Outsource this!

Its presence blossomed in the late 1980's and early 1990's, yet outsourcing has been around for centuries in various guises, and it continues to be a growth sector for some specialism's.  Mercenaries are a historic and extreme example of how an outsourced resource provided an entity (country; group) with the skills, capacity and capabilities to achieve their vision and goals (war, battle, and invasion).  Though fortunately these days outsourcing applies more to business orientated functions.
 

Numerous businesses have used (in whole or part) outsourced support and front line services, and doing so can be hugely beneficial to the owner of a growing business.  Accessing the skills and resources needed, without carrying the full time salary and management costs, can be very appealing and make economic sense.  Many of us will be familiar with printing, legal and catering as outsourced services, and during the past decade we have seen a greater presence of HR, marketing, IT and virtual assistants also becoming effective outsourced functions.

Business owners are increasingly seeing the benefits (beyond just the cost savings) of using an outsourcing provider.  Generally these providers will be keeping themselves abreast of the latest trends and market conditions, and have a wealth of experience and knowledge, sometimes beyond that expected of a similar role if they had been the employee.  They are connected to other businesses and may be in a position to connect you with potential customers, partners and suppliers.

Outsourcing can be adaptable to your needs whether that's cost, skills, frequency or volume.  This empowers businesses to gear up quicker, free up internal resources, and test new products and markets.  However the appetite to the use of outsourced services can vary.  Using an outsourced printer or accountant seems quite common place, yet hesitation can creep in when considering the use of an outsourced sales or HR provider.

The benefits should outweigh the cost of any hesitation and as you are the customer, rather than the employer, it gives you greater flexibility (within the agreement or contractual terms) to work with the provider to focus on what matters most to you and your business. 
You are in control.

John is the Director, of Vector Resources Limited, who help growing businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more about outsourced sales and sales management at www.vector-resources.co.uk

 

Warm up for your cold calling

For many, calling potential customers is up there with having to do a 60 second pitch to a new group about their business. Even those familiar with calling prospective customers can feel anxious or tongue tied at times. With a bit of forward thinking and preparation, you should find you gain more confidence in your calling and see improvement in getting to speak with your new customers.

Before the call

Start with the end in mind - if you are unsure why you are calling, the person at the other end will struggle to understand too.  Write the purpose of your call on your notepad and speak it back to yourself (see Message).

Who are you calling - if it's a business, have you looked at their website?  I always take a look at the latest news section, about us, and people section, particularly if I'm unsure who I wish to direct my call to.  Use your time wisely and appropriately for the initial call - this will depend on the volume of calls you intend to make, your proposition and the information you would wish to be armed with.

Message - what is your proposition?  Why are you calling this prospective customer?  You may have had success with similar businesses who have found your proposition beneficial.  Be clear about the purpose of your call - keep it clear of jargon and brief, as you may have to state it once or twice before you get through to the decision maker.

Remember it's about the customer - am I really interested in how long you've been established, what ISO's you've have, your special deal or how unique you think your product is?  Build a rapport with me and find out a bit about my world (that is relevant).  Share with me how your proposition will benefit my business and how others like me have benefitted.  Be prepared for longer conversations.

When are you at your best - plan time to make your calls when you are at your best/sharpest; block 30 minute chunks out in your diary to make the calls.   Consider when your customer might be best disposed to take your call - would you expect to have a good conversation with a restaurant owner between 11.30 am and 3 pm?

Role play it - get a colleague or friend to play the customer and role play the call.  This provides a safe testing ground to hear what works and it can provide some crucial feedback and leanings about the messages and conversation you intend to use. 

 

During the call

The clichés do work: stand up to make your call; smile; have your notes to hand to keep you on track.  Be polite and confident - if someone answers your call, I assume they have decided it is convenient to speak with you.  If they tell you it's not, make sure you agree a time for you to call back.  Make every call count - use the opportunity to gain a bit more information, such as what time the decision maker usually starts/works until; name of their PA; email address.

 

After the call

Make sure you update your database with the outcome of the call.   Keep track of your activity and hit rates: calls made/ calls connected/ decision makers spoken with/ appointments made - these can be very insightful.

Make a note of how successful you felt the call was; how you felt during the call, and what you might have done differently.

And most importantly give it time - the more you do, the more proficient and comfortable you will become, and the more success you will have.

 

 

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk

Decision by technology

When I recently added a comment on LinkedIn, a respondent highlighted that one of my points - that we should also use our 'gut instinct' - was the worst thing I or anybody else could do.  There enthralled a few more comments between us and others who sang the praises of tests and technology to find the best outcomes. 

This got me thinking of how we are evermore placing faith in models and testing to the point where perhaps we almost delegate our decision making to technology.  Technology and technological products are tools.  Tools that we feel we cannot be separated from and cause us to have our own mini-breakdown when they are not working (as I write I find myself in this group as my email account has not functioned all day). It is however our ability to use technology, and how we choose to employ these tools that is important. 

