share their questions with university professors who are always interested in hot research topics. Here is a sampling of questions that deserve deeper examination:

a) What are the best ways to drive up employee engagement?
b) How do we use branding as a tool for engagement?
c) Is there a relationship between branding, engagement, and customer success?
d) How do we evaluate our sales managers’ skills in an environment where all things have changed?
e) Why is it that in difficult times, salespeople go back to behaviors they’ve learned in the past and no longer work in the present?
f) What is the “new normal”?
g) How do we create better comp plans that reward salespeople for those behaviors that will improve the bottom line?
h) How do social-media strategies impact the sales process? What are the new rules and best practices?
i) How can we get salespeople to focus more on filling customer needs – without getting side-tracked by trivia?
j) What are the best practices for selling to the C-level suite and winning larger accounts?
k) How can we get our salespeople to do what they need to do consistently?
l) How can we get sales managers to stop selling and start coaching?
m) Why is it that sales managers are not as good today as those who were trained by the great corporate learning centers like Xerox, IBM, Armstrong, etc.?
n) How can we enhance innovation in execution?
o) What can we do to drive up sales effectiveness?

2. Is selling an art or a science? To open the conference in the past, I wrote out a speech and created a PPT presentation. Then I realized that we are in a conversation economy. Conversation drives commerce. I decided to turn my presentation into a dialogue with the audience. How? At first, I thought we’d have a town-hall style meeting, but then I came up with a different concept. I used a three-minute video clip of Mad Men and then engaged the audience in a conversation by asking a chain of questions. This video is a great jump-off point for a productive conversation.



In this video, Draper presents the Kodak Carousel. His message is creative and powerful. He talks about the emotional connection between a product and people. Great salespeople know how to use logic and emotions to lead the buyer to say yes. Great actors know how to establish a powerful emotional connection with the audience.

In the video, one client was so moved by Draper’s presentation that he left the room, all choked up. After showing the video, I started the conversation with the question, “Is selling an art or a science?” I had no script, no notes, no agenda, and 45 minutes ahead of me to fill with content. With 150 sales leaders in the room, I had no problem with getting people to share their views. Instead of pumping information into the audience, I was able to tease out rich content, reflect on and reframe it based on my own experience, and extended their current understanding with new questions. Here are some of the more relevant points:

First, selling is both an art and a science. The role of sales leaders is to advance both and expect more of their salespeople in the future.

Second, we need to teach salespeople how to create a deeper emotional connection with the company’s product or service, while marketing needs to create a deeper emotional connection between the company and the market.

Third, sales managers need to be clear about what they expect from a salesperson. In many companies, salespeople are not exactly sure what their company wants them to do, and they are not always clear as to the steps to take that will lead them to success.

Fourth, when sales managers communicate to their salespeople what needs to be done, salespeople don’t listen well and misinterpret the manager’s instructions.

Fifth, sales managers know that coaching can make a huge difference, but they prefer closing deals for the salesperson.

Sixth, the science part of selling is technology, and it is external. The art of selling lies in establishing an authentic connection that begins with salespeople and then translates into an authentic connection with the customer.

3. “We suck less than the competition” was a funny but sarcastic comment made by a CEO of a $30 million company who privately complained that he traveled too much, worked too hard, isn’t getting enough sleep, gained 15 pounds this year, had the worst August sales in years, and experienced the best October ever. “We suck less” seemed to resonate, since the comment caused many to respond with chuckles of approval.

4. How do we lead in times of uncertainty? Sam Reese, CEO of Miller Heiman, chaired a blue-ribbon panel of sales leaders who shared their expertise on managing change in uncertain times. The panelists agreed that many sales executives are clinging to yesterday’s tools. In times of stress, people revert to behaviors that worked well in the past. They ignore that the world has changed (and thus they regress), and when they realize that they don’t get the results that they’ve gotten in the past, they become frustrated and discouraged. Kevin Hooper, VP of Hewlett Packard, got the most audience votes. Kevin joked that it must have been his British accent.

(So much more content to follow. I’ll share why we invited 15 sales students from the University of Central Florida, why this conference was so special, plus photos.)

