Winning Edge: January 2018 - BESMA 2017 by Institute of Sales Management (ISM)

I N ST I T U T E O F SA L E S M A N AG E M E N T

WINNINGEDGE R A I S I N G T H E VA L U E O F S A L E S

Number 1 2018 | ismprofessional.com | £4.95

GETTING! RESULTSIVE

SG ISM MEMBER VEY R U S T GREA FEEDBACK

THE BRITISH EXCELLENCE IN SALES MANAGEMENT AWARDS

CELEBRATING SUCCESS AT THE ANNUAL AWARDS FOR THE SALES INDUSTRY

THE ‘X’ FACTOR

HOW CHARISMA HELPS YOU SELL Cover V4.indd 2

BIG LESSONS SUPPORTERS LEARNED ISM WELCOMES NEW CORPORATE PARTNERS

WHY YOU LOST – OR WON

09/03/2018 10:56

21 & 22

MARCH

ExCeL LONDON

Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading event for forward-thinking sales professionals

from The Institute of Sales Management

MARK ERSKINE

MARCUS CAUCHI

DARREN SPENCE

GAVIN INGHAM

PLUS KEYNOTE TALKS FROM | DAVID BEARD | SAGE

95 seminars

200 exhibitors

35 masterclasses

#SIE18 08/03/2018 12:46

CONTENTS

WINNINGEDGE

NUMBER 1 – 2018 ismprofessional.com

COVER STORY

Institute of Sales Management 18 King William Street London EC4N 7BP Telephone: +44 (0)20 3870 4949 Email: enquiries@ismprofessional.com Website: ismprofessional.com President: Frank Rowe Chief Operating Officer: Roger Bradburn Head of Partnerships: Thomas Moverley Head of Marketing: Adam Brook Editorial: Marc Beishon, Tom Nash Design: Del Gentleman Advertising: Adam Brook Telephone: +44 (0)20 3870 4949 Email: enquiries@ismprofessional.com

Printed by: Ridgeway Press © ISM 2018. Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the ISM. The publishers endeavour to check all facts and figures prior to publication, but are not responsible for errors in material supplied to them for publication. Any article published will automatically be deemed to carry the sole copyright and be the property of the ISM. International Standard Serial No. UK ISSN 1746-6849

4 3 ISM Editorial

24 Negotiating

Simon Buzza explains why silence is golden – and when to say ‘no’

The Institute continues to take major strides forward

4 Member survey

28 ISM Education

How the ISM supports Geberit’s professional development

ISM members provide positive feedback on benefits

6 Sales Talk

30 Relationship selling

Topical sales news and research

8 COVER STORY: BESMA All the winners and pictures from The British Excellence in Sales Management Awards 2017

32 Finding the ‘X factor’

14 Smarter Selling

36 Learning lessons

Advice on targeting sales communications, telesales training, GDPR preparations and leadership

Sarah Hinchliffe discusses the importance of win/loss reviews

21 Tools for the job

Steve Campion’s recipe for making a strong impact

The latest technology for mobile sales pros

22 Comment The key to peak sales performance

23 Sales skills Becoming a coach

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

1 Contents V5.indd 3

Closing a sale is just the start, says Robert Spence

Charisma can boost sales. Nikki Owen describes how

40 Powerful presenting

44 Future-proofing sales People and technology matter

42 Sales book reviews 46 ISM Sales Summit 48 ISM member profile WINNING EDGE 1

09/03/2018 10:51

EVENTS 2018 THE ISM OFFERS AND SUPPORTS A RICH VARIETY OF EVENTS FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS

he ISM’s rolling programme of events T includes one-day conferences, topical briefings, special interest group meetings, regional group meetings, webinars and awards. This varied mix of events offers superb networking opportunities and relevance to professionals at all levels.

he ISM also works in partnership with T other professional institutes and relevant commercial partners to provide the most up-to-date events programme to both our members and the wider sales profession.

isted below is a selection of forthcoming L dates for your diary.

ISM WEBINARS 3 April 2018 10 April 2018 1 May 2018 15 May 2018 29 May 2018

11am 11am 11am 11am 11am

Procurement: Part 1: Successful Telephone Negotiations Procurement Part 2: Reducing Buyer Opening Demands Secrets of Successful Sales, Pillar 1: Understanding Behaviour Secrets of Successful Sales, Pillar 2: Sales Process Secrets of Successful Sales, Pillars 3&4: Sales Strategy and Confidence

SALES INNOVATION EXPO 2018 21-22 March – Excel London The ISM is exhibiting at the Sales Innovation Expo. With some of the best-known names, thought leaders and industry experts offering cutting-edge advice and demonstrating the latest technologies, products and services, this event is sure to equip sales leaders with the latest systems and tools to improve sales performance. Visit www.salesinnovationexpo.co.uk

THE NEW RULES OF SELLING 7 November – Oulton Hall, Leeds A special one-day seminar, ‘The 7 Keys Of Selling, Persuasion and Influence’, which will give you all you need to know to increase sales and grow your business.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING Multiple dates until 17 November Studying for a professional qualification can be a big decision, so Professional Academy invites you to book a one-to-one advice session with its qualification adviser Philip Perren. Visit www.professionalacademy.com

NATIONAL SALES ACADEMY 2018 28 November – Ricoh Arena, Coventry A conference designed for sales professionals with up to two years’ experience. Co-located with National Sales Conference (NSC) 2018 (see opposite). Visit www.nsacademy.org.uk 20% ISM member discount, quote: ‘ISMSALES18’

2 Events V7.indd 2

Sue Preston Sue Preston Alison Edgar Alison Edgar Alison Edgar

BRITISH EXCELLENCE IN SALES MANAGEMENT AWARDS (BESMA) 26 October – Change of venue for 2018 The ISM had the most nominations ever for BESMA in 2017, so we need a larger venue. BESMA 2018 will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.

GRADUATE SALES CONFERENCE 2018 28 November – Ricoh Arena, Coventry A personal development day for graduates and students with an interest in sales, also co-located with NSC 2018. Attendees will also have opportunity to meet recruitment companies and prospective employers. Visit www.gsconference.co.uk

NATIONAL SALES CONFERENCE 2018 29 November – Ricoh Arena, Coventry Sir Clive Woodward will address NSC 2018, which runs alongside the National Sales Exhibition, also endorsed by the ISM. England’s legendary rugby union coach will share his insight into creating cohesive, winning teams. Visit www.nsconference.co.uk 20% ISM member discount, quote: ‘ISMSALES18’

For the most up-to-date information on all ISM and ISM-supported events, visit: www.ismprofessional.com/events

09/03/2018 11:59

INSTITUTE OF SALES MANAGEMENT | EDITORIAL

CATCHING UP WITH THE ISM

TOM MOVERLEY, the ISM’s corporate director, gives a run down on the institute’s latest initiatives as activity ramps up

e have been very busy at the ISM in recent months and as we are now settled into 2018 this is a good time to catch up with our growing portfolio of events and programmes. First, you’ll see in this issue of Winning Edge we have pictorial reports from both our sales awards event, BESMA, and also our first Sales Summit, which we held on the same day towards the end of last year. Both assembled some of the top talent around for selling and thought leadership. BESMA has long been the sales industry’s top awards event and the quality of the entries and winners was outstanding, as usual, while the summit had one of the most varied and packed agendas I’ve ever seen at a one-day event. I invite you to get involved with this year’s BESMA – the awards evening is on 26 October, so put the date in your diary and get your entries lined up. You can also view selected presentations from the Sales Summit on our YouTube channel. Also in this issue (pages 4–5) see the results of our member survey. I am pleased to see a high (85%) satisfaction level among members; the fact that nearly half of members have been with us for more than 10 years; and the wide spread of industries you work in. We also asked what type of event you would like to see more of, and this is a pretty even split among regional groups, webinars, and evening and breakfast meetings. Picking up a couple of these, we have been setting up regional groups and so far are establishing groups in Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and the North East, with more to come, including overseas. If you want to get involved with regional groups, please contact us. Webinars are proving to be a popular ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

3 ISM editorial.indd 3

“We recently counted more than 1,000 people registered for our webinars” way to participate in practical and thought leadership sessions run by experts. We recently counted more than 1,000 people registered for ISM webinars, and topics that we’ve covered and are upcoming include “Emotional intelligence in sales”, “Overcoming objections through creating certainty”, “Why sales people fail and what you can do about it”, and much more, including a series from our Midlands chair, Nigel Dunand, with provocative titles such as “Salesperson – you’re fired!”, which sounds like ones you won’t want to miss. You can replay the webinars on demand. OUR QUALIFICATIONS One of the most important and longstanding activities of the ISM is our role in providing OFQUAL approved qualifications to individuals and companies. We have recently announced partnerships with several organisations. For example, Medicash, a health cash plan provider, has become an ISM Corporate Partner to offer ISM membership to their employees and to work towards our Professional Sales Certification. Not only does this tie in with the company’s desire to offer accredited learning and development, it’s

a key response to regulatory changes in the industry, including the introduction of the Insurance Distribution Directive which requires staff who sell, advise or transact insurance contracts to complete a minimum 15 hours of continuing professional development per year. Another new partnership is with the managed services team at Siemens, in which the company is offering employees ISM membership and certification to build on its ethical and professional approach to selling. We have covered many such partnerships as case studies in Winning Edge, and they all have the theme that companies which offer independent, recognised sales qualifications give employees an important addition to their CVs – but they see a reduced turnover and higher performance for their trust and investment. See also the case study on Geberit on page 28 of this issue, and look out for more to come. We rely on high quality learning and development partners, and another partnership I must mention is with Miller Heiman Group (MHG), which hardly needs an introduction as probably the biggest global name in sales training, methodology and research. The company is now an approved ISM training partner. Look out for MHG’s sales events and workshops in its “Be Ready” programme, and also the latest research from CSO Insights, which is part of MHG. Finally, I want to mention the ISM’s Online Mentoring Forum. This is where we match approved mentors with mentees so they can “meet” one to one at any time on our platform. The mentors have generously donated their time to work with mentees, and you can find out more on our website if you want to become a mentor or a mentee. I hope this gives a flavour of the many activities we are working on, and there are others too. All the team at the ISM look forward to engaging with you as we take the programmes forward and announce new ones.

WINNING EDGE 3

07/03/2018 13:02

ISM | RESEARCH

MEMBER SURVEY OUR RECENT POLL OF ISM MEMBERS PROVIDES SOME WELCOME POSITIVE FEEDBACK

SATISFACTION LEVEL

WHAT EVENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OF?

85% HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER?

REGIONAL GROUPS 27%

WEBINARS 26%

EVENING NETWORKING 25%

BREAKFAST MEETINGS 25%

1-5 YEARS 39%

10+ YEARS 45%

4 WINNING EDGE

4-5 Infographics V4.indd 2

6-10 YEARS 16%

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:02

RESEARCH | ISM

CONCLUSIONS

E R A S R E B M E M M IS LOYAL AND LONG-SERVING

WHAT INDUSTRY DO YOU WORK IN?

EDUCATION

CONSULTANCY

TECHNOLOGY

27%

21%

18%

TRANSPORT

FINANCIAL SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION

11%

ENERGY

TRAVEL

FMCG

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

4-5 Infographics V4.indd 3

ISM MEMBERS ARE LIKELY TO RECOMMEND RS E H T O O T G N I N I O J E M O C S R E B M E M M S I E G N A R E D I W A M FRO OF INDUSTRIES

ISM MEMBERS E H T T A H W E K I L D N A â&#x20AC;&#x201C; S R E F F O ISM T I F O E R O M T N A W WINNING EDGE 5

07/03/2018 13:02

SALES TALK INDUSTRY NEWS CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP

SUPPORTING LEADING FIRMS The ISM is proud to announce two new corporate partners – Siemens Managed Services and Medicash ISM will provide each company’s sales teams with membership and access to the ISM Professional Sales Certification pathway.

STATISTICS

DID YOU KNOW…

MILLION WORKING DAYS WERE LOST TO FAKE ILLNESS IN THE UK IN 2017

15%

WAS THE LOWEST FIGURE, IN THE NORTH EAST

38%

OF EMPLOYEES IN SCOTLAND ‘PULLED A SICKIE’, THE MOST IN THE UK

£900 MILLION WAS THE TOTAL ECONOMIC COST TO THE UK

Source: Survey by Adzuna.co.uk, an online recruitment specialist

BUZZWORDS CUSTOMER LOYALTY Businesses may know what customer loyalty is, but how many pay lip service to the phrase without implementing measures that actually achieve it? The answer is a lot, says Matilda Dorotic, professor of marketing at BI Norwegian Business School. According to her research, 58% of customers who have signed up to loyalty schemes do not use their accounts. The difficulty of earning points, irrelevance of rewards, and poor communication are the main reasons for not using any of the benefits offered. Source: www.financialforce.com

6 WINNING EDGE

6-7 News V2.indd 2

Siemens Managed Services Siemens Managed Services provides metering and data services to UK businesses, energy and water companies and their customers, and a growing portfolio of digitisation solutions for future energy. It is part of the Siemens Group, a top employer of entry-level talent in the UK, with over 600 apprentices and a vibrant community of interns, apprentices and graduates. Jon Turner, head of UK new business for Siemens Managed Services, (pictured above on the right, holding the ISM certificate), is passionate about developing his sales professionals and helping them achieve progression within Siemens by aligning development plans to the ISM pathway. “Development is also mutual,” says Turner. “We provide support and coaching, but commitment is also needed from individuals for them to make progress and realise their goals. “Sales culture is about collaboration – within the team and across Siemens – developing new techniques but, most importantly, adapting to customers’ needs through strategic selling.” Turner describes the drivers for collaborating with the ISM as “learning from experience and best practice, stories, recognition of those who

are exceptional and improving and, most importantly, accredited development paths built around an ethical framework in support of effective selling.” Medicash Medicash is a leading UK provider of health insurance. It offers health cash plans to individuals and corporate health plans. The company’s motivation in teaming up with the ISM is to provide professional recognition of its sales team’s existing experience and ethical approaches to providing healthcare insurance. An added incentive comes from regulatory changes in 2018, including the Insurance Distribution Directive, which requires staff who sell, advise or transact insurance contracts to complete at least 15 hours a year of continuing professional development. Paul Gambon, sales and marketing director at Medicash (pictured below, left), says, “We’re extremely proud of our team’s skills, knowledge and ethics when discussing the benefits of health cash plans, and have always been committed to ensuring the highest standards. With the changes in regulation, we wanted to make sure that our salespeople didn’t just meet the requirements but exceeded them. This partnership with the ISM not only gives them the resources to do that, but also a Professional Sales Certificate – and, I hope, a BESMA award on 26 October 2018.”

