NEWScast or salesMEETING?

Now, you've smoothed talked yourself into a plum sales assignment, being the super sales star that you are. What now?  (Or, perhaps you are trying to decide if a sales career is your destiny?)


Congratulations!  You "sold" yourself.  So elementary:  if you can't sell yourself, it's not likely that you would be able to sell anything.   Forget about that, you made it past the online profile (answered honestly), the HR behavioural interview fired at you over the telephone as part of the screening process before meeting the seemingly animated sales manager (he could be motivating), barely squeaked by the drill sergeant executive interrogation (yes, it was to see how  ruffled you'd get), sweat a bit passing the background criminal check, supplied the clean driver’s extract, been Googled without knowing to see if you have hidden surprises, and signed an employment contract that you considered whether you should have had a lawyer read all the terms for you.



Alas, never mind, you are ready to go!  You wanted to sleep in but thought you should drag yourself out of bed to get there on time to make a strong first impression ... after all, you decided you should erase the bloodshot eyes that are usually there, to look fresh for the first day.  You pause, they may roll out the red carpet for you because they’re damn lucky to have found you, especially after your amazing performances throughout the thorough recruitment process.  You have a slight hesitation, shrugging off the nerves or wondering if you are on a cliff ready to jump off, gulp.  Was that a mild guilt now you have to deliver?


You arrive "early" 20 minutes beforehand for the first "sales meeting" at 7:30 a.m. and wow, there is an admin person who warmly greets you and escorts you to the boardroom for your first sales meeting.  (Did she know that it was your first day and was part of the greeting process?)  Your first impression isn't anything like what you prepared yourself for with the “Selling Ice to Eskimo " setting you’re used to.  The sales manager hasn't even arrived, yet the rest of the sales team are not yawning, bored, sitting around drinking coffee and griping about the boss, how their last commission cheque was messed up or when their next lead will roll in.  Right, it is your first day … they’d be on their best behaviour for your benefit.


Amazingly, it appears that many have been working long before the 7:30 a.m. sales meeting, or talking about the late nighter they pulled working on a proposal.   Some are asking someone named Lisa how close she is to signing that multimillion deal she has been working on for six months.  Lisa is actually sharing and asking whether her colleagues think that the customer will decide solely on price and not all the value they have brought to the table.  OK, now you're seriously getting worried because everyone seems to be genuinely interested in giving Lisa encouragement and wishing her good luck.   There is no sense of underlying cattiness whatsoever, is that possible?


The sales manager arrives at 7:25 a.m. and says hello to everyone, asks about their weekends, particular how Steven's daughter Kaitlin is settling into university life on the coast ... all while he is plugging a laptop and turning on an overhead projector system whirring and blinking lights as it warms up.   This must all be to your benefit to impress you on my first day ... right?


7:30 a.m. on the nose.   Everyone sits up a little straighter, flashing fresh pages in their notebook (damn why didn't you think of that?), and pens posed like soldiers standing at attention.  The sales manager starts out by calling the meeting to order, with an Agenda black and white on the projection screen.  Here we go ... you’re introduced with tidbits of professional background interjected and everyone claps with welcome.  (Geez, now why didn’t you read, what was that book called?  "Gung Ho", right, well you can watch the movie tonight)


Next, a number is the only thing on the screen.  (Numerology for good luck maybe?), followed by the next screen showing red and black numbers as the sales manager shares and is it your imagination or is everyone leaning forwardly intently?  Then, there’s an another one with an even bigger a number that says "to meet target".  Without skipping a beat, the sales manager zeros on Charles, then Rebecca and so on around the table.  Is that gibberish?  Charles said that he forecasted a figure but expected to close this and that by month end to make his target, which will put him slightly above plan.


 Upon Lisa’s turn, everyone smiles and there are a couple of jocular comments on how she is going to save everyone's bacon if her deal closes this week, as forecasted.  The sales manager asks her what resources, support she needs from anyone to help her.  She asked whether anyone thinks that the operations manager should attend with her and the manager for the presentation to address any of the critical questions to reassure the prospect that they will be able to follow through on their end.  George, who appears to be the veteran in the room, asks her how many people she is presenting to.  Four.  Ok, well in that case, he recommends their support analyst attend with them since the IT director will be in attendance.  The sales manager suddenly minimizes the screen at that moment and sends an "Outlook" invitation for tomorrow morning to operations and support for a 20 meeting to review and prepare for the presentation.  SNAP! Just like that, eh?


You watch in amazement when to the left of me it is John's turn.  He seems somewhat apologetic but briefly answers the sales manager's question how he is going to make up the shortfall on his target and the deal he had forecasted has now been put off for 90 days because the CFO wants to bring in competitive bids. 