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The More You Know, the More You Sell

Umberto Milletti is passionate about helping salespeople create stronger connections with their customers. In 2005, he started a company called InsideView, which delivers strategic opportunity intelligence to the salesperson’s desktop (integrated with Salesforce.com, Oracle CRM and Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions). Salespeople can set “selling triggers” so that they can receive the critical information about their key accounts that will add value and velocity to their sales pipeline. InsideView filters and prioritizes the information so that salespeople won’t waste their time on trivia.

Milletti, who speaks Italian fluently, recognizes that salespeople have to speak the language of the customer if they want to win more sales. He has moved his company ahead of its competition by integrating social information with business intelligence. Milletti’s marketing team coined the word “socialprise”, meaning a mash up between social information and business information. Milletti says the key to selling more is in recognizing that it’s no longer just who you know that will make the business deal happen, but “what you know about who you know” and “when and where you should know it.”

I recently had the opportunity to interview Umberto Milletti. Watch this 4-minute video to learn how to harness business and social intelligence and enhance your sales.

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Let’s Measure the Quality of Your Relationship with Your Sales Manager

Why this is important?

When two people enter into a relationship, a set of rules emerges. It’s important to have ground rules that help people navigate the many challenges life throws at us. For most people, family relationships create a blueprint that determines how we relate to others. The quality of the relationship between father and mother has a great impact on the quality of the relationship their children have with their friends. The same is true in selling. The quality of your relationship with your sales manager has an impact on your professional growth, and it also can impact the quality of your relationships with your customers.

Many salespeople talk about how important relationships are in selling, yet there is very little research on this subject. I recently had a conversation with Ron Gajewski, a senior consultant of the Dallas-based research firm Beyond ROI. Ron shared a number of insights (the first four items in the list below) that led me to expand on his thinking.

Below is a checklist that may help sales managers think about how their behaviors impact their relationships with their salespeople. If you are a salesperson, use this checklist and assess your manager. Then ask your sales manager to take the same assessment and discuss a) what points you agree on and b) what points you want to improve on. It should make for an interesting conversation.

1) Connection: Do you have a real sense of connection with your sales manager? Does he or she know about your life, passions, and history outside of work? Or…is your manager all business?
2) Commitment: Do you feel your manager is actually committed to helping you grow and be successful? Or…do you get the sense your manager is simply using you to make the numbers?
3) Trust: Do you fully trust your manager’s guidance and ideas? Or…do you sense your manager is out of touch with your situation and clients?
4) Relevance: Are you successful in your role because of your manager? Or…are you successful in spite of your manager? Is the relationship key to your success?
5) Autonomy: Is your manager taking over on joint calls, trying to close the sale for you? Or…does your manager give you enough leeway that you feel you are in charge of the call?
6) Respect: Is your manager respectful when he or she gets upset about a problem that has come up with a customer? Or…does your manager berate you, belittle you, or insult your intelligence?
7) Guidance: Is your manager constructive and instructive when you ask for his or her help? Or…does your manager brush you off with platitudes?
8) Praise: Does your manager have a habit of recognizing your achievements by praising you in public? Or…do you sometimes wonder if the manager knows that you exist?
9) Fairness: Is your manager fair and evenhanded when it comes to making decisions that impact rewards, compensation, promotions, hiring, and firing? Or…do you sometimes wish for a better manager?
10) Challenge: Does your manager challenge your abilities and ambitions so that you continue to reach higher levels of performance that you never thought you could reach on your own? Or…do you feel that your manager knows little of your talents and capabilities?

Please share your feedback. How did you do? Are you really good at creating successful relationships? If you are, please share your insights.

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Let’s Try this One More Time: Stress Management

Here is some good news and some bad news: The bad news is that we can’t avoid stress. The good news is that we can manage it. Dr. Amora, a stress-management expert, believes that salespeople who manage their stress better than others will sell more.

Watch this six-minute interview and compare your current stress-management techniques with Dr. Amora’s practical tips:

1. Manage all five health areas: psychological, physical, social, spiritual, and environmental health.
2. Embrace the idea that you can grow from stress. This is the first step toward successful stress management.
3. A healthy attitude toward your challenges has a positive effect on your performance.
4. Accept the scientific fact that physical exercise will reduce the effects of stress on your body.
5. Develop a health plan that is in line with your goal for managing stress.
6. Choose a routine that you can enjoy for a long period of time, such as walking, tennis, squash, basketball, soccer, or swimming.
7. Create a plan for managing your nutrition. Avoid the temptation to resort to sugar or fat to manage stress. Plan for more but smaller meals each day to maintain a peak performance level.
8. Plan for five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
9. Boost your immune system with antioxidants such as dark chocolate, soy, or a glass of red wine.
10. Vitamin B supplements can help manage stress.
11. Reduce your social connections with people who negatively influence your health habits. If your friends like to eat inexpensive, greasy foods, meet them at a Starbucks, not over dinner.
12. See more friends who evoke good feelings in you. Don’t attempt to reform negative people – they only increase your stress and frustration.

