Selling is New for Some of Our Salespeople

I started my business three years ago. The typical phone call I get from a potential new client is, “Can you teach my salespeople how to sell and stop being order takers?”

Owners, managers and company leaders, we have done a disservice to our sales teams for the last two decades with poor sales and business development decisions we have made:

• We call some salespeople “salespeople” when many are truly “account managers”  

• These “account managers” are used to handling inbound leads and have never attempted an outbound new business call their entire career

• Lead distribution has fooled these “account managers” into thinking they have been “selling” all this time

• We have become reliant on external venues and third-party websites to provide leads and have forgotten how to find new business

• Leads are expected. Leads should not be expected. I call leads GIFTS.

• What we considered selling in “our day” is different than what happens today

Sure, salespeople and account managers need to be skilled in relationship building, listening, knowing their product and understanding their client’s needs. That type of selling is very important and I am not minimizing it. I love when salespeople take a $50,000 client and turn that client into a $250,000 client. That is an imperative expectation of individual sales growth. However, that doesn’t mean they have been fulfilling your expectation of selling; they have been nurturing and growing existing business. 

Once we return to planning gatherings over 10 guests, we need to recognize something; the phone ain’t going to be ringing as much as it did for the last 11 years. We need to get our hustle back on.

So now we will see who is

a real salesperson, right? 

When we all return to the office post-COVID-19, your sales team should have more time to sell. I bet some have never done this before. I can actually guarantee this, as I have owned my business for three years and have worked with several salespeople who have told me as such. This is a skill set that needs to be taught, re-taught, audited and developed. Do not assume your team knows how to sell. Provide them the tools and coaching to make them comfortable as many need to start at square one.

Seven Initial Ideas for Leadership Coaching:

• Have honest, individual dialogues with each one of your team members

• Ask them if they have ever called on a new client

  • What made them feel good? What made them feel bad?

• Define your actual expectation for what a “call” is

  • Phone vs. Email?

  • Is tackling your stagnant client base a good start?

• Look at a sample outbound email to see how they introduce themselves

• Look at what collateral materials are readily available following the initial call

  • Be prepared for immediate follow up

• Pretend to be the potential customer so the salesperson can practice

  • Ask questions back/email responses back

• Provide resources for research

  • Stagnant- Invoice Reports, Revenue History

  • New Biz- Trade Publications, LinkedIn, Google Alerts

As a former catering salesperson, the luckiest thing that happen to me was not being at the “big dog” company. I had to be scrappy and creative to find new business. I had to have guts to call on previously proposed lost business. Have that mindset now no matter what your company’s size and resources. Everyone is in the same doghouse now.

Patience

Eat. Drink.

As a consultant, I am often asked by clients how to manage Millennials and now Post-Millennials. Their request for help often includes eye rolls, sighs and complaints with complete exasperation. It’s as if ownership and management (some of them are actually Millennials themselves) have used the fact that Millennials working at the organization are the cause for challenges and problems in the everyday working environment.

Get over it people. Figure it out. Millennials and Post-Millennials are here to stay and it is up to us as leaders to learn how to coach, train and mentor them. We just need to have the patience in order to teach them how to grow.

Millennials and Post-Millennials want feedback. They want to feel appreciated. They want to be a part of a high-performance team and want to have opportunities for growth. Most importantly, they crave mentorship. As a leader, you must provide your time, your experience and your knowledge to these willing students. 

You must be patient throughout the process, as the real cream always rises to the top. They need to be patient with their education as well. Slow and steady is key.

Grandpa Lefty James

Inspire.

I love football. My grandfather was a college football coach and a scout for the NFL. It is in my blood. If I have the opportunity, I will spend every Sunday on the couch to watch my beloved Buffalo Bills. Even I realize though, as a die-hard Bills fan, that something special is happening west of me at Arrowhead Stadium.

I think the hottest player in the NFL this season is Patrick Mahomes. Patrick is playing his second year for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a first round pick, selected as the 10th player in the 2017 NFL draft. What is fascinating about his rise to stardom is his poise & confidence as such a young player. I attribute this not only to his talent, his upbringing and strong arm, but also the thoughtful, methodical and steady teaching from his head coach, Andy Reid. 

Watch a game. You will see Coach Reid with Patrick sitting on the bench when the defense is on the field. He is constantly coaching him. There is such individualized focus and attention that you can see a true relationship and respect amongst the two. Coach Reid also made a wise decision a year ago. He was patient with his new star.  Unlike other franchises who immediately start their new draft picks, Mahomes sat on the sidelines and learned for a year. He watched a senior quarterback play. He learned the game. Now he is ready.

Mahomes was born in 1995. He is a Millennial. Way to go Coach Reid. He recognized the talent and he didn’t rush it. Patrick is a lucky guy. He is learning from a future Hall of Fame coach.  As of today, the Chiefs are 11-2. I can’t wait to see what this mentor and mentee do next. I only wish it was happening in Buffalo.