The example of psychometric tests (which I have used in recruitment and team analysis) being a key method of selecting candidates or defining strengths is fine, yet the important element for me is the human interaction - that's what excites me about working with my customers and colleagues.  When we allow technology to control our actions, even when our experience or gut tells us something is not quite right, may render us almost passive to what we are doing.  A quick search on Google will offer examples of drivers who ignored their environment and ploughed on because their sat nav said the route was ok; and other negative decisions because the computer said no.

When we apply this to sales we can draw some comparisons.  Many procurement systems are based on a points system - you don't make the points, you don't move forward in the process.  Generally these are thought through and offer companies a way of filtering suppliers.  However, there comes a point where a dialogue and getting a sense of who you are and what your company is about has value for both parties.  Price is one factor in a sale, though belief of the ability to deliver, to communicate,  and demonstrate integrity can all feature - would an online test really give you this all on its own? 

A website or profile can within reason tell any story one chooses, and we can spout anything that we believe will make us more credible through our social media and blogs. Yet when we converse we get the opportunity to explore things further, with a person, at that time - and that can give us the confidence to proceed.  In his book (ACCELerate™your social media) JohnCoupland highlights the example of the default invitation on LinkedIn "I'd like to add you to my network", and how it is similar to a cold handshake.  How memorable is that as an introduction or follow up interaction?  LinkedIn and the invitation to connect feature are great tools, yet this is about communication between people, so rather than just letting the software 'do it' we should add something from us - in this case a personal message.

We should embrace technology and tools to help us in our lives and quests - they have transformed business, and if it works for you I would encourage you to acknowledge your intuitions and gut feel as part of your decision making.  It kept our ancestors safe with the choice of flee or fight - perhaps in sales it translates as buy or move on.

 

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk

From good to mediocre

I'm concerned about the potential decline of good customer service and customer experience.  It seems to me that mediocrity is becoming the new 'good' and I shudder to think what is now considered satisfactory.  Maybe it's my age or a generation thing; I'm sure my parent's generation said the same things in the past and probably still do.  However this is an important point and our routine experiences as customers appear to be getting worse. 

In some instances we almost applaud sales people who make eye contact and say hello, and continue to pay us attention throughout our interaction with them - surely this should be the base standard, yet its regularity is diminishing.  Is good customer service one American export that doesn't travel well?

One sector that stands out for me is retail; in particular supermarkets.  They have spent millions improving their product lines, rolling out online shopping, training staff to be extra helpful whilst you are shopping, and attracting talent to lead them.  I acknowledge that they do invest in their staff and their training - however training on its own is simply not enough.  Mary Kay suggested that every customer has a sign around their neck saying "make me feel important" - yet this seems far from how many treat us.

Whether it's the check out assistant who continues their conversation with a colleague whilst choosing the minimal amount of words to complete my transaction, or the sales person who disregards the answer I just shared and continues to try to close the sale using the same points like a mantra - we must expect and demand better.  If you are a retailer or a B2B sales person, surely demonstrating excellence in what you do must be an overriding goal, and something you would be proud of?

Maybe we need champions or managers to lead by example, or for business owners to clearly define their expectations and describe the desired customer experience - and importantly praise staff that they catch doing it right. There are so many things that we can do to make the experience for our customers memorable, and many actions carry no cost other than a bit of thought, effort and sincerity.  As my Nan used to say manners cost nothing, yet their value can mean a lot.

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk

The value of free

Have you ever struggled to get take up of your free seminar, free quote, or free consultation?  Has it become that even in business that some of us are sceptical of a catch, or that we feel or think that free has little or no value?

Yet what truth does this have, as free is still being widely advertised - "come to our free event, have a free trial, take a free test drive" - so does it work, does it have value? As sometimes it may feel that we struggle to 'give "it" away for free'.

Free on its own carries little value - it's the experience associated with what is being offered that builds the desire to use or take for free.  If you've ever commuted into a mainline station in London you'll regularly see promoters handing out promotional giveaways of cosmetics, confectionary, magazines and drinks.  A swarm of people change their course, anxious to get this new product for free.

When it comes to an event, seminar or consultancy, the purpose of free is to attract interest from a range of people who you hope will attend, increase their curiosity about you, and hopefully do business with you. 

Some event organisers in an attempt to address the mind-set of 'free' may place a nominal charge to encourage attendance on the day, and contribute to the cost of refreshments.  This can really slim down the guest list particularly if this is a new event or trying to attract a new audience, though at least you can be mildly confident that someone will show up.

To achieve success we should consider who our likely respondents are, and what would be their motivation to engage with free. 
There are numerous ways we can provide added value - collaboration with other subject matter speakers that compliment your business and will be of interest to your audience, the venue, and 'take away' materials or plan - and if you are providing refreshments make sure the biscuits are of a good quality; or cake if you wish to get my attendance.