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:08

SALES TALK | INDUSTRY NEWS

Talking Point

SHORT SELLING

EMOT IONAL RESPONSES

AD POWER

N EW S RO UND- UP

Research from Rotterdam School of Management has proven for the first time that some forms of advertising provoke a response in consumers that they are powerless to control. Consumers are unable to form an objective opinion on a brand or product when they view an advert containing positive stimuli such as beautiful scenery or happy people.

“Sales and marketing professionals enjoy most success by invoking feelings of anxiety and guilt in the UK, achievement in the US, and gratification and gratitude in Europe” Source: Analysis by Persado, a provider of AI-generated marketing language

BRITAIN FIRST

PERFORMANCE

SOUTH AFRICA TOPS SALES LEAGUE RECRUITMENT

FIRMS STRUGGLE TO FILL SALES ROLES A survey from Impartner suggests a significant shortage of sales professionals The process of hiring sales professionals is becoming even more challenging according to a study published by Impartner. The survey of over 200 companies reveals that nine out of ten hiring managers find it difficult to recruit direct sales professionals, with 57% reporting that the problem has got worse over the past 18 months. These hiring challenges are directly preventing companies from reaching revenue goals, according to roughly threequarters of those surveyed. The biggest single driver behind this hiring difficulty is a lack of candidates with relevant experience, cited by 46% of respondents. Other reasons given include a shortage of candidates who understand the company’s offerings (22%), high compensation requirements for qualified candidates (16%), and increased hiring competition from peer organisations (16%). Dave Taylor, CMO of Impartner, says, “In a business climate where qualified enterprise sales candidates are costly and in short supply, companies can’t put all their revenue eggs in the direct sales basket. This is putting the indirect channel in the spotlight to drive revenues in 2018.”

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

6-7 News V2.indd 3

South African sales teams convert the most leads, leaving the UK trailing

The annual Global Sales Review 2017 by sales CRM platform Pipedrive analyses tens of thousands of sales teams worldwide. It finds that: l Small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand are the top sellers, converting 21% of leads l The UK lags behind with a 16% conversion rate, although it is marginally ahead of France, Denmark and the Netherlands l Brazilian and South African teams close sales fastest, taking an average of 28 days, followed by the Swiss on 29 days l Higher performing companies are commonly achieving a conversion rate of around 37% l Manufacturing firms enjoy the highest sales conversions l Real estate agents work the hardest to close deals.

A survey by Attest, a brand intelligence and consumer insights platform, finds three-quarters of consumers are more likely to buy a product with a “Made in Britain” label and that “quality” is the term most associated with Made in Britain.

GONG FOR GURU World-renowned sales expert Neil Rackham has received an honorary doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University. Professor Rackham pioneered SPIN selling and has produced a series of influential books on sales and marketing – as well as writing for Winning Edge.

LEAD TO MONEY

SAP, the giant German software company, is to acquire one of the biggest sales software companies, Callidus Software (which trades as CallidusCloud). SAP says it will put it ahead in the “lead to money” space, which is essentially sales performance management (SPM) and configure-price-quote (CPQ) software.

OVER TO YOU

If you are an ISM member and would like to feature in Winning Edge – perhaps as an expert contributor or a profile subject – please email articles or ideas to Adam Brook, ISM marketing manager, at abrook@ismprofessional.com. The copy deadline for the summer issue is 25 May.

FAKE TALK

Salespeople should not use small talk such as “How are you today?” to build rapport when cold calling. It makes them sound false, irritates customers and wastes valuable time, according to research by Loughborough University. They should simply be polite and stick to the point.

WINNING EDGE 7

07/03/2018 13:08

OUR FINEST

The success of the UK’s top sales professionals was celebrated at the British Excellence in Sales Management Awards 2017

he finest UK sales professionals have been honoured at BESMA, the country’s premier celebration of sales excellence, organised by the ISM. BESMA recognises the success of the nation’s best sales directors and managers, salespeople and sales teams. The 2017 winners were announced at a glittering ceremony held at Old Billingsgate in London. BESMA seeks to reward the efforts of individual sales professionals and teams in driving company performance, as well as recognising the key role of sales in creating a thriving UK economy. The 2017 awards attracted hundreds of entries from leading organisations across the UK and Europe. The evening’s celebrity host, comedian and TV personality Jimmy Carr, handed out the coveted trophies. Congratulations to all the winners, who are pictured on the following pages.

SPONSORED BY

BEST SALES CRM PRODUCT

WORKBOOKS ONLINE

SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY

BEST EMPLOYER

FBC MANBY BOWDLER

SALES DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR DARREN BAYLEY – DENTSPLY SIRONA

8 WINNING EDGE

8-13 Besma V5.indd 2

07/03/2018 13:09

SPONSORED BY

CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM OF THE YEAR ECOLAB PEST ELIMINATION

SPONSORED BY

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER OF THE YEAR RICHARD SALISBURY – YELL

INNOVATION IN SALES TECHNOLOGY LV – COUNTY GATES

SPONSORED BY

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT PETER THOMSON

WINNING EDGE 9

8-13 Besma V5.indd 3

07/03/2018 13:09

SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY

RISING STAR OF THE YEAR MITCHELL COX – ECOLAB

SALES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR MERCURI INTERNATIONAL UK

SPONSORED BY

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR ROGER WARREN – SSE

SALES MANAGER OF THE YEAR

STEPHANIE REID – YELL

10 WINNING EDGE

8-13 Besma V5.indd 4

07/03/2018 13:09

SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY

SALES PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR JAMES STORRIE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; YELL

SALES SUPPORT TEAM OF THE YEAR LYRECO PROCUREMENT SCOTLAND CUSTOMER & SALES SUPPORT TEAM

SPONSORED BY

SALES TEAM OF THE YEAR (OVER 50 EMPLOYEES) THE TRAINING ROOM

SPONSORED BY

SALES TEAM OF THE YEAR (UNDER 50 EMPLOYEES) ECOLAB

WINNING EDGE 11

8-13 Besma V5.indd 5

07/03/2018 13:10

SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY

SALES TRAINER OF THE YEAR

STEVE BURTON – THE POINT COMPANY

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM OF THE YEAR DAVID SPEAR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

SPONSORED BY

TRAINING CENTRE OF THE YEAR GROWTH ENGINEERING

SPONSORED BY

STUDENT OF THE YEAR JOHN CHAPMAN – BROADSOFT

12 WINNING EDGE

8-13 Besma V5.indd 6

07/03/2018 13:10

BESMA JUDGES l Frank Rowe, ISM president, head judge lA dam Johnson, global business development director, ArcBlue

l Alison Edgar, international sales trainer l Andy Preston, sales trainer and motivational speaker

lA strid Ennis, MD, Starr Works People Development

l Bentil Oduro, course leader, sales, marketing and PR, Coventry University Group

l Charlie Shaw, director, Gold-Vision CRM lC indy Waterfield, marketing strategist and co-founder of iwantaspeaker.com

l Daniel Codd, founder, Sales Knowledge Society

lD arren Spence, MD, Boost Performance and Sales Gym 360

l Donna O’Toole, CEO, August Recognition lG arry Mansfield, founder, Outside In Sales & Marketing

l Gary Akehurst, emeritus professor of marketing and management at Aberystwyth and Winchester Universities

l I ain Rose, ISM Scotland chair; business development consultant, Fifth Ring

l Ian Brigden, director, The Point Company l Ian Moyse, sales director, Natterbox

JUDGING DAY

‘BESMAs’ are awarded by the ISM after a rigorous judging process. The awards feature 19 categories celebrating the very best in sales practice and the teams and individuals behind it. All categories in the 2017 awards were judged by an influential and respected judging panel (listed opposite). The judging is a robust, credible and transparent process, involving pre-scoring and a face-to-face panel discussion. We thank all the judges – listed opposite – for their efforts, and show some of them at work above, providing a flavour of judging day.

l Jim Rees co–founder, The Long and Short of It

lJ ohn Allison, MD, Enable Sales Academy l Lorna Leck, MD, Sales Activator l Mark Haughton, operations manager, Corpdata

l Martin Hutchins, MD, Professional Academy l Paul Blair, sales coach, mentor and speaker l Shaz Quereshi, head of cloud sales, KCOM lS imon Blackburn, sales director, Growth Engineering

lS teve Burton, head of sales and training, The Point Company

lS teve Eungblut, MD, Sterling Chase Associates

lS teve Lindsey, MD, Lincoln West l Sue Reed, talent development director, R&S Reed Consultants

l Tom Horton, sales director, Zuto

WINNING EDGE 13

8-13 Besma V5.indd 7

07/03/2018 13:10

SMARTER SELLING SALES COMMUNICATIONS

KNOWING YOUR NICHE

Simon Raybould provides Part 2 of his advice on targeting

ast time we looked at how to target what we said in sales communications, and then at how to differentiate our audiences into: l Decision-makers l Influencers l Lurkers. So far so good and, to be honest, pretty fundamental. (Although actually, while it might be basic, trying to please their lurkers is a problem most salespeople have.)

MEDICAL TRIAGE

Way back in the Napoleonic Wars, medical staff would be faced with a sudden influx of wounded. They couldn’t treat them all, so they had to set priorities. They adopted a three-tier strategy: l Soldiers who were beyond help – these men were so badly wounded that they were likely to die no matter what the medic did l Soldiers in the balance: men who would die without medical help, but might survive to fight in the King’s Army another day, if the medic had a decent chance to do his thing l Soldiers who were so-called “lightweights” – those who’d probably be OK, even if the medic didn’t do much for them. Now, when it’s put like that, it’s pretty clear where the surgeon in the field hospital should concentrate his efforts. Group one is, sadly, a waste of time, group three is an inefficient use of resources, so only group two represents a good 14 WINNING EDGE

14,15,17,18 Smarter Selling V2.indd 14

“How often have you come across a ‘beyond help’ but carried on talking to them anyway? Come on, be honest”

SIMON RAYBOULD is a presentation trainer and a professional speaker. Visit PresentationGenius.Info

target – a reasonable return on investment. No doubt it was hard to leave group one to die, and equally traumatic to ignore the screams of group three, but the maths were brutally obvious. Now do the same for your possible clients in any of your sales communications. How often have you come across a “beyond help” but carried on talking to them anyway? Come on, be honest. You were probably pushed on by your old-school sales training that just mindlessly talks about “overcoming customer objections” or “no means not yet”. Tosh. Group three is your low-hanging fruit, and while I’m not saying you should ignore them like the field surgeons of Wellington’s army, I’m willing to bet you’ve been guilty of spending more time, energy and effort on them than they needed. The truth is that you should spend enough resources on them to bring in the sale, with just a little extra to generate goodwill and future investment. That leaves you with maximum resources to work with your “in the balance” clients. Concentrate your sales communications efforts on these people by cutting back your communications to the other two groups, no matter how tough that is. But remember, I’m talking about communications here, not your whole sales strategy. ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:20

SMARTER SELLING

INTERSECTION MAGIC

So going back to our decision-makers, influencers and lurkers – on that occasion we prioritised our decision-makers – and now we have prioritised our “in the balancers”. We can put those two groups together and finely focus on exactly who we should be aiming at with our sales communication. I can’t stress how powerful this simple intersection idea can be. It means you can target your sales communications with laser-like precision on the group that matters – but only on those who might buy into what you’re saying. When I was first exposed to this type of thinking, my reaction was that it was one of those ideas that was so blindingly obvious I didn’t need to be told it. Probably true. But then I thought about it a bit more. I’m not saying you’ll make the same mistakes as I did (and still do!) but if I admit a couple of mine it might inspire you to take a longer look at your own habits: I targeted influencers: Why? Because in a

previous life that’s what I was. I spent over two decades solving technical problems and passing that information on to people who made sensible decisions based on my advice. So when I started doing other things, I assumed that was how the whole world worked. Oops! Besides, I was nervous of going head-to-head with decision-makers, so I avoided them.

I spent lots of time on lurkers: Why? Because

they’re the majority of people. I assumed that I needed to keep as many people engaged and on-side as I could. Besides, because they’d no skin in the game, they could afford to give me lots of positive feedback – which I liked. Doesn’t everyone?

