2007 April | CASKEY

Bryan Neale, Brooke Green,
and Bill Caskey

Value is the relief that your prospect feels when you can find and solve a pain they have.

Excerpt from post on:
December 14th, 2007

Archive for April, 2007

April 27th, 2007
The 5 Sales Training Lessons You NEVER Should Have Learned

**PODCAST (17 Minutes)** Ever wondered if the sales training you're getting was actually the best available? Or whether what you were learning was actually making you better? In ...READ MORE: The 5 Sales Training Lessons You NEVER Should Have Learned
Friday, April 27th, 2007

**PODCAST (17 Minutes)**

Ever wondered if the sales training you’re getting was actually the best available? Or whether what you were learning was actually making you better?

In this week’s episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale discuss the mistakes that sales trainers make that mess up sales people and how they sell. Have no fear though–if you find
that you are a victim of ’sales training malpractice,’ Bill and Bryan have plenty of tips to get you on the right road to better selling. This is an eye opening episode that you don’t want to miss. Also, email us at
listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com if you want to be considered for our one hour coaching call. We’ll then take the best of those private calls and put in a podcast episode.

For your convenience, you can click to play, or you can sign up to be notified when an episode is released. If you’d like to subscribe to this podcast so that it’s delivered to your desktop every week, go to iTunes and do so.

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Tags: podcast, sales training
Posted in The Advanced Selling Podcast | No Comments »
April 26th, 2007 My “Biased” Thoughts On Most Sales Training… With the podcast that we do (www.advancedsellingpodcast), we get a lot of questions on what we think of sales training. Well, it's kind of like ...READ MORE: My “Biased” Thoughts On Most Sales Training…
Thursday, April 26th, 2007

With the podcast that we do (www.advancedsellingpodcast), we get a lot of questions on what we think of sales training. Well, it’s kind of like asking the chef if the food’s good in the deli next door. You kind of know what his answer will be.

Most of the time, these questionners are wondering because they are in the midst of searching for sales training, sales management training, or other professional development.

There’s a ton of training out there–and rather than me comment on any by name–I would prefer to suggest a very short list of things I would look for if I were on the other side of the desk–buying it instead of selling it.

1. Complete Assessment. So much garbage is “off the shelf” training that can’t be customized for your business. It HAS TO BE CUSTOMIZED for not just your business (and the language you use), but for your people, too. If you have a senior group, you’d better be speaking to some higher philosophies like comfort zones, high self image, and large deal negotiation skills.

Make sure the trainer, upfront, asks you (or your manager) a lot of questions about where in the sales process things stall out, how you feel about that, what isn’t happening that needs to, what do you want to get your prospect to admit to, and are there any emotional roadblocks to high achievement (self image issues)?

A Terrible Sales Training Story…I had a client tell me yesterday that he just returned from a 2-day training where the facilitator (from a global training company) read her PowerPoint slides from the screen and when finished with each one, said, “What do you think about that?” EVERY SLIDE!!! Wow, now there’s some real growth happening there?!?!?!!? (And I’m sure the company paid $000,000 for that content).

2. Content Philosophy. Most sales training has, at it’s core, an intent of helping you “sell more stuff.” That is totally wrong (as far as I’m concerned). A better intent is to help the constituent (seller) “discern” between someone who can and will buy–and another who can’t.

You can call that “qualifying” if you want but I actually think that word has been overused. Most often it’s used to make ANY PROSPECT FIT. The philosophy of great sales training content should be to help you understand and articulate the value you bring–and do that ONLY to people who have pains/problems that need to be solved. (Many people are willing to live in their own garabge–they aren’t prospects. Great sales training helps you discern the economically serious from the merely curious.)

Make sure the training content speaks to the inner game/soul of the trainee. That’s where all of the action is anyway. It’s not in the words you use, or how high up you call in the prospect company, or how elaborate your 12-step sales process is. It starts with the 6″ of real estate between your ears. If the content you buy doesn’t deal with that, then it won’t catapult you much.

3. Ongoing Nature. Training for adults can’t be delivered effectively in a one-day seminar. That’s just not how we learn best. Meaningful sales training, advanced or basic, must have frequent reinforcement to it. Personally, I think it should be every 2-4 weeks. It doesn’t have to be face to face (it could be via phone/web), but there has to be a regular way to reconnect with people in the training (and the trainer.)

A Suggestion:
One thing we do is the monthy TeleTraining Call. There is no new topic discussed. It is only a) a reinforcement of some of the work we’ve done already and b) a chance for people to bring issues/problems to the trainer.

