How to Increase Sales Success

At most companies, sales managers tout product knowledge as the basis of all successful sales. To sell well, the theory goes, we need to develop a detailed knowledge of our product, our markets, our customers and our industry. It’s a useful theory that works well, but if knowledge alone were enough to succeed in selling, engineers would be the best salespeople. And they aren’t.

So, to succeed in sales, we need to develop such specialized skills as relationship skills, listening skills, presentation skills, negotiation skills, closing skills and follow-up skills. Yet, knowledge and skills together still are not enough to step into the winner’s circle. There are many people in selling with good knowledge and skills who have plateaued and lack the motivation to reach for more.

Motivation, the third element of our success foundation, is the desire to win, the ability to bounce back after a setback and the ability to maintain a positive outlook in the face of adversity.

If you are a sales manager, think of your salespeople. How would you rate them on a scale from one to ten, with ten being the highest level of knowledge, skills and motivation. Are your salespeople threes, fives or tens?

In the ideal situation, all salespeople are tens. Ideally, they are all well-trained, knowledgeable and motivated. In reality however, many of them don’t read their own sales literature. In reality, they may be using skills and techniques that are outdated, wondering why they don’t get better results. On the subject of motivation, they may claim in public that they are bent on winning, yet in private they may feel overwhelmed to the point that they are unable to face new customers.

After this sober look at reality, let’s examine your goals for this year. If your salespeople are fives today, and they were fives last year, how do you expect them to increase sales this year? If your salespeople are average, your sales results are likely to remain average.

Now, let’s take a look at your prospects. Would you call them average in terms of education, skills and motivation? Are your salespeople calling on high-level decision makers who control important budgets? If that’s the case, then your salespeople are dealing with above-average clients. These clients are tens, not fives. What will happen when a salesperson whom you think is a five calls on a customer whom you know is a ten? Right! No sale. Tens like to buy from tens. Just getting appointments with a ten seems like an insurmountable challenge to a five.

Finally, let’s look at your competition. What will happen to your market share if your competitors train, educate and motivate their salespeople to be tens? Guess who will be winning and who will be losing clients? The answer is obvious: A more knowledgeable sales force, a sales team with better skills and a higher level of motivation is destined to win.

Our mission at Selling Power magazine is to help you create the most profitable sales organization possible. That’s why we divide our magazine into three convenient sections: Knowledge, Skills and Motivation. That’s why we want to bring you practical, how-to, action-oriented articles that you can apply in your job – today. With every issue we strive to hit the ten mark because we know that our sales depend on your sales success.At most companies, sales managers tout product knowledge as the basis of all successful sales. To sell well, the theory goes, we need to develop a detailed knowledge of our product, our markets, our customers and our industry. It’s a useful theory that works well, but if knowledge alone were enough to succeed in selling, engineers would be the best salespeople. And they aren’t.

So, to succeed in sales, we need to develop such specialized skills as relationship skills, listening skills, presentation skills, negotiation skills, closing skills and follow-up skills. Yet, knowledge and skills together still are not enough to step into the winner’s circle. There are many people in selling with good knowledge and skills who have plateaued and lack the motivation to reach for more.

Motivation, the third element of our success foundation, is the desire to win, the ability to bounce back after a setback and the ability to maintain a positive outlook in the face of adversity.

If you are a sales manager, think of your salespeople. How would you rate them on a scale from one to ten, with ten being the highest level of knowledge, skills and motivation. Are your salespeople threes, fives or tens?

In the ideal situation, all salespeople are tens. Ideally, they are all well-trained, knowledgeable and motivated. In reality however, many of them don’t read their own sales literature. In reality, they may be using skills and techniques that are outdated, wondering why they don’t get better results. On the subject of motivation, they may claim in public that they are bent on winning, yet in private they may feel overwhelmed to the point that they are unable to face new customers.

After this sober look at reality, let’s examine your goals for this year. If your salespeople are fives today, and they were fives last year, how do you expect them to increase sales this year? If your salespeople are average, your sales results are likely to remain average.

Now, let’s take a look at your prospects. Would you call them average in terms of education, skills and motivation? Are your salespeople calling on high-level decision makers who control important budgets? If that’s the case, then your salespeople are dealing with above-average clients. These clients are tens, not fives. What will happen when a salesperson whom you think is a five calls on a customer whom you know is a ten? Right! No sale. Tens like to buy from tens. Just getting appointments with a ten seems like an insurmountable challenge to a five.

Finally, let’s look at your competition. What will happen to your market share if your competitors train, educate and motivate their salespeople to be tens? Guess who will be winning and who will be losing clients? The answer is obvious: A more knowledgeable sales force, a sales team with better skills and a higher level of motivation is destined to win.

Our mission at Selling Power magazine is to help you create the most profitable sales organization possible. That’s why we divide our magazine into three convenient sections: Knowledge, Skills and Motivation. That’s why we want to bring you practical, how-to, action-oriented articles that you can apply in your job – today. With every issue we strive to hit the ten mark because we know that our sales depend on your sales success.