Sales people often fail to recognize that when a customer says no, it does not always mean that they are not interested in the product or service you are selling.  It may simply mean that they do not see the value in what you are offering.  If this is the case you’ve just got more selling to do. But how do you know whether you should continue to sell or move on. Customers always provide signals regarding this and there are three to pay close attention to.

First is “indifference”. Here the customer will express that whatever you are selling is just not that important to them.  When this occurs you need to use the open probing technique outlined in the professional sales tips #1.  Your objective is to ask the type of probing questions that will uncover an unrealized need thereby allowing you to continue the sales process.

Signal number two is “skepticism”. The customer has heard the benefits you presented, but they are skeptical that they will realize the same value. They simply don’t believe it. In this case you will want to offer proof, such as a customer testimonial or white paper that supports your position.  This is the best way to get the customers to realize there may be some real value in what you are offering.

Signal number three is outright “objection”. This is often due to a misunderstanding or a drawback that the customer perceives in your offering.  The best way to address this is to make a supporting statement to clear up any misunderstanding. Then remind the customer of the benefits they may have already accepted during the sales process.

There are certainly times when you need to carefully review the potential of an opportunity – the effort required to win the deal, the probability of winning the business, and if this is the type of customer that your company will enjoy a long term business relationship with. But before you determine this remember that no does not always mean no.

Image “yes? no? maybe.” by Visionello on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Open Probes

When you begin your dialogue with a potential customer or prospect you want to encourage them to respond freely with open probes.  For example, if you are selling sales software you may want to ask “Why are you looking for a sales or opportunity management software solution?” This allows the prospect to expand on their business objectives and hopefully provide you with valuable information regarding their specific business requirements.

Closed Probes

When you want to limit the range of the customer’s response to a yes or no answer, or to a choice of alternatives you supply, you will want to use a closed probe. An example would be “Are you the decision maker for the sales management system?”  This will help you to better understand how the decision for the sales system will be made.

Supporting Probes

Lastly, when you feel you have uncovered and have a clear understanding of a customer need you will want to use a supporting probe, where you acknowledge the need and introduce benefits that satisfy that need.  If you have used probing properly, you will now be in a position to summarize the benefits that the customer accepted during the call and formulate an action plan to get the customer’s commitment to continue to earn their business.

Image “Questions?” by Valerie Everett on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

By Dave Kahle

Most time studies of field salespeople reveal that the typical salesperson only spends 25 to 30 percent of his/her work week actually talking with customers and prospects.  Much of the remainder of that time is spent alone.  That isolation can be devastating if the time is spent thinking negative and self-deprecating thoughts.

The tendency to fill our down time with negative thoughts is a problem that few salespeople will publically acknowledge.  It is a natural tendency in a job where rejection is a common experience.  Combine that routine rejection with lots of alone-time to think about it, and you have a recipe for depression and dejection.

It is not news to anyone that a depressed and dejected salesperson is not motivated to make the next sales call or to go the extra step.  If you are depressed, you performance will suffer.

Let’s examine the sequence of events.  Given a lot of alone-time to think, rejection often prompts negative thoughts.  Negative thoughts produce depressed and negative emotions.  Negative emotions lead to far less positive behavior.  The lack of positive behavior leads to poor performance.  And what does poor performance lead to?  Negative thoughts.

That is a cycle that can keep a salesperson under-performing for years.

You can break that cycle by training yourself to create the habit of positive self-talk.  Positive self talk is the routine expression of verbal and silent thoughts that are designed to build a positive attitude.  Sales masters engage in managing their thoughts by a number of specific practices.

They collect positive thoughts and sayings from sources around them.  They listen to positive thoughts while they drive.  They subscribe to services which deliver positive ideas to them.  They repeat, silently in their minds, as well as out loud, positive thoughts, ideas and affirmations.

These thoughts then become embedded in their minds, gradually pushing out the negative ideas which are so easily accumulated.

The net result of this mental work?  More energy and more motivation.  In spite of a personal rejection, they have the motivation to make that next call and to go the extra step.

Positive thoughts eventually lead to positive actions, which eventually lead to greater performance.

The best salespeople understand that.  They also know that it is their personal responsibility to keep themselves motivated and thinking positively.  That leads them to the use of positive self-talk as a practice proven to help fight off negative thoughts and result in focused effective sales behavior.

That’s why this is a best practice of the best salespeople.

If you’d like to study this best practice more thoroughly, read  How to Excel at Distributor Sales, chapter 12 and 13; read  Take your Sales Performance Up-A-Notch, Chapter 16, and, if you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center™, consider Pod-24: Motivating Yourself to Excel Every Day, Nuggets N-163: Adversity, N-158: Motivation, and N-106: Self- Motivation.

Image “trying to stay positive today” by Bud Caddell on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle
All Rights Reserved.

By Dave Kahle

I recently came across some research that confirmed what many of us in the profession of educating sales people have known for years: That purchasers would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if that sales person would just “listen” to the customer. ⁽¹⁾ The survey found that some of the worst offenders were experienced sales people.

Listening is one of the four fundamental competencies of a professional sales person, and yet, the profession is, in general, so poor at it that most customers remark on our inability to do it well.

Wow!  If there is anyone I wouldn’t want thinking I was a poor listener, my customers would be towards the top of the list.

Why is listening such a powerful sales competency?

In my book Question Your Way to Sales Success, I describe a number of reasons.  Here are a few.

First, it is our primary way of digging beneath the surface of a customer’s needs and uncovering deeper and more powerful needs and motivations.  That makes it a primary tool – of which the skillful use separates the master sales people from the mediocre.  For example, it doesn’t take any skill whatsoever to pick up an RFQ, a set of blueprints, or to write down a list of what the customer says he needs.  You don’t have to be a master listener to do that.  But to dig deeper and uncover deeper issues, that takes the ability to listen.

Here’s an example.  In a routine sales call with a regular customer, the customer says, “We’re thinking of going to X product.  What’s your price?”

Lots of sales people would look up the price and provide it.  There.  Job done.

The master would hear the words “Thinking of going…” and dig a little deeper.

“What makes you interested in that?” he says.

The customer replies: “Well, we’re looking for a solution for a problem with our widget production line, and one of the key operators mentioned it as a  possibility.”

“I see.  What sort of problem are you having in that production line?”

“An abnormally high reject rate.”

“I may have some other solutions.  Can I talk to your production manager?”

I don’t have to take this scenario much further to make the point.  A visit with the production supervisor could very well result in a deeper understanding of the problem and the development of an alternative solution with a whole lot more gross margin to it.  The master sales person, exercising excellent listening skills, hears opportunities where many sales people don’t.  Listening is the primary tool for digging deeper and uncovering deeper and more significant issues in our customers.

But that’s not all.  When we listen, we send a powerful message that we care about the other person.  Conversely, when we don’t listen, we send the message that our agenda is far more important than the customer’s trivial ideas and issues.  That makes effective listening one of the all time great relationship-building devices.

Listening requires us to take in information, ideas and opinions that are outside our comforts zones.  It is, therefore, one of the primary tools we use to grow intellectually, to broaden our views, and ultimately, to become wiser and more knowledgeable.  If we never listen to someone with a different perspective, we never consider the possibility that we might be wrong.

From a sales person’s perspective, the more we listen, the more different positions, motivations, opinions and nuances we are able to understand and accommodate.  The wiser and more capable we become.  Since we are able to understand an ever-growing panoply of positions and opinions, we are able to feel a rapport with more and more customers, and move closer to a consensus position with them.

Listening positions us as a consultant, not a peddler, in the eyes of the customer.  Ultimately, listening provides us our competitive edge.

So, how do we do it better?

Here are two specific techniques to help you improve your listening effectiveness.

Listen constructively.

My wife is a crisis counselor.  She talks about “listening empathetically.” That means she listens in order to understand what a person is feeling.  That is very appropriate for that type of work.  However, we are sales people.  It is more important that we listen “constructively.”  Think of “constructively – construction – building.”  We need to listen for things upon which to build.  Listen for opportunities, problems, opinions, etc. on which we can build our solutions.

One way to do this is to plant a couple of questions into our mind before every sales call.  These are questions for which we want to gain the answer.  You could, for example, say to yourself before a sales call:  “What is the one thing that is this customer’s most pressing challenge today?”  And, you could ask yourself, “On what basis will this customer make the decision to buy or not?”

By planting those questions into your mind, you sharpen your sensitivity to what the customer says, enabling you to listen more constructively to the customer’s conversation.

Discipline yourself to build the habit of responding to your customer’s comments.

Here’s how we think the sales interview should go.

1. We ask a question.
2. The customer answers.
3. We ask another question.

When you exercise the habit of responding, you change the format.  Now, it goes like this:

1. We ask a question.
2. The customer answers.
3. We respond to the answer.
4. We now ask another question.

Notice that we have intervened in the process with something we call a “response.”  A response is a verbal or non-verbal signal that we send to the customer that we are listening, and accepting what the customer says. It flatters the customer, makes him/her feel good about answering, and encourages him/her to answer in more depth and detail.

Here are two powerful responses:

1. Select one or two words out of the customer’s conversation, and repeat them back to the customer, nodding your head.

Here’s an example.  You ask the question, “Which of these challenges are most pressing for you?”

The customer responds by talking for a few moments about his challenges.  When he pauses, you say, “back orders” and nod your head.  “Back orders” was one of the issues he talked about.  You just repeated it, and nodded your head.

That’s a powerful response because it shows the customer that you have listened to the point that you have captured and repeated one of his main thoughts.  That feels good to the customer and conditions him to answer the next question with even more depth and detail.  Just as importantly, since you were focused on finding a key word or two to repeat, you had to listen to the customer’s conversation!  This technique forced you to listen more effectively, and made the customer feel good in the process.

2. Summarize and rephrase what the customer has said, and repeat it back to him.

This is similar to the one or two word techniques discussed above, more intense.  When the customer has finished answering your question, you say something like this:  “Let me see if I understand you correctly.  In other words, what you are saying is…………………………” Paraphrase and give him back your understanding of what he just said.

Like the prior technique, this is a powerful tool because it forces you to listen, it engages the customer, and it seeks agreement.  Using this a couple of times in the sales interview will make the customer feel good about you, ensure that you understand him, and create an atmosphere of agreement.

Ultimately, your ability to listen more effectively evolves out of your discipline to apply some of these techniques regularly and methodically.  If you are going to listen more effectively, you must first make the commitment to expend the effort to do so.

By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

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(1) Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, August, 2005

Image “Actionable Listening” by Cambodia4kids.org Beth Kanter on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. A great source of specific tools to help you close is Dave’s book, Question Your Way to Sales Success. Check it out here.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

By Dave Kahle

Q. In regards to personality conflicts with an account, at what point do you walk away and let someone else in your organization try?

A.  Great question.  Let me answer in two ways.

First, from a purely theoretical perspective, a professional sales person should be able to build relationships with anyone, regardless of the personalities involved.  So, from a theoretical point of view the answer would be “never.”  It is the responsibility of the sales person to figure out how to sell to every account, and every person within the account.

There are some selling situations where this “theoretical” position becomes part of the practical expectations for a sales person.  Large geographical territories, for example, don’t allow for the option of letting someone else try.

Having said that, let’s recognize that there are very few sales people in the world who are analytical enough, creative enough, motivated enough and flexible enough to figure out how to sell to every account.

So, we’re back to your question.  I don’t think there has ever been any research on this, so my answer comes from my personal experience.

A large part of the answer depends on the company’s position in the marketplace, their strategies, and the availability of a capable “someone else.”  For example, if you have a hot new product with a limited window of opportunity, that would shorten the amount of time that a company could wait for a sales person to successfully penetrate an account.

In a mature market, where competitors were jostling for business from one another, that could lengthen the time a company could wait.

The same is true for a capable option.  If you have no capable person prepared to take over the account, the time frame expands.  If you have a good person chomping at the bit, that influences your calculations in the opposite direction.

With all that said, my gut feeling is a year or two.  It’s going to take at least a good year to exhaust all the possible strategies for penetrating the account.  And there is no use changing the account until the current sales person has given it his/her best shot.  So, at least a year, maybe two.  If there is no progress at that point, nor any sign of imminent changes, it’s time to make a change.

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By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

Image “What is your number to walk away” by Satya Murthy on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leadng sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

Don't be afraid to engage your CRM Vendor

With a challenging economy, increased competition and pressure to improve performance many small to mid-size companies are looking for ways to become a more efficient sales and service organization.  Let’s take a quick look at why people are choosing to implement CRM software.

• Unable to access and view customer data
• Not generating enough new business opportunities
• Leads and sales opportunities are falling through the cracks
• Monthly and quarterly forecasts are inaccurate
• Projects are poorly managed

These are certainly valid reasons for implementing a CRM system. Yet if you conducted a survey with regard to the level of satisfaction among users of CRM software you would uncover a level of dissatisfaction that rivals the airline industry.  Why?  The reason is simple and has little to do with the actual CRM software itself.

CRM software has been touted as the “Holy Grail” that will fix all your internal processes, increase sales and ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. The explosive growth of CRM and sales software among small to mid-size companies indicates that the sales managers of these businesses believe this and are implementing CRM systems in record numbers.

Caught in the Trap of One Size Fits All CRM

Every CRM software system has a target audience. Some are focused on contact management, others on sales opportunity management and some are focused on customer service or help desk.  Your challenge is to determine which CRM system is best suited for your business.

But how can you do this if you have not documented your specific business requirements? Here lies the problem and the reason for such a high dissatisfaction level with CRM users.  Typical reasons for the frustrations are:

The software does not meet our business requirements

This occurs when a company fails to document their specific business requirements or is just too busy to try the product to ensure it addresses them properly. Finding out after the implementation that the CRM product does not meet your requirements is the fault of management, or your CRM selection team, who perhaps were never told what the business requirements were in the first place.

Lack of utilization

No one is using the product? Well of course not. If the product does not work the way the staff does it offers no value and as a result won’t be used. End users may be fickle, but they are smart enough to quickly determine if the product will provide value to them.  One that does not meet their workflow requirements will be quickly abandoned.

How can you ensure that you don’t fall into this trap? Here is some advice. If you have not documented your business requirements then you are not ready to select a CRM solution for your business.  Some people believe that they should just try a few out then select the one they like the best. This approach is just… stupid.

Find the Right CRM Software for Your Business

Take the time to:

1.  Identify your top two business challenges – You may have more, but you should address no more than two at a time.  If you think you can tackle more, think again.

2.  Look for a solution that addresses these specific challenges – Don’t worry about selecting a CRM system with all the bells and whistles, or the one that’s most popular.  Find one that addresses your specific business issues. Then take a test drive to ensure that it actually meets your expectations.

3.  Make the CRM vendor an instrumental part of the selection process – Some CRM vendors offer free trials, but refuse to engage you in a discussion about your business requirements.  They prefer that you try the product and if you like it, enter your credit card over the internet and you are on your way.  So much for customer relationship management, heh!

CRM salespeople can add a lot of value during the selection process. Don’t be afraid to engage them and make sure they are available before, during and after the sale.

Image “Brave, Brave, Brave, Brave Sir Robin” by make little sharks. on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Customers are your lifeline which is why you need to respond quickly when they call for assistance. In order to meet customer expectations your staff will require immediate access to customer data whether they are in the office or away on business.

While online CRM software programs have traditionally been focused on capturing and storing customer data, many of these systems now support remote or wireless access to customer data via smart phones and tablets like the Apple iPad.  This makes it easy for sales and support staff to respond quickly to new sales inquiries or service requests.  The explosion of wireless devices has caused several industry experts to predict the death of the traditional personal computer. While it is doubtful this will happen in the near term, there is no question that we will see an increase in mobile devices utilization and an increased requirement for data access to meet sales and customer service expectations.

Companies that are not using mobile technology to manage customer relationships may find that they are losing ground to competitors that are.

With this in mind customers looking to implement CRM software will want to pay close attention to the CRM vendor’s mobile capability.  With the ever changing mobile device market, access to customer data via an Internet browser will provide you with the flexibility and comfort of knowing that as new devices enter the market you will be able to utilize them to access your customer data.

Image “Tablet use 2″ by ebayink on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Why do so many small and mid-size businesses have difficulty in this area?  Well there are several reasons for this but the good news is it can easily be fixed.

Many privately held companies are run by bright entrepreneurs whose background may not be in sales management. As a result they may not fully appreciate the need for having a highly trained sales executive who understands how to implement a sales structure and efficiently manage people and the sales process.  They often have the sales team report directly to themselves and manage the sales process using an Excel spreadsheet.  If this sounds like you, it’s time to make a change.

CRM or sales software doesn’t run your business — people do. So the first thing you need to consider is to hire an experienced sales manager who understands how to manage the sales process and the sales team.  Next, don’t expect them to manage the sales process with your Excel spreadsheet. It did not work for you and it will not work for them.  Luckily, today there is a myriad of sales software or sales CRM programs that can shape an unstructured sales organization into a winning team.

1. Lead Qualification and Lead Distribution

Sales software enables management to begin managing the sales process by automating the qualification and distribution of leads.  This ensures that new opportunities are properly followed up on and do not fall through the cracks.  Leads may be automatically assigned to specific sales representatives based on several criteria such as geographic region or product line for example.

2. Lead Scoring

Sales software also provides each sales representative with the ability to rate and score each lead based on a set of pre-built qualification criteria.  This makes certain that the sales team is spending their value time on the most promising opportunities.