I took on the ‘beyond help’ group: I spent 24

years as a research scientist – that brings with it a certain kind of arrogance, based on knowing what you say is, to be blunt, right. (Assuming you stick to what you know, of course.) That, in turn, meant that people who disagreed with me were wrong. And if they were wrong I felt they needed to be told that they’re wrong. Repeatedly. I talked to the lightweights: Of course I did. They’re my fans. They make me feel good. Why wouldn’t I? TARGETING BUYS YOU TIME

So there you go – two ways of targeting the effort you make in your sales communications. It’s not going to tell you what to say to the different groups, but it should give you more time to figure that out – and to crack on with other important sales tasks. ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

14,15,17,18 Smarter Selling V2.indd 15

Ask Anne

C OAC HI N G IS K EY TO T E L E SALES in with feedback, wait for the full 30 minutes and then give the feedback. Discuss what could have gone better and make suggestions. Repeat this, looking Ongoing training and coaching for the improvements you need to is crucial for the continual hear. Keep going until the person improvement of your telesales on the telephone improves in team’s skillset. Over time, even their weak areas. the best telesales professionals cut Remote monitoring: Remote corners and develop bad habits monitoring is a great way of on the telephone without making sure that the telesales noticing, so an ongoing person continues to keep up the programme of 360 degree improvements. It’s easy to slip coaching and training is one back into bad habits when of the best ways of nobody is next to you, so monitoring and this is the most effective “Listening to constantly means of making ‘what good improving the improvements stick. sounds like’ is a performance of great way for ARE THERE ANY all your team. everyone to OTHER WAYS THAT understand your TELEMARKETING WHAT ARE THE level of AGENTS CAN BE BEST WAYS OF expectation” You must coach and train your telesales teams to achieve continual improvement. ` Anne Bagnall explains how

INCORPORATING TRAINING AND COACHING?

There are various ways that, when used in conjunction with one another, work together for best results.

Stand up training / classroomstyle: Classroom-style training is

great for getting everyone on the same page. So, for briefing out a concept, doing some technical training or delivering a session to a large group at once, the classroom is a great place to get the process started. Side-by-side coaching: Individual side-by-side coaching is a good way to help your team put into practice what you need from them. Whether this is soft skills or product knowledge, the best way of doing this is to sit for at least 30 minutes, making notes about what could have gone better and why. Rather than keep chipping

HELPED TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE?

Calibration sessions are a useful tool. This is a short session (one hour or so) where the telesales team listen to each other’s calls. Choose a set of voice recordings either randomly or pre-chosen. It is important to choose those that demonstrate good soft skills. Listening to “what good sounds like” is a great way for everyone to understand your level of expectation. ANNE BAGNALL is managing director of Phonetic, a telemarketing company, and also of Pure Sales Training, where she advises clients on their internal sales departments. She is happy to answer readers’ questions. You can call her on 07876 231868, email anne@puresalestraining.com or visit www.puresalestraining.com

WINNING EDGE 15

07/03/2018 13:20

YES “Is that Mr ........ YES” ”Responsible for ......... YES” “and your company does ...... YES”

Right Person, Right Job, Right Place ”and GDPR safe to use - YES”

Your best sales prospects Accurate, detailed, up to date AND GDPR safe to use.

YEARS

text pages.indd 1

01626 777 400 sales@corpdata.co.uk

www.corpdata.co.uk

07/03/2018 19:14

SMARTER SELLING

REGULATION

COMPLIANCE CLOCK TICKS ON Time is running out for organisations to prepare for the new data protection regulation processed for the specific purposes agreed to. The GDPR introduces more stringent conditions over consent to use personal data, including that organisations can demonstrate consent has been obtained. In the current sales and marketing environment, it is not unusual for mailing lists to be purchased – often with scant awareness of whether the data was consented for re-use. In this instance, you should be prepared to remove this data or identify a legitimate method to obtain the corresponding proof to ensure you can still leverage the contact information. Bear in mind that the existing Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) may restrict your ability to communicate with some contacts if you don’t have consent to email or telephone them. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is keen to remind us that we cannot break one law to fulfil another. This inevitably results in a reduced database and smaller pool of prospects to draw on.

y now, organisations should be well aware that the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect in the UK on 25 May this year, and that non-compliant businesses based in, or operating from, the EU could face fines of €20m or 4% of their annual turnover. Despite the prospect of such significant penalties, recent business surveys suggest the majority of UK businesses have not yet started preparing for the new regulation. This is a legal obligation and it’s time to put your house in order. GDPR IS A SALES OPPORTUNITY

The GDPR, which replaces the Data Protection Act, will have a major impact on organisations. For many, it could be a resource-heavy programme of work to prepare new, or review existing, policies, processes and operational accountability to meet the new regulation. But it’s not all bad news. If done well, the opportunities easily outweigh the upfront work. Organisations that take GDPR to heart and respect the digital rights and digital understanding of the citizen will gain an edge. So, what part do sales professionals play? Understanding how personal data of prospects and existing clients is obtained, subsequently stored and processed is key. Organisations also need to record the permissions to use this data against six legal processing justifications for each contact. The accountability principle places emphasis on organisations being able to prove they are holding correctly permissioned data and that it is only ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

14,15,17,18 Smarter Selling V2.indd 17

BUILD ON TRUST

JAMES BAGAN is sales director at MyLife Digital, a specialist in consent and personal information management. For details see mylifedigital.co.uk

We may have a smaller sales database to approach, but when the data we have is legitimately consented it becomes much more valuable. It will be clean, so contacts are likely to be more engaged and ready to communicate. Look to promote the fact that you respect customer data, and deliver communications that engage and inspire to demonstrate the key messages of your proposition and to highlight the true value exchange. Where individuals understand that you respect their personal data, and trust that you will only use it for the purposes you say you will, both parties will benefit from informed insights, leading to improved product development, service delivery, sales decisions and loyalty. There is no excuse to be unprepared on 25 May. We should be taking this time to make our value proposition as attractive as possible and obtaining permissions for the data we already hold. Ask: l What personal data is being processed? l Why is it being processed? l Who/which organisation or department can process that data for the given purpose(s)? l Where (and how) was the relevant permission captured from the citizen? l When was the relevant permission captured? Your pool of leads may be smaller but they will be better. Perhaps most important, you will build relationships with customers based on trust and transparency – and that can pay real dividends. WINNING EDGE 17

07/03/2018 13:20

SMARTER SELLING

LEADERSHIP

TRAPS TO AVOID Shweta Jhajharia describes six of the most common sales management pitfalls

s a sales leader, you’re in a position of high visibility and you set the tone. Your team looks to you for guidance and support, so it’s important to arm yourself with the right tools and skills. But there are six common pitfalls that many sales leaders fall into: 1 DO IT MYSELF

One of the keys to effective leadership is your ability to empower your employees with the opportunity to prove themselves through their work. Do not be a micromanager. You need to relinquish control of everyday tasks, and focus on more strategic and visionary activities. 2 NO VISION Many sales leaders are so engrossed in their daily work they think they don’t have time to set goals and create a vision. But goals are important as they give

employees direction and confidence. It’s also really important to identify personal goals. Sales leaders become ten times more motivated when they can clearly see how their business goals contribute to their personal goals. 3 TOO BUSY FOR YOU

One of your most important tasks is managing your team. This not only means getting people to do their job, but also giving them the opportunity to come to you with their concerns, questions and opinions. Show them that you value their contribution by being as available for them as possible. 4 SO, SO SERIOUS

You and your employees spend around a third of your waking hours at work, so make sure it’s an enjoyable environment to be in. This could be a small thing such

as an afternoon tea once in a while, or celebrating big wins with Champagne. Be sure to show your workforce that you are a boss employees can love and that their colleagues are the sort of people they can have fun with.

5 QUICK-FIX FIXATED

When a problem crops up you usually have a choice between a quick fix and a longer and more sustainable solution. Do not get caught in the trap of constantly choosing the former or you run the risk of repeatedly having to put out fires. 6 LACKING COMMUNICATION

It is vital that your sales team is constantly kept up to date. Whether that’s announcing the latest figures or a new hire, ensure there is a clear channel for staff to learn what’s going on. And ensure they know it’s a two-way channel, because information fed to you by your team could be vital to future sales. SHWETA JHAJHARIA is founder of The London Coaching Group. Visit www.londoncoachinggroup.com

Help me, Alison Edgar, Managing Director of Sales Coaching Solutions and The Entrepreneur's Godmother retain my crown as one of the UK's Top 10 Business Advisers. Voting takes less than 10 seconds - just scan the QR code below or go to bit.ly/alisonedgar

18 WINNING EDGE

14,15,17,18 Smarter Selling V2.indd 18

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:20

ISM MEMBER BENEFITS

Start saving with the ISM! ISM members can enjoy valuable new benefits ●

ISMyBenefits will offer wide range of

Family Savings

discounts, specifically chosen to support you both personally and professionally. As an ISM

● Discounted

member you’ll automatically be eligible to access these benefits at www.ismm.co.uk by virtue of your membership. ●

The benefits offered will provide significant cost savings on products and services you normally purchase, potentially saving you much more than the cost of your ISM membership subscription. There’s even a nifty savings calculator on our member benefits page, where you can find out just how much you will be able to save.

●

From cinema tickets, meals out and domestic appliances, to grocery shopping, home insurance and professional training, ISMyBenefits has it covered. Designed to make ISM membership even more rewarding, ISMyBenefits provides a wide range of offers across the following categories:

cinema tickets out more often, and pay less ● Earn cashback at over 50 major retailers ● Reduced entry on top UK attractions from Merlin Entertainment ● Dine

Lifestyle ● Great

savings on Apple products discounts at over 2,900 gyms ● Discounts on domestic appliances ● Access to NUS Extra student discount card ● Corporate

Travel ● Discounts

on top package holidays savings on over 80,000 hotels in the UK, Europe and worldwide ● Discounts on airport parking, airport hotels and airport lounges ● Great

Insurance ● Great

value life insurance on car and home insurance ● Discounted travel insurance ● Discounted roadside assistance ● Savings

Professional Development ● Discounts

on hundreds of business and sales books ● Access to IT and Professional Development Training

Advice ● Complimentary,

no obligation financial advice consultation with a professional adviser* ● Independent mortgage advice at preferential rates* *Financial advice and independent mortgage advice is provided by Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited, an appointed representative of Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited. Contact details can be found on the benefit pages at www.ismprofessional.com. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up payments on your mortgage.

THERE IS NO SIGN-UP PROCESS AND NO EXTRA CHARGE, SO LOG IN AT ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM TO START SAVING!

text pages.indd 3

07/03/2018 19:15

Powerful. Affordable. Intuitive.

CRM & Marketing Automation The Dynamic Duo Align your Sales and Marketing teams through one intuitive application Avoid separate databases and achieve smooth lead handovers Talk to the experts at Gold-Vision: Authors of the customer-endorsed CRM, Email Marketing and Marketing Automation platform Visit our website for a free trial: www.Gold-Vision.com or Call us: 01788 511 110

• • • • •

CRM Marketing Automation Lead Management Email Marketing Outlook & Gmail Integration

• • • • •

Mobile & Tablet Hosted or On-Site Events Management Social Listening & Sharing Mapping Services

Unify your communications with Gold-Vision, a fully featured CRM solution comprising of Sales, Marketing, Projects and Events. Gold-Vision stands out from the crowd with integrated Lead Management and Marketing Automation modules. Contact us today to implement with UK based software authors and experts.

www.gold-vision.com text pages.indd 4

@goldvisioncrm

Call us today on 01788 511 110

07/03/2018 19:15

ON THE MOVE

G A D G E T S F O R D I S C E R N I N G P RO F E S S I O N A L S

WHAT’S MORE

TOOLS FOR THE JOB | GADGETS

PROJECTOR

LIGHTING UP

Sony has come out with a new version of its mobile projector – the MP-CD1 produces 105 lumen in a palm sized package that weighs just 10 oz. It connects via an HDMI cable from your laptop and boots in 5 seconds, so you can go straight into your presentation. It also has wireless connectivity and accessories include a tripod and carrying case. PRESENTER

FLYING MOUSE

AUDI A7 SPORTBACK

BACK IN ACTION

APP

Here’s the new Audi A7 Sportback, which – while having a “familiar rakish silhouette” – is virtually the only feature of the second generation five-door coupé that is carried over, according to Audi. In the UK there are two specification levels – Sport and S line – and two engines, both V6 but petrol or diesel. The petrol unit will get you to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds. Both engines work with a 7 speed “S-tronic” twinclutch transmission or an 8 speed tiptronic. There’s a new electronic chassis program and four suspension options, and two high-resolution touch displays that replace the rotary controller and satellite button system used by the previous model. And here’s something that looks like a party piece – soon you’ll be able to manoeuvre the A7 Sportback into and out of a parking space or garage without having to sit in it. It’s a lot of car but it is priced from £54,940.

This messaging app gets high ratings on the G2 Crowd review site, and with good reason – it allows you to create secure groups to share materials and is said to be a great tool for organising teams. You can also use it for personal communications. The ability to share large files in any format is a particular benefit, and you can be online from any device simultaneously. See telegram.com

TABLET

MIIX AND MATCH Meet the Miix 630, Lenovo’s latest Windows 10 2-in-1 detachable that its maker says “gives you the power and productivity of a laptop with the always on, always connected mobility of a smartphone”. So of course it has both 4G mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity. The detachable keyboard looks like a useful size, and you also get a digital pen for use on the touchscreen. It comes with Windows 10 S but you can upgrade to 10 Pro. Battery life is 20 hours running local video.

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

21 Gadgets V1.indd 3

The Air Mouse Presenter from Gyration is both a PowerPoint remote control and an “in air” handheld mouse – it enables clickable access to hyperlinks and other interactive elements within your slides. It looks like an easy to use device, with large tactile slide keys, a bright green laser pointer, mouse pointing and a 75 foot wireless range. Gyration has three UK distributors and there are a number of other nice looking mobile products in its range – see gyration.com PRINTER

STICKY POINTS

This is a really cute little product – Cubinote is a sticky note printer that allows you to print ideas, pictures, drawings and text directly from your phone. You can put it in your office so that anyone on your wireless network can print from any location in the world and then staff can put stickies where they’ll be reminded to do something – usually on the edge of a computer monitor, we guess. Paper isn’t dead – it just needs new angles. It will ship to the UK soon.

