Archive for April, 2008

April 23rd, 2008
Sales Training Tip #1 in a Series

Over the next few weeks, we'll be offering up some sales training tips for you trainers/sales managers who take that role in your company.  Never start ...READ MORE

Sales Training Tip #1 in a Series

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be offering up some sales training tips for you trainers/sales managers who take that role in your company.

 Never start any sales training unless your team has bought in to it.

I know this sounds like heresy. “Why on earth would we want the inmates running the asylum?” (as one of my friends puts it).

Well, if you don’t engage your people in some kind of a Sales Problem/Pain Assessment (what do they believe they can improve on to get better/different results?) then you already have an asylum — you just don’t know it.

Sales People Are Honest If You Ask Them–And Care
OnestThe first thing that happens when you ask people is that, if they think there is a chance you can help them, they will tell you honestly what’s not working. Secondly, they will be much more engaged in training.

(Those are two words you don’t hear much in the same sentence: engaged and sales training.) And thirdly, you can tell who on your team is really in “growth mode” and who’s just going through the motions.

As a sales manager, you know your people have to change to meet market demands. But most won’t unless threatened (with their job).

We don’t believe it has to be that way.

Assess Your Sales Team 
Take a few hours and come up with an assessment of your own. Create space for rigorous honesty. (I know this is tough in the corporate world.) And then purchase sales training to solve sales problems.

I have seen salespeople starved for something new and different that helps them grow professionally. But they never get it because the company nevers sees the connection between the training investment and return on that investment.

And do you know what? It’s not the people who really need training that feel that way. It’s usually the already-high-achievers that want to explore new ways do to old tasks.

So before you buy into the old myth, “seasoned sales people don’t need training” ask them what they want. You’ll be shocked.

Here’s an example of a very short assessment–it’ll at least get you started. Right click to download. My gift to you.

 Ebook: Download

Tags: Bill Caskey, sales strategies, sales training, sales training tips, VP of Sales
Posted in Bill Caskey, Sales Management Content, Training and development, VP of Sales | No Comments »

April 21st, 2008
Sales Podcast: Can Sales and Marketing Co-exist?

Can sales and marketing co-exist and work TOGETHER in a company? Many find angst and tension between these two functions. Our guests today shed light ...READ MORE

Sales Podcast: Can Sales and Marketing Co-exist?

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Can sales and marketing co-exist and work TOGETHER in a company? Many find angst and tension between these two functions. Our guests today shed light on how Yin and Yang, cats and dogs, and even sales and marketing people can work together…productively.

 

 Can Sales and Marketing Co-exist? (12:38): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: podcast
Posted in The Advanced Selling Podcast | No Comments »

April 20th, 2008
First Podcast Here!!

Well, here is the maiden voyage for The Ultimate Sales Chick podcast. In the first episode, Brooke Green speaks with Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale ...READ MORE

First Podcast Here!!

Sunday, April 20th, 2008

Well, here is the maiden voyage for The Ultimate Sales Chick podcast. In the first episode, Brooke Green speaks with Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale about the role women play in selling.

Brooke also talks about an interesting experience she had with a client.

If you want to RSS subscribe to this podcast, then paste the following code into your RSS Reader: http://ultimatesaleschick.podshowcreator.com/feed.aspx?feedid=1758

 

 Sales Chick Podcast-Ep1-GenderinSales: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Brooke Green, client experiences, gender differences in selling, role women play in selling, sales podcast, sales training
Posted in Brooke Green, The Ultimate Sales Chick Podcast | No Comments »

April 18th, 2008
Selling It Right. He Didn’t Even Know It.

One of our sales training corporate clients related a story to me yesterday about a deal he got a couple of weeks ago. It was ...READ MORE

Selling It Right. He Didn’t Even Know It.

Friday, April 18th, 2008

One of our sales training corporate clients related a story to me yesterday about a deal he got a couple of weeks ago. It was a classic RFP scenario, where he stood no chance–but got it because he did things the right way.

He had been asked in for an RFP for a prospect he had NO relationship with. The other two vendors in on the deal had done business with the customer so my client’s chances were slim–slim that is, if he went about it the traditional way. (I’m not pessimistic–I’m realistic about how sales people spend their time chasing unlikely opportunities).

I told him one sales strategy to use and the only way to stand out is to NOT QUOTE!

WHAT??!! Right.

Go in and be “verbally skeptical” about their willingness to award the business to an unknown quantity. First off, that’s how he felt. Secondly, it’s true. He told the prospect that in his own soft way.

You want your prospect selling you–not you selling him.

