Ask A Sales Leader: Danijela Ivankovic

Danijela Ivankovic Precor Sales Process Feb 19 2016

Danijela Ivankovic is the Co-owner and General Manager of DD Wellness Solutions in Belgrade, Serbia. Danijela runs a successful business in a developing fitness market in the Balkans. This month, she shares her insight on how they use the program we worked with them on recently.

  1. How does your organization use sales process?

Serbia is a developing market with many specific challenges and unfortunately not much structure. The elements that we learned from the Precor Sales Process (PSP) provides us with a structure which help us and clients to stay on the right path, which has a beginning and a predictable end.

Not all of the process steps are possible to follow every time, but there are always valuable tools and parts of the process which can lead us to the successful conclusion of the deal. They include:

  • Clear awareness of  the customers’ Primary Business Objectives;
  • The approach in which we are leading a client through questions, to realize that our capabilities are right to address their challenges; pointing to financial impacts and values.
  • Following the Discovery Map
  • The Negotiating plan gives us a more effective perspective to prepare to close the business
  • Developing Gets/Gives as a part of negotiation is very powerful

Clients are responding very well as their part in the buying process is much more appreciated. The whole process creates the platform in which decision they make is completely their decision.

  1. What advice would you give to other sales leaders?

Try to adopt and implement PSP as much as possible. Reactions of clients, no matter how big or small are they, are very positive, and can save you time, energy and finances which is very important.

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Join FSS at the ALC Conference in San Diego

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On May 13, John will be speaking to the Association of Language Companies (ALC) at their Annual Conference in downtown San Diego.  (Click here for more information and you can review the program here.) The title of the session is “Establishing Value Around Your Product and Service”, and a description of the program is below.

Making sure that a customer or prospect understands how they use your product or service to increase revenue, decrease cost or mitigate risk is the key component to establishing value. But before we can “ tell “ someone what our value proposition is, we must first understand how they operate today in the absence of what we are selling to them. Make sense? Is it easier said than done? Definitely.

All the features and benefits in the world don’t mean anything until a customer or prospect has a clear understanding of how your product or service addresses the challenges they are facing and helps them to meet their business objectives. So, it makes sense that we must first understand what the business objectives and challenges are before going into how we can address or improve them.  This concept is so basic and fundamental that it is often overlooked. On May 13, we will make sure we all have the concepts right before we leave the session.

ALC is a national trade association representing businesses that provide translation, interpretation, localization, and language training services. 

If you would like to join us, please contact Malinee at malinee@drive-revenue.com for more information.

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On The Road Again: From Missouri, The Show Me State

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Last week, John traveled to Columbia and St. Louis, Missouri to begin the development of a customized sales process for a new customer. Click on arrow above to hear more about our “Ask A Sales Leader” segment, and about an upcoming speaking engagement in San Diego for John in May.

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Why Flannery Sales Systems?

Flannery Sales Systems appreciates the positive feedback about our services from our many clients around the world.  We are thrilled to be promoted by a VP of Sales in this short video clip. Click on the arrow above to listen to this VP speak about why he uses FSS to coach his sales leaders in the sales process to help drive revenue. A few key points he noted about FSS was that we:

1. Customize all material and focus on the implementation plan

2. Provide coaching and developing tools and reinforcement

3. Teach discipline

If you are interested in finding out more information about Flannery Sales Systems and for a free consultation please contact John Flannery at john@drive-revenue.com

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On the Road Again: Dubai, UAE

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Greetings from atop the tallest building in the world here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 2700 mind boggling feet in the air!  We conducted two workshops there last week, and had attendees from 8 different countries who shared their experiences on buyer behavior in their respective markets.  Click on the video above to hear more.

The international insight gained in the discussions around the room during our sessions helps all salespeople to hone their skills for value creation. While there are always subtleties from a cultural and linguistic capacity, buyer behavior around the world is fairly predictable in the enterprise selling world. Brian Tracy shared this same sentiment with me, citing the fact that “the differences are the 20% of the 80/20 Pareto Principle, and where the seller can shine by adopting the correct way to match buying behavior with the selling efforts”. 