For more health-related tips, check out Dr. Amora's Web site: http://www.healthiqs.com

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Why Creigh Deeds Failed to Close the Biggest Sale of His Life in Virginia

Although I was born in Austria, the same country that gave us Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Governator), I have resisted the urge to run for governor of Virginia. The only reason I would faintly consider that career path is that I like the natural fit of that title with my name – “Governor Gerhard Gschwandtner.” I could have my shirts monogrammed with “GGG.”

OK, enough about my delusions; let’s dive into the hot subject of the day. Why did Bob McDonnell outsell Creigh Deeds by 17 points? Or rather, what can we learn from Creigh Deeds’s failure to close the biggest sale of his life?

1. Speak your customer’s language

Great salespeople and great politicians have something in common: They can act like a chameleon and blend in with any group of people. For example, at the Shad Planking event (a fascinating local custom that’s worth checking out on Wikipedia), Bob McDonnell opened his speech with just the right dose of humor that reflected the mood of his audience. He said, “This is the first Shad Planking I have been to that we actually have on April 15th – tax day – and you know, that points out some of the differences… between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans know that Independence Day is the 4th of July; Democrats think that it’s April 15th.” The crowd responded with huge applause.



Compare how Creigh Deeds tried to persuade a huge crowd in Norfolk, VA. Watch this short speech on YouTube. Deeds wasn’t in synch with himself. He mentioned that one bill he voted for created or saved 80,000 jobs. He followed up with this line: “When I talk about job creation, I got a little experience to talk about.” This is like a salesman saying, “This product will save you $80,000 a year! When it comes to saving you money, we got a little experience to talk about.”



2. Don’t throw mud into your competitor’s face without provocation

In September 2009, candidate Deeds bombarded national media with the details of a thesis McDonnell wrote as a graduate student at Regent University in Virginia Beach. Deeds tried to brand McDonnell as against gays and working women. On August 30th, the Washington Post broke the story.

The next day McDonnell faced the media and calmly explained that his views had changed. He made reference to arriving at, in some instances, similar perspectives as Democratic governor Tim Kaine and President Obama. But he stood firm when he affirmed the differences. Instead of letting the print media sort out the controversy and focusing on his own next move, Deeds ran TV ads that slammed McDonnell with hit-them-over-the-head commercials.



Whether you are in sales or politics, it is risky to sling mud. Great salespeople don’t attack their competition, and neither do great politicians. Great salespeople sell their customers on the strong benefits of their product or service. Great politicians know that America likes to see the underdog win. What should Deeds have done? Instead of assuming the role of the attack dog, Deeds could have played the underdog. Just like Senator Sam Ervin Jr. said when he presided over the Watergate hearings, “I am just a simple country lawyer.”

3. Talk about what your customers value

Savvy salespeople do their homework before calling on an important customer. They learn about their customer’s business, industry, and pain points. In this three-minute video, you’ll see Terry McAuliffe, President Bill Clinton, and Creigh Deeds speaking at a rally in McLean, VA.



Notice how McAuliffe opens with self-deprecating humor. Watch how “master salesman” Clinton uses a thoughtful and insightful approach that urges the audience to judge wisely and act decisively. What happens when Deeds approaches the podium? He rattles off political platitudes and tells an unconvincing story about a lesson he learned in summer camp – “You’re going to get out of this camp exactly what you put into it.” If you want to sell your commitment to a new job, try to use your most compelling story.

How did Bob McDonnell focus on the customer’s pain? The two pain points Virginia is experiencing – like any state in the country – are a) the economy and b) jobs. McDonnell branded himself the “Jobs Governor”.

While Deeds uses the referent power of Presidents Obama and Clinton, Bob McDonnell had a number of high-ranking Republican leaders stump for him. The list includes Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Fred Thompson, and Rudy Giuliani.

