by Nancy Calabrese | Jul 21, 2020 | Advice, Cold Calling, Cold Calling Success, Sales Prospecting Success
At One of a Kind Sales, we have a LOT of experience assessing and training sales teams. Unfortunately, what we see is that most companies have mediocre sales forces with way more “B” and “C” level players than “A” grade salespeople. Here are some tips on how to assess YOUR sales team with suggestions for how to identify people worth training and how to build your own “A” team for sales.
The first step is to assess your team.
You probably know your “A” team salespeople. They are the ones who are making the calls, setting appointments and closing sales. These are the people you want to identify for advanced training, so they MASTER their craft. We have a good track record with training people like this to become reliable and effective producers. Click here to read more about our training, monitoring and management program, Call Center in a Box.
Your “B” team players are the ones who might have some success but are unreliable or inconsistent in their performance. If they are consistently making calls, have a positive attitude and are receptive to training, this group may have the ability to become “A” players. We have a proven program to train “B” players to produce at “A” levels. Click here to learn more.
“C” level players are usually the ones who whine about having to make calls, push back against suggestions for new ways to approach the job and/or resist training. Here are some ways to address poor performance and to see if they are worth training:
- Back up your assessment with data – show them their stats compared to others or a stated benchmark.
- Explain that consistently positive behavior is REQUIRED of them.
- Define the consequences of poor performance.
- Define the resources and/or training that is available to them.
- Request their ‘buy-in’ and permission to help them.
If they are still not performing after your attempts to help them, it may be best to find them a different position or to just let them go. Having negative people who do not produce and/or follow the company’s specified approach can sap the energy and ambition of other team members, leaving you with less than stellar results.
And just because someone is NEW or does not yet have a book of business does NOT necessarily make them a “C” player. Being a “C” player is more about the lack of commitment and having a negative attitude. If they are committed and have a positive attitude, we can train new and young associates to get them to “B” and “A” level performance.
Remember, no matter how senior your people become, Cold Calling must ALWAYS continue to be a part of your sales team members’ daily, if not weekly, task list. This helps keep their skills sharp and your pipeline full.
If an experienced salesperson’s book of business IS truly so large that their entire time must be devoted to servicing clients, you need to outsource your Cold Calling in order to keep your pipeline FULL. A full pipeline is one of the only ways to ensure your company’s continued growth and success. Click here to see how WE can make Cold Calls for YOU and deliver the qualified appointments you need to keep your pipeline packed with prospects!
How does YOUR sales team stack up? Give us a call at 908.879.2911 if you would like us to come in and assess, train and get YOUR sales team up to speed!
by Nancy Calabrese | Feb 4, 2020 | Cold Calling Success, Cold Calling Tips, Sales, Sales Prospecting, Sales Prospecting Success
Back in 2008, during the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Michael Phelps was on fire! He had won 8 gold medals and was still swimming strong. Then, during the 200 meter Butterfly competition he had what you might call a ‘wardrobe malfunction’.
As he dove in to begin the race, his goggles slowly began filling with water. “I dove in and they filled up with water, and it got worse and worse during the race,” Phelps told reporters after event. “From the 150-meter wall to the finish, I couldn’t see the wall. I was just hoping I was winning.”
How would YOU do if you were essentially ‘blind’ for three quarters of one of the most important performances of your career? As it turned out, Phelps did just fine – actually MORE than fine – he went on to not only WIN the race but broke the world’s record!
Those of us who watched the race hadn’t even NOTICED that anything was wrong! He had continued swimming hard and fast just like he always did. Reporters were astonished. How had he done it?
It seems that before every race, Michael Phelps closes his eyes and ENVISIONS the entire race – every stroke, from the dive in to touching the wall at the finish. He counts the strokes, envisioning them as perfect and sees, in his mind’s eye, a mental version of a ‘perfect race’.
So when he needed to perform without being able to actually SEE the wall, he KNEW how many strokes he had to make!
How can this help YOU perform at YOUR very best?
Make sure that YOU can envision the ‘perfect’ call – how will it go? What will YOU say? What will THEY say? How many ‘strokes’ or ‘volleys’ will it take to make it through the call?
Prepare by MEMORIZING your script – internalize it so you are comfortable enough to deliver it, with feeling, even with your eyes closed!
While a wardrobe malfunction really shouldn’t slow you down on a phone call, do ensure that your tech is up to speed. Check your phone, make sure you have your notes up on your computer and that you have your script memorized – yes, I know I mentioned that already but it is important enough to repeat!
And here are a few past posts that can also help you prepare yourself to succeed, no matter WHAT surprises you may face!
If YOU need help with crafting an effective script, learning new skills and/or with feedback and suggestions for improving your delivery, give me a call at 908.879.2911 – we can help get YOU to YOUR ‘perfect race’!
