The 7 Reasons You Just Lost That Sale

Recently I posted a question on the four most popular of LinkedIn’s Purchasing and Procurement Group’s discussion boards, which gave me the opportunity to ask almost half a million professional buyers one simple question;

“How do most sales people let themselves down?”

After working my way through the answers, it turns out there are 7 recurring issues that cause salespeople to lose the sales that they really didn’t need to.

The full article will appear in the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management’s Winning Edge Magazine later this month – but here’s an early, sneak peek.

You can download a PDF of the full article here.

For more information on the ISMM or how to receive Winning Edge magazine, you can find out more by following this link.

Best regards

Chris

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PS – My new book The Extremely Successful Salesman’s Club is getting rave reviews and I am humbled by the number of people who have already discovered it – thanks for all your support. If you haven’t read it yet, you can download the first four chapters for free by clicking on this link.

New Varda Kreuz Case Studies HERE and Video Testimonials HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

5 Alternatives to Simply Wading In with PowerPoint

Can You Imagine a Life without PowerPoint?

What would you do if you couldn’t take a ‘deck’ into your next sales appointment?

In the nineties my team launched a product into the UK market and we each received one of those triangular presenters that open up into a little stand for you to flip your plastic covered photocopies over in front of the customer.

I’d never had anything like it before – amusingly, back then, it was cutting edge – it also meant for the first time in my career I could just speak AT the customer rather than having a conversation about what they actually wanted – you know, cut out all that unnecessary selling stuff, go straight in with the opportunity and price.

Trouble is, telling ain’t selling!

Recently, with an extremely senior sales team, I mentioned that they were probably over reliant on their 120-slide brand presentations – which nearly got me carried out and burnt at the stake.

But I reckon you probably know better.

So ask yourself this – Do you simply go in and TELL customers what you’ve got; or do you FIND OUT what they want and then help them achieve it with what you’ve got?

Subtle difference, enormously different results.

Listen, I’m not going to take away your wonderful presentation, carefully created by marketeers who have never had to stand in front of customers and then be measured for their results – but just try this out for me.

Think of 5 open questions you could ask before you give your presentation – 5 open questions that will lead to a conversation about their needs, gaps in the market, unexplored opportunities – which then give answers that require a presentation about your product or service.

If you do – and you get it right – you don’t just talk AT them, you spend your time showing them why your presentation actually MATTERS while you’re going through it – you even know which bits are no longer relevant and – god forbid – can miss some out.

Your Mission – by the time you’ve finished presenting they’ve recognised the value of your product or service because it was aligned with a set of needs and requirements that they’d pointed out at the beginning of the meeting.

Or – if you’re really good

Your Mission – During the conversation about their needs and requirements they’ve already started to recognise the value of your product or service and don’t need to see the presentation at all.

Just imagine….

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

Why Sales Training is like Going for a Bike Ride with Sir Chris Hoy

Last week I was invited to meet Sir Chris Hoy – the 11 time world champion and 6 time Olympic champion, the most successful Olympic cyclist and British Olympian of all time.

A select group of us were invited to one of the launch dates for the new range of bikes which Sir Chris has developed exclusively for Evans Cycles.

Anyway, no surprise to the regular reader that, as we made our way through the Cheshire countryside, I couldn’t help but spot a few similarities with a number of things that happen during a day’s sales training.

1. There’s no need to show off

Before we got on our bikes, the chap who was organising the day pointed out that in the presence of Sir Chris, only an idiot would attempt to show off.

“Whatever you feel you need to prove,” he said “it’s not going to impress anyone here. Enjoy the day, the opportunity, pick up a few tips, ask a few questions and see what you can learn”

And what’s that got to do with Sales Training?

Our Head of Training, Tom Morgan, regularly reminds delegates that training should be a time to learn new skills, try out new techniques in a safe and non- judgemental environment.

But there’s always a percentage of sales people who can’t wait to tell everyone about their existing skill set – a bit like going for a Formula One driving lesson and desperately wanting to show the instructor how good you are at riding your bike.

2. How far is it from talented amateur to seasoned Olympian?

Our route was fairly flat, but I’m told a similar event in Sheffield was far from an easy ride.

Right at the beginning, from the very first daunting hill, there were a couple of riders who got off and decided to walk.

And what’s that got to do with Sales Training?

Certain managers recognise where their team are and the training that they really need – others unfortunately don’t.

We have a number of methods to help customers understand the ability levels and training requirements of their teams (click here to have a look at some examples), after all, ensuring people receive sales training that makes a real difference is the reason we do what we do.