3. Implementing a Sales Process

Mature sales software like Commence also enables management to establish a series of steps or stages within the sales cycle. This serves two very valuable purposes. First, sales management can follow the path of every new opportunity from introduction to closure. Secondly, management can play a proactive role during the sales process.  This has proven to improve close ratios and deliver higher revenues.

4. Sales Reporting

One of the other significant advantages of automating the lead management and sales cycle is the improvement and accuracy of sales reporting that results from this process.  Monthly and quarterly sales reports are automatically generated with a level of accuracy that provides management with the comfort of knowing what kind of revenue they can expect from the business.

None of this should surprise anyone. It simply makes sense, but you have to take the initiative and commit to making a change. Hire the right sales executive and get the right CRM or sales software that will enable you to become a more efficient sales organization.

Lead Management

To get started a good CRM system will help you identify if a lead is highly qualified or unqualified by asking a few simple questions:

• Do they have a need for my product or service?
• What is their budget?
• Have you identified the decision maker?
• How soon would they need the product or service? (The likely length of the sales cycle)

By answering these questions you can immediately determine if there are some key pieces of information you are missing.  Without this knowledge you could spend a lot of time on the phone or writing up proposals for a prospect that is not a qualified opportunity.  Lead scoring is critical to make sure your sales team is spending their valuable time on the most qualified opportunities and not chasing tire kickers.

Sales Management

Then comes the sales pipeline management. Sales cycles traditionally have several steps and may takes weeks or months until a decision is made.  Managing each stage of the sales cycle is critical to ensuring that you are on top of every new opportunity. This is key to improving your win-loss ratios. You must nurture and care for each qualified opportunity.

CRM software programs are designed to manage the sales process and provide two critical components that impact the efficient management of a sales organization.

First — CRM software demands the implementation of an automated sales process. These are the steps associated with selling your product or service from the minute you talk with a new prospect to the day a decision is made.

Second — analytical reporting and business intelligence.  This enables you to see where each sales opportunity is in the sales cycle, enabling you to take a proactive approach and improving your chance of winning the business.

CRM Sales Reports

CRM software programs that focus on sales management often include very good sales reporting such as:

• Where the lead was generated from?
• Was it converted to a new sales opportunity?
• Is the opportunity moving through the sales process as anticipated?
• Did we win or lose the sale?
• What was the dollar value of the sale?

Tracking and effectively managing your sales pipeline is essential to the growth of your business. Without a good sales tracking system highly qualified opportunities can simply fall through the cracks causing you to lose business you could have won if you were properly managing your sales pipeline. The good news is that there are many good affordable sales management and sales tracking software systems that automate the entire sales process and help manage the sales pipeline.

Smaller companies typically have two business challenges — data consolidation and generating new business.   Some use contact managers or an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of customers, contacts, notes and e-mail. And when it comes to lead management, sales opportunity management and generating accurate monthly forecasts, well forget about it.

To address their pain these companies typically look for low cost solutions that offer basic contact management and a monthly forecast. There are a lot of pretty good low cost ones and even some free ones to look at.   The problem here is that these companies are missing the big picture when it comes to the value CRM software can provide to their business.

CRM is all about capturing, tracking, managing and sharing vital customer information throughout the organization, but every business is different and has unique requirements. As a result, the “one size fits all” approach of low cost CRM software programs limits what you can do and the return on investment you can realize from these programs.  If you are really looking to improve how you market, sell and provide services to your customers you need a CRM solution that offers a higher degree of flexibility.

And here is the good news.  There are plenty of these available for just a few dollars more than the low cost guys.

Robust CRM software programs provide you with flexibility to tailor the system so that you can capture unique information about your customers, then analyze the data for improved sales and customer service.  Top rated CRM solutions like Commence CRM also allow you to rate or categorize your customers based on how valuable they are to your business — by profitability or potential for growth as an example.  You just don’t get this level of business intelligence with low end CRM solutions.

Smaller businesses also tend to have a difficult time recruiting experienced sales managers and well-trained sales representatives. As a result, they often do not have a formal sales process in place for lead generation, lead qualification, or for efficiently managing the sales process.  Poor management of the sales process results in the following:

• Delayed follow-up on potential new sales
• Sales representatives chasing tire kickers instead of highly qualified opportunities
• Business opportunities that fall through the cracks
• Inaccurate sales forecasts

Having the ability to implement a sales structure may be the most critical component to the success and survival of small businesses.  To achieve higher close ratios and revenues you need a CRM system that delivers this capability plain and simple.  To learn more about implementing the right sales structure for your business download our free CRM best practices eBook from the home page of our website.

Image by Scott Maxwell on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

By Dave Kahle

The best salespeople understand that their company has assembled a collection of resources into which they can tap in order to further their sales success.  One such resource is your sales manager.

Now, I understand that the quality of sales managers varies tremendously.  Some salespeople view their sales manager as a liability. That is unfortunate.  But that is not the point.  Regardless of your opinion as to the competency of your sales manager, you still must work with him/her.  And that means that you must have a working relationship with that person.

In my tenure as a salesperson, I had eight sales managers.  Seven of the eight were solid and experienced with good people skills – an asset in front of any customer.  One was incredibly pushy and alienated every customer with whom he spoke.

If you are fortunate enough to have to a manager who brings additional resources and strengths to your customers, good for you.  By all means take advantage of that.

If, however,  you believe your sales manager doesn’t have that kind of capability, then do what you need to do to limit his/her exposure to your customers.  Find the strengths that he/she does possess, and seek ways to utilize them.  That doesn’t mean, however, you should disrespect, belittle, or ignore your sales manager.

You are an employee of a company, and therefore you have a moral and legal obligation to be a good employee, and to respect and interact positively with your manager.

An excellent working relationship with your boss will strengthen your sales ability, prevent unnecessary stress, and make your life easier.

It may take time and effort.  But, having an excellent working relationship with your boss is one of the best practices of the best.

If you’d like to dig deeper into this best practice, and if you are a member of The Sales Resource Center™, consider Pod-34: Ethics for the Professional Salesperson, and Nuggets N-96: Integrity; and N-215.

Image by Wirawat Lian-udom on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle
All Rights Reserved.

1. Failing to examine the issues within a business that create the need for a CRM solution. Exposing problems within an organization can be difficult, especially when the business is small. If you are the owner or part of the management team it can be even more difficult to acknowledge problems as they began under your watch. This can lead to major problems and voids in the business being disguised or down played. The key is to catch problems as they begin to form and before they become a part of the businesses process. This will save you time, money and your customers’ loyalty.
2. Choosing an easy fit solution, which does not actually address the problems they have discovered. Although CRM solutions are becoming more advanced and offer more features and functionality, it is no use to an organization if it does not address the needs, and tackle the voids and problems in the organization. The solution needs to fill a void in the company’s processes and repair a problem that exists, rather than focus on processes that are already successful.
3. Failing to clearly define the goals of the CRM system before implementing it. When a CRM system is installed it is normal for the business to alter some of its goals as new functionality brings new ideas. However it can often happen that some of the original goals of the business are forgotten with the distraction of the CRM software. If an organization regularly changes it goals then it is impossible to track how successful the implementation of the CRM system has been. A CRM system cannot be viewed as successful if the objectives that led to its selection have been changed once it is implemented.

These are very common mistakes that can occur when choosing customer relationship management software. Now that you are aware you can avoid them and find the perfect CRM system to suit the needs of your organization.

Image “Almost Bull’s Eye…” by Mr. Sandman on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

The CRM software sector is in a bit of disarray. There was a time not so long ago when companies would select CRM software products based on the value and return on investment they felt they would realize from the solution they chose. Smart businesses were well prepared and engaged CRM solution providers with fully documented business requirements, a deployment preference (i.e. on premise or hosted online CRM) and were keen on fostering a business relationship where the vendor played an important role in the implementation, training and ensuring the proper utilization of the product.

But that was then. Today, at least in the small to mid-size business sector, it appears companies are just not as well prepared as they should be. As a result, many small to mid-size enterprises are selecting CRM software solutions based on price instead of value.

Perhaps this is the reason why more than 70% of CRM software implementations in the SME sector fail to get properly implemented and utilized.  This number makes sense if companies are selecting business solutions based on price rather than value.  This problem is easy to understand because the CRM software sector is viewed by many as a commodity sector where every solution is pretty much the same.

If you feel this way then price becomes the only differentiator and cost becomes the overwhelming factor.

Management Failing to Engage

As a sales representative selling CRM software, I often get amused at the calls I get each and every day from the SME community looking for CRM software. Here are some of the questions I get.

• We are looking for a “CMR system”. What does yours do?
• How much does it cost for a complete system?
• Do you charge any extra fees?
• Is there a contract?

When you get these types of questions you know right away that the poor person asking has no idea what the company’s business objectives are or what a CRM system does.  They have simply been asked by their management to search the internet and find a few good CRM software solutions. To an inexperienced person, the best CRM system is a low cost one. So who’s to blame here?  Management is.

If the executive management team has not taken the time to document their specific business requirements and inform their staff of their objectives, how can they expect the staff to recommend or select the best CRM solution for the business?

What typically happens is that they end up with some low cost solution that they can use and pay for month to month. And if they are not happy with how it works of what it offers they can simply terminate their use.

But is this the proper path to addressing their business requirements and improving how they market, sell and provide service to their customers?  Of course not.  So what do you do if your company places you in this situation?  Perhaps I can help.  The attached link will provide you with an informative white paper called “Don’t Make a CRM Buying Mistake: 7 Points to Consider Before Selecting Your CRM System”.  Take a few minutes to review it. You’ll be glad you did.

Images “One Day In A Life Of A Geek” – 1030 AM” and “Utility IT” courtesy of Oliver Widder on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

By Dave Kahle
Q. I have many customers who refuse to even consider some of my products because the one they have now is working fine and they don’t want to change something that is working well for them.  They feel they are opening themselves to potential dangers, problems and nightmares by fixing something that isn’t broken.

Any suggestion for how to deal with the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude?

A. This is one that frustrates every sales person.  Let’s start by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes.  You’ve shown him your product, and it’s noticeably better/cheaper than what they are currently using.  Or, they won’t even take the time to look at your latest and greatest solution.  Regardless of where you are at in the sales process, the problem is that you have something better, and they won’t budge from using an inferior solution.

Why not?  Let’s analyze the situation.  As is almost always the case, the solution becomes really obvious when we have done a good job of analyzing the problem.  So, let’s consider the reasons why the customer won’t budge.  Here are the big three.

1.  The perceived benefit from switching the product is not worth the time and effort the customer must invest in the change process.

OK, so your LAGS (latest and greatest solution) will save him 5%.  But, he must work off his old inventory, notify the current supplier, switch all the numbers in his purchasing and inventory systems, perhaps rewrite protocols, maybe train staff in the new thing, communicate the change so that everyone internally knows about it, etc.  See the problem?  It takes time, effort and money to change a product.  And most of your customers, if they are like most of the business world these days, have too much to do and not enough time in which to do it.  They don’t need another project. So, while your LAGS is an improvement, the improvement just isn’t worth the time and effort.

2.  The potential change infringes on a well-established relationship.

It maybe that the current product is being purchased as part of a committed relationship with the competition.  And it may be that the competitor performs other services for this customer that would be jeopardized if the customer didn’t buy this product from them.  For example, the competitor may invite this customer to an annual outing to his condo on the beach in Florida.  If the customer switches this item, he may believe that it jeopardize that.  Or, the competitor inventories the product for them, provides special dating, packages it specially, etc.

The issue here is that switching the product harms an existing relationship, and the relationship is more important to the customer than the savings or benefit of your product.

This relationship issue can also extend to the individual.  In other words, the customer has a long-standing excellent relationship with the competitive sales person.  And the customer doesn’t want to do anything that might be seen as jeopardizing that relationship.   In either case, the relationship trumps the benefits of your product.

3.  The risk isn’t worth it.

Every decision to buy carries with it a perception of risk.  Risk is defined by the perceived cost to the individual customer if he/she makes a mistake.  Think of it this way:  What happens to the individual decision maker if he decides to switch to your product, and it doesn’t work out the way you portray it?  Maybe the product doesn’t quite work as smoothly as it seems, or your ability to deliver isn’t what you promised.  What grief does that cause the customer?  What emotional turmoil, job stress, and personal pain does it cause?

Now, I know that you’re saying none of that will happen because you really do have a great product and you really are a wonderful company, and you won’t let anything bad happen.  You may believe that, but your customer doesn’t.

If the customer perceives there to be great risk in the decision, the status quo is always the safer, preferred choice. It’s always safer to maintain the non-painful status quo than it is to take a major risk.

OK, you have analyzed the reasons why this particular customer isn’t rushing to order your LAGS.  Now what?

Your solution is based on your analysis of the reason why they don’t buy.  If the reason is the customer views the benefit of changing as not worth the effort, then you must either reduce the effort, or increase the perceived benefit.  Offer to do as much of the work of changing as you can.  Provide all the information in an easy to use format so that it is easy to put into the computer.  Offer to write the memo announcing the change, to train all the employees in the details of the new thing, etc.  Make it less costly in terms of time and effort.

Or, make the benefit appear bigger and more attractive.  Do some financial justification.  Show the impact on processes and the customer’s customer.  Make your product even more compelling.

If the reason they don’t buy is number two, your best hope is to convince the customer that the change won’t jeopardize the existing relationship.  Minimize the impact on the competitor.  And, again, maximize the benefit of your product.

This is the most difficult situation to deal with, because the reason they aren’t buying is something about which you can’t do much – a relationship with a competitor.  You may be reduced to the fall back position of last resort – proactively wait for something to change in your customer’s relationship with the competition.

If the reason they don’t buy is risk, your strategy is to reduce the perception of risk.  Remember, risk is perception, not necessarily reality.  The problem is that the customer perceives there to be risk to him in the decision to buy.  So, reduce the customer’s perception of risk by using a combination of risk-reducing tactics.  Make the product seem more real by having him see it in operation in a different customer’s environment.  Back it up with written guarantees and warranties.  Make it seem like a lot of people have successfully used the product by having pictures of other customers using it.  Acquire letters of recommendation and testimonials from other customers.  Anything you can do to have someone else, beside yourself, say good things about the product is a worthwhile effort.  Bring the customer into your facility, and let him meet the people who make things happen for you.  All of these things reduce the risk to the customer.

One final thought.  Understand that our customers are far more motivated to take action by the avoidance of pain than they are the acquisition of some benefit. We are so used to talking about the benefit of our product to the customer, and that often falls on deaf ears.  Far more powerful is the perception that our solution makes some intense pain go away.  If you can identify some significant pain that the customer is experiencing, and show how your LAGS makes the pain go away, you will have provided the customer significant motivation to shove all three of the above reasons down the list.

By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

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Image “do something” by Mike Carney on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine and for a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

For the 21^st Century Salesperson

Trying to keep track of leads, prospects and sales is a huge challenge for any sales professional, and requires great organizational skills. Keeping several files and applications, databases and spreadsheets, which require regular updates, can take up precious time and allow sales to slip away. This is why having  CRM software is needed to efficiently track sales in an organization.

The benefits of a unified database where all client information is readily available, is a necessity for any sales person in the 21^st century. Having one CRM software package that allows you to log every detail involving your accounts and contacts is necessary when talking about customer relationship management and tracking sales and their progress. Having one system which also offers reminders and to do lists and even integrates with your email and calendar to prompt you with reminders, will give you an edge over your competitors, particularly in your customers’ eyes.

Technology is no longer a luxury investment for today’s salesperson; it is a necessity.  Having a CRM system that streamlines the front office business processes is a great tool. What is even greater, for sales people on the move, is mobile access to that system, a great asset when meeting clients out of the office or working from home. When meeting a customer or a prospective client you need as much information as possible at your fingertips in order to close the sale.

Sales professionals need more than just contact information to manage a complex sales process, but the key is having this information in one place, rather than spread across emails, spread sheets and several documents. Having one software package to overlook your entire sales process means you can manage the entire sales cycle, keep a record of every interaction to manage and track customer relationships, manage and track pipeline opportunities and generate reports to accurately forecast and analyze your sales.

Having sales tracking software means you will achieve more with your customers in less time, drive more business and close more deals. Not only are you improving your own sales process, you are improving your customer’s buying experience also.  The most important factor when closing a sale is your customer’s satisfaction. Customers want to feel valued, and a CRM system will help you make them feel remembered and appreciated.

Image “Jim Whitehurst: 20th century companies are already hiring 21st century employees” by opensource.com on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Job Description

• Analysis of client’s and/or prospect’s business processes and translating them into cost efficient, user friendly solutions, often using Commence CRM software as a platform.
• Responsible for design and development of new Applications, Integration with other Applications, Data Migration or Data Conversion etc.
• Taking care of the whole project cycle, from initial contact with the client, design, programming until end user training and post implementation support.

Desired Technical Skills & Experience

• Strong knowledge/experience with CRM / HRM
• Experience with Commence software and architecture
• Must have strong MS-SQL and VB scripting skills
• Good knowledge of ASP.net, C #, SQL Server, Visual Basic , HTML
• Strong programming and web development expertise in .NET
• Experience in full project life cycle – including post delivery support
• Understanding of software development methodologies
• Good database skills

Desired Personal Skills & Experience

• A general understanding of business areas
• Ability to map business requirements to functionality of software
• Maturity and ability to handle stress and demanding business requirements
• Self driven, persistent, action oriented and goal driven
• Integrity and professionalism in work
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Solid verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be a Team Player.
• An overall strong personality with good communication and interpersonal skills.