4. Don’t mess with your customer’s traditions

The motto “Virginia is for lovers” gives the state sex appeal. What’s even hotter than sex in Virginia? Guns. McDonnell got the NRA to sponsor a clever commercial that shows a mafia type advising Virginians to vote for gun control, implying that if they didn’t, there would be consequences. The call to action: Defend gun rights in Virginia!



In the past, Deeds has received an A rating from the NRA as a defender of gun rights by getting the group’s endorsement when he ran for State Attorney General in 2005. But over time, his voting record has shown a softening of his views. He voted against the gun-show loophole and opposed bans on buying more than one handgun a month.

5. Make each dollar work harder for you

Every sales executive knows that success in selling is getting the most bang for your buck. A quick analysis of how both candidates spent their money in TV advertising reveals that Bob McDonnell consistently paid the lowest cost per point (CPP) each week out of the candidates who advertised during the Virginia primary. (Source: Smart Media Group) While McDonnell paid an average of $53 CPP each week, Terry McAuliffe paid $62, and Creigh Deeds paid a whopping $66. Great salespeople are not only good at selling; they are also smart at buying.

Full disclosure: I have never met either Bob McDonnell or Creigh Deeds. My personal favorite in the race was Terry McAuliffe. I met him, listened to his stories, and I laughed a lot. I was impressed with his amazing ability to sell very wealthy people on parting with their money and handing it over to finance Bill Clinton’s and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns. In his book, What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals, he shares a ton of amazing and amusing sales stories.

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The 12 Qualities of a Successful Sales Leader

Recent research suggests that the average tenure of a chief sales officer is about 24 months. Why the rapid turnover? In today’s tough market, CEOs demand a return to growth and change. If the sales leader can’t manage change, CEOs change management.

I like to think of sales leadership as a steam locomotive. Good sales leaders have fire in the belly. They are able to create enough steam to move the train (their people) forward so they can reach the company’s revenue goals, on time and on budget.

Good sales leaders have vision. They see, think, and plan ahead. They are also dreamers. They dream big and with their eyes open. When others ask, “Why bother?” sales leaders see opportunity. They imagine what could be and ask, “Why not?” Leaders keep their followers on track and on time. They say, “Get moving or get left behind.”

A good economy and business model make all sales leaders look very smart. But with success comes arrogance and reluctance to change. What many sales leaders fail to realize is that, while they run the engine in front of the train, there is a second engine in the back that is pushing the train forward. That second engine is the economy. In good times, the engine pushing in the back makes the leader look and feel good. Arrogant leaders often believe that it is their own steam that creates the forward momentum. When the economy shrinks or when the business model falters, the back engine quits pushing. That is the moment of truth in which the true sales leader will create more steam to move the train forward while poor sales leaders get stuck and get the boot.

When the economy runs out of steam, sales leaders are willing and able to build up more steam, pick up the slack, and keep the train moving ahead at top speed. How?

1. They don’t give up until they’ve found the best way to harness the collective genius of their organization to reach their business objectives.
2. They help their salespeople improve by clearly communicating what they need to do to meet the company’s goals and the expectations of management.
3. They coach salespeople and help them adopt the successful behaviors that lead to results.
4. They give their salespeople the right technology they need to improve their performance, drive up productivity, and cut out the tedious and repetitive tasks that salespeople are not paid for
5. They help create sales processes that reflect how customers want to buy.
6. They associate analytics with every sales process in order to ensure ongoing improvement.
7. They measure their salespeople’s performance objectively and create a level playing field.
8. They set high expectations for each team member and appraise and review results on a regular basis.
9. They praise good performance in public and consistently celebrate high achievement.
10. They help salespeople connect with C-level executives to help increase the chances for closing the sale – without taking over the salesperson’s role.
11. They create effective compensation and incentive programs that are motivating to the sales team.
12. They generate hope and optimism throughout the sales organization and help their team grow and win against an overwhelming tide of adversity.

How can you spot a good sales leader? Just ask one how long he or she has held his or her job. If the answer is for more than three years and with the same company, you know that he or she has already beaten the odds.

Related video: Effective Sales Leadership

Watch this six-minute interview with Dr. Todd Harris, director of research for PI Worldwide. Dr. Harris found that 50 percent of sales leaders seem to suffer from a lack in competence, as judged by the people who work for them. He believes that successful sales leaders have three common attributes: passion, principles, and performance.

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