What do you suppose happened? Right. They pulled him back in–convincing him to quote and telling him all the reasons that the other quotes weren’t any good. Do you think that would have happened if he would have merely responded to the RFP? Of course not. They would have told him nothing.

But their pain was they needed to get the job done right–and he had the solution to that problem.

You see, in sales training work, sometimes the best thing is not to sell–not to convince–not to try. Let the customer bring you along. Let him sell you. I talk about that in Same Game New Rules. You’re happier because you don’t have to compete on the same terms as everyone else.

And they’re happier because they want you badly. We’ll podcast on that sometime soon…giving you the whole story.

Tags: Bill Caskey, competing differently, rfp, sales strategy, sales training, same game new rules
Posted in Bill Caskey, Competitive Strategy | No Comments »

April 17th, 2008
You’re Not Sounding Desperate Now, Are You?

[From The Road. Bill Caskey is on vacation this week in Florida. But still blogging. ] When you're on vacation, you can sometimes see things differently...as ...READ MORE

You’re Not Sounding Desperate Now, Are You?

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

[From The Road. Bill Caskey is on vacation this week in Florida. But still blogging. ]

When you’re on vacation, you can sometimes see things differently…as was the case today when I was at Panera and overheard the needy plea of a sales person.

As near as I could tell, he was a book designer talking to an author–selling him on why he should use his design firm.

It reminded me how a needy salesperson turns people off. This guy was off-the-charts desperate.”There’s no better designer in Florida than our team.” Or, “People who use us tell us they would never use anyone else.” “You really shouldn’t use XYZ. They take short cuts you’ll pay for later.”

How about those for some unsubstantiated platitudes?What does all that garbage mean anyway? Well it means one thing…this guy was desperate to make the sale. More worried about his goals than his client’s goals.

It reminded me of listening to a phone recording of a sales call I made. It was years ago, but it proved the point to me that what I “thought” I was saying was far removed from what I was “actually” saying on the phone to a prospect.

It wasn’t until I heard the recording that I understood what I was sounding like.

If you ever get into a slump when people just aren’t responding to your glorious messages then check out your “desperation-rating.” If it’s high, don’t expect too many people to be attracted to you.

Record yourself. Ask your colleagues to assess your desperation. See if you really know what you sound like.

Tags: Bill Caskey, Communication Skills, sales training, sounding desperate
Posted in Bill Caskey, Inner Game | No Comments »

April 15th, 2008
Sales Podcast: Ego in the Way?

Well, no one ever admits that their ego gets in the way of success. Especially salespeople--for it comes with the territory that you need a ...READ MORE

Sales Podcast: Ego in the Way?

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Well, no one ever admits that their ego gets in the way of success. Especially salespeople–for it comes with the territory that you need a big ego to be successful in sales. Or, does it? We think there are several questions you should ask in the sales process. But you won’t be able to if you have your ego out of balance. In this episode, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale give you several questions you should ask and give you a way to get the rest of the questions via email. There just wasn’t enough time in this podcast to do them all. 

 

 Ego in the Way (07:48): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: podcast
Posted in The Advanced Selling Podcast | No Comments »

April 15th, 2008
Executive Seminar - Building a Dream Team

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Executive Seminar - Building a Dream Team

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

April 10th, 2008
The Sales Whisperer…

How many of you are familiar with Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer" (www.cesarmillaninc.com)? If you are an animal owner and you don’t know who he ...READ MORE

The Sales Whisperer…

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

How many of you are familiar with Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer” (www.cesarmillaninc.com)? If you are an animal owner and you don’t know who he is, you need to.  I have developed an addiction to his practice of dog psychology and his show on The National Geographic Channel.  Our family has a new puppy, Buster, which, as cute as he is, could make even the biggest animal lover CRAZY!  (See picture, I know “Ahhhhhhh……”)

I realized after watching several episodes of the show that Cesar is the “Caskey” of the dog world.  Why do I say that?  Here is an excerpt from his web page:“Cesar counsels people to calmly, assertively, and consistently give their dogs rules, boundaries, and limitations to establish themselves as solid pack leaders and to help correct and control unwanted behavior. He doesn’t believe in ‘quick fixes.’

Though changing some behaviors can appear to happen in a relatively short period of time, none of those changes will ’stick’ unless the human acts consistently with his or her dog every day to keep unwanted behaviors from returning.”

The Caskey Philosophy

So, how does that translate to the Caskey philosophy of revenue generation? 

We teach that you, as a professional salesperson, need to be in control of the sales process – not the outcome, or the other person, but the process. 

In order to do this you need to be confident in your process, even when the prospect pushes back.  You know what works and, as uncomfortable as it gets, if you’re operating from a place of high intent, you need to keep doing what’s in the best interest of your prospect. 