About VCC International N.V.:

VCC International N.V. is a small ICT company based on the tropical island of Aruba. We sell and implement standard administrative software, like accounting software, payroll software, but also complete ERP packages. Furthermore, we also develop additional software for our clients, either as new stand-alone solutions or as add-ons to and interfacing with existing standard software solutions. During software development we often use the software of Commence as a vehicle. Our client base can be found all over the islands of the Caribbean, but with the majority on the islands Of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

If you would like to apply, please go to http://lnkd.in/ystZbc for more information.

By Dave Kahle

Good time management for sales people has been an obsession of mine for more than 30 years.  In the last decade, I’ve been involved in helping tens of thousands of sales people improve their results through more effective use of their time.  Over the years, I’ve seen some regularly occurring patterns develop – tendencies on the part of sales people to do things that detract from their effective use of time.

Here are the four most common time-wasters I’ve observed.  See if any apply to you or your sales people.

1. Allure of the urgent/trivial.

Sales people love to be busy and active.  We have visions of ourselves as people who can get things done.  No idle dreamers, we’re out there making things happen!

A big portion of our sense of worth and our personal identity is dependent on being busy.  At some level in our self image, being busy means that we really are important.  One of the worst things that can happen to us is to have nothing to do, nowhere to go, and nothing going on.  So, we latch onto every task that comes our way, regardless of the importance.

For example, one of our customers calls with a back order problem.  “Oh good!” we think, “Something to do!  We are needed!  We can fix it!”  So, we drop everything and spend two hours expediting the backorder.

In retrospect, couldn’t someone in purchasing or customer service have done that?  And couldn’t they have done it better than you?  And didn’t you just allow something that was a little urgent but trivial prevent you from making some sales calls?  And wouldn’t those potential sales calls be a whole lot better use of your time?

Or, one of our customers hands us a very involved “Request for Quote.”  “Better schedule a half-day at the office,” we think.  “Need to look up specifications, calculate prices, compile literature, etc.”  We become immediately involved with this task, working on this project for our customer.  In retrospect, couldn’t we have given the project to an inside sales person or customer service rep to do the leg work?  Couldn’t we have just communicated the guidelines to someone and then reviewed the finished proposal?

Once again, we succumbed to the lure of the present task.  That prevented us from making sales calls and siphoned our energy away from the important to the seemingly urgent.

I could go on for pages with examples, but you have the idea.  We are so enamored with being busy and feeling needed that we often grab at any task that comes our way, regardless of how unimportant.  And each time we do that, we compromise our ability to invest our sales times more effectively.

2.  The comfort of the status quo.

A lot of sales people have evolved to the point where they have a comfortable routine.  They make enough money and they have established routines and habits that are comfortable.  They really don’t want to expend the energy it takes to do things in a better way, or to become more successful or effective.

This can be good.  Some of the habits and routines that we follow work well for us.  However, our rapidly changing world constantly demands new methods, techniques, habits and routines.  Just because something has been effective for a few years doesn’t mean that it continues to be so.  This problem develops when sales people are so content with the way things are, they have not changed anything in years.

If you haven’t changed or challenged some habit or routine in the last few years, chances are you are not as effective as you could be.

For example, you could still be writing phone messages down on little slips of paper, when entering them into your contact manager would be more effective.  This is a simple example of a principle that can extend towards the most important things that we do.  Are we using the same routines for organizing our work week, for determining who to call on, for understanding our customers, for collecting information, etc.?  There is no practical end to the list.

Contentment with the status quo almost always means sales people who are not as effective as they could be.

My book, 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople, discusses the use of the “more” mindset as an alternative to the status quo.

3.  Lack of trust in other people in the organization.

Sales people have a natural tendency to work alone.  After all, we spend most of the day by ourselves.  We decide where to go by ourselves, we decide what to do by ourselves, and we are pretty much on our own all day long.  It’s no wonder then that we just naturally want to do everything by ourselves.

That’s generally a positive personality trait for a sales person. Unfortunately, when it extends to those tasks that could be done better by other people in our organization it turns into a real negative.

Instead of soliciting aid from others in the organization, and thereby making much better use of our time, many sales people insist on doing it themselves, no matter how redundant and time-consuming is the task.  The world is full of sales people who don’t trust their own colleagues to write an order, to source a product, to enter an order in the system, to follow up on a back order, to deliver some sample or literature, to research a quote, to deliver a proposal, etc.  Again, the list could go on and on.

The point is that many of these tasks can be done better or cheaper by someone else in the organization.  The sales people don’t release the tasks to them because they, the sales people, don’t trust them to do it.  Too bad.  It’s a tremendous waste of good selling time and talent.  Chapter 10 of my book “10 Secrets” describes a system to nurture helpful relationships.

4.  Lack of tough-minded thoughtfulness.

Ultimately, time management begins with thoughtfulness.  That means a sufficient quantity of good quality thought-energy invested in the process.  I like to say that good time management is a result of “thinking about it before you do it.”

Good time managers invest sufficiently in this process.  They set aside time each year to create annual goals, they invest planning time every quarter and every month to create plans for those times, they plan every week and every sales call.  Poor sales time managers don’t dedicate sufficient time to the “thinking about it” phase of their job.

Not only do good sales time managers invest a sufficient quantity of time, but they also are disciplined and tough-minded about how they think.  They ask themselves good questions, and answer them with as much objectivity as they can muster.

“What do I really want to accomplish in this account?”

“Why aren’t they buying from me?”

“Who is the key decision maker in this account?”

“Am I spending too much time in this account, or not enough in that one?”

“How can I change what I am doing in order to become more effective?”

These are just a few of the tough questions that good sales time managers consider on a regular basis.  They don’t allow their emotions or personal comfort zones to dictate the plans.  They go where it is smart to go, do what is smart to do.  They do these things because they have spent the quantity and quality of thought-time necessary.

Of course, there are hundreds of other time-wasting habits.  These four, however, are the most common.  Correct them, and you’ll be well on your way to dramatically improved results.

By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

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Image “Changed priorities ahead” by Peter Reed on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Image “Busy” by AJ Cann on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Image “Mi primer cartel motivacional” by Oscar on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Image “A bit of blue sky thinking Project 365(4) Day 9″ by Keith Williamson on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. A great source of specific tools to help you with time management is his classic book, 10 Secrets of Time Management for Sales People.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

Every sales representative dreams about that phone call when they hear a prospect say “I was referred to you by one of your customers.”  Want to know why? Statistics indicate that close ratios for new sales increase from 1% for cold calls to as high as 90% for those calls where a personal introduction has been made.  Despite this, sales people consistently neglect to ask their customers who they know or if they can make a personal introduction for them.

One of the ways sales representatives can improve the potential for personal introduction is through the use of Social CRM.   Social CRM sites such as LinkedIn provide a wealth of personal information about company management such as, where they work, their position within the firm, where they worked before and who they know.  By reviewing this information it’s quite possible that the prospect you are trying to reach may be somehow connected to someone you know.  Armed with this information you can perhaps get the personal introduction into an account that you would have had a great deal of difficulty getting into without it.  So how can CRM software help?

Social Networking with CRM

Many CRM systems today have links to social CRM or what’s known as social media sites.  For example, Commence CRM offers a seamless connection to LinkedIn directly from the contact within the CRM system. This allows the sales representative to review a prospect’s information, determine how he or she might find a way to get that personal introduction through others they may know, and at the same time add additional contacts and important notes to the history file for future use.  The CRM system not only acts as a conduit to the prospect’s information, but as a centralized system for retaining notes and history as well.

Image “social_network” by Trebor Scholz on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Image “Social Networking” by sman5612 on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Quality CRM systems now have a customer service component built into them that includes things such as a knowledgebase and frequently asked questions. Using a secure customer portal, customers can gain access to valuable information about your products or services 24/7. This means customer service is always available morning, noon and night.

Another component of CRM software is the ability to generate direct mail or bulk e-mail campaigns. Many online CRM systems enable you to create e-mail marketing programs such as quarterly new letters, product tips and techniques or what’s new at our company to ensure that you are staying in touch with your customers. Advanced CRM systems like Commence CRM offer the ability to schedule these mailings in advance. This allows you to create what’s known as “drip marketing” whereby you can periodically send out information to your customers on a weekly, monthly or quarterly schedule. Of course there is no better vehicle for staying in touch with your customers than making a personal phone call, but having a CRM system assist in the sales process makes good business sense.

Winning both round one and two supports the fact that Commence customers have had a strong voice in favor of the company’s product and the quality of service they have received.

We would like to thank our customers for their support!

Commence is pleased to have been selected as the winner of round one of the Capterra’s CRM Madness Vendor challenge.  Commence was selected over Zoho CRM, which offers a low cost solution to small businesses.

Small to Mid-size enterprises typically need more than basic contact management software to operate and grow their business. While programs like Zoho CRM offer a basic set of features at a low cost, customers often find that they quickly outgrow the capabilities of lower end CRM software programs.

Commence CRM,  while targeted at small to mid-size enterprises won the challenge due to the products robust set of features for managing leads, sales, marketing and customer service.  Commence is a comprehensive online CRM system with the functionality and scalability to ensure growth for its customers.

We appreciate your support and keep voting for Commence CRM in the next round!

If you are a small enterprise or mid-size company you are probably looking to improve how you market, sell and provide service to your customers. This requires a core set of features that are not typically offered by lower end CRM offerings. This may include lead qualification, sales process management, marketing campaign management, project management and business intelligence or analytical reporting. Two very good mid-market CRM programs are Commence CRM and SugarCRM. Both offer similar functionality to enterprise level offerings, but have been designed for the middle market where ease of use and affordability are key decision points.

Enterprise level CRM software is designed to support large numbers of users and high transaction levels. In addition, large corporations often require multi-currency and multi-language support. If you have a large number of users and require international support, two companies that meet these requirements are Microsoft and Salesforce.com.

All of the companies mentioned above are considered leaders in their respective market segments, that is, small business CRM, mid-market CRM and enterprise CRM. All offer good products and quality customer service. You won’t make a mistake with any of them.

Image “Where Boutique Sits” by tara hunt on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Customer intimacy is the key to customer satisfaction. Whether your product or service is B2B or B2C it is essential that your entire organization is aware of your organization’s goals and philosophy. This awareness and employee belief will generate a streamlined effect when your sales teams are interacting with your clients. Through ensuring that customer intimacy is stated in your organizational goals, it will automatically enhance your sales process.

The question is how can you then ensure that your customer relationships are maintained in a professional manner? Human error is something that cannot be avoided in an organization of any size however, implementing strategies and solutions that empower your sales team will assist them to work more effectively thus improving employee satisfaction. This then causes a domino effect – enhanced employee satisfaction leads to improved employee efficiency, which consequently generates sales development and an increase in the quantity of customers.

With an increase in customers it is essential to manage your customer relationships. Previously, sales teams managed customer relationships on Excel worksheets or even in soft copy documents. However today with increased business volumes due to global marketplaces it is clear that implementing an Online CRM Software Solution is essential.

Online CRM immediately improves your sales process. Through greater clarity of your sales pipeline, your sales team are instantly equipped with vital tools they need to ensure your organization continues to grow.

Online CRM solutions are varied. It is important that throughout your CRM decision making process you take the correct steps to ensure your CRM system is aligned with your organization’s needs and future goals. To assist you we have put together a CRM checklist that you may find valuable in your selection process.  Download the CRM checklist to help make this decision.

Click for larger image

You need to connect with your customers and respond quickly to customer inquiries, but access to information is difficult and often scattered throughout the organization.  If you’re a firm with remote or virtual offices the problem may be even worse.  Thank God for your accounting system and Excel spreadsheets that at least provide you with critical customer data, but these are too difficult to manage and cannot be easily shared with the people who need it to efficiently do their jobs.

Companies that have found themselves in this position are leveraging the Web and online CRM software systems to address this challenge.  Online CRM systems provide companies with a central database that houses company and contact information along with notes, history, pre and post activity, e-mail correspondence, and sales activity.  Some of the more advanced CRM software programs include quotes or proposals, service history and project management and support for the Apple iPad tablet.

Because these programs operate over the Web, there is no expensive hardware or software to purchase and no IT infrastructure to maintain.  With programs like Commence CRM from Commence Corporation you can be up and running in just a few hours, and access to customer data is available anytime and from anywhere using any Web browser.  Best of all many online CRM programs are now affordable for small to mid-size businesses.  CRM software simply addresses the business challenge of capturing, tracking, managing and sharing customer data at a price point that can no longer be overlooked.

For information about selecting the right CRM software for your business, view a free report 7 Points to Consider Before Selecting Your CRM System.

Click for larger image

When you are executing marketing campaigns you want to make sure your campaign is working so if it’s not you can switch to another strategy. You may have a limited marketing budget and you don’t want to waste it on a campaign that isn’t working how you want it to. A web CRM can help you optimize your marketing budget you so you can determine the value of each campaign. You can then use the analytical reporting features that have graphic reports that can illustrate the details of each campaign by industry, source and outcome. Measure the effectiveness by managing lead generation and lead conversion and have one central place for all your marketing efforts.

Measure efforts in all areas of your business with a web CRM

You can use your web based CRM software to measure your marketing efforts but you can also use it to get reports and measure progress for all areas of your business. From sales to project management to accounting, text based and graphical reports are available in your CRM. You can use pre built reports or customize your own for your business. Visit Commence.com to learn more about CRM marketing features and other reporting features.

By Dave Kahle

The best salespeople understand that the more comfortable the customer is with their company, the less risk the customer perceives there to be in dealing with them, and the more likely it is that the customer will prefer their company as a supplier.

That’s just good common sense.  I bank where I do, for example, because when I walk in, everyone knows my name. That makes me feel important, and it makes it so much easier to do business. Or, at least, I feel like it does.  And that is what’s important.

There is a simple principle at work here: The customer should be comfortable with more people in your organization than just you. The more people your customer knows, the better for you. That simple principle leads to a powerful sales practice.   By proactively introducing your good customers to others in your organization, you broaden the relationship between the two entities, and tie the customer to you via additional relationships.

Make sure that your boss has been introduced to your customers. Methodically take him/her to your customers and facilitate the introductions.  Bring a customer service person or two to visit your good customers.

If it is appropriate, constantly invite your customers into your facility to meet the people who make things happen inside your organization.

Each of these relationships makes the customer feel more comfortable in dealing with your organization, and increases the likelihood that you will become the preferred supplier.

That’s why this is a best practice of the best salespeople.

Here’s a way to apply this best practice. Start with a self-assessment:  List all of the key people in your “A” accounts in the first column of a spreadsheet.  Across the tops of the columns, list each of the key people in your organization.  Then, put an “X” in the cell where the two people have connected.  For example, if customer John Smith knows your customer service person “Jenny,” then put an “X” in that cell.  When you have completed that, use the empty cells as a guide, and plan to remedy the situation.  Over the next few months, proactively introduce those customers with the key internal people until all the cells are “X’d.”

If you’d like to explore this best practice more deeply, consider The Sales Resource Center™, and listen to Nugget N-230.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle
All Rights Reserved.

Contact management software provides users with the ability to easily store and find contact information safely and coherently. These contact-centric databases enable users to track all information and communication activities linked to contacts, so why is it important to have a fully integrated CRM system rather than just a contact management system?

A fully integrated customer relationship management system extends the features a contact management solution can provide. CRM establishes a comprehensive record of each interaction and this then provides organisations with a greater overall knowledge of their customer needs. An amalgamation of both CRM and Contact Management can provide organisations with the fully integrated customer relationship management system they need.

CRM software packages are a vital tool for businesses in the global economy. Varied customer locations and interactions with your organisations sales funnel can cause difficulties for your sales team when they are recording vital customer information. However, through the implementation of a fully integrated online CRM system your company can benefit immediately due to the availability of customer knowledge at a moments notice. The relationship that can be developed with your customer through the use and maintenance of an amalgamated CRM system will ensure the continued growth and success of your organisation. The availability of enhanced customer knowledge will have a positive effect on sales, establishing the prospect and production of business growth in the long term.

Image “a shoebox of photographs with sepia-tone loving;” by Breanna Josephine on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

By Dave Kahle

“How do you create a perceived value to differentiate yourself from the competition when you are both selling a commodity?”

That’s a question I’m often asked in my seminars.  It uncovers a problem that is spreading to almost every industry.  The rapid pace of technological development and our ultra-competitive global economy means that no one can keep a competitive edge in their product for very long.  Develop a hot new product or service and before you can take your first check to the bank, a competitor has a hotter or cheaper version.  As a result, customers are more and more inclined to view your product or service as a commodity – no real difference between you and the next guy.

This complicates life for the sales person.  In some cases, you are selling exactly the same thing as your competitor.  In other cases, your product may not be exactly the same, but the customer views your product as a commodity with no real differences between what you sell and what your competitor offers.  How much real difference is there between Coke and Pepsi after all?

Regardless of the situation in which you find yourself, the problem for the sales person is the same – getting the business in the face of the customer’s perception of your “me too” product or service.

So, what do you do?  To put it simply, you must detail and communicate the important ways your offering differs from your competitor’s offering.

That’s easier said than done.  To do so effectively, you need to spend some time thinking and preparing.  And that means that you must carefully consider the two most important elements of the sale – your offering, and your customer.  In this column, we’re going to focus on one part of that equation – your offering.