When sales people think they already know enough or are just too lazy to invest a little time at foundation level, you can end up with a group who suddenly realise they’re way out of their depth – not only because they can’t keep up – but because they were blissfully unaware the hill ahead of them even existed.

3. Some people get selected, some people don’t – don’t moan about it, become selectable

Even though it was a commercial event – it was a secret.

Numbers had been kept down because Sir Chris wanted to make sure he could spend quality time with everyone there, both during the ride and afterwards (with coffee and cake).

If it had been advertised there would have been hundreds – great for the masses and possibly a few more bike sales, but less of an experience for those who had been chosen to attend.

That’s a bold call for what was essentially a marketing day – hats off to whoever made the choice.

A few members of the public stumbled across it by accident, Sir Chris graciously signed autographs and a couple of kids got a photograph and a special pack of goodies to remember their day.

One lady was very put out that it hadn’t been made public – she didn’t think that was fair at all.

And what’s that got to do with Sales Training?

Recently, one of our customers wanted to recognise their star performers by creating a platinum level within their existing sales academy.

The idea was that we took the top 5% of the sales team and helped increase their current results by an extra 5% – can you imagine the effect that kind of growth has on business at that level? Massive!

Of course some of those who weren’t chosen were furious.

Interestingly it wasn’t the ones who just missed out, that group were determined to make the grade next time round, prove their worth and show the value they could deliver if the business gave them the chance to grow.

Oh no, the sales people who felt slighted by their omission from the platinum group were way off the top 30% and had no intention of changing anything about themselves – as far as they were concerned they were already good enough to get in, it was just that the business couldn’t see it.

Great to see people getting the most out of a day

The cyclists were then split into five groups based on ability and as I looked round I saw people who had turned up because they desperately wanted to be there, enjoying the opportunity, possibly learning something new, they fully understood others would have given their right arm to attend and so treated it like the privilege it was.

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on 0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from  Varda Kreuz here 

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

If You’re Cold Calling to Book Appointments Try This..

Most of the time when we’re invited in to work with internal telesales teams the problems they encounter are caused by one major issue – They have no idea what they’re really trying to achieve or why.

I have heard some nightmare stories about sales trainers making delegates lie so that they can speak with prospects or force the PA to put them through to a holidaying Managing Director’s mobile phone – while their peers watch on during live “training” sessions.

Not the way I do things but it might work for some people.

Listen, you might need to get through at any cost, someone might be watching over your shoulder – but here’s a little clue – If you ever want to talk to someone more than once don’t tick them off.

Call with a Purpose

If you are calling to book an appointment, then book the appointment. It should be the one and only thing you talk about.

Understand this;

Prospects aren’t sitting by the phone with nothing else to do. We’re all busy, if you call me then I’ll want you off my phone as quickly as possible because I have a whole list of things that I planned to do today and you weren’t on it.

That doesn’t mean I don’t need to talk to you – but if I do – make sure you stick to the subject so that I can get back to work.

As a warning – asking me how I feel today or about the weather is just wasting my time.

Set Yourself Best and Tolerable Outcomes

We have a number of exercises that cover this in our training, but essentially;

Before you call up your next prospect work out what your BEST intended outcome could be and then decide what you don’t want to put the phone down without achieving, what would be tolerable?

I don’t like scripts very much, but here’s an outline that might help.

Straight through to the decision maker;

Good morning Mr. Prospect I’m Bob, calling from XYZ – the (your industry) people – I noticed we haven’t got in touch for quite a while so I’ve called to see when we can book an appointment with our account manager to come over and see you.

Prospect: OK

Now I know they’re not always that easy, sometimes the prospect will say:

Prospect: What do I need to see you for?

You: Give the prospect a great reason why you need to see them

or

Prospect: We’re not interested

You: Ask them a great big open question to find out what it would take to catch their interest

or

Prospect: I don’t have time

You: Ask them a great big open question to find out when they will have the time

What if I get through to the gatekeeper?

If you can’t get through to the prospect ask when the next best time is to call and then call exactly as instructed.

Don’t lie, don’t be insulting and don’t try to be ‘salesy clever’.

Gatekeepers in depth is a whole different article – but don’t expect a call back if you leave your number, it won’t happen.

Please remember this – if your purpose is to book appointments and you feel like you’re just being a nuisance to prospects, you either; 

• Don’t recognise or haven’t worked out how you really help existing customers
• Lack the belief in your company, product or service
• Have ended up in the wrong job

If however you do know how you help and truly believe that the prospect needs to see someone from your company – do it now – before the competition rip them off or sell them a dud.