We’re also firm believers in repetition and understand that bad habits aren’t fixed in a 1-day workshop.  It’s consistent practice and work on the mind that “keep unwanted behaviors from returning.” 

When you are calm and assertive about your process and helping your client, they relax and trust you to do the right things. We often hear that our methods are “soft” or “weak” because they aren’t “in your face, high pressure selling.” 

Cesar says that he hears the same thing about his methods. He doesn’t believe that a dog should ever have to be yelled at or hit.  We don’t believe that a prospect ever has to be convinced or persuaded. I don’t know what you think about this,  but I’ve seen Cesar use his methods to walk into a pack of 25 pit bulls and be completely in charge, without saying a word; just with the energy that he exudes. 

Sound like some presentations that you’ve been in?  Use your intention (energy) and control the pack!

Tags: Bill Caskey, Brooke Green, sales strategy, sales training, selling strategies
Posted in Brooke Green, Training and development | 3 Comments »

April 8th, 2008
Taking Accountability SERIOUSLY

I can't stand when people don't take accountability for their outcomes. Sales managers, I don't know how some of you do it - listening to ...READ MORE

Taking Accountability SERIOUSLY

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

I can’t stand when people don’t take accountability for their outcomes. Sales managers, I don’t know how some of you do it - listening to excuse after excuse after excuse after excuse…you get the picture. I know many CEOs want nothing more than to create a more ACCOUNTABLE work team. But no one has seemed to come up with a magic bullet that gets everyone on the accountability track.Here are some top of mind ideas for you and your sales team:

1. Start from the TOP. If you want others to be accountable, guess what, you have to go first. Every single business success or failure includes responsibility from everyone. Think about this. Tom is a salesperson. He’s been struggling—hasn’t hit quota in 5 quarters. Most would say Tom’s the problem. ERRRRR (Price is Right Buzzer). YOU’RE the manager. YOU hired Tom and YOU kept him. I’m not letting Tom off the hook (read below). I’m just trying to help you get in the mindset of accountability.

2. “What did YOU do to affect the outcome?” Ask this question over and over and over. If you display behaviors of accountability, you give yourself permission to ask the same of your sales group. DON’T LET THEM OFF THE HOOK. Keep asking until they give you an answer that comes back to them. Not the market. Not your pricing model. Not their territory. THEM!

3. GIVE CREDIT and TAKE BLAME. Encourage your entire company to practice this saying, “Give credit and take blame.” Make it a slogan that you live by in your firm. Don’t just say it, DO IT.

I’d be happy to come into your company and take your group through an accountability boot camp. Just be sure you’re ready for it before you call. Oh, and I’ll take accountability for its success or failure. Call me-317-440-6391.

Tags: Bill Caskey, Bryan Neale, Presidents, prospects, sales strategy, sales training, selling strategies
Posted in Bryan Neale, Rules, Tools & Attitudes | No Comments »

April 3rd, 2008
Salespeople: The Best Way to Find Your Prospect’s Contact Info

I'm sure many of you have struggled at some point in your sales career to find the contact information of a key prospect. Think about ...READ MORE

Salespeople: The Best Way to Find Your Prospect’s Contact Info

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

I’m sure many of you have struggled at some point in your sales career to find the contact information of a key prospect. Think about this situation. Your manager asks you to contact the CIO of a major insurance company. You know the guy’s name and company, but that’s it. Your likely strategy: cold call into the main line and ask for the CIO. You’ll then be screened 9 times and asked each time, “And what is this regarding?” or “Is she expecting your call?” Your response is bull shit at best.

Well, those days are over thanks to a brilliant entrepreneur, Jim Fowler. As a sales executive, he noticed his salespeople struggling to efficiently find key contact info of major prospects. His answer: www.jigsaw.com.

I’m sure some of you are familiar with jigsaw.com already. Likely, you’re more familiar than I. I’m 30 days into it, but I’m smitten. Jigsaw.com suddenly makes the world smaller and the most protected contacts accessible. Personal phone lines, cell phones and personal e-mails of MAJOR contacts are available to the jigsaw.com community. I’m not going to go into the details of how it works. It’s very simply explained on the website.

As a professional salesperson, I’m sure you like the idea of doing things in the simplest way possible. I’m here with hand over heart to tell you that jigsaw.com is the best and most efficient method for finding the right contact information. If you do nothing else today, sign up on jigsaw.com…oh, and tell them Bryan Neale sent you.

Tags: Bill Caskey, Bryan Neale, prospects, sales strategy, sales training, selling strategies
Posted in Bryan Neale, Rules, Tools & Attitudes | No Comments »

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