Granted, your product may be exactly the same as the competition, but the totality of your offering may be dramatically different.  I use the word “offering” to indicate every aspect of the purchasing decision – not just the product. For example, the customer buys the product from a company – yours or the other guys.  The customer buys it from a sales person – you or the competitor.  Your company and you are part of the “offering.”  In addition, there may be differences in your terms, delivery, your customer-service capabilities, your follow-up, your return policy, your value-added services, etc.  All of these are part of your “offering.”

The product may be identical, but everything else about your offering may be different.  For example, let’s say you are contemplating purchasing a new Taurus.  You have identical price quotes from two dealers.  The product is the same, and the price is the same.  However, one dealer is close by, the other across town.  One dealer has a reputation for great customer service; the other has no such reputation.  The sales person for the first dealer is the brother of an old high-school friend, while the sales person for the second dealer is a bit cocky and pushy.  The first dealer has a clean, comfortable establishment, while the second one is cramped, cluttered and dirty.

From whom do you buy your Taurus?  Of course you buy it from the first dealer.  Not because of any differences in the product or the price, but because of differences in the offering.  Got the idea?  There is a whole lot more to a decision to buy than just the product or the price.

Your first job is to identify those differences.  Here are some very specific steps you can take today.

1. Think about everything that is associated with the product when a customer purchases it.  Create several categories, and label columns on a piece of paper with the names of those categories.  For example, the first column could be headed with the word “company,” the second with the word “sales person,” the third with “terms.”  Continue in this way, identifying every aspect of the offering and placing each of those components at the top of a column.

2. Now, consider each column one at a time, and list all the ways that your offering differs from your competitor’s in that column.  For example, your company may be locally owned as opposed to your competitor’s branch of a national company.  Or you may be physically closer to the customer, or larger, smaller, newer, older, etc.  After you’ve exhausted one column, move on to the others, filling in the details as you go.

3. This exercise will typically reveal dozens (and in some cases hundreds) of specific, detailed differences.  Far too many than you can easily communicate to the customer.  So, your next step is to pick out those differences that are most important to your customer.  Keep in mind that often what you see as important may not be viewed that way by your customers.

At one point in my career, I worked for a company that celebrated its 100th year anniversary.  That was unusual.  No other competitors had been in business nearly that long.  The company decided to make a big deal about it.  A history of the company was written, brochures printed, even murals depicting significant moments in the company’s history were painted on the walls of the corporate office.  We all thought it was important.

Our customers, however, didn’t care.  After respectfully listening to our boasting, their response was some form of  “So what?”  In other words, our 100 years didn’t mean anything to them.  In no way did it make their jobs easier, simplify their lives, or make them more important to their companies.  What we thought was important turned out to be irrelevant from our customers’ perspective.

Don’t make the mistake we made.  Instead, take the time to critically analyze your list, and eliminate those items that are not important to your customer, that don’t impact their jobs or make a difference to them.  You should be left with a handful of items.

4. One more step to the preparation.  Translate each of those items into statements of benefit to the customer.  For example, your company may be local, while your competitor ships from 50 miles away.  So what?  What does that mean to your customer?  You could translate that item of difference into a benefit by saying something like this:  “As opposed to some other suppliers, we’re just 15 minutes from your plant.  This means that you can get quick delivery of emergency shipments, as well as rapid response to any problem that might develop.  So, you’ll have potentially less downtime in the plant, and of course, less stress and pressure on you.”

Now that you’ve professionally prepared, you are ready to communicate those differences to your customer.  You need to point them out in an organized and persuasive presentation.

Prepare a sell sheet with each of the differences noted as a bullet.  Next to each bullet, have a few comments that capsulize the benefit statements you prepared.  Then, meet with your customer, lay the sheet down in front of him/her, and talk down through it, explaining each point as you go.

Treat it like you would any other well-done presentation.  Be sensitive to your customer’s reaction, and ask for feedback as you work down through the list.  Say, “How does that sound?” or “Does that make sense to you?” and emphasize those things that seem to be more important to your customer.  Then, leave that sheet with your customer.

I’m always amazed at the number of sales people who are confounded over the customer’s perception that their product is just like the other guys, when those sales people have done nothing to show the customer how it is different.

As always, if you have done a good job of analyzing, preparing, and communicating, your customer’s perception should be altered, and you gain the business.

If you haven’t done well at this, then your customer will continue to see no difference between buying it from you and buying from the next guy.  And, if you haven’t shown him/her sufficient reason to buy it from you, then he shouldn’t.

From the customer’s point of view, if your offering is just like the competitor’s, then the customer is absolutely correct in buying from the cheaper source.  However, if there is any difference between your offering and your competitors’, then the responsibility is totally yours to show the customer that difference.  Follow the process described here, and you’ll have far fewer customers treating you like a commodity.

By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

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Image “Decisions?” by Alexander Alexander on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. A great source of specific tools to help you close is Dave’s book, Question Your Way to Sales Success. Check it out here.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

This belief that CRM software is a commodity is a cause of great concern for the CRM vendors themselves and for potential customers.  Why? Because CRM software is not a commodity, at least not for mid-size companies and larger.

I certainly do not blame the consumer for their belief.  Many CRM vendors have simply failed to differentiate their product offerings from their competitors. Instead of documenting how customers have realized a substantial return on their investment with their product, they instead assume that the consumer is buying solely on price and lower their offering.  The problem here is that both sides lose and is perhaps the reason that so many CRM implementations have failed in the small to mid-size business community.  If the vendor cannot make a profit they certainly cannot provide a valuable service or continue to invest in their technology.  So what is the consumer to do?

First, it is important to appreciate that despite everything you have seen or read on the internet, CRM software is not a commodity.  There are several important CRM decision criteria that need to be looked at in addition to features, functions and price.   Make sure you take a good look into the company you may be buying from and ask questions such as:

• How long has the company been in business?
• Do they have a solid reputation for providing quality products and services?
• What experience do they have in your industry?
• How many customers do they have?
• Have the implementations of their CRM software gone smoothly?
• Are customers realizing a return on their investment?
• What level of telephone support and assistance do they provide before, during and after the sale?
• Is the customer support directly from the company or pushed off to a third party?
• Is the company re-investing in their CRM solution and enhancing it?

These simple questions may serve to help you to differentiate one CRM vendor and compare CRM software solutions from another and ensure that you make an educated decision based on criteria other than price.

Image “Circular Polarisation difference” by Niek Beck on Flickr, under Creative Commons license.

How to create a sales system to grow your business more rapidly and profitably

Every organization, if it is going to grow successfully, must resolve how to do “sales” well.  Too many companies struggle with constant frustration with not meeting their expectations for sales growth.

There is a better way. It is not just a matter of hiring good sales people, or of effective marketing, aggressive pricing, or emphasis on service.  All those things are partial solutions.  The ultimate solution is to create and continually refine a sales system that touches every level of the company, and influences every customer contact – a sales system that can be relied upon to consistently bring in an ever-increasing quantity of revenue.

In this interactive workshop, Dave Kahle will show you how to build a system from the ground up.  You’ll leave with an understanding of powerful principles and a set of specific ideas you can use to make an immediate difference in your organization. You’ll create a “systems-builder action plan,” and be ready to bring out positive change the next day.  This is the idea that will take your business to the next level.  Enrollment is limited to the first 20 registrations.

Designed for: Principals, CEOs, Chief Sales Officers, VPs, and National Sales Managers of companies who sell to other businesses and organizations.

How to Unleash the Potential in Your Sales People

The greatest untapped potential in most sales organization resides in the sales force.  Most sales people operate at a fraction of their potential.  They can do better, and you can help them.

Our Sales Management System Seminar empowers sales managers with a system to help unleash the sleeping potential in their sales forces.  You’ll leave with a specific set of principles, processes, practices and tools to empower you to make the best use of your time, while keeping your sales team focused and helping them reach their untapped potential.

Attendance is limited to 30 people.

Designed for:  Anyone who supervises sales people or sales managers:  Sales managers, branch managers, principals, CEOs, Chief Sales Officers, VPs, and National Sales Managers of companies who sell to other businesses and organizations.

How to Become a Master Sales Person: The Top Gun Selling System

There is a way to dramatically improve your results.  Our Top Gun Selling System teaches a powerful and proven set of principles, processes, practices and tools to empower a B2B sales person to multiply his/her results.  This interactive program has changed the careers of countless sales people and can do it for you, too.

If you think you can sell better, then come to this program to learn how. You’ll understand the key competencies and practices of an effective 21st Century sales person, and learn how to do each better than ever. This is the place to learn to sell better.

Attendance is limited to 100.  Quantity discounts apply.

Designed for:  Field sales people, proactive inside sales people, and their supervisors of companies who sell to other businesses and organizations.

About the Presenter:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations. Registrants will receive a 50% discount to The Sales Resource Center™ for on-line support, follow up, and additional resources. You’ll also be provided with a bound manual containing the PowerPoint slides, exercises, a self-assessment, and a set of tools to help you implement the system. You may register on-line, via phone at 800-331-1287, or via fax.

For the past two decades the standard for CRM software was on premise or desktop applications. Over the years, these programs became very mature allowing administrators and end users to tailor the software to meet unique business requirements.  Companies that are now looking to transition to online CRM where the software is hosted or managed by a third party need to appreciate that many of these newer CRM software programs have been designed to provide customers with a set of “out of the box applications” and features that meet generic business requirements.  While some of the enterprise CRM solutions offer tools for customization they are traditionally very expensive and require programming expertise to utilize.  This can add a significant cost to the overall expense of your CRM system.

One of the ways to quickly rule out CRM systems that offer good customizability from those that don’t is cost.  While this may seem basic, it works.  Low cost CRM solutions typically offer basic CRM features and functionality with minimal customization if any.  Mid-level systems traditionally offer security permissions, and the ability to add custom fields, views, forms, and reports. But if integrating third party programs and modifying the look and feel of the CRM program is required, you will need to consider enterprise level CRM software.

If a low cost solution with limited customization will meet your requirements there are a myriad of low cost offerings to choose from but it may be difficult to differentiate one from another.  The mid-market offers a bit more clarity with several very good offerings from companies such as Commence CRM and SugarCRM.  The leaders in the enterprise market include offerings from Salesforce.com, Microsoft and Oracle.

Image ‘The “No Stress” Sticker’ by Morton Fox on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Online CRM software is the way forward. Previously sales teams have had to manage their interactions with clients through maintaining excel sheets, word documents or even recording data in soft copy documents. Ensuring that customer data is correct and up to date is close to impossible when these documents are being maintained manually. However an online CRM software package can automatically reduce the time spent documenting customer data. Through the implementation of CRM systems, companies can effectively manage their sales teams and develop strategies relating to their key clients.

CRM software packages enable the users to view their sales pipeline with greater clarity. The benefits of this are unparalleled; customer knowledge is the key to developing and maintaining growth. An intuitive, online CRM software solution streamlines the front office business processes that directly impact sales execution and customer service.

Image “sharing is power” by IAALD Editor on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

By Dave Kahle

Q. Occasionally, customers may say they have seen or received a lower price for the same product in order to receive better pricing from us.  How would you handle that type of call?

A. You mean this only happens occasionally?  I’ll bet thousands of my readers see it frequently.  Regardless, there are a number of things you can do.

First, assess the validity of the customer’s comment.  Your question says that your customers “may say…” That implies that sometimes, at least, you think they are just saying it, and not meaning it.  So, you have to determine the likelihood that they really have seen the same thing at a lower price.  If you think they are just making it up, and they really don’t have a lower-price option, then just diplomatically ignore it.  Say something like this, “I really don’t know what else is available, but I do know that this is a fair price.  Should I send you one or two?”

You’ll never know if they are bluffing until you call their bluff.  It’s worth losing one or two to help you understand the reality of their comment.

Second, if you think that they really do have another lower-price option, then you need to spend some time in preparation before you even make the call, so that you will have a strategy and set of techniques ready for this situation.

Assess your position in the account.  Ask yourself these two questions:  “Are you the preferred vendor?”  “If all things were equal, would they prefer to do business with you?“

If the answer is “Yes,” and you are the preferred vendor, then that is usually worth at least 3%, but rarely more than 10%.  In other words, if your competitor can sell it for $100.00, but you are the preferred vendor, you can probably get $103.00, but probably not $110.00 for the same product.

So, you need to determine if you are the preferred vendor and, if so, how much is that worth to the customer.  Create a deal which, in effect, lowers the price to what you think you can get.  Have that deal, plus some language to offer it, ready for the situation.

For example you might say, “I understand that you may be able to purchase it for less.  Let me suggest this, when you buy it with item Y, we can provide it for $103.00 plus $8.00 for item Y.  That gives you a discount from our regular prices, plus a great buy on item Y.  Do you want to go ahead with that?”

That, of course, assumes that all things are equal.  The truth is that all things are rarely equal.  There is probably some reason why the customer should buy it from you.  That means some benefit that the customer gets from the transaction with you that is valuable to him/her and that is not going to come from the competitor.

Just ask yourself the question, “Why should they do business with me?”  And don’t answer it from your perspective, answer it from theirs.

If there is nothing that the customer gets that is valuable to him, then he should not buy it from you.  Once you identify the benefits to the customer of doing business with you, you then need to prepare a statement or two that encapsulates the reason why someone should buy it from you.

There are thousands of reasons why they should buy from you beyond just the price or the product itself.  There is the state of the relationship, for example.  They like you.  That’s reason enough.  Or, maybe your invoices are clearer, your terms more flexible, your delivery more reliable, etc.  Or, it may be just more convenient.

Here’s an example.  Almost every morning that I’m in the office, I first stop at the coffee shop on the first floor of my building and get a cup of coffee to bring to the office with me.  It’s good coffee, but no better than I can get several other places.  But it is more expensive.  In some cases, it’s twice as much as I would pay elsewhere.  Why do I intentionally pay more?  Because it’s convenient, I don’t have to go out of my way to buy it, and the people in the shop know me and greet me by name.  To me, those are nice benefits, and worth an extra $.75 a day.  So, while the product is the same, and the price more expensive, there are some reasons why I’m willing to pay the extra price.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes, and determine why they should pay the extra price to buy it from you.  Take those reasons, and turn them into a persuasive sentence or two.  Memorize those two sentences.  Then, the next time someone offers the comment, you’ll be ready to persuasively show them why they should still buy it from you.

Good luck!

By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

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Image “The Moment of Truth” by Kevin Dooley on Flickr, under Creative Commons license.

Image “Starbucks” by Marco Paköeningrat on Flickr, under Creative Commons license.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. A great source of specific tools to help you close is Dave’s book, Question Your Way to Sales Success. Check it out here.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

What are you waiting for?

You’re a small to midsize business with automated systems for accounting, but when it comes to managing sales and customer relationships you’re using a dated contact manager or an excel spreadsheet.  If this sounds like you, it’s time to consider investing in CRM software.  Today there are dozens of CRM systems available for small to midsize companies and they can be deployed on premise or as a hosted solution managed and maintained by the third party solution provider.

What CRM software will provide right out of the gate is the ability to consolidate customer data.  Information that’s coming into your business every day via the telephone, fax, e-mail or the web can finally be placed into a single consolidated customer database where it is available to the people that require it to efficiently do their jobs – Hallelujah.  Your staff can now communicate effectively with customers and or prospects and have the information they need immediately accessible to them.

What about sales? Do you have a structured process in place for capturing and qualifying leads or managing the sales process?   Why not?  It’s easy and most CRM software programs provide this as part of a standard package.   You certainly cannot expect to improve close ratios if you are not monitoring and managing the sales process.   A good CRM software program will enable you to add a structured approach to selling and the ability to monitor the performance of your sales team.

Lastly, what about customer service?  The difference today between retaining a customer and losing one may rest with the level and quality of service you provide to your customers. But how can you expect your service staff to do this without having access to customer records?  CRM software programs enable this by providing the service staff with the access to what the customer purchased, when they purchased it, who they purchased it from, and if they have had any history of problems.  No rational business executive can argue with the need to improve how they market, sell and provide service to their customers so what are you waiting for?

You can get started quickly and see substantial results using online CRM software.  These programs do not require any additional hardware or software and cost less than a cup of coffee a day per employee.  While many Internet sites have additional information about different CRM software programs, you may wish to review some of the white papers and tips at www.commence.com.

Image “Standing on the runway waiting for takeoff” by Andrew King on Flickr, under Creative Commons license.

GetApp.com which provides information via their Business Software Marketplace has highlighted Commence CRM as one of the top providers of CRM software and  Social CRM software or SCRM.  Commence has been noted due to the company’s support for both CRM and Social CRM software.

Commence CRM offers a comprehensive suite of customer management software including contact and account management, sales management, lead qualification and scoring, marketing, customer service and project management.  The CRM application suite is coupled with social CRM integration and support for mobile devices.  Commence is targeted at small to mid-size enterprises that need an easy to use affordable online CRM software program. More information is available at www.commence.com or from the following link:

Top CRM Apps and Social CRM Apps – Infographic | GetApp.com

First, many business owners will not take the time to fully document their business requirements or engage in the CRM selection process.  Secondly, many seem to believe that all CRM software is the same, so they just instruct the selection team to purchase the cheapest one.  Industry analysts have documented that 73% of all CRM systems fail to get properly implemented or utilized.  This is because CRM software is not some appliance that you plug in the wall and it works.  It requires a commitment to implementing a structured approach to improving internal business processes. The right CRM solution can significantly impact and improve how your company markets, sells and provides support to your customers.