If you have hired a trainer and they can’t stop talking about new techniques or how great they are, fire him and find another. Part of the great value of effective sales training is to allow the constituents to open up and speak freely about their problems, without the fear of getting jumped on.

I hope this helps if you’re in the mode of searching for someone who can help you grow your business by implementing a sound sales strategy in your company. Remember, a trainer today should have much more knowledge than just sales techniques to share. He must understand people, human nature, how organizations (prospect) work, and how decisions are made.

If all he can do is recite from the book (or read PowerPoints), he’s not worth much, regardless of how little you’re paying.

Tags: sales management training, sales process, sales training
Posted in Sales Management Content | 1 Comment »
April 20th, 2007 You say that You Want Your Sales Results to be Different – Are You Sure You’re Ready? By Brooke Green"Fear" Installment #1 I read an article recently in Fast Co. (www.fastcompany.com) magazine about the Fear of Learning. Marcia Conner states that while some ...READ MORE: You say that You Want Your Sales Results to be Different – Are You Sure You’re Ready?
Friday, April 20th, 2007

By Brooke Green”Fear” Installment #1

I read an article recently in Fast Co. (www.fastcompany.com) magazine about the Fear of Learning. Marcia Conner states that while some people say that they need fear to excel, too much fear about what there is to learn can actually shut you down. It started me thinking about how fear manifests itself in training.

Of course, when we start working with a new client there is a lot of fear:

*Fear of the unknown - What if I find out something about myself that I don’t like?
*Fear of what you aren’t very good at being revealed - What if I appear stupid in front of my peers or my boss?
*Fear of not being able to “get it” - What if everyone else catches on and I can’t? What will they think?
*Fear of losing the familiar - What if everything I thought I knew was wrong? What if I learn something new and people expect more from me?

Ms. Conner goes onto ask the question, “Are you afraid of revealing the terrible secret that you aren’t as brilliant as you’ve led people to believe?”

Are you afraid of looking dumb to get smarter? We are in a constant state of learning. Sometimes that means being open to not knowing everything. I had a mentor once tell me “If it doesn’t hurt, you aren’t learning.” It’s so true.

Think about one part of your sales process that isn’t working. Maybe it’s your income overall. Do you find yourself looking to the outside – bad prospects, bad territory, bad product? Try looking inside – is it really something that you’re afraid of fixing that’s holding you back?

Stay tuned for “Fear” Installment #2…

Tags: fear of learning, sales process, sales training
Posted in Brooke Green, Inner Game | No Comments »
April 19th, 2007 What You Should Look For In The Sea of Conversation With Your Prospect ===APRIL 19 ADVANCED SELLING PODCAST=== (15 Minutes) In this week's episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale discuss the knack of having ...READ MORE: What You Should Look For In The Sea of Conversation With Your Prospect
Thursday, April 19th, 2007

===APRIL 19 ADVANCED SELLING PODCAST=== (15 Minutes)

In this week’s episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale discuss the knack of having good, truthful conversations with your prospect. What should you listen for? How can you find the heart of their problems and reasons for buying? Listening should be a big part of any sales strategy consequently, they discuss how much sales people should talk, and how much they should listen. Bill and Bryan act out (they’re always acting out) these teachings, so that you can apply them to your selling strategies immediately.

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Right Click on “Download” to Save===>What you should look for in the sea of conversation with your prospect.mp3

To Click to Listen, go to
Advanced Selling Podcast.

If you’d like to subscribe to this podcast so that it’s delivered to your desktop every week, go to iTunes and do so.

Tags: podcast, sales strategy
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April 12th, 2007 How to Conquer Call Reluctance–Once and for All ===APRIL 12 ADVANCED SELLING PODCAST=== (15 Minutes) In this week's episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale discuss how to overcome your ...READ MORE: How to Conquer Call Reluctance–Once and for All
Thursday, April 12th, 2007

===APRIL 12 ADVANCED SELLING PODCAST=== (15 Minutes)

In this week’s episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale discuss how to overcome your fears of cold calling and prospecting. In sales, the majority of the business you generate is from calling on new prospects.

Even though those first phone calls are some of the most dreaded parts of sales, they CAN be mastered. And like we say, ‘make your biggest weakness your biggest asset’ and watch success ensure. The mind is telling you something if you have fear. It tells you “you aren’t looking at the situation ‘correctly.’” Caskey and Neale help you change your thinking around these aspects of sales so the “phobia” evaporates.

Don’t believe us? Listen and see!