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Your Sales Plans Are in Place: Now It’s Time to Execute

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execute_2Flannery Sales Systems just completed work with three of our customers to finalize their 2016 Sales plans, and the contributions we made fell into one or more of the five categories listed below. Companies spend hundreds of hours building plans for their sales organizations to define territory coverage, compensation, strategic and key account designations, product introductions with cross selling opportunities, and managerial responsibilities. These plans are usually delivered in January, often times at a kickoff meeting, and the fanfare around the rollout builds excitement for the coming year.

Here is a checklist that senior executives and sales leaders can use to make sure all of the critical items are in place for a successful 2016:

1- Strategic Plan Communicated: a sales leader with whom we work says the summary of this plan should be no more than 2 pages long, and it should be reinforced with all employees on a monthly basis. The plan’s brevity forces key players to make decisions on which channels to market, key strategies to penetrate each, and which team members will be assigned.

2- Clear Expectations Set: all players on the team must know what their revenue targets are, where their “patch” is to work, and how their success will be measured and compensated. There is nothing like ambiguity to distract from full concentration and effort. A sales process helps transform the overall strategy into a tactical execution plan, providing all customer-facing roles with clear direction on how to take each opportunity from lead to revenue.

3- Managerial Cadence on Reviews Scheduled: all of the front line sellers should know when and how they will be reviewed to discuss opportunities, accounts and overall pipeline. This schedule should be “cast in stone” and should include the information that sellers need in advance of the coaching session. Reviews that are done on an ad hoc or catch you soon basis are a recipe for failure.

4- Information Dissemination: you must establish how customer-facing roles will share information within the organization. For most companies, this centers around the use of a CRM system, but other tools such as configure/price/quote tools, customer service updates, and product inventory updates should also be documented. Marketing and sales must be on the same page here to ensure the message the customer receives is effective, and if not, to develop a feedback loop to course correct.

5- Identification of Leading Indicators: clear, simple metrics should be in place to help sellers and their managers know if there is enough activity in the pipeline well in advance of the upcoming month or quarter end.

We hope these tips help your senior leaders to develop and communicate a clear, effective and actionable sales plan for 2016!

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Join us in Dubai this month!

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This month John is on his way to Dubai, UAE. He will be meeting with a global manufacturing company, working with their dealers from Europe and the Middle East to improve their selling skills with a focus on their customers. Flannery Sales Systems’ sales process expertise, customized programs and experienced delivery team has a proven track record of success in the 14 countries they have worked in.

John would like to meet with any interested local Sales Leaders during his stay. If you live there, or happen to be there between February 13th and February 20th, please join John for a coffee or a walk through the amazing skyline. Contact John at john@drive-revenue.com, and we hope to see you in Dubai!

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Ask A Sales Leader: Preston Foreman

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This month’s Ask A Sales Leader is Preston Foreman. Preston is the Regional Sales Manager for Pioneer Steel Corporation. He also has experience as a sales trainer and shares multiple perspectives from the different roles in sales.

1. Describe how your customer facing teams use your organization’s sales process.
• The team uses the sales process in three different ways: Opening / Background questions, Value proposition (added services beyond materials), Closing and follow through.

2. What is your Management’s approach to Coaching sales reps?
• I approach coaching in a mentor role as opposed to a subordinate / Manager role. I make sure my team feels we are all in this together. I ask what ideas they have first then analyze those ideas and add my own experience and expertise to make a custom fit coaching session to that individual Rep. It is important the Rep. does not feel like they are being “told” what to do. Having a stake in the coaching process gives them ownership and motivation to try the new approach.

3. How do you reinforce sales skill development for sales reps?
• The best way for me to reinforce sales skill development is to stay involved and be a mentor. The “sandwich” approach is what I use. First, it starts out with positive comments and telling what they did right, second, identify areas of growth and changes that need to be made. The second part is critical as it must be specific to what did not work. Generalized comments are NOT effective. Third, end on a positive note and make a new plan moving forward then a follow up of how the new plan worked. This is a constant cycle that must be continued so the Rep. knows management is involved and cares about their development as a salesperson.