Those prospects are counting on you

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on 0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

3 Reasons Why Launching a New Product is like…..Starting University

1. You haven’t found out who you really are

When you start at university, you’re just working out exactly who ‘YOU’ – ‘IS’.

There are a million references you’re tapping into, a sense of humour to fully develop; you’re recognising who you want to spend time with and how you want to be perceived.

You go through a couple of fads and crazes – you try on and discard personalities like cheap, charity-shop shirts.

When a product is launched all the testing in the world can’t prepare you completely for how it’s really going to move in the market when it goes live.

On launch week, there’s a big Fresher style stream of parties, people get all hyper and excited, but the morning after – just like the newbie stumbling hung over through campus in week one – it’ll be a few star performers in the sales team who find their way round and discover what’s really useful.

A brand new company, product or service never knows how it truly helps when it enters the world blinking into the sunlight – the successful ones work it out really quickly, but it doesn’t happen on launch day 1.

However, that doesn’t stop the hierarchy throwing this newborn at the sales force and expecting them to work it out before their first client presentation – and then possibly blaming its slow climb to success on the sales team not trying hard enough.

2. Making the most of the opportunity depends on your approach

Don’t judge people and assume they don’t want to speak to you.

Try to be open-minded.

Meet as many people as you can.

Go in with a positive attitude and take everything you can from it.

3. Blowing your budget feels stupid

There are always inventive ways of doing things a bit more cost effectively.

Some people never grow out of thinking that it’s the amount they’re spending that makes them look cool. Most are frequently hungry

It’s those who always seem to have more than everyone else with change still clinking in their pockets that become popular and get to feel really smug.

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

Observing the Multiple Mistakes of a Car Salesman

So my friend wants to buy a new car.

She can afford it – she’s got a really great job – she’s got a great car to part exchange too.

She invites me to go with her because I “understand sales people”.

She is smitten by this new car she’s seen – although she’s no fool, the deal has to be great.

We drive to the usual kind of business estate that big car dealerships tend to be on, finding it nestled somewhere between a Travelodge and a B&Q – the salesman who comes across to meet us fills me with a slight sense of disappointment before he even opens his mouth, she tells me not to be so judgemental.

So Why Should I Get Eexcited About this Car Then?

Over to you my scruffy little sales friend, time to shine – sell it to us.

“Well first let me tell you what it doesn’t have! The next model up has ……”
He then lists 5 or 6 things that are available on another version that she isn’t looking at, isn’t interested in and can’t afford.

“But we don’t want that model – what does this version have?”

“Oh, it’s just your standard spec!”

I don’t think an initial sales pitch has ever depressed me more – turns out the new car my friend was delirious about is just….standard – and whatever it’s actually got going for it isn’t even worth discussing.

This is clearly not the car he’d like to sell us.

He walks us over to her current (part exchange) vehicle, he’s being quite chauvinistic and ‘blokey’ – he knows I’m not the customer – but I’m the complete focus of his conversation. It makes me really uncomfortable.

“I Just Want to Have an Adult Conversation”

That’s what my friend said to me, before we got there.

“I don’t want to play games, I want a grown up to help me buy the right car for me.”

The car salesman looks at the car she wants to part exchange and starts sucking air through his teeth while flicking through some heavyweight trade book – it was getting on my nerves, so I said,

“It’s only had one careful lady owner.”

To which he replied,

“You found her then did you? The one careful lady driver.”

My friend called him a Neanderthal under her breath, but we follow him back to his desk anyway, she does really want that car – and there isn’t another similar dealership for 40 miles.

He’s talking numbers already, time to get down to business, no messing about – let’s find out how much a standard specification motor vehicle actually costs.

“I Want This, How Can You Help Me Afford It?”

OK, so my friend has an amount per month she can spend on here new car – it’s a fairly substantial amount and over a 3 year period she can easily afford the type of car she’s looking for – but she does want value for money and a good deal on her old car.

He does some big sums that we’re not allowed to be a party to then reads out the monthly payments in the strangest and most unattractive way possible.

“Over 5 years it’s £X per month, over 4 years it’s an extra £100 per month and over 3 Years it’s £200 more every month.”

Surely it would have been better if he’d said;

“Over 3 years it’s £X per month, over 4 years that becomes  £100 more affordable, and over 5 that doubles to £200 less.”

I know it’s the same figures, same answers – but the way he did it just made it sound like the car was becoming more expensive with every syllable.

Set me up first with the most it’s going to cost me.