WINNING EDGE 21

07/03/2018 13:26

COMMENT CARLTON BROWN puts forward a framework to transform sales performance

Harvard Business Review article, published in July-August 1964 by David Mayer and Herbert Greenberg, baldly stated: “A very high proportion of those engaged in selling cannot sell!” Today, 54 years later, business leaders continue to be faced with the same problem: an expensive resource of sales professionals who are underperforming. There remains a constant challenge to improve sales performance and enable the salesforce to deliver on its sales targets. Research in recent years, including my own study in 2014, demonstrates that this remains a fundamental organisational challenge with, on average, a massive 51% of salespeople failing to achieve their targets. Research has also repeatedly indicated that the top 20% of the salesforce produces 62% of the revenue. Consequently, businesses leaders, sales managers and practitioners are trying to shed some light on how this disparity in performance between the best B2B sales professionals and the majority can be addressed. Their task is made more urgent by the rising cost of sales acquisition, as businesses compete within a global market economy. The average cost of a salesperson within the UK, for example, is in the region of £60,000 a year, in contrast to the average UK salary of around £28,000.

sales performance. The framework is assembled around three distinct functions that drive sales performance: organisational determinants, personal determinants and symbiotic determinants. A determinant is a factor that influences individual performance. The sales peak performance framework can act as a diagnostic tool, enabling the various determinants to be examined and evaluated, providing a greater level of clarity about the areas of dysfunctionality within the organisation.

SALES PERFORMANCE PATH WAY TO YO U R P E A K

CARLTON BROWN is a partner at management consultancy Rathbone Results and a fellow of the ISM. He is a support services expert and has senior corporate leadership experience as well as success in building start-ups. Visit rathboneresults.com

TIME FOR CHANGE Organisations should seriously consider the potential return they can achieve by analysing the structural and endemic issues they face, challenging their conventional ways of thinking, and becoming open to change. They should also be acutely aware of the inherent risk to the bottom line of failing to conduct such a “deep drilling” exercise. The research indicates that organisations that adopt a more holistic and considered approach with regards to sales peak performance will have a greater chance of success than those that continue to look at individual factors such as incentives, or stick-carrot motivational strategies.

INTRODUCING THE SALES PEAK PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK The sales peak performance framework offers greater insight into the variables that impact on 22 WINNING EDGE

22 Comment Brown V3.indd 2

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:27

NEVIL TYNEMOUTH asks how your best salespeople can deliver as managers

ADVICE SALES SKILLS STEPPING UP

t doesn’t follow that successful salespeople make the best managers. However, a salesperson can make a positive impact if they recognise and apply some of their transferable skills, focusing less on managing and more on coaching their team. Sales coaching is a powerful tool with much in common with selling, including: l Brilliant questioning techniques – going beyond surface level questions and digging into the detail l Exceptional listening skills – not just hearing what is said, but really listening and building a conversation on the information received l A genuine sense of curiosity l Energy, creativity and initiative, to move situations forward. A PEOPLE-CENTRED APPROACH While these characteristics are useful – even essential – skills for sellers and coaches, there are some tendencies that might prevent salespeople from becoming truly effective sales coaches. These are usually considered key to sales success: l Wanting to solve people’s issues l Wanting to create new solutions. While normally highly prized sales skills, applying these to coaching could spell disaster. Why? These skills are some of the least effective to apply as a coach. To truly unlock your coachee’s potential, you need them to come up with their own ideas, solutions and options. Remember that as a salesperson-turned-coach, the value is in the questioning, listening and digging to get your coachee to really think about their current issue or objective. Once a coach has helped their coachee to think about their issue or objective in a productive way, they can help to pull them out of the box, seeing things in a completely new light. The ability to help a coachee uncover their own ideas, thoughts and options is the mark of a great coach. And because the coachee has discovered the answer for themselves, it is a “stickier” or more lasting thought (compared with a solution from a third party). This is non-directive coaching and the power lies in the way it engages the coachee’s brain, activating the internal voice, focusing the conscious brain. This is one of three steps where sales skills and coaching skills are aligned: Step 1 – help a coachee to commit to their own actions, ideas and solutions Step 2 – get ownership and an agreed timetable for action from the coachee

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

23 Tynemouth V2.indd 9

By Nevil Tynemouth

Step 3 – make sure that the coachee (as with customers) keeps their coach up to date with their activity, including risks of things going off-track. The problem-solving approach to coaching can be tempting, but remember that telling, while appropriate in some circumstances, is not coaching. If the right course of action is coaching, then problem-solving on behalf of the coachee is nothing more than a short-term fix. The temptation for a salesperson might be to offer solutions and to tell their coachee, rather than ask, and plenty of newer sales coaches fall into this trap. Where the tell approach falls down is in the coach imposing their own beliefs, ideas and solutions on their coachee. In the coaching environment, the real power comes from the coachee thinking, exploring and taking ownership of their own ideas. This can be especially powerful for managers of sales teams where they have less sales experience than their team. Managers with less sales experience may not be able to tell answers, but they can certainly help their coachee salespeople reframe problems and ultimately take ownership of their own, more powerful solutions.

NEVIL TYNEMOUTH is a director of New Results, which provides ready-to-use coaching programmes and trains leaders, managers and supervisors in high impact sales coaching. Connect at linkedin.com/in/neviltynemouth or visit newresults.co.uk

ASK, DON’T TELL Salespeople have a brilliant opportunity to develop and grow into great managers. The one thing that may hold them back is a reliance on what many see as the traditional management approach of telling. New managers can have a positive impact on their team when they create a coaching culture and learn to ask their salespeople, not just tell them. What’s great is that having a full set of coaching skills in place makes for a brilliant sales environment, with sales coaches coaching and sellers doing what they do best: selling. WINNING EDGE 23

07/03/2018 13:28

FEATURE | NEGOTIATING

SILENCE IS GOLDEN Simon Buzza provides the final two rules in his series of 12 key rules of negotiating

RULE NUMBER 11 UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF SILENCE

We live in a world of noise where silence has almost ceased to exist. A significant majority of people are uncomfortable with it and seek to fill it, even with mundane background noise. We regularly see this manifest itself in business meetings and negotiations, where we see people talking too much, tripping over themselves to “lead the conversation”, or interjecting as soon as the other person pauses so that they can post their own arguments. It is as though silence must be avoided and immediately filled. Even when we ask people to use silence as a tool, they say they feel excruciatingly uncomfortable with it – in some cases, after just a couple of seconds.

Why is silence so effective?

There is rather more to silence than you might think. It can be extremely effective in different ways: l It allows you to receive more information and to gather your thoughts before you speak l It can make the other party feel extremely uncomfortable during the silence. So much so that they speak again to fill the void (and give away unplanned and useful information) l It can make you look more powerful and even a little mysterious. The less you talk, the deeper, more considered and powerful you look l It adds impact and clarity to your speech by introducing pauses between key statements l It forces you to become better at controlling your body language by using simple non-verbal cues to convey essential messages to the other party (such as nodding or shaking your head).

Who uses silence effectively?

Based on the thousands of delegates who have

participated in our development programmes, and our own participation in many negotiations, the vast majority of people – in our view, more than 90% – do not use silence at all, or use it badly. Most are supremely unaware of the power of silence and how to use it. Often, these are the negotiators who do not know when to simply shut up. Indeed, they talk so much that they often end up negotiating against themselves. They are so uncomfortable with silence that they often say the first thing that comes into their heads to fill the vacuum – and often this is very last thing they wanted to talk about. A few are aware of this power but use silence very clumsily. They can achieve some success against submissive, unassertive or inexperienced negotiators but in most cases, it simply irritates the other party and leads to a deadlock. These are the passive-aggressive negotiators who plan to exploit long, awkward silences deliberately in order to apply pressure. They might simply stare at the other party without saying a word, or even look completely disinterested, in order to destabilise the situation to their advantage. A few use silence highly effectively, either because they are natural negotiators or through practice and coaching. For the most part, these individuals have enhanced questioning and listening skills and high levels of emotional intelligence or EQ. They know how to use simple cues to keep the other party talking (such as a nod of the head, or an encouraging “Go on...”) and then they listen intently to the response.

When to use silence

As silence is such a powerful tool that can help negotiators get what they want, it makes sense

24 WINNING EDGE

24-27 Buzza V4.indd 2

07/03/2018 13:30

WINNING EDGE 23

24-27 Buzza V4.indd 3

07/03/2018 13:31

FEATURE | NEGOTIATING

to have a good understanding of just exactly when to use it during the course of a process of negotiation. Here are some key examples: After making an offer One of the most critical times for you to deploy silence is immediately after you have made an offer or presented your position. Often negotiators feel uncomfortable, for example with their opening price position. Consequently, they continue to explain why this price is so high, begin to apologise, and then begin to negotiate themselves downward. The best approach is to present your position confidently and then smile and “zip it”. After asking a probing question about a problem or implication Questioning technique is as much “Silence allows you to about letting the other party answer receive more information fully as about the question. The and to gather your thoughts initial response will often be a quick before you speak” superficial answer, but by pausing and encouraging the other party with a few non-verbal cues and a few seconds of silence (ideally 4-5 seconds), they will then give a deeper and much more revealing answer. By rushing into the next question quickly, this vital information can be missed. After the other party has challenged you A pause after a direct challenge will often force the other party to think again. For example, after your client says “It’s too expensive” you should pause and say nothing. This frequently causes the other party to attempt their own solution. “I suppose we will have to find the budget from elsewhere then” is a typical response to silence in this instance.

How to use silence

Learning how to use silence effectively is a critical skill in business negotiations. As described, what happens after 3-5 seconds of silence can be quite remarkable. So, focus on using short silences to encourage the other party subtly. Frankly, anything much over 10-12 seconds is getting too long and counter-productive, particularly in Western European negotiations. Interestingly, Chinese negotiators are trained to stay silent and impassive for prolonged periods because that makes Americans and Europeans uncomfortable and more prone to making concessions. The negotiations to bring an end to the Vietnam War are a good example. As I explained, passive-aggressive negotiators who use long, awkward silences to destabilise the other party will often find this is counter-productive. Once a silence is getting towards 45-60 seconds, you need to break the ice (without conceding the point). A short “Let’s come back to this issue after we’ve discussed…” generally works well. 26 WINNING EDGE

24-27 Buzza V4.indd 4

RULE NUMBER 12 SMILE AND SAY ‘NO!’ UNTIL YOUR TONGUE BLEEDS

Attributed to Harvey Mackay in his pithy book Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, I like this adage because, like many other aspects of negotiation, it is so counter-intuitive. You’ll be amazed how much the terms of your deals will improve when you learn to say, “No”. However, there is a heck of a lot more to this expression than first meets the eye.

Smile

Why smile? We are in a serious negotiation. Surely we don’t need to smile – we ought to look tough and uncompromising. Well, yes and no. Clearly, the use of a smile needs to be appropriate to the situation and an ill-timed smile can do a lot of damage. Nevertheless, there are times when a smile is absolutely the right thing – even if you have to fake it. So, when you need to look assured and confident of your position (for example, when you say “no” to the other party), a genuine and warm smile – but certainly not a fake smile – is a force multiplier. So, what is it about smiling that is so effective in negotiation? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön and the Toulouse School of Economics devised an experiment to test if smiling could induce trust and thus become profitable. As it turns out, the answer is yes, smiling is an “honest” signal to the recipient – provided it is a genuine smile. We see a person who smiles as more cooperative and are therefore more inclined to do business with them. On the other hand, smiling in a negotiation at the moment when the other party is most squeezed, and after you have leveraged and exploited your position of power, is going to rub salt into the wound for them – and they won’t forget that. Similarly, if you come to an agreement in a negotiation and you are really happy, it may not be a good idea to show just how happy you are by displaying a big, beamy, self-satisfied grin, because it might lead the other person to think that you did rather better than they did. So, by all means smile, but don’t grin inanely like a Cheshire cat. Use the smile wisely and when you need it, to ensure it delivers the reaction you want.

Say ‘No!’

The little word “no” is a very powerful message to send. When used in a negotiation it is even more powerful. As with so many words, it is not what you say but how you say it. If you want the other party to improve their offer when you deliver your rejection of the last one, do so in a manner that telegraphs your intent to continue the negotiation or the other party may give up prematurely. Hence, the smiling piece is really quite important as it ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:31

“You should persist with ‘no’ and be determined, even when you feel you ought to give in”

signals that you cannot accept that proposal, but you are open to a better one. We call this a “warm no”. Be warned, though, because if you say no in a cold and harsh way, the other side may well end the negotiation. Similarly, if you know the negotiation is fruitless, make the rejection clear and direct. Then move on – don’t waste time offering false hope. The negotiation does not really begin until the other party says no. If they say yes to your proposal, you are simply an order taker. Ten years after leaving a full time corporate sales role, and after scores of mediations, speaking and training events and dozens of consulting clients later, I know from experience that the word “no” signals the beginning, not the end, of any value-creating negotiation. And yet, in my experience, the vast majority of salespeople do not like saying no. They are taught that effective selling is all about getting to yes – so a no is a very unwelcome speed bump on the way. As I described in Rule No 9 (Give away nothing for free), sellers are too often overly enthusiastic, accommodating, lose-to-win negotiators who are soft on the people and soft on the problem. To be more effective in a negotiation, they need to become more focused on the commercial outcome while at the same time not damaging important relationships with their customers. To sum up, the art of being able to say no assertively but nicely is a key skill. So, make the word “no” part of your negotiating vocabulary. In addition, don’t stop asking when the other side says no – consider it the start of negotiating, not the end. ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

24-27 Buzza V4.indd 5

...until your tongue bleeds

I do not literally expect you to inflict genuine bleeding injuries on your tongue, but you should persist and be determined even when you feel you ought to give in. Anyone with young children will tell you just how good they are at negotiation. One of the reasons for this is their relentless persistence. Most parents can tell you about a repetitive argument they’ve had with their child – the child, being persistent and having absolutely no sense of time pressure, simply repeats the same argument over and over again until the parent loses patience and gives in. Good negotiators are persistent. The Russians, Arabs and Chinese don’t hesitate to test their opponent’s resolve by repeating their arguments over and over. An American negotiating to bring an end to the Vietnam War reported that for two years the Vietnamese came to the talks every morning and ceremoniously said the same thing with little or no change. It almost drove the Americans crazy, especially as they kept moving their position to try to achieve a compromise, but the Vietnamese just smiled and held firm. In short, persistence has the power to break down the walls of resistance. So, overcome those inhibitions and keep saying No, No, No. According to Harvey Mackay, no one ever went broke because they said no too often... And to quote another great guru of negotiation, Chester Karrass: “Learn to say ‘No’ at least once more, even when you like and are willing to accept the other’s offer. Then say ‘Yes’.” Try it, it works.