4. What advice would you give to other sales leaders ?
• The best advice that I can give is to make sure the team feels PART of the process and not just subordinates to carry out orders. The role of a Manager is to motivate, inspire, and develop. Being a Manager is not about the Manager. It’s about the team and individual development. Listening is key as well. Some of the best sales ideas I have received are from new Reps.

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An Invitation to Improve Your Mindset for Higher Performance

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In 2016 some people are going to transform their lives. For them this will be the beginning of a new era of higher achievement and satisfaction. Are you one of them?

If you have chosen to make this “Your Time!” then I have a powerful opportunity for you. On January 29th in Los Angeles I will be co-leading a life-changing workshop called “The High-Performance Mindset”. This science based training was developed in collaboration with Dr. Michael Bernard, a world leading authority on high performance. He has refined and proven this training with Gerhard Gschwandtner, publisher of Selling Power Magazine and creator of the Sales 2.0 conference series. Jim Cathcart and I will be joining Gerhard in leading this event for you.

The essence of this training is an experience, not just a knowledge transfer, that will lead you to the breakthroughs you need to transcend your limits and doubts. What we have learned about High Performers is: First, they make a Strong Commitment to Success and they will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to win, to break new records and to reach higher levels of happiness. You will discover how to strengthen your own commitments as never before. No more “give it my best and hope for the rest.” Instead this will be your time to truly and happily commit ! Listen to my experience in this brief video link:

Second, High Performers sustain No-limit Thinking. Research shows that doubt kills more dreams than failure ever does. There are known processes for overcoming doubt and restoring faith. In our one-day High Performance Mindset workshop you’ll learn how to win no matter what adversities you may have to face. You will astound yourself with what is possible for you.

The third quality is Resilience. Through intense study of people who have endured the toughest conditions on Earth and rebounded to success, we have defined the process for breaking free. We call this “Escape Velocity”. Escape velocity is the speed at which an object can break free of the gravitational pull of a central mass. There is a lot of gravitational pull towards “average” and “same” in this world. In our workshop you will learn how to create the beliefs that allow you to transcend and break free from influences, patterns and circumstances that hold you back.

A recent attendee led their sales team to achieve their highest quarter in the history of the company – they adopted a no-limit mindset. One sales rep is on track to increase sales by 300% – he deepened his commitment to success. We have had graduates cheering, crying tears of joy, and sharing profound personal stories of how this training has helped them overcome fear, doubt and confusion. Imagine the impact on your career if you achieved similar results.

Please join me at this event to make 2016 the most amazing year in your own life and career. We can only accept 30 people at this event and you’re welcome to invite others but it has to be soon lest the space is already spoken for. Come and discover how much more successful you can be.

I invite you to sign up for our full-day High Performance Mindset workshop on January 29th in Los Angeles. Click HERE to register today for $995 and enter the discount code “mindsetflan10” to get a 10% discount.

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No Pain No Gain

 

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Qualifying for motivation or pain is time consuming, but it is the most important thing a salesperson can do. And, because the prospect wants to guard against appearing too vulnerable to you, it’s important to remove any and all pressure from the sales conversation. A good tactic to do this is to tell him/her up front that it’s okay to tell you “no” if there’s not a fit.

Discovering the prospect’s pain is a process. It’s a series of questions that takes the prospect from an intellectual, big picture level to an emotional level describing personal consequences and commitment.

The ability to qualify the prospect and understand his pain is one of the most important jobs the salesperson has. Once you learn how to qualify the prospect, you will close a much higher percentage of your proposals. And, you will be providing valuable solutions and gaining referrals.

The Top Ten Tips for Finding Pain

1. The prospect must convince you that there’s a problem and that it’s important to find a solution.
2. People don’t buy features and the related benefits, they buy solutions to their problems.
3. People buy emotionally and justify their decisions logically.
4. Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice.
5. No pain, no change.
6. Features and benefits used prematurely are the primary cause of the prospect’s objections.
7. Observe the 70/30 rule when qualifying your prospect. Let him do most of the talking.
8. You get your credibility by the type of qualifying questions you ask, not by the length and enthusiasm of your sales pitch.
9. The more effective you are at qualifying, the easier the close will be.
10. If you say it, they can doubt it; if they say it, they believe it.

 

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