Let that settle in, OK – I’m not shocked, I can afford it – oh, what’s that you say? If I want to pay over a longer period there are other, more affordable options – even better!

We told him we wouldn’t mess him around; we’d call him after we’d spoken to the competition.

All the way home my friend was spotting the more expensive version of her once favourite new car and saying, “There’s the model that’s better than the one I wanted.”

She really did want that car, it’s a shame there was a salesman in the way to put her off.

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

Your Free Download Chart of Next Year’s Best Selling Days

“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
John Keating (Robin Williams) – Dead Poets Society (1989)

It’s that time of year again when I share my annual free download, showing the days available to you over the next 12 months which can be classed as ‘prime selling time’.

A little information that is glaringly obvious to the top 10% of high achieving sales people, but ignored or missed by virtually everyone else.

Actually, I’ll bet – in the back of your mind – you’re all aware of what I’m about to share with you, so much so that this week’s free PDF download will be once again greeted with as many people saying “that – is – brilliant”, as those stating “that is just so obvious!”

You can print it off, pin it up, send it out or just pop it in the back of your personal organiser.

If used properly this single sheet of paper will;

• Organise and focus you and your team to achieve the important stuff first
• Help you develop a long term business view, which has the flexibility to recognise what needs doing today
• Remove the opportunity to complain about “time running out”
• Scare the living daylights out of your inner procrastination gremlins

To achieve this you will need your personal target (worked out as an annual figure for the whole of 2013), your holiday dates and internal meeting dates.

Here’s what to do;

Download the PDF here

If you have just clicked on the link, you will now have before you the selling days available to you over the course of the next year – 2013 – in the UK.

You may need to change it slightly for which ever part of the world you are in.

FACT – Almost all of you have 252 days next year to effectively sell.

FACT – In the UK next year – due to holidays – the sales industry will have five months with only 20 effective selling days each.

FACT – Quarter 3 (July, August, September) has the most selling days – 65 – but will undoubtedly become the time when your competition take their foot off the gas because “there’s never anyone in over the summer”

Here’s what to do next

Work out when you will be lying on a beach or stuck in a hotel meeting room with a group of hung-over colleagues looking at a large, projected forecast graph – and then deduct those days from the appropriate months.

OK

• How many real days have you got to achieve your target?
• How much does your pipeline need to achieve on a daily basis?
• What does that mean for each of those monthly figures?
• What is your target figure for Quarter 3?

We all play differently when we are keeping score.

Take for example a group of kids kicking a ball around a park just for fun, watch the change – in mood, reactions and body language – on the pitch after someone shouts;

“OK, let’s keep score!”

It’s the same with sales – we all play differently when we’re keeping score!

This year, do yourself a favour – count every available day and make every day count.

Seize those days and make your lives extraordinary

Feel free to leave a comment

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

On a Scale of 1 – 10, How Attractive Would You Say You Are?

“Scratches his head and does his best James Dean”
Jack & Diane – John Cougar Mellencamp

To attract attractive prospects, you have to become attractive yourself.

Same thing stands if you’re trying to ‘attract’ an attractive new employer.

I’m not talking about being Brad and Angelina gorgeous here.

I’m talking about becoming attractive in a business sense.

There are some prospects and companies who you find really attractive, right?

Big need! Big company! Big opportunity! Big budget! A bright future! A chance for glory!

But why would they find you attractive?

Ask yourself these questions;

• Do you think people find cheap attractive?
• How about someone who is too easy or a push-over?
• Dishonest?
• Aggressive?
• Two-faced?
• Selfish?

When was the last time you found ignorance or inadequacy attractive?

Do gurus walk down hills, or do people climb mountains to find them?

When you stand in the doorway do your prospects or future employers see the James Dean or the Mr Bean of the business world?

Both have their place, both exist – both attract a different type of opportunity – and one of them achieves a lifestyle the other one can only dream of.

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

I’m Begging You – Please Ditch Your Elevator Speech for Something More Effective

“So many times, it happens too fast, you trade your passion for glory”  Eye of the Tiger – Survivor

I cannot put into words how much I dislike the average, sales trainer taught elevator speech.

Until recently I couldn’t quite put my finger on the real reason why, I just knew they didn’t work.

Should someone approach – or worse, corner me in a lift – spouting out how incredible their solutions are and why I should change suppliers right now
I’m not going to gaze into their eyes like some evangelistic convert and skip away behind them while they play their mystical sales flute.

In reality, I would become suddenly introvert, skin-crawlingly uncomfortable and make my excuses just to get them out of my face – actually, I’m getting itchy just thinking about it.