In order to add some sanity to the decision process, Commence Corporation has created a white paper called “Don’t Make a CRM Buying Mistake” 7 Points to Consider before Selecting Your CRM solution. It’s a must read for businesses looking for CRM Online or cloud based CRM software.  See www.commence.com to review this free white paper.

Image “Insane escape” by Sebie Covaci on Flickr, under Creative Commons license

Having a structured approach to selling is your best defense against a crafty prospect.  Keep in mind that the prospect has a structured approach. They are trying to get as much information from you without making any commitment of any kind to the next steps in the process. Sales people have been trained to be subordinate to the prospect so that you don’t upset them.  So you play their game providing as much information as you can and often getting nothing in return.  This has to stop in order for you to be successful.

Many companies today are turning to online CRM software solutions to help implement a structured approach to selling.  It’s certainly not mandatory to have a CRM system, but it can and does help.  One of the ways CRM software can assist with this process is by guiding the sales staff through a process via a series of questions that need to be answered before wasting valuable time on a poorly qualified opportunity.  Those questions include such things as: is there a critical need for the product or service you are selling, are the decision makers known and engaged in the process, is there an approved budget for the acquisition and is there a definitive time frame for a decision?   In order for the sales process to be successful there must be a “Win –Win” relationship with the prospect. By this I mean that for every bit of information you provide you need to get something in return.   If you don’t you will continue to play to the hand of the prospect and find yourself frustrated that the prospect does not answer the phone, won’t return messages and has left you with no sale and no commission.  A CRM system can provide a good way to automate the sales process so that it’s the same for each and every new sales opportunity.

Image “give a little GET A LOT…” by silkeybeto on Flickr, available under Creative Commons license

“There is clearly a significantly higher interest in CRM online today” says Tom Gibson, sales manager at Commence Corporation a top rated provider of CRM software.  Customers want to be up and running quickly, without having to worry if they have the proper hardware in place. In addition, they now demand access to their data from mobile devices such as a tablet PC or smartphone.  Online CRM software provides this traditionally at no additional cost.  This is driving SME’s to consider online CRM vs. desktop solutions.”

Image “Foster Launches Seminars to Boost Business” by DUP Photos on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

By Dave Kahle

Situations in which you must deal with a lot of people always bring with them a great deal of temptation to take unethical short cuts.

Situations in which you deal with a lot of money always bring with them a great deal of temptation to take unethical short cuts.

And situations in which you spend most of your day unsupervised always bring with them a great deal of temptation to take unethical short cuts.

Put all three of those together and you have the daily working environment for a salesperson.  Every day, there is, in some way, an opportunity to take an ethical shortcut.  The list of possibilities is endless – everything from exaggerating a product’s features, promising impossible delivery, speaking badly about the competition or your colleagues, selling free samples, fudging your expenses,  running personal errands on company time, etc.

That’s why a strict code of ethics is such an important attribute of a professional salesperson.  Without it, the temptation to take unethical short cuts can become unbearable.  And, just one ethical short cut can ruin a relationship with a customer and derail a salesperson’s career.

A strict code of ethics is just what it says it is.  Strict, unimpeachable, non-negotiable, black and white decisions, made before the actual event, about what you will and will not do.

The best salespeople have a well-thought out system of right and wrong, and are secure in their commitment to it.  They take the time, in a calm, non-stressful time, to think deeply through their guidelines for their behavior.  They make decisions about what they will and will not do.  Some even commit that to paper.

Then, when they are in the midst of a sales call and are faced with the need to make an immediate decision, they have no qualms about it.  They have already made the decision.

Here’s an example.  Let’s say that one of the ethical guidelines you created for yourself is this:  I will never speak badly about the competition.

Now, you are having lunch with one of your customers, and he casually mentions one of your competitors, and remarks, “The guy is a real know-it-all.”  If you hadn’t thought it out and decided, well beforehand, that you were not going to speak badly about the competition, you may have said, “Yeah, he is a jerk.”

But, since you did make the decision, you keep quiet and don’t comment at all.  The conversation moves on.

Your code of ethics prevented an impulsive action that may have made you look bad.

A strict code of ethics makes decisions easier, reduces stress, and builds a reputation of trust from both the customers, as well as the salesperson’s management.

That’s why it is a best practice of the best salespeople.

To learn more about this best practice: Read Chapter 16 of How to Excel at Distributor Sales, Chapter 7 of Take Your Sales Performance Up-a- Notch, Chapter 3 of Insights & Answers, or Chapter 2 of Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center™, consider Pod-34: Ethics for the Professional Salesperson, and Nuggets N-19: Ethics; N-96: Integrity; and N-215: Ethics for sales people.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle
All Rights Reserved.

Image “Creating the high-trust organization” by opensourceway on Flickr, available under Creative Commons license.

Successful sales professionals traditionally have a specific set of skills that enable them to quickly determine a qualified prospect from a tire kicker. This skill enables them to quickly focus their energy on the most qualified opportunities resulting in higher close ratios and higher revenues. Most sales organizations however are made up of a hand full of seasoned sales people coupled with less experienced staff who are still honing their skills. A good CRM system can be a valuable tool for automating the selling processes that you know work for your organization.

One of the companies that has taken a leadership position in this area is Commence Corporation, a provider of CRM software for small to mid-size enterprises. Commence CRM incorporates a series of automated processes that add structure to the lead generation and sales management of each new sales opportunity. The structure is really quite simple and defined by each company’s sales management. Starting with the lead generation process, management outlines a set of criteria for what they believe constitutes a highly qualified lead. The questions are then answered by the sales representative. Based on the response the CRM software will rate and color code each lead as highly qualified, not yet qualified or poorly qualified. It’s a simple process that delivers effective results.

Commence CRM also incorporates a structured sales process that enables a sales representative and sales management to manage each stage of the sales cycle from introduction to closure. By being proactive during the sales process, management can play an active and valuable role in helping to move an opportunity toward closure vs. conducting a post mortem on why they lost the business.

Any successful sales organization is driven by its sales staff and its management, but CRM software systems like Commence CRM can play a vital role in automating the processes that help sales people sell more and sell more easily.

Image “10 questions that will change your business” owned by Nod Young (cc)

Commence Corporation, a leading provider of online CRM software, is helping companies transition from traditional desktop software to CRM programs that operate in a cloud computing environment. “Many small to mid-size enterprises are still a bit suspect of cloud computing,” says Tom Gibson, Sales Manager at Commence. “These companies have spent years using traditional contact management software that operates on their personal computer and are comfortable with that environment, but they are seeking more.” continued Gibson.  Users of older contact management programs are becoming more and more educated on the benefits of cloud computing and indeed desire that ability to access their data anytime and anywhere.  Online CRM software programs that operate in a cloud environment provide this while reducing the time and cost associated with managing and maintaining desktop software.”

Commence is helping companies transition to the world of CRM online by assisting them with the transition process.  The Commence professional services organization has created several tools and best practices for data migration and a series of web based CRM training videos that enable the end user to learn how to use Commence CRM online.  “We try to become part of the company’s organization” says Chris Anello, one of the Commence team members that helps manage the transition.  This helps them to feel comfortable that they have someone to call and talk to during the process.  This process has proven to be highly successful and Commence has numerous CRM customer references to support this.

To learn more about Commence Corporation, its best practices and the company’s online CRM software visit www.commence.com.

Image “Office” owned by Scott Ableman (cc)

Providers of CRM Software sure have a challenge on their hands. At last count there were more than 400 companies claiming to offer CRM systems across both horizontal and vertical industries. Of course many of them service a specific industry segment such as enterprise offerings, middle market systems and small business CRM, so not all 400 are competing with each other. But the question is how can all of these companies survive in this highly competitive market? The answer is they can’t. As a potential buyer of CRM software it is important to do some research about the CRM solution provider you are interested in. But this does not mean you should only select the most popular name or company out of fear. In fact, some of the most popular names may not have the best solution or the right one for your business. Microsoft for example is known by everyone, but their CRM solution has been known to lag behind several other pure play CRM providers such as Salesforce.com, SugarCRM and Commence CRM, all of which are high quality stable companies with very good products.

As the CRM market becomes more saturated we will begin to see greater consolidation and it will impact the low cost CRM solution providers first. Due to their low cost, these companies simply cannot afford to re-invest in their solutions or provide the level of customer service customers need in order to realize the maximum value from the CRM software. This also means that these low cost solution providers will struggle to remain competitive in this fast paced sector. This is already evident with many low cost online CRM solutions that may be purchased over the internet via credit card. What these companies are in effect saying is that due to their low cost, they cannot afford to talk with you or demonstrate their solution. I cannot blame them, but CRM stands for customer relationship management. How can these companies be selling a solution for managing customer relationships when they cannot afford to manage their relationship with you? Let me reiterate that this does not mean you should simply rule out these low cost solutions, but simply take the time to investigate the company you are buying from.

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By Dave Kahle
It’s a difficult year for a lot of sales people.  The world is changing rapidly, and every new headline contains information that seems to impact business in a significant way.  The competition is more active, customers are more discriminating, and nobody has enough time.

There was a time, just a few years ago, when it was easier.  You could work hard for awhile, and then you could relax and enjoy the fruits of your labors.  You would reach a point where life became easy, your customers were buying from you consistently, and you had your job figured out.

That’s no longer the case.  Pressures are growing on your company to reduce their costs and become more productive.  The bottom line is this: You, personally, must become far more productive than you’ve ever been expected to be in the past.  Today’s performance, no matter how good, will not be sufficient tomorrow.

Easier said than done.  How do you go about dramatically increasing your results?  My suggestion:  THINK A LOT.

I’m not suggesting that you spend your time daydreaming.  Nor am I encouraging you to ponder the meaning of the universe, do a crossword puzzle or memorize the birth dates of all your relatives.  All of those exercises would represent ways to think a lot, but they are not the kind of thinking I’m advocating.

Rather, I’m encouraging you to invest your greatest single resource, your mind, in focusing your mental energy on specific portions of your job.  That means thinking about certain things, thinking in certain ways, and doing a lot of it.

It’s easy to do your job by mindlessly going through the motions.  You see the customers with whom you are comfortable, quote the products they ask you about, grumble about the paperwork, and complain about price competition.

That’s easy.  Unfortunately, it’s also a prescription for eventual failure.  The world is changing too rapidly today to do your job “mindlessly.”  Your customers are changing, products and vendors are changing and adapting, and new competitors and technologies are springing up.  If you go through your job mindlessly, you’ll soon be outdated and ineffectual.

So on one hand, you have the need to improve your productivity to keep up with the pressures on your company, and on the other hand, you have the temptation to get into a rut, and go about your job “mindlessly.”

The most effective strategy to battle these double temptations is to “Think A Lot”.  What should you think about?  Here are three of the most important things.

1.  Think about your customers.

Ask yourself a series of questions about your customers.  As you develop the answers, write them down in your account folders, and repeat the process a few months later.  Here are some questions to get you thinking:

*  What’s changing for this customer?

*  What do they want to accomplish this year?

*  What can I do to help them meet their goals?

*  What is the competition doing in this account?

*  What progress have I made this past few months?

*  What can I do now to increase my sales in this account?

Thinking about these questions keeps you constantly close to the changing conditions in your accounts, keeps you insulated from the tendency to get “mindless,” and provides you with a method to uncover lucrative sales opportunities within each account.

2.  Think about each sales call.

Your face-to-face contact with your customer is the one part of your job that sets you apart from everyone else in your company.  It is that aspect of what you do by which you bring value to your company.

If you honestly think about it, you’ll probably observe that everything else you do can be done by other people in your company.  Someone else can accept orders, train end users, check on back-orders, etc.  The only thing you do that no one else in your company does is call on your customers face-to-face.  So, your eyeball-to-eyeball interactions with your customers are probably the most important part of your job.

Yet, most observers estimate that the average sales person spends only about 25% of his time face-to-face with his customers.

Put those two facts together, and you have the sobering conclusion that you spend very little of your time doing the thing that is the most important aspect of your job.

That being the case, doesn’t it stand to reason that you ought to invest some time and energy planning for those rare moments when you’re face-to-face with your customers?  Ask yourself these questions, and think about the answers, before every sales call:

*  What do I want to accomplish?

*  What forces are working on my customer that may influence his behavior today?

*  What value am I bringing him today?

*  Exactly what am I going to ask, say, or communicate?

*  What can I do to understand him better?

*  What can I do to deepen the relationship?

Going through this disciplined approach to “thinking about your sales calls” will be the single most effective thing you can do to improve your productivity.

3.  Think about continuously improving yourself.

First, commit yourself to the challenge of continuous improvement.  Be discontent with the level of proficiency you have obtained.  Be discontent with your results.  Think about everything you do and examine ways to improve and wring more value out of it.

Challenge and question everything you do.  Is this the best way to write up a quote?  Should you be visiting this account, or would the other one hold more potential?  Should you really be spending your time promoting this product, or is another one more important?  Should you really be lunching with this customer or should you invest that time in another?  Is this the best way to file your old quotes, keep track of customer contacts, and file product literature?

Got the idea?  Never rest.  Be discontent with every aspect of your job in order to provide the stimulation to improve on it.  Question everything. Think a lot.

It will be your key to continuous, life-long improvement.

By the way, you’ll find this kind of insight into dozens of sales issues in our Sales Resource Center. It houses 435 training programs to help every one live more successfully and sell better.  All delivered over the internet, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

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About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. A great source of specific tools to help you close is Dave’s book, Question Your Way to Sales Success. Check it out here.

Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

Early Challenges of Online CRM Software

Just a few years ago users of traditional contact management and sales management software which reside on desktop computers were initially concerned with the reliability and security of on-line CRM software that operates over the web and for good reason.  Early entrants into this space had difficulty meeting several basic challenges; reliability, scalability and customization.  Small to mid-size businesses that tried to take advantage of these early on-line CRM systems found reliability to be a significant problem and one that they rarely encountered with desktop software.  This was because many of the early on-line CRM systems were not designed for performance or scalability and customers found themselves with periodic downtime, lost data and being told to run large reports overnight rather than during the daytime when utilization was high.  In addition, many of these CRM systems offered basic out-of the-box functionality with limited to no customization leaving customers with nothing more than a web based contact management system.

Meeting Today’s Business Requirements with Online CRM Software

Today, several CRM software providers have moved the bar to an exceptional level and now offer solid performance and reliability, scalability to hundreds even thousands of users and the ability to customize their product to meet unique business requirements.  There are still quite a few that do not and customers need to pay close attention to the following.

Reliability – simply means up-time. While the internet has proven to be a reliable access portal to data, this does not mean your CRM vendor’s program will be.  Many of the low cost programs have not been architecturally designed with performance and reliability in mind. This takes a whole lot of time and testing and cost tens of thousands of dollars to perform. Many smaller firms or start-ups simply do not worry about this and believe if their product is successful, they will deal with this issue at that time, unfortunately at the expense of the customer. The cloud CRM service provider is also something that is critical.  Level one cloud service providers are the best in the business, but their service costs a lot of money. Low cost on-line CRM systems typically use tier three or four service providers which saves them money at your expense.

Performance – this relates to how the system performs when there are a large number of people using it.  Remember this is an on-line CRM system not one that resides on your desktop computer. On line CRM programs operate in what is known as a multi-tenant architecture which means you are sharing an environment with many other companies. If the system was not designed to support high transaction volumes, you may find yourself with a system that does not perform as expected.

Customizability – On line CRM systems are simply not yet as mature as desktop programs that have been around for decades, but this is changing quickly. Most quality CRM systems offer a reasonable level of customization without programmer intervention. With programmer intervention, many can match the customization level of desktop programs.  This level of customization is often quite expensive so customers that require a high degree of customization should make sure they understand the cost associated with its completion.

For companies just starting to investigate on line CRM software, top picks for enterprise level companies would include Oracle and SAP. Mid-size companies will find good solutions in Salesforce.com and Commence CRM.

Image “raising-the-bar” owned by tatkinson785 (cc)
Image “Twitter user overload picture” owned by Ged Carroll (cc)

Today, according to industry experts 90% of all CRM software providers either already offer a cloud based computing alternative or plan to within the next 18 months.  The reason for this migration from desktop programs to cloud based ones is due simply to the appetite of small to mid-size companies that are anxious to reduce the operational cost associated with maintaining in-house computer hardware and software.  The current economic climate has placed a significant financial burden on these companies who have found themselves working with dated hardware and software programs.

One of the CRM vendors that has realized a high degree of success in the CRM sector is Commence Corporation, a company that has been servicing small to mid-size enterprises for more than 20 years.  Commence offers an easy to use affordable cloud CRM software solution that has captured the attention of the industry and small to mid-size enterprises who like the product’s robust functionality and reliability.

“We realized several years ago that there was a high degree of interest in on line CRM software“, said Todd Pape, Chief Technology Officer at Commence.  “The challenge was making sure customers felt comfortable with the reliability and security of storing their data in the cloud.  This concern seems to have been addressed and we are seeing more and more inquiries and implementations of our cloud based CRM.”  Commence CRM is now available in the United States, Canada, and Europe and is highly regarded as a solid cost effective alternative to Salesforce.com and industry giant Microsoft CRM. On-line demonstrations are available directly from the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

Image “Cloud Tower” owned by mercurialn (cc)

Companies that engage in the evaluation and selection of CRM software are traditionally looking to achieve three business objectives:

1)       Data Consolidation – information is streaming into your business every day from the telephone, fax, e-mail and the web. What happens to this information is the problem. The objective of CRM software is to ensure that all of this information is consolidated into a single unified database where it is immediately accessible to those employees that need to it efficiently do their jobs.