SIMON BUZZA is a founding partner of the NewDawn Partnership, an advisory service that focuses on delivering operational improvements to the buyer and seller interfaces of a business. For details visit newdawnpartners.com

WINNING EDGE 27

07/03/2018 13:31

FEATURE | EDUCATION

STANDING TALL FOR SALES The ISM has helped sanitary products manufacturer Geberit boost its sales training. TOM NASH reports

ver the past two years, ISM corporate partner Geberit has invigorated its sales training approach to the point where, today, it meets the requirements of ISM qualifications and of the national training standards of which they form a part. As a result, ISM has endorsed Geberit’s internal sales training programme, and made the company an ISM-approved centre, authorised to deliver and assess Level 3 qualifications. PARTNERSHIP APPROACH The Geberit Group is the market leader in Europe for sanitary products. Headquartered in Switzerland, it operates worldwide in over 40 countries, with more than 35 production plants and 12,000 employees. With an established local presence and backed up by a strong product range, Geberit’s sales teams are always at the heart of the action in the construction industry. The sales teams work closely with diverse groups of customers – wholesalers, craftspeople, sanitary engineers, architects, end-users and OEM partners – providing extensive advice and support. Much of the customer care offered by Geberit’s salespeople is informal, such as a quick call to clarify unresolved issues or a spontaneous visit. In 41% of cases where Geberit know-how is passed on, the interaction takes place face-toface at customers’ or partners’ premises. While customer contact can sometimes be unscheduled, salesperson preparation is now far from ad hoc, with professional sales training planned in good time and carefully formulated. The architect of the company’s UK sales training is Matthew Hotten (pictured on the right), people and organisational development manager, UK and Ireland, at Geberit. When Hotten joined in October 2015, the company was still a relatively small business in the UK. But it was on the cusp of major expansion following the acquisition of Sanitec, owner of the Twyford ceramic sanitary products brand in the UK. Up until that point it had had a salesforce of

28 WINNING EDGE

28-29 Geberit V2.indd 2

around 50 and, in common with many small and medium-sized businesses, it had no formal sales training programme. “Historically, we had been doing some rather patchy, sporadic sales training,” explains Hotten. “As a result, our salespeople were working to various different standards and all doing the job in a slightly different way. Some were doing the job really well, and some not so well.” THE GEBERIT WAY In the wake of the Sanitec acquisition, Hotten was faced with a rapidly expanding salesforce and a brief to sell a wider range of products in a greatly enlarged marketplace. This made him keener than ever to instill a “Geberit Way” – an effective, reputable and repeatable way in which all the company’s salespeople would sell to customers. To this end, he introduced a six-step sales process. “It wasn’t revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination, but it was good solid sales best practice,” he says. “I wanted it to be an established requirement, and that is what it has now become.” Hotten continues, “I wasn’t looking for a robotic approach, with everyone saying exactly the same thing, but I felt we could benefit from greater consistency, and by sharing a common sales language. Now, for example, if I talk to a sales manager about ‘building rapport and creating positive influence’, everyone on the team knows what I am talking about because that’s one of the steps in our sales process.” ISM BACKING “I was keen that this process was properly benchmarked – I didn’t want it to seem like it was just the ‘Matthew Hotten School of Sales Training’. I wanted it to be professionally accredited, so I approached the ISM (or ISMM as it was then) and asked it to look at our sales training methods and materials and, if they met the required standard, to endorse it.” Following a thorough examination, ISM was duly convinced. It not only endorsed Geberit’s sales training programme, but also made the company an ISM-approved centre, enabling it to

“I am absolutely passionate about sales being a profession. It is much maligned and people have some very negative stereotypical ideas of what sales is all about”

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:36

EDUCATION | FEATURE

give them in their sales career with Geberit.” While Geberit’s sales training is mandatory, the ISM Level 3 qualification that it can lead to is not. That’s because Level 3 is a challenging standard, requiring a minimum of five days of intensive classroom training, as well as the completion of assignments and a variety of other tasks to broaden and deepen sales knowledge. Even so, Hotten reckons that by mid-2018 about a quarter of salespeople will have achieved ISM Level 3, with representatives from all the major parts of the business, including retail, commercial and specifications. “These guys will have letters after their name,” says Hotten. “That may sound a bit shallow, but a lot of salespeople haven’t done much educationally since leaving school, so it really means something to them to be able to study for, and achieve, a very worthwhile qualification. With that comes some real kudos and considerable potential benefit to them as professionals pursuing a sales career – whether that’s in our industry or in any other.”

deliver ISM qualifications to suitably trained staff on an ongoing basis. In terms of implementing the sales training, Hotten personally runs the programme in-house at Geberit’s UK head office in Warwick, with additional external verification and assessment conducted by the ISM. The company’s first phase was to deliver foundation sales training to existing sales staff. The second phase was to embed the training into the induction process for new recruits and offer the qualification to the wider business. BUSINESS BENEFITS “Today, every new and existing salesperson within the business has been through the Geberit Way sales programme,” says Hotten. “There’s a lot for new recruits to get their head around, but we don’t believe in just giving people a car and a CRM system and throwing them out into their territory. That’s an outdated ‘sink or swim’ approach and I think we owe people more than that. We want them to have the very best possible start we can ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

28-29 Geberit V2.indd 3

PROFESSIONAL EDGE Dave Millichap, ISM corporate account director (pictured on the left), comments, “Sales is the life blood of any organisation and providing sales professionals with the opportunity to develop their skill set and ethical approach to selling only has a positive impact on customer relationships and the service levels they receive.” He adds, “Matthew’s enthusiasm for developing and recognising Geberit’s salesforce has been key to our partnership over the last two years. This has resulted in a significant proportion of the team gaining ISM Level 3 qualifications, which are recognised globally.” Geberit’s Hotten sums up, “I think sales is too rarely something that people consider as a legitimate career option when they leave school. They contemplate so many other occupations, but don’t often say, ‘I’d really like to get into sales’. When they do end up in sales, it’s usually because they’ve fallen into it almost by accident. In contrast, I was determined our salespeople would be regarded as professional and be able to clearly demonstrate their commitment to developing their skills in sales. “I am absolutely passionate about sales being a profession. It is much maligned and people have some very negative stereotypical ideas of what sales is all about.” Hotten concludes, “I love the idea that people who probably never thought they’d pursue a recognised profession now have the opportunity to achieve a professional sales qualification and become a member of the ISM – a body that truly represents them as sales professionals.” WINNING EDGE 29

07/03/2018 13:36

FEATURE | RELATIONSHIP SELLING

DON’T DASH OFF! Don’t just close a sale, because this is the best time to build a relationship, explains ROBERT SPENCE

am sure you have heard the saying: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” That’s all well and good, but what if we turned that on its head slightly. “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.” For my past two articles in Winning Edge, I have reminded you all of the importance of business relationships – the reasons why we must remember that the person we are selling to is in fact a human being just like us, with their own emotions and their own problems waiting for us to solve. I have also given you simple ideas on how to develop these relationships and earn that trust early on in the sales cycle. But one thing is still missing – it’s all well and good having plenty of friends and being the most likeable in a prospect’s address book, but that’s not going to help you hit your sales targets, is it? ALWAYS BE CLOSING Closing the sale is the ultimate end game for all of us. Our jobs really are to open a prospect up, tease them with a solution to a problem, and then go on to encourage that prospect to turn into a fullyfledged customer. There is no point in going into detail on the best ways to close a deal – we all have our own ways to do so and, in my eyes, these techniques will vary from business to business. However, it is key to point out that you must never forget this part of your job. I have worked with many people who have been excellent relationship builders and will work tirelessly at discovering

30 WINNING EDGE

30-31 Spence V4.indd 2

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:38

RELATIONSHIP SELLING | FEATURE

everything they possibly can from a prospect and yet will never have the nerve to close the deal, or as some will say, to ask for the sale. I can guarantee that you will not get too far in your career without being bold enough to close the sale and I am sure right now there is someone you can think of who is like this – a great listener, but nervous when it comes to getting the signature on the dotted line. But the next biggest issue with closing a sale is that many people then forget to maintain the relationship thereafter, and will not leverage it to unleash the Three R’s of Selling.

recommendation can occur weeks, months and potentially years after the sale is made. A recommendation is a customer talking to one of their network, listening to the problems they are hoping to resolve in either their business or personal life, and your customer recommending you as the person to solve that problem. This is why you must remain on top of your relationships and stay in the forefront of your customers’ minds. If you just sell and dash, will your customer recommend you to others?

Repeat business THREE R’S OF SELLING The Holy Grail of sales is repeat business. A What are the Three R’s of Selling, I hear you ask? one-off sale will make you a quick bit of cash, Well, these three R’s are three key elements to the but it is returning customers who will make you sales process that many people often overlook, and successful in the long run. The business leaders without them your pipeline can dry up fast enough that surround us are those that develop business for your sales manager to notice. I am talking links and business relationships and continue to about Referrals, Recommendations and Repeat grow sales in the existing channels. It is much more business. These three elements of selling profitable for any company to grow their existing will keep you at the top of your game. accounts than it is to go out and find more. By Your sales will go closing a sale and remaining through the roof, you will in close contact with your “When was the last be noticed for your recent surge customer you are more than time you closed a in revenue and, most likely going to see repeat sale and asked your importantly, your customers will business. By the time a sale be completely satisfied. is closed, trust has been customer for a referral?” developed. For example, I am Referrals nervous every time I try out a When was the last time you closed a sale and new hairdresser – will they cut my hair as well as asked your customer for a referral? Your customer my last one? But when the first cut has been will have a network close to them full of similar applied, and I am left with a haircut even David people who could quite easily use your product or Beckham would be proud of, I won’t be too service so you certainly have to think ahead and nervous to go to the same salon for a second cut. ask for a referral. It is so easy to do so and yet The same applies to your customers. If they have many people in our profession either forget to ask, bought from you before, they will be more than or are too shy to do so. Asking for a referral is in likely to try another product or service from you. no way scarier than asking for a sale. What’s the In our ever-changing industry, one thing is a worst that can happen? A rejection? You have constant – our customers. We would be foolish to handled thousands of those in your career so don’t forget that it is they who have kept us in our jobs fear that. But what about the best-case scenario – since we started. The relationship we hold with a customer handing you their whole phone book them is the key ingredient to ensuring that we and telling you to call as many people as you like continue to do mutually beneficial business. and to tell them that Mr Smith referred you. There’s no better endorsement than that. A ROBERT SPENCE is director of referral can open up so many doors for you and Paragon Sales Solutions. His recently your business, so make sure you put it at the very published first book, Relationship top of your to do list following the sale. Selling, is available on Amazon. Visit relationshipselling.co.uk

Recommendations In some ways, a recommendation is very similar to a referral, but to me there is a distinct difference. A referral is an on-the-spot endorsement – a customer pointing you in the direction of one of their contacts and allowing you to use their name as a foot in the door. In contrast, a ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

30-31 Spence V4.indd 3

WINNING EDGE 31

07/03/2018 13:38

FEATURE | CHARISMA

32 WINNING EDGE

32-35 Owen V2.indd 2

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 19:34

CHARISMA | FEATURE

FINDING YOUR

X FACTOR NIKKI OWEN explains the importance of building magnetic, authentic relationships to grow sales

t’s a fact that charismatic salespeople are perceptions are outdated. Today’s thinking more successful. Research conducted at the on charisma is that it sits at the front of sales University of Lausanne and reported in development, and the more charisma you possess, Harvard Business Review validates that an the better you’ll be at relationship building. individual with charisma increases their Charisma is an authentic power that captivates influence by over 60%. Charisma is the customers’ hearts and minds. When you’re being ultimate attribute when it comes to creating a strong authentic – true to who you really are inside – then and powerful impact, and in the presence of a you shine in your own unique way. Regardless of charismatic salesperson, customers become whether you are selling a product or a service, you magnetised, open, receptive and engaged. can only access your charisma when you are Charismatic salespeople are more resilient, which prepared to operate as who you are at your core. is useful in a profession Within a sales context, where rejection can be part imagine that every of the job. They are prospect is surrounded by “Why aren’t more organisations happier, healthier and an invisible wall. Some taking a more proactive create a spirit of true people’s walls have approach to developing the collaboration with their multiple layers protecting charisma of their sales teams?” prospects and customers. them from the pain in But, despite the array of their lives – hiding their commercially appealing benefits, why aren’t more true potential for fear of being damaged further. organisations taking a more proactive approach to To access their innate charisma, a person has to developing the charisma of their sales teams? let down their walls. This will leave them feeling exposed, and it takes great courage for someone to CHARISMA CAN TRANSFORM expose their true nature to the harsh world, but it is SALES PERFORMANCE only in this moment of fragility that they can reunite There are many contrasting opinions formed about with their true, authentic self. charisma. Some people see it as a distinct turn off – For the salesperson, there is pressure to perform, envisaging a smooth talking show-off with a big to conform and to normalise periods of change, personality; others that it is a rare gift only a few stress and uncertainty. The stakes are high, leaving salespeople are born with. There is a view that a them prone to thinking: “If I show my vulnerability, charismatic salesperson could be a liability, my customer won’t respect me,” “I might lose my preferring to trade on their magnetism at the job if I’m seen as weak and over-emotional,” expense of a moral compass. In reality, these “I need to be ruthless to achieve my target,”