But where were all the articles and quotes by the “Big Names” on planet sales to back me up or use as a reference to argue my side logically.

Then lo and behold, a couple of weeks ago, the wonderful Seth Godin wrote a short piece on elevator speeches that summed it up perfectly.

My favourite bit was;

“If you’ve told me what I need to know to be able to easily say no, I’ll say no.
The best elevator pitch doesn’t pitch your project. It pitches the meeting about your project. It’s not a practiced, polished turd of prose that pleases everyone on the board and your marketing team”

Brilliantly put!

So whether you are getting in touch with people through social media, on the phone, knocking on doors or networking – start to create a conversation piece that gives people a reason to have a discussion properly, comfortably – learn to pitch the meeting and not the meat.

It has to be intriguing and exciting with a hint of previous glory and a promise of future benefits.

What it can’t be is a 30 second personal ad designed to stun the buying sense out of your fellow human being, because they just don’t work.

Until next time

Chris

New Case Studies HERE

This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on
0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

By the way, if someone has forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it directly from Varda Kreuz here

Varda Kreuz Sales Training – Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, London

All Sales People Fall Into 1 of 3 Categories

“This is the world we live in, and these are the hands we’re given”
Land of Confusion – Genesis

Sales People fall into 3 categories.

• Can’t afford to lose them
• Can’t afford to pay them
• Can’t afford to leave

Can’t Afford to Lose Them

There are certain individuals who deliver so much value, that it usually takes half their working life for the pay structure to catch up with their actual worth.

Not just because of the business and profit they bring in for the organisation, but also the safe pair of hands and broad shoulders they possess.

They tend to be walking that extra mile before anyone even has the chance to ask.

When it comes to pay, giving them a few extra percentage points once a year is a drop in the ocean compared to what they’re worth.

That’s why good managers constantly try to warn them about the fragility of value.

The world turns, new ways become yesterday’s fads, modern techniques can become embarrassing and old fashioned.

If you find yourself in this category please remember this;

Trees don’t grow all the way to the sun – everything stops somewhere.

Individuals need to constantly evolve – your current perceived value is just that, what you’re perceived to be worth today.

When that value becomes the norm across the team, you will suddenly become the oldest, highest paid member of your peer group.

Sadly, you will feel neither old nor highly paid.

And that is why you must continually find ways to become better tomorrow than you were yesterday; don’t rest on your laurels or past successes.

Unfortunately there are those who think their current star can never dim and drop into one of the next two groups.

Can’t Afford to Pay Them

Not because they’re too good – as I mentioned above, money is always available for great value.

But when there ceases to be enough value it just becomes bad business.

This group fall into two camps;

• Either the amount of profit they bring in doesn’t cover what they cost, or
• The amount of distraction they cause means you end up paying three people to do one person’s job.

I once put together a new business development team for a children’s charity.

The team I inherited were taking more out in wages than they were bringing in from commercial donors – there would have actually been more money in the kitty for sick children if their roles didn’t exist.

When I pointed this out, one of them stood up and said;

“You don’t understand; we’re doing this for the kids!”

My response was that it didn’t appear to be the “kids” who were benefitting from the deal.

Now, everyone seems to agree that depleting a pot of money from a children’s charity disguised as an unproductive wage is morally wrong.

But members of group two believe it’s perfectly reasonable to do the same thing in a commercial environment.

Can’t Afford to Leave

I remember the morning perfectly, this guy walks into the interview room with a swagger from a 1930’s detective movie, sits down and tells us why he’s SO the real deal.

After a great 45 minutes we’re impressed and he asks;

“So, how much does the position pay?”

It’s a fair question and we’re happy to do what it takes to get the best, so we say;

“Don’t worry; we’ll pay you what you’re worth.”

To which he replies,

“But I’m already earning more than that!”

Until next time

Chris

PS – My new book The Extremely Successful Salesman’s Club is getting rave reviews – including one from Best Selling Author Lee B Salz – if you click on the book title above you can download the first 4 chapters for free

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This year, I want to help you and your sales team become more successful than they’ve ever been before – call my office now on 0844 293 9777 or request a call back by going to our Contact Page HERE.

You and I can work out a sales training programme that suits your requirements perfectly – foundation level sales training, field sales training, account management training, selling value over price, FMCG sales training, customer service training, whatever it might be – but it’s a big old world out there and if you don’t take two minutes to invite me over, I may never know you need me.

We create bespoke sales training days from as little as £228 per person, so give my office a call today and we can get a date in the diary to start working on tailoring something just for you.

Chris Murray

0844 293 9777

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