2)      Improve Sales Execution – this starts with implementing a structured process for lead qualification and the efficient management of the sales cycle from introduction to closure.  Proper lead qualification ensures that your most valuable asset, i.e. your sales team, is focused on the most qualified business opportunities.   Proper management of the sales cycle using CRM software has helped management keep their eye on the most promising opportunities and has  been shown to improve close ratios and generate higher returns.

3)      Provide World-Class Customer Service – In today’s world where customer loyalty is only skin deep the difference between winning and retaining customers may have more to do with the quality of service you provide than it does your product.  CRM can ensure that all members of the organization have access to customer records and can respond quickly and professionally to customer inquiries.

The challenging economy coupled with a highly competitive market place has encouraged businesses of all sizes to seek a way to get a leg up on their competition.  CRM software has proven to be an effective tool for helping companies market, sell and provide service to their customers.

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Image “Good Cheap Fast Service” owned by TeX HeX (cc)
Image “Octopus Receiving Mail Postcard” owned by koiart71 (cc)

You should look at your sales organization just like a crew of new military recruits that just arrived in boot camp.  They’re all eager to be successful, but don’t quite know how and are looking for the right path to follow.  The implementation of a structure with well-established rules and procedures is what makes the military successful. Once the recruits are comfortable with it they begin to operate like a well-oiled machine.  Your sales organization should be operating the same way. Sales people want and need a structured approach to selling and a good CRM system can provide it.

What CRM software can deliver is the ability to document a structured approach to selling where each stage of the sales cycle is managed and evaluated before moving forward.   This ensures that each and every sales opportunity is being looked at through multiple eyes and not falling through the cracks.  The results speak for themselves.  Higher close ratios, higher revenue attainment, happy sales people and happy management.   It’s important to note that simply running out and implementing a CRM system is not going to deliver more sales.  CRM software is a tool and it does not run your business, people do and sales management is the key to good performance.  CRM software will at least give them the tools they need to become a more effective sales organization.

[Image "Social Business Boot Camp 2010" by Gangway Advertising on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

Every company looking for an online CRM system wants one with the most functionality, but it’s also got to be easy to use; kind of an oxymoron I think.  There is clearly a correlation between robust functionality and ease of use.  Standalone or what’s known as point solutions that do one or two things very well are by nature very easy to use.  Those that do a lot like robust CRM systems aren’t.

One CRM solution provider however has done a pretty good job of offering a comprehensive CRM system that is quite easy to use.  That company is Commence Corporation, who has been providing CRM software to small and mid-size businesses for more than two decades.   “We understand the importance of ease of use,” says Larry Caretsky, President of Commence Corporation.  “We may not have every bell and whistle of enterprise solutions, but our customers utilize our solutions and have realized substantial value from our CRM system”.

What makes Commence easy to use begins with the company’s CRM Dashboard, which enables the end user to complete routine tasks such as adding a new account, a new contact, a lead or a new sales opportunity without leaving the home page.   Sales representatives have reported that they can conduct 90 percent of their daily business without ever leaving the screen.  This makes the learning curve for Commence CRM minimal.

Commence has also incorporated what they call a multi-view inside the CRM system.  A multi-view displays multiple windows of information on a single screen. Very much like a Microsoft Windows environment does on a PC, Commence does this using HTML for their online CRM system.  This capability provides access to a complete 360 degree view of information on a single screen.  There is no scrolling up and down and no flipping back and forth from screen to screen.  This capability has delighted the management of companies that have selected Commence CRM.

There are numerous online CRM solutions to choose, but few that offer the comprehensive functionality and ease of use of Commence CRM.  To learn more about this online CRM solution visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

By Dave Kahle

Q. Dave, I am finding it difficult to manage my personal finances.  As a commissioned sales person, my income varies from month to month.  It seems like I’m always struggling with finances.  Do you have suggestions for me?

A. Congratulations for having the courage to ask that question.  Do I have suggestions?  Yep, a bunch of them.

First, a little perspective, so you know where I’m coming from.  For almost my entire adult life, I have been a commissioned sales person whose income varied from month to month.  Even now, my income varies monthly.  So, I can certainly understand your situation on the income side.  On the expense side, there have been times when I had obligations that, at times, seemed overwhelming.  My wife was a full time homemaker, we raised a family of five children, and for many of those years I also had child support payments.  Those were heavy financial responsibilities.

In all of this, I have learned some things about managing personal finances.  Here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way.

Avoid debt

First, as much as possible, avoid debt.  Debt adds tremendously to your stress.  You know that you must make those payments or you are going to have lots of unpleasant consequences.  That may be constantly on your mind, contributing to sleepless nights and rising blood pressure.

Debt reduces your options.  If you have monthly payments, for example, they must be paid even if you have a bad month or two.  Without those payments, you can generally find a way to ride out low income months by temporarily reducing your standard of living.  You can eat in every day, for example, instead of buying pizza or going out.  Without monthly payments, you can even survive a few months of no income at all.

Interest you pay eventually reduces your standard of living, because your interest payments are expenses that bring you no value.  So, be careful about putting anything on that charge card.  And if you do, try to pay it off each month.  Deciding to make just minimum payments is one of the most expensive decisions you’ll ever make.

Also, be careful about any long term commitments.  Instead of a three year lease on a new car, think about buying used and paying it off in two.  Instead of a two year lease on that apartment, try 12 months.

You may not ever be able to be totally debt free.  However, you can make decisions which, over time, will significantly reduce your amount of debt, easing the pressure on you and allowing you more options.

Develop a monthly budget

Second, develop a monthly budget for reasonable living.  In good months, don’t spend the excess, put anything you make above that amount into a savings account.  In bad months or years, tap into that savings account to meet your budget.  At the end of the year, use some of the excess that you’ve build up to make those big purchases that you were tempted to put on a charge card during the year.

For example, say that you set up a budget of $4,000 a month.  In January, you take home $4,400.  Of that, $400 goes into the savings account, and you live on $4,000.  In February, you take home $4,500.  You repeat the discipline, putting $500 away.  In March, you take home $3,500.  You take $500 out of the savings for your day-to-day expenses.  When you’ve built up a comfortable surplus, buy those big things that you’d like to have.

This is one of the best things that I ever did.  Even to this day, my wife and I operate on a budget.  Here’s an example.  We have a certain amount of money dedicated each month to “entertainment.”  We use this for meals out, concerts, etc.  When the money’s gone, we’re done. If we want to go out to eat, but don’t have any money in the entertainment budget, we don’t go.  It’s called deferred gratification, and it’s the secret of surviving financially in a turbulent environment.

A number of years ago, I was involved with a group that had an excellent budgeting system, and taught it in small groups that met in homes.  If you are interested, check out Crown Ministries.

Increase your giving

Finally, one last thought.  This will sound counter-intuitive, but I have followed this rule for all of my adult life, and have found it to be extremely powerful.  That rule is this:  In times of economic uncertainty, increase your giving.

There is something about giving that helps you put your situation into perspective.  It focuses you on people around you who need help in ways that you don’t.  It gives your family a broader perspective, injects new purpose into your life, and encourages everyone to be less self-centered.

Realize that I’m coming at this from a Christian perspective.  There is a promise in the Bible that says we cannot out-give God.  When we give of our time and talents, God will respond by returning to us much more than what we have given.  I have found that promise to be as bankable as my paycheck.

You may not share my perspective.  Regardless, just from a purely pragmatic point of view, there are still some very practical reasons to increase your giving.  When you get involved in some volunteer organization, you mix with a different group of people than that with which you are accustomed.  New people, new situations, new issues are all invigorating for sales people.  Also, you’ll find, through your investigation of places to which to donate time and money, lots of people who need help a whole lot more than you do.  That helps you put your situation into perspective.  And that helps you stay positive, optimistic and effective.

Think of giving in two ways:  giving of your money, and donating your time and talent.

If you have some organization, cause or church to which you regularly donate, consider increasing your donation.  If you don’t, now is the time to find some place to donate some of your money.

Find something in which you can donate your time. If you are not involved in some volunteer work, find someplace to give of your time and talents.  For a number of years my wife and I were foster parents, caring for a total of 19 children of various ages, races, and emotional and physical disabilities.  It kept us humble, broadened our lives, and taught us a lot.  I’d recommend you find something like that – something into which you can invest your time and talent.

It really is the difficult times in your life, and your reaction to them, that shape your character and make you a better person.

Image “credit-card” owned by Baptiste Franchina (cc)
Image “Balancing The Account By Hand” owned by Ken Teegardin (cc)
Image “A MODERN THERMOPYLAE: 300 hunger strikers” owned by SpaceShoe [Learning to live with the crisis] (cc)

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leadng sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMX by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

You may have heard the old story that no one goes to a hardware store to buy a drill, they buy a drill because they need a hole.  The same can be said about CRM systems.  If your requirement is to simply manage contacts, then select a contact management system and don’t worry about all the other bells and whistles you may be excited about.  On the other hand if you are trying to build your brand, generate more leads or manage the sales process you may need a more robust CRM system.

CRM systems are also available in-house or on premise, hosted by a third party vendor or as cloud based CRM systems that are deployed over the internet.  You need to once again consider your business requirements when selecting how you would like your CRM system deployed. If you staff is all on-premise, an in-house CRM system makes good sense. But if your sales and support organization operates remotely or from a home office, a web based CRM system would be a better choice.  Also look for a vendor that will spend time with you and help you to determine the applications or functionality you need and the best deployment option for you.  Those that won’t assist you before the sale will certainly not help you after the sale.

[Image "3D Character and Question Mark" by o5com on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

Helping our Business Customers

Commence Corporation, a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management software (CRM), is offering traditional desktop CRM customers the option to migrate to the company’s new online CRM hosted service.  “The economic environment has hit many small to mid-size businesses very hard” says Todd Pape, Chief Information Officer at Commence.  Many are working with dated hardware and software and no longer have the staff to maintain their internal infrastructure.  Commence is offering them an opportunity to migrate to one of two deployment options that have been designed to reduce the requirement of internal staff along with the cost  of maintaining their inhouse CRM system.”

“First is our hosted CRM service which enables them to maintain their desktop software, but have the server component managed and maintained by Commence’s professional engineers at our data center.  This enables the customer to focus 100 percent of their time in managing and growing their business. For those customers interested in cloud computing, they can have their CRM online and completely alleviate the requirement for new hardware or software.  The cloud based CRM system offers anytime anywhere access and full mobile support. “

“Customers truly appreciate the options offered by Commence” stated Denis Moran, president of Istri – a reseller of Commence products in Europe. “No one wants to change CRM vendors especially when they are pleased with the product and service they have received over the years”.   For more information about how Commence can help you migrate to a hosted or online CRM environment, visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

[Image "Midwest Hospitality" by johnnyalive on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

Companies that are still using desktop contact management software are looking for the next generation of software that provides additional functionality, better reporting, and anytime anywhere access to data via mobile devices.  Commence CRM’s robust functionality coupled with its ease of use and affordability has proven to be a nice step up for companies still using desktop contact management programs.

[Image "Inverted Cheerleader Pyramid" by Steve Jurvetson on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

Much of this has to do with a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to selecting a CRM solution.  CRM is not an appliance that you simply plug in the wall and it magically improves sales execution and customer service.  And if you think you can buy CRM software by merely entering your credit card over the internet, you are not thinking clearly. Yet many small business executives see CRM software as a commodity item, causing them to simply select some Freeware or low cost program that delivers nothing but headaches.  These business owners initially think they got a bargain; only to find out later that the time, energy and cost they put into the free product was greater than the initial cost of selecting a quality company with a product that would address their business requirements.  The point here is simple.  There are no bargains when it comes to CRM software. Anything that seems to be too good to be true at just a few dollars a month (or even better Free) is going to cost you dearly in the end.

There are several high quality companies and products designed specifically for small to mid-size businesses that will deliver real value and provide you with expertise that will enable you to improve how you market, sell and provide service to your customers.  One of these companies is Commence Corporation, a company that has been providing customer management software solutions to small and mid-size businesses for more than two decades.  While not free, Commence has experienced sales and support personnel who have assisted hundreds of companies improve their internal business processes resulting in better lead management, accurate sales forecasting and improving customer service.  Commence customers have reported greater than a 25% increase in sales through the use of the program. Would you pay for a product or service that could deliver this kind of value to your company?  Sure you would, but this kind of value isn’t free.

To learn more about Commence CRM software visit Commence.com and view a series of educational videos that illustrate how you can become a more efficient sales and service organization with Commence CRM. 

Image ‘Bargain – Save 1c’ owned by Alpha, on Flickr (cc)

CRM software comes in all different sizes and flavors from basic contact management programs to comprehensive solutions for managing front office business processes such as sales, marketing and customer service.  What makes one CRM solution better than another is not necessarily apparent to the consumer whose focus is primarily on features, function and price.

The difference between a top rated CRM software solution and an average one often lies under the covers and is not apparent unless you know where to look and what questions to ask.  If you’re a mid-size to enterprise level company scalability and the hosting service should be top priorities on your list.   Scalability relates to the CRM system’s performance when large groups of people are trying to access data or run reports.  Low cost CRM solution providers have traditionally not paid particular attention to this due to limited resources and the cost associated with the development of highly scalable solutions.   As a result, it is not uncommon for customers using these systems to experience slow access speeds or reports that take hours to run.  Fixing this is no easy task, so if you are experiencing this with your CRM solution provider, don’t expect this to change anytime soon.

The CRM providers hosting service is another key concern for mid-size and larger companies.  Some CRM solution providers that host your data do so on a shared server or servers while others offer a cloud computing environment.  Like any hardware component, there are limitations and capacities as to how much data can be stored on the server.  With hosted CRM solutions when the server hits its capacity you may find yourself having difficulty connecting to your database.  Cloud based providers have addressed this using the ability for cloud technology to quickly add computing resources when required thereby reducing the potential for slow speeds and downtime.

Of course it is also important not to overlook the reputation of the CRM vendor itself.  Companies with a proven track record for a high quality product and service often have years of experience in the industry and a very large customer base.  Contacting a few customers and learning about their experience with the vendor’s product and service may be the best vehicle for helping you to make the right decision.

[Image "Miniature Ice Cream Display" by Stephanie Kilgast on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

The problem lies in the fact that most businesses view CRM software as some sort of turn-key “out of the box solution” like an appliance that you plug-in the wall.  It’s not.  CRM is complicated and requires proper training and customization to address unique business requirements.  Part of the problem also comes from a failed CRM selection process whereby management has not taken the time to outline their business requirements.  As a result, they often select a solution based on popularity and price only to find out later that they made the wrong decision.

Small to mid-size businesses looking for help with the CRM selection process will find substantial value in the attached white paper, available from the link below.

Don’t Make a CRM Buying Mistake – 7 Points to Consider

Image “We Deliver” owned by Chris (cc)

By Dave Kahle

In my first professional sales position, I spent six full weeks in sales training before I was released to go out into my territory.  Sales training was defined as memorizing two five-page, single-spaced sales presentations, presenting them to the sales training class, critiquing the video-taped playback of the presentation, and then doing it all again – for six weeks! At the end of those six weeks, every one of us could give those two presentations masterfully.

While the use of prewritten, memorized sales presentations still continues today, it’s only rarely used in the business-to-business selling environment.  It may be that today’s frantic pace of new product development makes the time it takes to memorize a sales presentation seem less valuable.  Or it may be that today’s salesperson is more sophisticated and able to adjust the sales presentation to the needs of each individual customer.

While memorized presentations may be a vestige of years gone by, that in no way reduces the need to make a well designed, practiced sales presentation. The ability to routinely make powerful, persuasive sales presentations, regardless of the customer or product, is one of the practices of the best.

The world is full of salespeople who take a casual attitude toward a sales presentation.  Some think that they know the product so well that their superior product knowledge will ooze out during the presentation, impressing the customer into buying.  Others do not put in the necessary preparation and practice time, and, in an attempt to cover their lack of confidence, focus on those parts of the presentation with which they feel most comfortable.  Still others feel that their ability to improvise will eventually lead them to a persuasive presentation.

The truth is that there is no shortcut to a persuasive presentation.  It begins with studying the customer as well as the product or service.  It takes preparation to decide which of the customer’s issues to address, and which specific features of your offer to emphasize.  It takes time to organize the facts and features into a cohesive presentation.  It takes time to build in interactive elements, and to gather the right samples and documents.  And it takes time to practice (yes, practice) the presentation before you actually make it.  A persuasive presentation begins with methodical preparation.

Maybe that’s why so few salespeople give this aspect of their job the attention that it deserves.  And maybe that’s why routinely making powerful and persuasive presentations is a practice of the very best.

To learn more about this practice, review these resources: The CD, How to Make Powerful and Persuasive Presentations, or the Video version: Persuasive Presentations, Part 1 & 2.

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center™, consider The One Month ‘Persuasive Presentations’ Course, or The Six Month ‘Consultative Selling’ Course.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle
All Rights Reserved.