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

32-35 Owen V2.indd 3

WINNING EDGE 33

07/03/2018 19:34

FEATURE | CHARISMA

“Customers will take advantage of me,” and “If I don’t please these prospects I won’t be liked.” You may think that everyone else’s mask is so tightly fixed on that they have all got it sorted. Why are they so confident, so together, so in control? Showing your vulnerability feels like putting a cut finger into shark infested waters – you might lose your arm, or your life. So you bleed a little in the solitude of your own mind, patch yourself up with a plaster, pop a few painkillers and the wall remains intact. Whenever a customer asks you how you are, you smile and allow that outrageous lie to escape from your lips: “I’m just fine.” Your charisma is the essence of who you are without the protective walls you’ve built around yourself over the years. Without these walls you experience an expansion of your personal presence that radiates energy and warmth from your heart. HOW CHARISMATIC SALESPEOPLE OVERCOME BARRIERS When customers sense that the salesperson in front of them is being completely authentic, they feel safe. This helps them to bring down some of their own protective walls and sales discussions become significantly more open and honest. There are approximately 70 trillion cells in the human body that have two different operating mechanisms. If a prospect feels anxious, they release adrenaline and cortisol into their system that causes their cells to close down into tightly sealed vacuums. This cellular response is a microcosm of the blocks and barriers salespeople experience in the form of resistance or objections. In this “closed down” state the customer looks more at what can go wrong and finds it difficult to fully evaluate the full potential of what can go right. Fear of making a mistake keeps the bricks of their walls cemented in place so that their resistance becomes strong or impenetrable. But when prospects and customers feel safe, they “The best way to build release serotonin and your own authentic charisma oxytocin into their system is to accept yourself for and their cells open to who you are” accept nutrients that allow growth. Their protective walls are dismantled and they become more open to new possibilities. When salespeople are being authentic and are operating from a growth mindset, they create the perfect conditions for their charisma to flourish. As neuroscience meets quantum physics, there is a new wave of understanding where a person’s thoughts are changing the universe on a particle-byparticle basis. Everything in the universe is made from energy and has its own unique resonance and vibrational frequency. Salespeople are continually transmitting and receiving information on their own vibrational frequency based on how they are feeling. 34 WINNING EDGE

32-35 Owen V2.indd 4

On the “desperation” frequency the salesperson cannot achieve success or hit targets. On the “fear of rejection” frequency, they will only be able to access fear of rejection. The salesperson’s ability to manage their own emotional state is vital because of the way emotions affect energetic vibes. If the salesperson’s emotions do not match the emotions associated with achieving targets, then targets will become harder to attain. Thoughts affect emotions, which change the energy that attracts similar energy. If you feel impoverished but crave wealth, then you need to align your emotions with wealth. In a world where the competition is becoming tougher, targets are getting bigger and customers are demanding more, it can be easy to slip into the “It’s not my fault” mindset. Salespeople who see themselves as unlucky or victims will create this within their own experience of life. There is a simple experiment that can identify both negative and positive emotions – it involves cutting an apple in half and sending positive and negative thoughts to each half. For example, identify a negative emotion that you feel regularly in your sales role. Imagine how it feels to achieve your annual target and identify this emotion. Negative emotions decay an apple much more quickly. Positive emotions enable it to remain fresher for longer. (For instructions, visit charismaconnection.com/ big-apple-experiment) This is a powerful demonstration of the impact that a salesperson’s mood has on other people. If a salesperson feels fear, anxiety, stress, arrogance or negativity when communicating with customers and prospects they will be metaphorically decaying the trust within the relationship. The customer unconsciously feels this negativity and instantly causes their cells to switch into survival lock down. THE IMPACT OF A SALESPERSON’S MOOD In sales, it’s not enough just to feel positive emotions, because a customer or prospect who feels negative can negate these. When two people have a similar level of intensity in their emotions and they both feel positive, together they amplify their individual energy through a process referred to in physics as “constructive interference”. If each person has different emotions then this will drain the energy of both people through a process called “destructive interference”. If the salesperson’s positivity is felt more intensely than the prospect’s negativity then eventually the prospect’s energy will entrain with the salesperson’s energy until rapport and collaboration is experienced. When someone is at their most charismatic they find it much easier to attract and retain more customers. This is because they are not draining their energy reserves on keeping their protective walls in place. Their energy can flow and expand, ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 19:34

CHARISMA | FEATURE

CHAN G E YOU R PE RC E PTI ONS AND BOOST YOU R E NE RGY LE VE LS

When a customer evokes a strong negative response within you, it’s a signal that there’s an imbalance or blockage in both your energy flows. Learning how to create energetic balance and flow within customer relationships is incredibly helpful, not only for building our charisma, but for our own personal development. Asking ourselves these questions can really help with this:

l What emotion is this customer creating within me? l Where else in my life am I experiencing the same emotion? l What message does this emotion have for me? l What am I not paying attention to? l If I was to imagine this emotion within my own body, where am I storing it? l How does it change if I imagine sending success to this emotion? l What does my customer really want from me at a deep level?

l If this customer was teaching me a valuable lesson, what am I learning right now? We are all born with innate charisma, but over time can become increasingly disconnected from this inner charisma because of life’s tough experiences that build protective walls that block off our ability to access it. Charisma is a mindset, so the quickest way to transform your own charisma levels is by embracing new empowering thoughts. You change your perceptions and you change your charisma. You don’t need to learn any new techniques or processes to become more charismatic, because

life feels effortless, and behaviours soften and flow so that customer discussions become a dance of energy that moves with grace and respect. Charismatic salespeople have a way of managing their emotions so they feel good and when we feel good we turbo-charge our energy. High energy levels are deliciously addictive because we all think and perform better when our energy is good. Customers, prospects and people in general like to surround themselves with people who build rather than drain their energy. CHARISMATIC OBJECTION HANDLING Charismatic salespeople know that what they pay attention to shows up in their reality. This includes difficult prospects, dictatorial sales leaders and resistant customers. Charismatic salespeople perceive themselves as part of a unified whole, not separate from their clients and prospects. Just being open to this concept allows us to delve into our psychological toolbox and heal different aspects of ourselves that were previously hidden from our awareness. Each of us was born with a powerful personal development blueprint. For us to grow, we need real life experiences to replay the truth of who we really are into our conscious mind. To learn acceptance we need to encounter ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

32-35 Owen V2.indd 5

you already have all the resources inside you that you need to feel happy, calm and in balance. By always looking within rather than outside yourself for the answers will allow your charisma to expand.

customers who evoke judgement within us. To learn patience we need to encounter prospects who make us angry, and to learn resilience we need to encounter rejection. The world of selling creates the perfect learning conditions for the kind of emotional growth that elevates performance to the realms of extraordinary. BUILD YOUR CHARISMA BY ACCEPTING WHO YOU ARE One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make when they commit to creating change within themselves is that they try to turn what they see as their faults and imperfections into strengths and positive qualities. In fact, the best way to build your own authentic charisma is to accept yourself for who you are. If you feel comfortable in your own skin, so will your prospects. Allowing yourself to experience a “moment of acceptance” means that you stop resisting your negative judgements about yourself. This doesn’t mean that you stop trying to improve how you are performing at work. It simply means that when you face up to the full reality of who you really are, and search for what is good rather than bad in every situation, you allow your inner wisdom to guide you to a place where you are back in the flow of life.

NIKKI OWEN is charisma expert at The Charisma Connection at Full Potential Group, a consultancy specialising in coaching, team performance and leadership development. Visit www.fullpotentialgroup.co.uk/ authentic-charisma

WINNING EDGE 35

07/03/2018 19:34

FEATURE | SALES PROPOSALS

LEARN YOUR LESSONS SARAH HINCHLIFFE explains the value of making proposal win and loss reviews a standard practice

et’s face it, if you win a contract, you just want to pop the Champagne cork and walk into the sunset with your new client. And if you lose, you probably just want to forget about it. Nobody enjoys a ghastly post-mortem. What’s done is done. But hold on, taking time to understand why your proposal1 was successful or not can make a remarkable difference to your future performance. In fact, I recently met a former student of mine and he was thrilled that introducing a “lessons-learned” process had transformed his team’s results. So, let’s delve a little deeper. A POSITIVE MINDSET It’s not about blame or ego stroking. It’s about being positive and constructive for the benefit of all. And it’s important to acknowledge that not all winning proposals are all good and not all losing proposals are all bad. You may have done some excellent things even though you lost, and you may have done some poor things even though you won. The purpose of reviewing each win or loss is to identify the good and the bad in every case. But there’s no point identifying the good and the bad if you simply record it for posterity and momentary congratulation or criticism. Lessons are only learned if behaviour changes. There must be a watertight way of embedding good practice and eradicating bad practice. This will usually be through a continuous improvement programme championed by senior management – and by championed, I mean a genuine commitment to allow time to design and effect change, and to support its implementation. If you feel comfortable that you have the right mindset and environment, and that you understand why learning lessons is worthwhile, let’s explore timing. ALL IN GOOD TIME The most valuable improvements to your sales process come from combined feedback from inside and outside your organisation – so it is important to seek views from both the proposal team and also the client.2 However, it’s not practical to hold just one review because: 36 WINNING EDGE

36-38 Hinchliffe V2.indd 2

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:43

l There may be a delay (and possibly a long one) between submitting your proposal and learning the outcome l The internal review will touch on aspects of your organisation that you may not wish to share with your client – avoid airing your dirty laundry in public. So, as soon as possible after submitting your proposal, while events are fresh in your minds, get together as a team. Next, when you know the outcome, arrange a debrief with the client. Then, bring the client’s comments back to the ranch to compare with the team’s views. Both internal and external feedback can now form the solid basis of the continuous improvement action described below. THE RIGHT PROCESS l Create a routine agenda to get the most out of each lessons-learned review. The diagram on the following page works well – it gives enough structure to stay on track without constraining the participants’ input. Looking at the good points first encourages a positive tone. l Develop a checklist of the areas you want people to consider – for example, the planning, the people, the technology, the communication and the governance. These can be useful prompts during the session and can vary for the internal and external versions of the review. l Timebox each session and allocate the time evenly across the agenda points. Plan on 30 or 60 minutes depending on the size and importance of the deal. l Choose the session leader carefully. Whether for the internal or external session, the proposal manager may seem the obvious candidate, but remember they have been heavily involved and emotionally connected. You also need their input. A neutral lead may be a more sensitive and effective option. The session leader will follow the agenda, manage time, and ensure each participant has the chance to contribute. l Organise the session to be in-person if possible, or use effective communication and collaboration tools if the session is remote. For the internal review, invite everyone who has contributed, whether they coordinated, created content, reviewed or approved. For the external review, cast the net as wide as you can. l Remember to take notes and distribute the decisions and recommended actions afterwards. If the actions feed into an established continuous improvement programme, they will be executed and monitored via that process. If not, identify an owner to drive through the changes. Ideally, you should strive to repeat this for every proposal you submit – win or lose. ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

36-38 Hinchliffe V2.indd 3

WINNING EDGE 37

07/03/2018 13:44

FEATURE | SALES PROPOSALS

PROPOSAL REVIEW MILESTONES Consolidate, compare and act on internal and external feedback. An integrated view of the good and the bad brings the greatest benefit

24-48 hours

Internal ‘lessonslearned’ review

‘n’ weeks

Client decision and debrief

Continuous improvement programme

A SIX-STEP ‘LESSONS-LEARNED’ AGENDA Starting with the positive sets the tone for a constructive session

What did we do well?

What action can we take to repeat this in future?

Who will take this action and when?

What could we have done better?

What action can we take to prevent this in future?

Who will take this action and when?

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! Which brings us to the nuances of holding lessons-learned reviews with your clients in each situation. Although you may just want to forget about a deal you just lost, most of us go through a short adjustment cycle – we experience denial, anger, questioning, despondence and acceptance before we can move on. Getting some answers from your prospect about where you went wrong can help this process as well as improve your future chances. Think about using the lessons-learned review as the first step in winning the next deal, not the last step of a failure. Explain to your prospect that continuous improvement is part of your company philosophy, so their feedback is critical. Set up a formal meeting with a structured agenda, and accept what they say without argument – remember, “perception is reality”. Being defensive or accusatory won’t help. A professional and dispassionate approach will give a positive impression. Aim to conclude with an enquiry about the next opportunity. Whether your prospect grants you a debrief, and the time and way in which they do so, can tell you volumes. A five-minute phone call telling you your price was too high is palming you off. I’ve had many of those, but I also recall being given a whole hour with three senior buyers, who provided insightful feedback because they 38 WINNING EDGE

36-38 Hinchliffe V2.indd 4

SARAH HINCHLIFFE is a director of i4 Sales Performance, a business focusing on helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) achieve sales and bid excellence. i4 is a Shipley Business Partner. See i4salesperformance.co.uk or email sarah@i4salesperformance.co.uk

genuinely wanted us to do better next time. Don’t forget that your prospect may be emotional about their decision not to select you. They may be embarrassed, in which case making it formal can help. They may be disinterested, which may indicate you have a big hill to climb for next time. Read the signs carefully and you should be better prepared to qualify and win your next campaign. HURRAH, WE WON! It may feel counter-intuitive to start dissecting why you won, but you can find hidden gems in these situations. When you have won, your client feels positive towards you and will want to start the relationship strongly. Avoid subverting a formal lessons-learned session into an informal chat or an agenda item in your project kick-off meeting – this dilutes the importance and detracts from it being a step in your continuous improvement process. Stick to running a formal review following the formula of what you did well and what you could have done better. Ask them also if there was anything they particularly liked about the competition, or not. This is a perfect time to get that essential competitor feedback. While it’s entirely appropriate to be delighted and excited to have won, avoid appearing surprised by the decision. Strike a balanced and professional tone: pleased to have won and confident that you should have won, but with the humility to accept that no-one’s perfect. SCHOOL’S OUT So, we’ve taken the time to understand the value of gathering feedback both inside our organisation and with our clients. We’ve thought about how to get the best out of a lessonslearned review and how to make it stick. We’ve considered appropriate action and behaviour as victor and runner-up. And although I have focused on lessons learned as part of a proposal process, it applies equally to any sale you close, any process you follow. I always counsel that best practice positions you to do your best every time. Life, however, will always conspire to tilt you off course. You will find time and cooperation can run short. Aim to spend time and effort learning your lessons as appropriate to the value of the contract. And if you sometimes miss it altogether, don’t be too hard on yourself, but getting into the habit and staying in the habit will definitely reap rewards. Happy learning. 1 The term “proposal” means any formal written offer to a prospect or client. Alternative names include bid, tender response and quote/quotation. 2 The term “client” is used to denote a prospective client, whether you are selling to a new organisation or an existing client.