YIKES, you?  When it comes to your turn, eyes slightly darting around (hopefully not noticeable) wondering where to put your hands - is that why everyone is holding a pen, something to grip onto for dear life when it's your turn?  The Sales Manager just smiles warmly and says that since you are in training mode, this is your chance to just observe and ask questions.  Everyone, including John, nods and smiles warmly.  The sales manager takes this time to announce that George will be your "mentor" and suggests that you arrange to meet to get started.  A mentor?  The closest you've had to a mentor is an older sister?  Maybe they’re actually serious and this isn’t a show put on for your benefit.


By now, you may not be feeling quite so smooth or confident, glancing at the others, while gripping your chair again to keep it from swivelling down the sales equivalent of "Alice in Wonderland" … nope, you haven’t just fallen down the sales rabbit hole ..........


This spoof has many elements of truism.  What's even more intimidating is that it is possible to  find yourself amongst a group of professional colleagues who are serious about their profession, a non-dictator sales manager who asks and expects you to do what you say you are going to do while backing up your efforts.  This is what a sales meeting may look like when working for an organization described in "Time is Money" Blogpost. 

 One thing you know for sure is that  It certainly wasn't a newscast disguised as a sales meeting or a griping session was it?

The Artful DODGER

Getting past "the gatekeeper" creates a wealth of discussions and tips on how you get around them. To me, the corporate receptionist (aka gatekeeper) is a last resort and I see many sales folk take that approach to cut corners or not do their homework (i.e. research).


A corporate website has a wealth of information.  It typically lists key contacts, their responsibilities and how to get a hold of them.   That information isn't there to help research savvy sales pros.   It is simply and logically there because those same people are available for their customers or shareholders.

Personally, I also like taking a look at the company's news release section:  it identifies key contacts, new promotions, mergers, partnerships, purchases, new products, new endeavours, and financials.  You can use this treasure chest to your advantage.   Another tidbit on reading the financials or news release can hint at financial troubles that you may decide to avoid.  All your hard work may be wasted if they're going bankrupt or positioned to be sold ... that is, unless it tells you to approach the other company.


The best approach for me has been to go as high up in the organization as possible - if it means a craftful approach letter that offers compelling reasons why they may want my expertise in helping them: save time, reduce overhead, streamline process, with quantifiable examples of how I've done that with others.   Trust me, all your competitors are saying they're the best too!  They most likely are pointing out the same benefits or the less experienced are doing "feature dumps".  What you all may have in common is how quickly you are being shot down, being asked to forward a package (to get rid of you and that package more often than not ends up in a dumpster), or asks for a price (that tells you that you have no value and you are being commoditized).

Before you contact any senior level executive, you should have an idea of their company, their mission, values, industry and what is impacting their business.  You can artfully apply the information to your advantage to position yourself more as a colleague than as a sales person.  If you're like me and you do a lot of reading up on sales, there is a common complaint from executives who are approached by salespeople:  they know little or nothing at all about their company and see that as a disrespectful waste of their time.
 

Kevin Davis five-star sales book on Amazon "Getting Into Your Customers Head” is a great resource for the sales professional.  His newest release "Slow Down, Sell Faster" provides greater incentive to adapt your sales approach to that of your customer's needs.  You can check out his blog "Inside our Head" listed in the sidebar.

Don't worry if the upper level decision maker refers you down the ladder to someone whose responsibility it falls under.  It is called "topped down selling".  Regardless, it is a lot easier than trying to dodge a gatekeeper who takes pride in "getting rid of annoying salespeople who interrupt the boss' day" ......

RES-O-LU-TION

Never make your boss look bad.  Most bad bosses are capable of accomplishing this all on their own.
~ Jamie Fabian


Time is upon us to reflect upon the past year, for some, but for many it is the time to clean the slate and resolve new goals.


SALES:


  1. I shall not  over promise and under deliver
  2. I shall value each hour and each appointment
  3. I shall not fill my day with "look busy" activities 
  4. I will ask more questions and listen often
  5. I will take care to understand what it is that I can do to help my customers reach their goals
  6. I will use problems as a means to gain better solutions
  7. My sales manager is not my mother, teacher or babysitter -- I will do what is expected with little cause for nagging, reminders nor will I whine or make excuses  
  8. I shall not point the finger at anyone other than myself I will take responsibility for my own actions
  9. I will not make commitments of which my team will have difficulty on delivering
  10. Integrity, trust and knowledge are my guiding principles


MANAGEMENT:


  1. I will not ask of others that of which I would not do myself
  2. I shall  not project what the team cannot deliver to save face
  3. I should trust the people whom I have hired, exchange their loyalty with loyalty of my own
  4. I am no bigger than the people whom I represent
  5. My personal goals are not to the detriment of those who report to me
  6. I trust that I am in this position based on my expertise
  7. When failure happens I will point inward
  8. I will coach, guide, mentor my team
  9. Directives and mandates are replaced with buy in, engagement, and input from my team
  10. I will take care of the customer, who will take care of the bottom line