[Image "Day 32: Yahoo BT sales exercise" by Kerry Vaughan on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

By Dave Kahle

You have made a call or two on a prospect, qualified them, and rate them as high potential.  The problem is they don’t have an opportunity at the moment. Lots of potential, but it’s all down the road a bit.  Your challenge is to maintain contact so that when they do have an opportunity, you have a chance at it.

Let’s consider all your options.

First, you can generate a regular series of emails.  Put them into an auto-responder, select a series of messages, and press “go.”  They will get the messages you send on the frequency that you determine.  That’s a very efficient solution.  Once you get the auto-responders set up, it is just a few clicks and you’re done.

It may work, too, if you have personalized the messages, and delivered something of value each time, and if they don’t have a lot to do and don’t get a bunch of email messages every day.  If any of these things aren’t true for the situation, you will find that your email messages will go unread, or worse yet, banned from their inbox.  Of course, there isn’t anything very personal about a series of auto-responder messages.

How about the other side of the spectrum?  Instead of taking the “highly efficient but not very effective” approach, you try “effective but not at all efficient” strategy.  You decide to personally visit every two weeks.  Great idea if…

• you have nothing better to do.
• they have a lot of extra time and can visit with you whenever you ‘drop by.’
• you have something new to discuss each time you visit.

That’s probably not going to happen, so maybe that’s not such a great idea after all.

So what now?

Let me suggest a powerful medium.  SNAIL MAIL!  That’s right.  Here’s an approach that may work for you.

1.  Create a series of “case studies” or “success stories.”  These are one page descriptions of other customers for whom you have done something similar.  Maybe you solved a similar problem, or solved a problem in a similar kind of company.  Regardless, on one side of one piece of paper, describe the customer, their issue, and what you did to solve it.  If you can get a short quote from one of the key people in that company, great.  If you can add a little visual interest with that customer’s logo, or a photograph of the building or the people, even better. For an example, click here

2.  Print a few of these.  Send one on a regular basis to your prospect.  Stick a hand-written sticky note to each one, with a personal message, hand written, by you to them. Mention their name.  Use yours. Hand write the address on the envelope.  Put a stamp on it.

3.  Now, fold into the mix a few personal email messages and an occasional visit, and you’ll have a multi-media stream of touches that will deliver something of value to the customer, keep your name in front of him/her, and demonstrate your company’s ability to bring solutions to folks like him.

One of the challenges in the situation is that there is not a lot you can do to force the opportunity to the forefront.  Like a child in a mother’s womb, it will come when it is ready.  Your task is to keep your name and your company’s capabilities in front of the prospect so that when it is time to act, you are on the short list of people to contact.

That requires that you begin to nurture a personal relationship with your contact person.  But, the best sales people understand that a personal relationship only takes you so far.  You must add a growing knowledge of your company’s capabilities to the personal relationship.  You can be the greatest, most entertaining and attractive person in the world, but if they don’t believe your company can deliver a value-added solution, it doesn’t matter.

Delivering a case study in the manner described above solves both problems.  The personal note is a one-on-one touch, delivering a “feel good about you” impact on the prospect, while the detailed case study demonstrates your company’s capabilities.

Mix a handful of these with a few personalized emails, a couple of phone conversations, and an occasional live visit, and you’ll have a system that will keep the prospect aware of you for months.

###

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

By Dave Kahle

Q. What do I do when my goals don’t match the company’s goals for me?

A.  I can look at this is in two ways – expressing two different situations.  In the first, there is a legitimate difference in the expectations for a sales person, but a basic agreement on the issues on which to be focused, as well as the values of the organization.  In the second, there is a deeper and more significant difference of opinion.

A little reality check

Let’s consider each separately.  In the first scenario, the sales person and the company differ on the degree of what is possible.  The sales person expects a 10% increase, while the company thinks 15% is reasonable.  Both agree that sales growth is reasonable, but the amount of growth is the issue.  What do you, the sales person, do in this case?

Persuade and negotiate.  Try to convince your boss that your perspective is more accurate than his/hers.  Don’t just assert that, be convincing.  Back up your beliefs with substance.  Describe specific situations and accounts, and explain why you think about them the way you do.  Prove your point.

At some point in this process, there is going to be a resolution.  There will be a quota or a goal.  Whether it is your idea of what it should be, or your manager’s version, or some compromise, it doesn’t matter.  At that point, when the issue is resolved and the number is set, your job is to give all of your best efforts to doing what your company wants you to do.

You are, after all, an employee of the company.  Your job is to do what your company wants you to do.  That’s what they pay you for.

Sometimes sales people can get a little too convinced of their own importance.  I succumbed to that temptation more than once when I was selling full time.  We think that we really are in business for ourselves, that we own our customers, and that we know what is best for the company and the customer.  So, therefore, we become agitated and upset when the company asks for a 15% increase and we think 5% is reasonable.  We are tempted to go off mumbling under our breath about the screwy management, and we decide we are going to do what we want to do instead.

A little reality check is in order under these circumstances.  If you worked in the warehouse, would you be able to decide what you wanted to do today?  If you were a customer service rep, would you get to determine how best to spend your day, and which parts of your job you’d really do?  If you were in the purchasing department, if you didn’t like the company’s direction, would you have the freedom to ignore it?

So what makes you think you are so special?  Answer — nothing.  Let’s put the freedom that we enjoy and the money that we make in perspective.  We are, when all is said and done, employees of the company.  And, I believe, we have a moral obligation to give our best efforts to that company for as long as we accept a paycheck.

Sometimes the price is high

Which brings us to the second situation.  You have some major difference of opinion in not only the degree of what is expected, but a deep-seated difference of opinion in the basic issues themselves.  I’m not talking about issues like you think you need to focus on your current customers and your company wants you to sell new customers.  Those are relatively superficial issues that fit into the previous discussion.

Instead, I’m talking about differences in fundamental values and ethics.  Here’s an example from my own experience.  I once worked for a company that introduced a new product, and developed a quota for each of us to sell that product.  The problem was, the product never worked.  It didn’t do what the company said it was going to do.  We, the sales people, knew it, and the company knew it.  Yet, they still wanted us to sell it.  We were given quotas and strongly directed to go out and get orders at all costs.  They directed us to, in effect, lie to our customers.

I left the company shortly thereafter.

The issue wasn’t “Do I sell 100 or 130 of these?”  That’s an issue of degree.  Instead, the issue was, “Do I lie to my customers?”  That’s an ethical issue.

If it’s an ethical issue, then I think you have only one choice.  Find another job.  Life is too short to spend it violating your ethics and compromising your integrity.

That sounds simple, and it rarely is that black and white.  It almost never happens that your manager sends you an email that says, “From this day forward you will lie to your customers.”  Instead, it is more likely that a pattern emerges over a period of time.  One incident is generally not representative of a character flaw.  But, when you see a pattern of cutting ethical corners, of disdain for integrity, of fuzzy moral boundaries, then you can conclude that those are expressions of a corporate character flaw.

In my situation, the “lie to your customers” direction was not the first indication of a lack of moral compatibility between me and the company.  It was, however, the final one for me – the most recent and blatant of a string of incidents that made me feel uncomfortable with myself for being a part of it.

Also, sometimes the price is high.  The position I left was the most fun, most challenging, best paying job I ever had.  It was 15 years before I made the kind of money again that I made in that job.  Believe me, leaving that job for ethical reasons was a difficult decision.

Money is just money.  It comes and it goes.  People, and sales people particularly, who will do anything for money, who evidence no compulsion and no moral boundaries, are sad characters.  They have succumbed to the most superficial of temptations and displayed themselves to all those around them as people with little integrity.  They are unfortunate examples to their families, friends, and all who know them.

You only have to read the newspapers over the last year or so to see multiple examples of the damage that greed, un-tempered by morality, can do.  The real damage, though, is not the highly visible corporate crooks that we read about every day.  The real tragedy is all the less visible managers and sales people who we don’t read about – those business people who share the same “money at all costs” attitude – whose legacy is not as public, but none-the-less still damaging.

I would hope that you would not be one of those.  That you would have the strength of character to disassociate yourself from a situation that comprised your integrity.

So, when it becomes an issue of morality, I think it’s time to leave.

Good luck.  Sell well.

P.S. I expect that my comments may generate some responses.  Feel free to email a comment to me.

********************************************************************************************

You may want to dig deeper into the issues uncovered in this article.  I’d recommend the book, “Take Your Performance Up-a-Notch.”

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center ™  consider reviewing these lessons:  Pod-21: “Goal-Setting,” or  Pod-34: “Ethics for the Professional Sales Person.”

Image “tired and dirty” owned by Rennett Stowe (cc)
Image “Sour Lemon” owned by Alan Maddox (cc)

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leadng sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and eight countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

Commence CRM is a robust offering for managing accounts and contacts, leads, sales, marketing, customer service and projects.  It even offers a built in e-mail client that seamlessly integrates Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and other e-mail clients so that you can actually read and compose your e-mail right within the CRM system itself.  In addition to the e-mail feature Commence also incorporates several unique features that are simply not available in competitive offerings costing twice as much.

One of these features is an account rating and scoring system that enables you to rate and color code your customers based on their value to your business.  This provides a quick and efficient way of identifying your most valuable customers, ensuring that you pay special attention to them.  This same capability known as an Automated Business Process can be found in the product’s lead module. This feature allows sales management to create a series of questions or identifiers to ensure that every sales representative is qualifying new sales opportunities the same way.  The feature enables the sales team to become laser focused on the most qualified opportunities and has proven to reduce sales cycles and improve close ratios.

Other CRM features that differentiate Commence CRM from competitive offerings include an automated organization chart built into the contact management and sales applications, an integrated project management system and the ability to create hierarchical or parent child relationships for accounts with multiple divisions or subsidiary organizations.   In addition, the product’s user interface is highly regarded for its easy navigation and use.   Because Commence is a cloud based CRM solution it can be accessed via a PC, Mac or any mobile device with Internet access.

Commence is a top rated CRM solution that offers unique functionality, ease of use and a low cost of ownership.  If you are a mid-market company or small enterprise Commence CRM should be on your radar screen.    For more information visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

Don't waste valuable time chasing tire kickers

Management of the Sales Cycle

CRM software is often looked upon as an extension of contact management and sales automation software. While this is certainly true, several CRM solution providers have taken CRM to a whole new level, using it to implement a structured approach to lead management and management of the sales cycle.  One of these companies, Commence Corporation has developed a unique Automated Business Process that  automates the lead qualification process and helps sales organizations better determine who’s buying and who’s not.

Automated Business Process

The structured process offers the ability to create a series of buying criteria built right into the CRM software such as;

• Prospect displays a high level of interest
• Needs have been established and documented
• Budget has been approved
• Buying or evaluation criteria have been established
• There is a specific time frame for a decision
• The internal selection process has been shared with you

Sales representatives answer the questions and the system rates and color codes each new opportunity based on the results, with red being a hot opportunity, yellow a warm one and blue cold.   The questions are completely customizable and you can even establish percentages if you feel one question is more important than another.

CRM Lead Management

This structured lead qualification process built into the Commence CRM software has proven to reduce sales cycles and improve close ratios.  This is because with Commence CRM, sales representatives become laser focused on the most qualified opportunities versus spending valuable time chasing tire kickers.

For more information about the automated lead qualification process click here.

[Image "Efficient VERSUS Effective" by Laura Dantonio on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

By Dave Kahle

It is so easy to do that which is comfortable and easy as opposed to that which is smart.  It’s a common temptation to which every sales person succumbs at least some of the time.

This applies most dramatically to the fundamental decisions that every sales person makes over and over again every day:

• Where should I go?
• Who should I see?
• What should I do?

Those sales people who consistently make those decisions most effectively rise to the top of the sales profession, and those who don’t, don’t.

Here’s an example.  It’s Monday morning, and you must make those decisions.  You could attempt to see a high potential prospect, or you can go see a small customer.  You know the customer will probably see you – he likes you.  And you’ll spend an hour or so in friendly conversation.  You also know that the likelihood of increasing the business with this customer is next to nothing. But, since it’s comfortable and easy, you choose to see the customer.  You rationalize it by claiming to be “building relationships.”

Or, you are all set to visit that high potential, but challenging prospect, when you receive a call from a “C” account who has a question.  You are not too distant from them, so you change plans and drive to see the “C” account.  Why?  Because you know that he’ll see you, and you’ll be able to answer a question, and that makes you feel important, and gives you a sense that you are actually accomplishing something.

In both cases, you chose to do that which was comfortable and easy, as opposed to that which was smart.  You succumbed to the temptation.

This is such a common thing among B2B sales people that those who “focus on spending the greatest amount of time with the highest potential” stand out on the basis of this one best practice alone.

That doesn’t mean that you totally neglect smaller customers.  But it does mean that you define, with some rigor, the highest potential customers in your territory and you then, with discipline and willfulness, spend more time with them.  My recommendation?  Fifty percent of your time with the top twenty percent of your territory, and fifty percent of your time with other eighty percent.  Note that the definition of the top twenty percent is based on potential, not necessarily the amount of the current business.  So, in other words, an “A” account is a high potential account, even though they may spend nothing with you now.

This is such a crucial practice that it is a part of almost every seminar and training session that I do.  Those who consistently implement it routinely report dramatic increases in sales.  Most commonly, they report tripling their business in two years.

While that sounds almost too good to be true, it isn’t.  It is predictable and almost routine for those who consistently practice it.  That’s why it’s a best practice.

If you’d like to pursue this practice, we have some resources to help you.  Consider Chapter Six of my book, Ten Secrets of Time Management for Sales People, or the video training program,  “Prioritizing your customers to dramatically increase your sales.”

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center™, consider Pod-55: The most powerful time management strategy for sales people.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Hiring an on-site computer technician can be costly

The current economic uncertainty has forced many small to mid-size businesses to seek ways to reduce their operational cost. Many have downsized their operations and have had to reduce their staff.  One of the areas hardest hit is the IT department. Companies that once had technology people on staff no longer do and the local computer guy that could help out in a pinch is no longer in business.  These companies now find themselves working with dated computer hardware and software and nowhere to turn if problems occur.

Cloud computing seems to be just what the doctor ordered if you can come to grips with the fact that someone else will be managing and maintaining your data outside your facility.  CRM software programs that run in the cloud are web based, which means they operate over the Internet.  There are no specific hardware requirements and no software to install.  This alleviates the need to hire costly technicians or outside consultants.  The cloud has many other benefits as well. Typically, software updates are included in the monthly or annual service fee which ensures that you are always working with the latest supportable version of the vendor’s software.  The data center and hardware used by top tier hosting providers is also best in class and traditionally offers back-up and data recovery services that are far superior to anything the customer may have had on-site.  In addition, the systems are managed 24/7 by well-trained engineers.

One of the companies that is helping companies transition to the world of cloud computing and cloud based software is Commence Corporation, a provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software .  Commence, best known for their client server based desktop software, now offers CRM for the cloud and is helping both existing and new customers take advantage of the new cloud computing environment. To learn more about Commence CRM for the cloud, visit http://www.commence.com/crm/platform/

Image by Manchester Library, on Flickr available under a Creative Commons license

By Dave Kahle

“Why should someone spend time with you?”  That was the question I asked the six sales people who were the subjects of an intense week-long training session.

The response?  Blank stares. Some uncomfortable fidgeting.  Nothing anywhere close to a coherent, persuasive response.

That experience made me realize the need for what I call a “value-added proposition,” and what many people refer to as an “elevator speech.”  It is a well-thought-out, meticulously prepared, and memorized set of ideas that ultimately answer the question above.  It should exist in several different versions:

1.  There should be a one-page (250 words or so) description of

*  who you are

*  what you do

*  why your customers and prospects should care.

2.  That should be reduced to a 30 word version that should be memorized by everyone who has contact with the customer.

3.  Finally, that should be further reduced to a four-to-eight word version that can accompany every communication, from web site advertising to face-to-face interactions.

Why this is important

“Five minutes or it’s free.”  That was the banner hanging over the fast food restaurant near my house.  I noticed it as I drove past one day.  Interesting.  In a mini-environment of intense competition (there must be a dozen fast-food options within a mile of this road) they chose to focus on one aspect of their offering – speed – and turn it into a “value-added proposition.”  In a world of other options for the customer, they chose to take their strength, turn it into a benefit for the customer, and boil that down to say to the customer, “Buy it from us.  We’ll guarantee quick service. “

It had its desired impact.  I noticed the banner, and decided to stop in for breakfast.  The waitress took my order, noted the time on the order pad, and handed me a stop watch!  I took up the challenge, clicked it on, and waited to see if they would perform.  The order arrived within five minutes.  I noticed the waitress look at her watch and note the delivery time on the order pad.

Let’s consider what we can learn from this experience.  First, the value-added proposition consolidates some of the strengths of the organization, and turns them into benefits for the customer base.  Then, it translates those benefits into a “proposition” which challenges the customer to become involved.  It reaches out into the world and says “Consider me.  Here’s why.”  It serves, then, as a proactive way to interest and attract potential customers.

Just as importantly, it helps refine who you are as an organization.  You will become who you tell people that you are.  For example, I suspect that the restaurant did not have a quantity of stop watches in their inventory prior to deciding to toss “Five minutes or it’s free” into the world.  I suspect that the order forms were modified to accommodate the claim, that the wait staff was trained in the processes to implement it, that some items came off the menu and others were added, and that there were some cooks who don’t work there any more because of their inability to be who the restaurant said they were.