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 13:44

text pages.indd 5

07/03/2018 19:16

FEATURE | SALES PRESENTING

HOW TO HOLD YOUR AUDIENCE STEVE CAMPION suggests five steps for creating a truly compelling sales presentation

f you’ve been asked to present to a potential client, you want to be sure that the presentation engages and informs them, and that they leave understanding what you offer and why they need to buy it from you. So, here’s how.

BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT YOUR MESSAGE The golden rule of planning any presentation is to focus the audience and how your product or service can meet their needs. When you’re busy, even a seasoned salesperson can fall into the trap of simply wanting to knock out the next deck of slides. This is when you need to take a breath and remember that it’s not about you. It should be about your customers and the problems that they need to solve, such as operating more efficiently or being more competitive in the market. Just how will your product or service be of value to them? Consider your goal for the presentation too. A strong and memorable message from Stephen Covey in his bestselling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is: “Begin with the end in mind.” This is especially true when it comes to sales presentations. You are much more likely to achieve your aim, maybe to make an immediate sale or to arrange a meeting with senior decisionmakers, if you have a clear message that is important to your customer.

PLAN THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT To make the magic happen and create a powerful, impactful presentation, I strongly advise stepping away from the keyboard. Grab a pad of sticky notes and write one key point on a page. The great virtue of this method is that you can move the points around until you have the perfect structure that will help your audience to 40 WINNING EDGE

40-41 Campion V2.indd 2

follow your presentation easily and support your message. Once you have your key points, add a story or anecdote for each of them (each on a separate sticky). For example, your point may be that your taxi company has more drivers than anyone else. Add a story of how a client had been able to get to the airport after a last-minute flight change. Although you need to include facts and figures, it’s the stories and emotional connection that will make your presentation memorable to your audience. The presentation guru Nancy Duarte says: “Presentations fail because of too much information, not too little.” For each slide, ask yourself the question, “Does it help this audience understand this message?” If the answer is “No” remove the slide. If someone asks you a question where the information suddenly becomes more relevant, you know you can retrieve it then. ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 16:34

SALES PRESENTING | FEATURE

make your images equally bespoke and powerful. You may be required to use a corporate template. This can seem restrictive, but it’s also an opportunity to get creative. Ensure that the images you use are consistent with the corporate style and colour scheme, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that every slide needs to contain your logo (unless your organisation insists on this). If you’re 10 minutes into a presentation and people don’t know who you are, then a logo isn’t going to solve the problem... I recently saw a vendor pitch with 221 words on a single slide. Yes, I counted. And no, I’m still not sure what their message was. So, use text sparingly and use a large, clear font. Text can be useful for quotes or to emphasise a point that you’ve just made. Always remember that people can’t read and listen to you at the same time, so always pause after revealing something on the screen.

4 “Presentations fail because of too much information, not too little”

CHOOSE INTERESTING AND APPROPRIATE VISUALS There are lots of tools available to create visual aids, but of course the content of the slides is much more important than the tool you use. Look for images that support your points and stories. An authentic picture of a happy child playing could set the scene when introducing your new line of toys. For free-to-use photos, try Unsplash, Gratisography or search online for “creative commons”. There are also low-cost photo libraries such as iStock and Shutterstock. Best of all would be to use your own photos. Photos or quotes from your current customers can be particularly helpful, and much more interesting than a generic slide full of company logos. Remember that you and your message are unique, so by striving to avoid bland, generic stock photos and clip art you can ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

40-41 Campion V2.indd 3

STEVE CAMPION is from Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Visit: www.toastmasters.org

DISCUSSION, NOT MONOLOGUE A good sales presentation isn’t a dramatic monologue. It’s a discussion with your potential or existing customer. Try sharing some statistics and charts that show relevant information about their industry or market, and then ask if they have a similar experience. This allows you to build credibility and rapport, and to adjust your course if necessary.

REHEARSE, AND REHEARSE AGAIN You only get one chance to deliver your presentation to your potential customer, so rehearse until you’re thoroughly confident. Try practising it with a friend or colleague to get their feedback, and ask them to be hypercritical. It is just as important to rehearse before meeting an existing customer as a new one – there is danger in being complacent. Always check what equipment you’ll need to use when presenting and pay particular attention to connectors for screens and projectors. Bring spares of everything possible in case something goes wrong and take a power extension cable too. Having your presentation on a USB stick can get you out of trouble in an emergency. If you’ll be attending a meeting with a colleague, make sure that they have a copy of the presentation. Get some practice at connecting everything up – or better still, do so beforehand – as nobody likes 10 minutes of awkward small talk while you try and get your presentation on the screen. Finally, just in case the technology fails completely, take some handouts with you as a fallback option. Follow these five steps and you’ll keep delivering the most powerful messages possible. WINNING EDGE 41

07/03/2018 16:34

BOOK REVIEWS

WEIGHING UP VALUE Two books that help you develop crucial propositions are reviewed by MARC BEISHON

ne of the most important recurring themes in the difference between top performing companies and the rest of the pack is the ability to formulate value propositions that are executed all the way to the frontline by the salesforce. In Winning Edge we have approached value propositions from several angles, including a detailed series on developing one that suits particular types of business, to the conversations that salespeople need to have with customers that are far removed from the old “feature/benefit”, to how value is a central pillar for sales transformation efforts. We’ve even reviewed a really unconventional book called Value Proposition Design that is more like a “how to do it” picture book. Here are two recent books, both British. SELLING YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION Selling Your Value Proposition, by Cindy Barnes, Helen Blake and Tamara Howard, is mostly about business transformation from the sales perspective. A point to note is that this is a follow-up to a previous book, Creating and Delivering Your Value Proposition, published in 2009, and the authors do have a commercial agenda as they sell a trademarked Value Proposition Builder methodology that they say now has 600 implementations. The latest book, while using this methodology (and also a concept called the Value Pyramid), does bring out the issues and does not overly push the products, and also references other sources. As such it’s a practical volume that can be used without buying their company services. A starting point is the challenge of globalisation and more demanding customers, and the authors

VA LU E PROPOSITION DEFINIT IO N

How your customers experience your products, services and company

The total value proposition is the sum of the offerings and experiences delivered to customers during all interactions with your company

Source: Selling Your Value Proposition

42 WINNING EDGE

42-43 book review V2.indd 2

All products, services and their functionality Customer’s experience through all touchpoints: sales, marketing, delivery, customer service, aftersales, invoicing, legal/contracts

say that trying to fix just one part of a business in the complex interactions among employees, customers and other stakeholders is doomed to fail owing to the “solution gap”. This is a disconnect between how a salesperson sees what they’re selling, how the customer sees it and how the business supports the sales process. The big picture is creating a sustainable business that adapts to chaos and change, with the customer integrated into core processes, and where the marketing and sales approaches are crucial. The authors look at the commoditisation of employees, the rise of millennials with different ideas, and the disrupters such as Netflix and Uber. Typically, business leaders moan about their customers and blame their salesforces when sales start dipping, they say, and react in a piecemeal way. Tactical changes that on their own make little impact are cutting or raising prices, rebranding products and creating new products without involving the sales team or selected customers. Sales responses that don’t usually work are new training programmes, hiring a “big hitting” sales director, training technical people to work in sales roles, and trying to cross- or upsell without giving sales staff adequate training or incentives. Companies also fail to adjust reward structures, sales materials, and generally all internal metrics. It sounds familiar – what’s needed is a holistic “systems” approach. A key point is that successful companies tend to act to engage with customers ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 17:17

BOOK REVIEWS

and study their behaviours as they go along and not in reaction to a crisis. Interestingly, the authors say that firms in technical markets tend to be better at this, bearing out what we see in sectors such as IT and software, where companies have long led the introduction of sales methodologies. So, what is a value proposition? The definition is in the box on the previous page – it helps, they say, a company to become more customer-centric. “It is not a sales message, nor a packaged offering, nor a marketing message... but provides the foundation for creating powerful sales propositions.” Value also isn’t “price”, although that plays a role in value. They describe ways to map customer experience and there’s a self-test to determine if your company is product or customer centric. The book references “laws” of value proposition selling (such as “the customer is a part of the business systems”, and describes the steps in the Value Proposition Builder (such as mapping your offerings around value) and how to translate the value proposition into a sales proposition (where the Value Pyramid comes in, which is essentially about the transactional to consultative selling spectrum). You need to prioritise value important for customers, and a clinching element of a value proposition is proof that it works, and you need evidence such as case studies and ROI models. The authors provide cases studies of how value was translated into sales propositions, and there are chapters on the sales process and storytelling. They conclude with a run down of their 10 laws of value proposition selling and finally how to “transform your business into a selling organisation”, which is the subtitle of the book. VALUE-OLOGY The second book, Value-ology, is also written by three authors, one US and two UK based. The subtitle, “Aligning sales and marketing to shape and deliver profitable customer value propositions” is a mouthful but shows that it is mostly about the vexed sales-marking alignment problem. There’s a foreword from well-known academic Malcolm McDonald (who’s coming out with his own value book later this year) who says few firms have quantified value propositions and if you can’t demonstrate customer advantage you’ll end up as a commodity supplier. The authors discuss the ambiguity of what is meant by value, and give various definitions (we like, “Not what the producer puts in, but what the customer gets out”). They describe different types of value – economic, perceived, relational, experiential and social – and it’s a mistake to rely too much on monetary value. They provide a way of mapping out how your customers match these values. A definition of value they settle on is, “Perceived relevant and distinct benefit [minus] ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

42-43 book review V2.indd 3

VALUE PROPOSITION STACK OPERATIONS

MARKETING

SALES

Decisionmaking unit

Customer value propositions Industry vertical propositions Core proposition themes Key customer business issues

Selling Your Value Proposition by Cindy Barnes, Helen Blake and Tamara Howard is published by Kogan Page. It is available on Amazon

Value-ology, by Simon Kelly, Paul Johnston and Stacey Danheiser, is published by Palgrave Macmillan. It is available on Amazon

Source: Value-ology

total cost of ownership”, which sounds technical but essentially means if there’s no value all you’re left with is price. Value-ology introduces a “value proposition stack”, in which value “should resound through all levels of dialogue between your organisation and its customers”. Value propositions are “promises of future value” and are delivered “in use” – which means following up to see if value is actually being delivered. The authors introduce the idea of developing proposition “themes” that come out of evaluating customer business issues. The book has a good chapter on “the value proposing professional”, which shows that you as a salesperson create value too and they cite extensive research that identifies “desirable and valued attributes of effective salespeople and key account managers from the buyer’s perspective”. Then it moves into examining in detail how customer value can be unearthed. This is where themes come in – you want people to connect with a message that cuts through the noise, and so you want to align your products and solutions to such themes. This is something B2C companies tend to do well but B2B firms not so much, especially when they have lots of products. Instead, focusing on themes such as “agility” and “customer relationship” and aligning certain product families to one is a way forward (a B2C example was Coca-Cola’s long running connection with “happiness”). Developing relevant and consistent content is covered. The final part of the book extends the value communications imperative into creating coherent marketing campaigns, and in particular what is known as “account-based marketing” (ABM) – a narrower and more customised approach for creating customer loyalty. “ABM, by definition, is a highly targeted approach to reach your top accounts.” Finally, the authors pull together the sales-marketing alignment and conclude by hammering home a message of “cohesion” – “cohering to customer value and maintaining that cohesion through your marketing and sales teams”. The book is full of frameworks and references to help tackle the various puzzles in the value journey. WINNING EDGE 43

07/03/2018 17:17

FEATURE | FUTURE SELLING

DRIVEN BY TECHNOLOGY STEVEN VAN BELLEGHEM says harnessing technology can protect tomorrow’s sales

s technology evolves, so will the world of sales and marketing. So what changes can we expect to see? The development of technology will mean that the expectations of customers will quickly evolve. People now expect things fast, with little or no effort. In order to keep up, sales organisations must master both the behavioural psychology of customers and the explosion of technology and data. Businesses need to master behavioural psychology in order to get people hooked on their applications, products or services. Digital players have a growing need to learn more about how decision-making behaviours can influence customer choices. This is something we saw with the US election – the public was micro-targeted and candidates were profiled to manipulate people into voting for a particular candidate. Tom De Bruyne, founder of SUE Amsterdam and an expert on the science behind consumer purchasing habits, predicts that within two years we can expect the entire market to be dominated by the two superpowers of behavioural psychology and technology. Businesses that succeed in them stand to become major forces. To keep up with the evolving market, brands must become obsessed with science and technology and how it can be utilised to make their service quicker and more convenient than the rest. To use a B2C example, people will choose an Amazon drone that can deliver a product to their doorstep in half an hour over services that require more time and effort. Today, consumers fall in love with an interface rather than a brand. They remain loyal because a service is easy and effortless for them to use. Take Uber – it has been through crises, but its revenue has not dropped. People love the Uber interface, so they continue to use it. As long as a service has great reviews, people are no longer interested in the brand. For example, the level of customer satisfaction is 44 WINNING EDGE

44-45 Future sales V2.indd 2

what is beginning to drive the most successful hotels. The brand of a hotel doesn’t matter on Booking.com – all that matters is that it is highly rated and suits the customer’s budget. This means we will see a huge shift towards customer experience in sales and marketing – because that is what feeds those algorithms, review sites and interfaces. Customer experience will start to contribute much more to reach and growth than pure marketing efforts – so salespeople must recognise where they fit into the overall customer experience. De Bruyne believes that communication is even more important, and that the old view of building a brand in the mass media to boost sales is outdated. New brands need to begin with a bottom-up approach – starting with customer experience, building tactical and technological media around it, and then trying to gain more customers through recommendations. De Bruyne comments, “What I know from behavioural analysis is that one of the main roles of a brand is to take away our stress of choosing. Our fear of making the wrong choice is bigger than our desire to make the best choice.” People subconsciously reason that if a brand has invested so much in advertising, it must be good. They go with the trusted party. But new interfaces such as Amazon Echo can compare, say, flight prices in a way that says that they are all good enough, and then Amazon becomes the trusted party that takes away the stress of choosing. It can be difficult for brands to build their reputation when they are compared on interfaces in this way. The world of sales and marketing is constantly evolving with technology. In both B2B and B2C industries, customer expectations are shifting so that users now expect a quick and effortless service. To keep up with other brands, companies should make sure they are shifting the focus to customer service, utilising the latest technology developments in their service, and focusing on the value that salespeople can add.