Thanks for reading - for free.

 

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk

Why the wise should not always choose the best seller

Should the sales manager be a better 'sales performer' than their team? 

Being a sales manager of a team brings its own rewards and challenges – managing sales colleagues, sales performance reporting, financial projections, hitting/exceeding team targets, and developing a portfolio of clients. Most are responsibilities that the 'solo' sales executive may have had limited, if any, exposure to.  Yet there are times where a high performing sales person is promoted to a team manager position as a way of retaining them. 

This often occurs when the companys’ ability to acknowledge the worth' of the sales person is limited, or when the justification for an increase in salary requires them to have a role with a 'higher level of responsibility'.  All too often the 'new' sales manager receives the trappings of their new role - upgraded tools and toys, bigger salary and greater capacity for commission - yet is simply left to get on with it. 

There are many good sales managers out there who do develop their team members and who involve colleagues in various aspects of the sales managers’ tasks; though this is not always the case.  With an absence of support (such as mentoring and coaching) or solid leadership the new manager is at the peril of their inexperience and other ‘forces’. 

Of course it can all work out well, particularly if the sales person has a desire to be a team manager. Though by simply moving your best sales person into a management role, rather than assessing their ability to lead a team, you may have already taken a risk with your customers, the team and their results.

Recognising that it’s the sum of parts (the team) that leads to the greater success is sometimes overlooked. Think of the coaches who have supported successful sports people – some were good, yet few were great in their own sporting career – however it’s their ability to work with and enhance the performance of their protégés that make some of them great coaches.

This is the same for good sales managers who lead, coach and mentor their teams. They are able to demonstrate skills and provide qualitative feedback that enhances the abilities and results of their sales people.  Yes, individuals transcending into sales management should be good at sales, however sometimes just picking the best sales people to be the team manager is not always best outcome for your customers, the business or the team. 

What do you think?

 

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk

 

Motivating a sales team is all about money - right?

August 2013

What gets you fired up each day?  Maybe it’s the enjoyment of your job, the people that you will interact with, the chance to participate in your favourite hobby, or even the randomness of your day?

Though how frequently do we share what motivates us with family, friends, colleagues or associates? I imagine not that often. Besides why would they want or need to know?  An interesting thought, yet how regularly have you heard others say “they don’t motivate me” or “my manager doesn’t know what motivates me”- challenging when the insight into what does motivate the individual might be less than obvious.

So surely motivating sales people should be easy and straight forward as they are all driven by the same things – money, company car, gadgets, sales competitions, more money –right? 

Well there is some truth in this and money can be seen as a strong motivator, yet I believe that this list paints quite a superficial picture.  Of course many of us need or want a source of income to pay our bills and to fund our lifestyle, albeit the company car and gadgets are often tools that enable us to do our jobs or perform them better.  I believe there are other factors at play that provide motivation for our sales people, particularly when the individual is established within the company.  This is supported by a TED talk by Dan Ariely that looks at this in more detail and draws on 7 studies that reported on what makes colleagues more productive and happier at work. Ariely summarises that it’s more than money, and that people are motivated by meaningful work, by other’s acknowledgement and by the effort they’ve put in.  I can see his point, that if you value the work you do and the way you do it, hopefully others will do so too – whether it’s your customers, colleagues or boss.

Yet this still seems quite broad, like the earlier list, and we may have to give more effort to discover what really motivates our sales teams and colleagues.  I was faced with such a situation a few years ago. Whilst I was gaining an understanding of what motivated my sales people, this was less evident across our sales division and comments like “my manager doesn’t know what motivates me” were starting to emerge.  It also made me consider whether my colleagues were aware what fired me up each day and what maintained my motivation through the ‘highs’ and ‘not so highs’ of sales leadership.  

The exercise I used was quite simple and required minimal preparation, and became the icebreaker to a sales coaching day I was facilitating for about fifty colleagues.  Each participant was asked to bring an A4 sheet with a drawing or image that represented what motivated them to work in sales and/or work for our organisation.  The sheets were collected and placed on the walls by one colleague and then we circulated and wrote on each sheet who we thought was the owner of the image.

This certainly played to our competitive streak and the results were very interesting, both in what we perceived motivated colleagues and the reality of what actually did.  Some were quite obvious to guess (apparently mine was) and yes there were numerous money images, yet others revealed drivers that some of their co-workers had been less than aware of.  There was a mixture of images of holiday destinations, photos of families, yet also images of our customers, teams and our organisation. Even some owners of the money images explained a deeper purpose that included spending time with family and lifestyle choices. 

So before you get around to purchasing that bottle of champagne, gift voucher or luxury weekend break to thank or motivate your sales people, think about or better still find out what they would truly value. It could be that your timely acknowledgement of a task done well and reinforcement that what they do has purpose and meaning has greater impact than the bottle bag left on their desk months later. 

Or maybe it's always just about the money...what motivates you and your team?

 

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk