Driving Sales Beyond

I like the part about knowing your company, and most importantly our suppliers.  
 
Years ago a supervisor was training me. He believed he had to take any order a customer asks for. 
 
There was an instance were a boat was out of service for some Head parts from a manufacturer that was notorious for taking forever to ship. The parts were probably $40 total. The supervisor took the order, did a rush special order and it started to fall apart there. 
 
Some items arrived, some got backordered, shipping was expensive and 2 weeks later the customer was furious at us for letting him down. 
 
In keeping the customers best interest at heart, I have in the past directed accounts to competitors that can solve imidiate needs especially when the cost is small and the failure risk is high. 
 
I have even gone as far as giving them the competitors part number and phone number so they dont have to get too comfortable using them. 
 
They have always appreciated the honesty, and never has one switched buying habits because of this.

Edit above: 
 
PS: dont ever give out any secrets that you may have, I would never refer a customer to a competitor that has a clear advantage to us only one that is an equal or lesser foe.

Great post here Dirk. True, due to the pressuring flux in our market environments, leaders and managers alike seek solutions to worrisome issues and take pause to reflect on sales forces effectiveness.Even so much as to identify key traits that make up the best of the best powerhouse seller and how to harvest and maintain them.  
 
 
 
I’m positive novels have been written on the subject, some of which are useful and others plain useless, I mean really? Who drills down to the genetic makeup of a sales person like they are some Spartan Warriors with freakish DNA? The age old adage, sells is sells even rings true in this day and age. I think fundamentally, selling is becoming a lost art. Technology and service maintenance trigger buyers and customers, however, bottom line, it stems back to the experience or even better yet, the personal experience customers have with their representatives is what drives long term results. 
 
 
 
A few points on sales representatives:  
 
• You know how to sell or you don’t. Teaching and mentoring sales individuals is like pulling diamonds from the seashores. Pardon the metaphor. Good quality sales individuals are rare to find and difficult to keep but priceless to any organization. 
 
• What makes a good sales individual? While I believe all 11 points are critical on a tactical level, key fundamental attributes are necessary for individuals to be successful in the sales arena. 
 
1. Tenacious work ethic – 40hrs work weeks don’t cut it in outperforming your competitors. 
 
2. Organization skills. There’s a whole lot of base activity that goes into conquering the mountain of competitive conversions. It take a well organized individual to monitor and keep track of the activities as to not get bogged down in minutia or trip over the day to day activities (which mind you should be follow up). 
 
3. Understanding of the sales process. The sales process is in all its grandeur, is for all intents and purposes, a process. Is it short term gains or long term viability? Perhaps in a perfect world it’s both. One-off and short term gains may band-aid the financial situation at the moment but rarely results in long term profitability or viability. Customers or future customers need to have attachment to what they are buying should they buy again. A sales person who takes a customer through the sales cycle in its entirety stands a far better chance of repeat business. Its difficult to close the deal if concerns are still on the table. Likewise its difficult to close the deal is there’s no relationship or understanding of trust (points made in your comment on integrity). Follow up is a crucial part of the sales process that many fundamentally miss. 
 
4. Hunters vs. farmers. We’ve heard this analogy used many times but it fits well in identifying behaviors of the sales force and assigning expectation from the leadership position. Helping farmers develop hunter like skill sets and hunters develop farmer like skill sets can be beneficial to any organization. I enjoyed your part on personal development, perhaps this fits. 
 
5. To echo your point on passion for the business. It’s contagious. It drives resourcefulness and action. We should be mindful of ensuring passion is coupled with knowledge. 
 
6. Reliability. Not to sound like a beer commercial, but if a sales rep is just a trusty as your brew de’ jour, the job will get done…eventually.  
 
 
 
Just a few thoughts to your post for what it’s worth. Thanks again for the insight.