STEVEN VAN BELLEGHEM is an expert on customer focus in the digital world. He is author of several books, most recently Customers The Day After Tomorrow. See stevenvanbelleghem.com

KAREN WOODHEAD is director of marketing at Huthwaite International, a leading global provider of sales, negotiation and communication skills development training. Visit huthwaiteinternational.com

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 17:17

HELPED BY HUMANITY KAREN WOODHEAD argues that, to succeed in future, sellers must retain their personal touch

ou’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times: the digital age has transformed the sales arena. And, as many are looking to technology and new sales approaches to adapt their business, a continued focus on quality customer service and added value is at risk of being overlooked. The digital age arrived in tandem with globalisation, which brought a greater focus on cost reduction through methods such as outsourcing and offshoring. Has this led to a loss in quality and value for the customer? Many would argue that it has. And it’s a key consideration for sales professionals. While most are willing to accommodate the digital age – and that’s certainly borne out by the increase in digital and social selling activity – there is also a growing need for a more focused and human approach to selling. The rise in demand for organic produce, ethical business practices and locally sourced products is no coincidence. Society is breaking away from traditional capitalist behaviour and instead looking to feel more human again. Enter the “hipster” movement –

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

44-45 Future sales V2.indd 3

people looking to re-connect in an excessively impersonal digital world. So, what does all this mean for sales? A rise in digital products and services should never mean a fall in the quality of customer service – and that includes sales. Savvy consumers now require more than just a cost-effective product or service – they want a cost-effective solution. Buyers – whether consumer or corporate – want to feel they matter. As globalisation and digital connectivity have risen, so too has our need for individual acknowledgement. We want the bespoke approach. We see this time and again in contemporary marketing – from the success of the personalised Coca-Cola bottle, to the multimillion-pound budget channelled into bespoke digital marketing. Does this mean our product offering needs to change? Thankfully, no. But while your product may not be bespoke, your approach to selling it can be. The real priority for salespeople is to position their products as solutions. It’s nothing new, but it’s still a widely neglected part of the selling process.

Where historically you may have sold features or even benefits, it’s now more important than ever to adopt a more consultative approach. Before jumping into a sales pitch, get to know your customer’s needs. What issues do they face? What is it they want from your product or service? This is vital information – whether you’re making a multimillion-pound deal or selling a chocolate bar. Put simply, if you don’t understand the needs of your customer, you don’t know what you’re selling. Take the high-value sale as an example. Is your customer buying it to save money in the long term, or to increase revenue in the short term? Are they buying it to replace an existing obsolete model, or to replace jobs previously done by people? Get the answers and you can position your product more persuasively. Purchase drivers can be more varied and complex than these simple illustrations, but you get the idea. It may be the high-value product you’ve sold a million times, but you’re selling it to an individual every time – so change your sales approach to accommodate their needs. In this digital age, we desire greater recognition of our humanity and individuality. The seller who recognises and responds to this by differentiating their approach will be far more effective than the seller who fails to do so.

WINNING EDGE 45

07/03/2018 17:18

EVENTS | SALES SUMMIT

ALL TOGETHER FOR SELLING The ISM’s Sales Summit brought together an eclectic group of speakers – and an enthusiastic audience ready to listen and network

opics at the ISM’s Sales Summit included the hot areas of gamification, social selling and cybersecurity, plus sales leadership and sales enablement – and what the future holds for sales professionals. Ably chaired by Tim Jenkins, a former BBC presenter, the summit assembled many of the top thought leaders in the sales and leadership fields. High-level organisational inspiration came from Stefan Wissenbach, speaking on employee engagement and the concept of “engaged purpose”. He said it is possible to quantify engagement, and mentioned a platform created

46 WINNING EDGE

46-47 Sales Summit V1.indd 2

for the ISM where you can score the business you’re in. In a complementary talk, Mark Fritz, a leadership expert and mentor, spoke about how to be successful at “virtual” leadership, crucial to managing people where there isn’t regular face to face contact. Keynotes came from Kelvin Kirby, CEO of Technology Associates, speaking on sales transformation in a digital age, and there was a highly entertaining talk on leadership from Alan West, an admiral and Sea Lord. John Allison, MD of Enable Sales Academy, majored on sales enablement, saying that a topic that fascinates him is how companies stay relevant to their customers, noting how Netflix

“Immerse yourself in your customers’ marketplace” – Allison

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 17:19

All for one: some of the Sales Summit attendees bond for a group photo opportunity. The Hilton London Tower Bridge was a great venue for the summit

was founded by a Blockbuster customer. He outlined how salespeople need to look at the future challenges of customers, and to have consistent conversations. “Immerse yourself in your customers’ marketplaces,” he urged. A bread and butter session was led by Mike Kingston, on prospecting – he described an easy three step approach: segmenting and targeting for desired outcomes, creating relevant and compelling “bait”, and the best communications approach. Jenkins facilitated two panel sessions, including one on the future of the sales professional, with panellists Alison Edgar, Steve Burton and Ian Moyse. There was a warning about going too far ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

46-47 Sales Summit V1.indd 3

into the new world of data and technology and not following up with actually speaking to people. There was advice on developing a personal “brand”, and that customer experience will be a key differentiator, which is a job for the entire company and not just the salesperson. The Sales Summit certainly packed a lot into just one day. Other speakers included Juliette Denny, from Growth Engineering, presenting on sales gamification, and Daniel Disney, who founded The Daily Sales, described how he used social selling techniques to get into a global top position in social media. See the ISM’s YouTube channel for selected presentations from the Sales Summit. WINNING EDGE 47

07/03/2018 17:20

ISM MEMBER PROFILE

THE NAME’S GALE... ...PERRY GALE. Winning Edge meets the Bond fan and vice-president sales EMEA for Nintex How did you get into sales? strategy. I chose in most cases to put my faith in When I left Warwick University in 1981, I wasn’t young, energetic sales “athletes” and trust to my sure what career I wanted to pursue, other than leadership team and me to develop them into sales maybe following Sean Connery as James Bond. “A players”. It’s a work in progress, but the results Now, 37 years later, I guess I’ve managed to travel suggest our approach is standing us in good stead. the world, drive some fast cars and don some nice suits, but that’s where the parallel ends. What development methods do you use? I fell into sales because, as far as I could see, it A mix of in-field mentoring supported by classroom was the best way to make some money and get a training. Often, companies invest a huge amount of company car. I moved to London and sold time, effort and money to identify changes, advertising space in the Thompson Local. agree a way forward, and implement a new “The ISM embodies my ideals – I had no idea I was embarking on a long approach (with a little bit of training) – and professional recognition, career in sales and sales management. then they expect lasting benefits. But the I’ve spent time at 3M, Olivetti, Kernel improvement is often not sustained because training, ethics and standards – Technology, two of my own successful of a lack of follow-up, tracking and proper so it’s easy for me to see start-ups (and a failure), and several midmeasurement. It’s such a waste not to bed benefits from membership” market software companies. in important changes before moving on to Overall, I can honestly say that it’s been a the next big thing. working life to recommend to anyone. Now I’m vice-president sales EMEA for Nintex, a role that What would you like to change in sales? is rapidly turning into a crowning glory for me. I feel most passionately about the paucity of sales training provided to the new generation of sellers, Why ‘crowning glory’? and the continuing lack of professional respect they Because in the last five years we have manoeuvred suffer because the world still regards them as “reps” the company from being a high-growth who’ll do anything for a dollar and don’t deserve international software vendor working inside the the money they earn. All the salespeople I know are Microsoft ecosystem to become the global leader in highly professional, motivated, ethical and driven intelligent process automation, with nearly 8,000 individuals, who spend their lives working with customers across 92 countries. Starting with just five clients to identify mutual benefit. Frankly, if they people, the now 65-strong EMEA team I have built, didn’t they’d soon be out of a job... and have the privilege to lead, embodies everything I have always strived for in sales: energy, What advice would you offer? professionalism, an ethical approach, and an My advice to sales leaders is to find sales athletes unbounded enthusiasm to keep learning and and invest time and money in training them to their improving. We have 23 nationalities, speaking full potential – and give them a professional code of 30 languages between us, and we have created a conduct and ethics. Not only will you rapidly reap culture based on mutual respect and support. the benefits in better sales and happier customers, Don’t get me wrong, we have bad days and, like any but they will reward you with greater loyalty and family, we argue, but when the going gets tough we longevity, saving you recruitment expense. unite very quickly around our core values. What do you like about the ISM? What are your toughest challenges? The ISM is driving standards and professional The toughest challenges have all been around recognition up, so it is worthy of my support, and I dealing with the pace of growth and change. encourage my teams to join too. Finding the right people quickly and onboarding them into a complex sale, even if they have previous What’s next? experience, has been difficult. We run a complex The ambitions I have left are largely invested in the go-to-market model, cooperatively knitting together team around me. How satisfying it will be to step a large partner network and an in-field and inside quietly into retirement and watch them fill the gap. direct sales capability into a coordinated co-sell Beats being James Bond any day! 48 WINNING EDGE

48 Member profile V2.indd 2

ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM

07/03/2018 17:20

NATIONAL SALES ACADEMY 2018 Wednesday 28th November, Ricoh Arena

G R O W • A P P LY • S U C C E E D Brought to you from the National Sales Conference organiser, this one day event will support the continued development of those in a role with 1-2 years’ sales experience. This event will provide your future sales champions with a practical toolkit ready for sales excellence.

AGENDA 9am

Registration, Breakfast & Networking

10am

Welcome: “Learn How to Become a Sales Rockstar!”

11am

Session One: “A Day in the Life of a Social Sales Person”

12pm

Session Two: “Who to Call, When to Call & What to Say?”

1pm

Lunch

2pm

Session Three: “How Storytelling Sells More Products?”

3pm

Tea/Coffee Break

3.30pm

Session Four: “CX - Stand Out from the Competition!”

4.30pm

ALSO NEW FOR 2018...

GRADUATE SALES CONFERENCE 2018 D I S C O V E R • S H A P E • A D VA N C E

Co-located event on the 28 November will be the Graduate Sales Conference, designed for graduates and students considering sales as a career path.

Early Bird Offer Just £156+vat*

*20% ISM Discount Use promo code ‘ISMSALES18’

Book Today: www.NSAcademy.org.uk

Supported by

Organised by

www.GSConference.co.uk

cover pages.indd 3

07/03/2018 19:50

NATIONAL SALES CONFERENCE 2018

Book n ow for jus £236+ t vat*

Thursday 29th November, Ricoh Arena

E D U C AT E • M O T I VAT E • I N N O VAT E Back by Popular Demand!

Sir Clive Woodward One Team - Creating Champion Sales Teams

ALSO PRESENTING

In 2017 Clive shared his thoughts on what makes a Champion Sales Individual. In 2018 Clive will now explain how to build a Champion Sales Team by “creating an environment so good, that everyone wants to be a part of it and nobody ever wants to leave.” Clive will present the ‘Teamship model’ that he successfully applied to elite teams including the 2003 World Cup winning England rugby team, Team GB at London 2012 and many leading organisations in business today.

Early Booking Deadline: 30th March

Steve Head

*20% ISM Discount

Send Your Sales Team

Use promo code ‘ISMNSC18’

Buy 5 tickets & receive a 6th free

Book Today: www.NSConference.co.uk

Inspirational trainer, coach and author CRM Partner

01732 525 950 Event Partner

Supported by

Co-located with

SALES LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT 2018 S H A R E • D E V E LO P • B U I L D

cover pages.indd 4

07/03/2018 19:50

Winning Edge: January 2018 - BESMA 2017

Articles inside

ISM Sales Summit - 2017

How to hold your audience

Finding your X Factor

Don't dash off!

Silence is golden

BESMA 2018 - Gallery & Wrap Up