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Right Click on “Download” to Save ===>How to Conquer Call Reluctance–Once and for all.mp3

To Click to Listen, go to Advanced Selling Podcast.

If you’d like to subscribe to this podcast so that it’s delivered to your desktop every week, go to iTunes and do so.

Tags: cold calling, podcast, prospecting, sales
Posted in The Advanced Selling Podcast | No Comments »
April 11th, 2007 Don Imus Went Too Far I'm a huge Don Imus fan--or should I say, "I WAS a fan." I thought he was brilliant in how he reinvented his career (after ...READ MORE: Don Imus Went Too Far
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007

I’m a huge Don Imus fan–or should I say, “I WAS a fan.” I thought he was brilliant in how he reinvented his career (after his drug filled 70’s and 80’s) and made his NY radio show a leading morning TV show. A lesson in repurposing content.

But his latest vulgar episode with the Rutgers basketball slur happened for one reason–he started to believe is own sh_ _. He thought he was invincible because he was Don Imus. He cut himself off from anyone who could challenge him on his methods–surrounded only by ‘yes men’ whose future depended upon kissing up.

Let this be a lesson to us all.
The moment we think we’re invincible is exactly the time the walls start to cave in on us. It happens to great sales people who start to make enormous amounts of money–and then get sloppy with customer service or stop prospecting.

It happens to great sales managers who think they don’t have to learn any more–and continue to manage using old fear-based tactics.

It happens to business owners who refuse to take the internet seriously and who refuse to learn new marketing methods and business models.

So, if you think the Imus story has nothing to do with you, think again. It just might. Check out your connection with real people–your customers, your coaches, your family. Make sure you continue to learn and grow–keep your intent high. The ego has a subversive way of sneaking up on you and telling you you’re invincible.

Tags: business owners, Don Imus, marketing methods, sales managers
Posted in Inner Game | No Comments »
April 11th, 2007 The World’s Greatest Salesforce By Bryan Neale On the eve of March 1st, it suddenly dawned on me that the world’s greatest sales force is once again in full force ...READ MORE: The World’s Greatest Salesforce
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007

By Bryan Neale

On the eve of March 1st, it suddenly dawned on me that the world’s greatest sales force is once again in full force in their mission to dominate their market. Oreo’s sales people-take not. Archway sales support-time to step up. Keebler-all elves on deck………THE GIRLSCOUTS ARE HERE.

I believe the world’s greatest, most efficient sales force doesn’t use Salesforce.com, never makes PowerPoint presentations and can’t even find the power switch on a Blackberry. No, the Girl Scout’s do it the old fashioned way. They hit the street, use pure and honest techniques, find our pain and sweetly barter thousands of calories in exchange for even more thousands of dollars.

So what can we mature, seasoned, professional sales people learn from these Punky Brewster clones. More than you probably think:

1-Be Real, Don’t Fake It: I’ve yet to have a Girl Scout ask me transparent, contrived and often hokey rapport building questions. They never come to the door and say, “Hi Mr. Neale, how are the wife and kids?” when really all they want is a sale to meet their quota. No, they get right down to business. “I’m with the Girl Scout’s and we’re holding our annual cookie drive. Would you like to look at purchasing some to help us raise money for our programs?” The answer is irresistibly, YES.

2-Know Your Mission: The Girl Scouts do a terrific job of communicating what it is they do. They sell cookies to raise money for their programs. They give me the opportunity to participate in their learning/programs and get some of the world’s best cookies to go along.

3-USE leverage: Leverage is one of the most important concepts for a professional sales person to understand. It simply means making multiple sales contacts in one sitting. The Girl Scouts do this by placing themselves strategically in front of all entrances and exits in most metropolitan grocery stores. Hence one sales call puts them on front of thousands of shoppers who are already in the mood to spend money.

4-Referral Sources can make it Easy on You: Girl Scouts inevitably rely on their mom’s and dad’s work friends to propel their annual sales efforts. How many times have you received an e-mail at work…..”Just to let everyone know, my daughter Cutie Pie, is selling Girl Scout Cookies…..no pressure, but let me know if you’re interested.” What a brilliant strategy employed by these youngsters. I wonder what would happen if we were that pro-active soliciting referrals from our network.

I could go on, but you likely get the picture. So this spring, buy some cookies and pay attention to the sales process. You just might learn something. At worst, you pick up some killer cookies.

BN

Tags: Girl Scout cookies, professional sales people, referral sources, sales call, sales force
Posted in Basic Sales Strategy, Bryan Neale | No Comments »