Once you say that you provide “outstanding customer service,” or “the highest quality products” for example, you have to back that up.  You must become who you say you are, and actually do what you claim you do.

The value-added proposition, then, brings with it tremendous power to focus your image to your customer base and, at the same time, organize your internal operations to deliver what you say you will.

From the point of view of the sales force, the value-added proposition gives them a focal point — a place to hang their claim for uniqueness. But it also gives them a wedge into the doors of the prospect, and an appropriate topic of conversation with every contact.

That’s why the 30-word version should be memorized and practiced until it can be delivered accurately, fluently and persuasively.

How to do it

The creation of a value-added proposition can be much more significant than it may look at first glance.  Once you understand the power of this set of words to attract customers, equip sales people, and shape operations, you will realize that this can be a “bet the business on this” strategic initiative.

Get it wrong, and your organization’s very survival may be in jeopardy.  Get it right, and it can provide fuel for your growth for the foreseeable future.

So, it ought to be treated as a major strategic initiative in your organization, and given the allotment of resources that accompany such efforts.

Gather your best people for a brainstorming session.  Capture the output, and bring it to a more analytical group to refine.  Put it in the hands of your best communicators to create the three versions mentioned above.

Then, test it before you commit to it.  Put it in the hands of some sales people and gather their comments. Float it by some of your customers whose honest opinion you expect. Run it through the search engine optimization folks.

Refine it until you are ready to live with it.

Then, publish the short version in every conceivable place.  On business cards, letterhead, voice mail messages, web sites, email signatures, etc.

Bring the sales people in, require they memorize the 30-word version, and train them in persuasively presenting it.  Lots of role-play and practice here.   Do the same with anyone who has regular customer contact.

Finally, publish the one-page version.  Make it into a hard copy leave-behind for the sales force.  Publish it on your web site.  Hand it to every vendor.

Distribute it to everyone who has an interest.

Then, watch as it begins to flow into every aspect of your business, stimulating and shaping your growth.

###

If you are interested in digging deeper into this subject, you may want to purchase, “How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.”

If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center ™ , consider Cluster CL-72: How to market your small business on-line, Cluster CL-46; Four part elevator speech, and Pod-47: How to make a more effective first call.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

The term hosting can be confusing to the consumer.  Some companies refer to their CRM offering as hosted CRM, on-line CRM, web based CRM or cloud based CRM and there is a significant difference between simply hosting data and storing it in the cloud.  Regardless of the difference, what is most important here is to understand that the proper storage, management and protection of your data doesn’t come cheap.  Tier 1 companies tend to offer high quality services in this area and as a result cost more than the lower priced ones that do not.  So if you think one CRM vendor is a bargain over the others, you may want to ask about their hosting service. You may find this to be a significant reason for the difference in cost.

By Dave Kahle

Q. How do I ensure that I get the last look in a competitive bid situation?

A.  This is a question that I’m often asked.  In a lot of industries, particularly those involved in construction, government purchases and large-volume manufacturing, most of the customers require an official bid.  It’s not unusual for these to be highly formal and structured.

Here’s a typical scenario.  The customer sends a bid to five suppliers, and each responds with a written document by a certain specified date.  The customer reviews the bids, and awards the business.

The writer of the question wants the ability to go in after the bids have been submitted, to look at the competitive bids or at least the lowest bid prices, and to change his/her prices in order to be awarded the business.

First, it should be noted that in some instances, the “last look” is illegal.  In many cases, it’s viewed as unethical.  In other industries and situations, it’s viewed as business-as-usual.  This question and answer is only relevant to the latter situation.

I have responses for this on several different levels.

1.  Avoiding a bid situation to begin with.

2.  Making a last look unnecessary.

3.  When all else fails, insuring that you get a last look.

Let’s think about each one separately.

1.  Avoiding a bid situation to begin with.

OK, I know that bids are standard operating procedures in your business.  But, I also know that a lot of business is “negotiated.”  In other words, the customer selects the vendor he/she wants to work with, and then negotiates the best deal with that customer.

I’d much rather you get yourself into a negotiating rather than a bid situation.  That way,  you’d avoid the bid scenario altogether.

And, while it is true that you’ll never convince 100% of your customers to negotiate with you rather than send out bids, if you are successful over the next few years in moving 20 – 30% of your customers to negotiating status, you’ll see a tremendous improvement in your sales.

How do you earn that position?  Two ways:  First, build powerful business relationships, be a reliable supplier, and offer a special relationship – “negotiating” – with all your good customers.

In other words, bring the subject up regularly, plant the seed in your customer’s brain, tell stories about how you were able to work effectively with others – how they cut costs, paperwork and time out of the cycle by working with you.

If you are good, and persistent, you’ll eventually convert a significant chunk of your customers.

The second way to operate effectively in this situation is to become more deeply involved in the customer’s buying process and influence the creation of the specifications in such a way so as you are the only one who can meet those specifications.  The bid then, becomes superfluous.

Some of you who have been in my programs have heard me tell the story of how I did the most profitable transaction of my life in an account whose policy it was to bid everything to five vendors.

2.  Making a last look unnecessary.

“…if you have some aspect of your product, service or offer that sets you apart from the competitors… then the customer should be happy to do business with you even if you are not the absolute lowest price.”

The whole concept of a “last look” implies that the reason the customer would do business with you is that you are the lowest price of the group of bidders.  While there is a time and place to be the low price, I’d like for you to question whether or not this is how you’d like the customer to think of you.  If you have done a good job in the past for the supplier, if you have become the low-risk supplier, if you have understood the customer’s situation at a deeper level than your competitors, if you have some aspect of your product, service or offer that sets you apart from the competitors, if you have communicated those things in a persuasive way, then the customer should be happy to do business with you even if you are not the absolute lowest price.

In other words, if you have done a good job of selling, then a couple percentage points in the price should have no impact on the deal.

So, rather than try to be the low price, I’d prefer that you do a deeper, better job of selling this account so that you don’t have to be the lowest price. And that means that you have created powerful, trusting relationships with the key people, that you have understood the dynamics of their situation at a deeper and more detailed level than any of your competitors, and that you have fashioned a unique proposal that meets their deeper needs.

When you do that, you don’t need to worry about the last look.

3.  Insuring that you get a last look.

While everything I said above is fine, the reality is that there will still be some situations where you won’t be able to implement those strategies, and are reduced to one option – be the low bidder.

Some of your customers negotiate the business with you, and the last look is, of course, not an issue with them.  Some of them will buy from you because of the good job of selling you did, and the last look, with them, is not an issue.

But you will still probably be left with those who are going to bid and award the business primarily on the basis of price.  It’s that group for which you’d like to have the last look.

How do you do that?  By achieving excellence in the basics:  building powerful, positive business relationships with those key contacts, by understanding their needs in deeper and more detailed ways than any of your competitors, by doing everything you can to assure that your company is highly respected by the customer, and finally, by asking for the opportunity.

What you are really asking for is the preference of the customer.  In other words, where the customer sees no difference between you and the other guy in your offer, he still prefers doing business with you.  This scenario assumes that there is no difference between you and your competitor, and there is no reason for the customer to pay a little more to do business with you.  Your only hope is that the customer will prefer to do business with you, providing you are the lowest price.

Ask yourself why the customer would prefer you.  Create a detailed answer. Then set about becoming the supplier with which your customer would want to do business.  And, continually ask for the opportunity to have a last look.

Remember that getting the last look is the last, least desirable strategy to pursue. While there will always be times and situations where it is your last resort, those times and situations should be minimal.

If these ideas resonate with you, you may want to dig deeper into the concepts expressed above.  Consider the CD’s, “Conquering the Number One Buying Obstacle: Reducing the Risk.” or “Sales Practices to Increase Margins.”

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center ™, review Cluster CL-1: “Preventing the Price Objection,” and CL-11: “Price Pressures”.  Take the lessons in Pod-16: “Successfully Selling in a Price Sensitive Market,” and Pod-18: “How to Sell Value, Not Price.”

Image owned by Amanda G (cc)

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leadng sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

By Dave Kahle

Having spent most of my adult life in Michigan, I have naturally grown to be a fan of the Detroit professional sports teams.  Basketball is my favorite sport, and I’ve been a Pistons fan since before the Bad Boys.

As you know, the Bad Boys were world champions for a couple of years in the 80’s.  Isaiah Thomas was the leader of the team.  He was at the top of his game — most valuable player on the world championship team.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

During that time, he built a house in Detroit, and added an indoor basketball court.  When asked about it by a local newspaper reporter, he replied that he often woke up in the middle of the night and used the basketball court to practice his free throws.

Imagine that.  The most valuable player of the world championship team practicing the most basic shot in the game in the middle of the night.  Why would he do that?  Probably because he was not a 100 percent free-throw shooter.  No matter how good he was, he knew there was room for improvement, and that he could become better yet.

“Imagine how competent you could become, relative to your competitors, if you regularly spent time, money and effort improving your sales skills!  What an opportunity!”

Dave Kahle

That belief, that you are not as good as you could be, that there is always room for improvement, is one of the marks of the best sales people.

The world is full of mediocre sales people who don’t care enough about their own performance to spend any time or money improving themselves.  My own experience is that only one out of twenty sales people has spent $25 of their own money on their own improvement in the last 12 months.

While that certainly is an indictment of their lack of professionalism, it also represents an incredible opportunity for those who want to excel.  Imagine how competent you could become, relative to your competitors, if you regularly spent time, money and effort improving your sales skills!  What an opportunity!

That’s one reason why the best sales people are the best.  They regularly spend time and money on the pursuit of perfection.  They are the ones who buy the books, listen to the CDs, attend the seminars, and eagerly participate in sales meetings.

Vince Lombardi once said, “We will pursue perfection, knowing that we will never attain it.  But in the striving for perfection, we will catch excellence.”

The best sales people continually pursue perfection, knowing that in the striving for it, they will catch excellence.  And excellence is rewarded by greater competence, greater confidence, and a more robust standard of living.

That’s why it is one of the best practices of the best.

If you’d like to pursue this practice, check out The Sales Resource Center™ where we have over 435 lessons for sales people, all delivered 24/7 over the internet.

Image owned by Neon Tommy (cc)

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Tier 1 – Enterprise Level CRM Providers

While targeted primarily at the Fortune 1000 companies, CRM software providers in this category traditionally have a few things in common.

• They offer comprehensive functionality covering all aspects of front office business operations for account management, sales, leads, marketing and customer service
• They have a highly scalable platforms that support several thousand users
• They support multiple languages and multi-currency
• They offer application programming interfaces or API’s that enable disparate system integration
• They offer best in class hosting or cloud computing services
• They offer a High level of customizability and good customer support
• There are many third party packages that may be integrated with these CRM programs.

Companies in this category include Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and Salesforce.com

Tier 2 – Mid-Market CRM Providers

Mid-market CRM providers offer  good functionality that often rivals that of enterprise level systems, but typically do not support multi-language or muti-currency although some do.  The top rated Tier 2 providers offer the following:

• Good functionality with strong focus on account and contact management, e-mail integration, sales and lead management .  Some offer customer support or help desk and project management as well.
• Robust scalable platforms that support hundreds of users vs. thousands like enterprise level programs. Very good customer support
• May support multi-currencies, but typically not multiple languages
• Several offer the best in class hosting or cloud computing services, same as the enterprise players
• Fairly customizable with minimal programmer intervention in most solutions
• Some third party package integrations are available

The most popular companies in this category include:  Commence CRM, Microsoft CRM, Sage – (mostly in Europe), Salesforce.com and SugarCRM

Tier 3 – Small Business CRM Providers

If basic contact management, e-mail and a sales forecast is all you require, there are several good inexpensive small business CRM solutions to choose from.  Don’t expect however to get advanced  level functionality such as security permissions, robust reporting, or automated workflow. Customization is often limited to adding a few custom fields if at all. Most small business CRM solutions offer:

• Weak functionality as compared to mid-tier CRM offerings
• Non scalable platforms that will not perform well with large data sets or larger number of users
• Customer support limited primarily to e-mail
• Rare support for multi-currencies or multiple languages
• Second or third tier hosting or cloud based services
• Minimal customization if any

Companies targeting this sector include: Zoho, Highrise & Avidian.

By Dave Kahle

Q. You have convinced me that spending time face-to-face with customers is the best use of my sales time.  How much of my week should I spend entertaining customers; taking them to lunch, ballgames, etc.?

Building Customer Relationships

A.  Great question.  Let me answer this is two ways.  First, spend as much time as you can interacting with your customers in social settings.  That means that you should try to have lunch with a customer every day.  You should entertain in the evening as often as your family, your boss, your life style and your budget will allow.

Having said that, here’s a second answer.  The issue has more to do with the quality of the time than it does the quantity of time.  You shouldn’t spend social time with a customer just to meet some quantity goal.  It’s not time for the sake of time; it’s time for the sake of some objective.  If, for example, you take the same customer out to lunch every week because the two of you are buddies, that’s not quality time.  If you take people out to lunch or to a ball game, and those people are minor players in an account, having little, if any, influence on the decision, that also is not quality time.

Instead, be thoughtful and strategic about the investment of your time in your customers.  Make a list of all the people who are important decision-makers or influencers in your “A” accounts.  Then, think about which of them do not know you very well.  This is a critical issue.  Remember, it’s less important that you know them, than it is that they know you.  If they feel like they know you and are comfortable with you, you will have significantly advanced the personal relationship and made it easier for them to do business with you.  So, your primary objective in spending social time with a customer is to have them become comfortable with you.  Your secondary objective is to get to know them better.

With that clearly in mind, identify those powerful people in your “A” accounts who should know you better, and try to spend social time with them.

If I found myself free for lunch on Tuesday, for example, I’d start at the top of the list, and invite my number one candidate.  If he/she couldn’t make it, I’d go to number two, and so on.  That way, I was always focusing on those individuals who were most strategically important.

The amount of entertaining by sales people has dwindled significantly in the last decade.  I recall one of my friends, a manufacturer’s rep who sold automotive components in Detroit, had an entertaining budget in excess of $80,000 annually.  And that was twenty years ago.

That sales person who is able to build real personal relationships with his/her customers will succeed where others fail.

While those days of lavish spending are in the past, it is, never-the-less, true that spending social time with a customer can be a powerful sales strategy.  In my days as a field sales person, I would take two or three customers and their spouses out to dinner at Greektown in Detroit, followed by a Tiger game.  My spouse would join me, and we would have six or eight people together for the evening.  We never talked business, but business in those accounts always grew afterward.  It was because they got to know me on a personal basis.  I met their spouses, and they mine.  We came to know one another as real people, not just people playing the role of buyer and seller.  As a result of forging this personal relationship, it was easier for us to do business together.

That is still true today, perhaps even more so.  As more and more business is done electronically, people hunger for the high-touch of personal relationships that has been excluded by high-tech communications.  That sales person who is able to build real personal relationships with his/her customers will succeed where others fail.

We have some resources to help you with this.  You may want to consider the book, “Take Your Sales Performance Up-a-Notch,” or the CD set entitled, “The Essential Secrets of Building Positive Business Relationships”.

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center ™, consider Cluster CL-15, “Entertaining your customers,” or Pod-2: “Building Positive Business Relationships.”

Image owned by gareth1953 (cc)

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leadng sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

By Dave Kahle

The best sales people have created a system to consistently acquire appointments with prospects, and continually work to improve that system.

All routine, sophisticated work is most effectively accomplished by implementing a system.  That’s one of the observations I’ve made in my 20+ years of experience in consulting.  It doesn’t matter what area of work we are considering.  For example, cleaning teeth, paving a road, painting a house, laying carpet, creating your income tax returns, etc. are all routine, sophisticated jobs that are best accomplished systematically.

The job of the professional salesperson is crammed with such tasks – sophisticated tasks which need to be done over and over again.  Making appointments is one such undertaking.

A system is composed, in its simplest expression, of processes, practices and tools.  Processes are the step-by-step series of events that eventually lead to a goal.  Practices are the behaviors which are part of the process, and tools are the specific things we use to accomplish the process.

So, for example, when it comes to making appointments, the process may look like this:

1.  Create a list of prospects.

2.  Research the list, and determine the highest potential.

3.  Acquire their names and contact information.

4.  Deliver a pre-call touch.

5.  Make a phone call to acquire the appointment.

6.  Repeat at least five times, if necessary.

7.  If necessary, send a personal snail mail letter.

8.  If necessary, make a personal cold call.

I’m not suggesting that this is the only process you could use.  I am suggesting, however, that the best sales people have created a similar process, designed for the specifics of their business.

Within that process, there are certain key practices. For example, the phone call that you make to the prospect asking for the appointment is a key practice. To improve the end results of your process, you improve each of the practices you use along the way.  The best sales people understand that, and work on forever improving them.

The final piece of a good system is the set of tools you use to implement the system.  The pre-call touch, for example, is a tool.  As is the script that you use, the letter that you may send, etc. Like your approach to practices, your approach is to forever refine these tools.

Let’s review.  The best sales people have thought deeply about the best way to acquire appointments, and have put together a system made up of processes, practices and tools.  Then, they consistently implement that system, and forever work on improving each piece of it.

That’s one of the things that make them the best.

Here are some of our resources to help you master this best practice:

*  First Steps to Success in Outside Sales – Chapter Four: Acquiring Appointments.

*  Video – Victory over Voicemail. Visit www.davekahle.com/notch.htm.

If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center ™, consider Pod-32: How to create a system to develop new customers., Pod-38: Mastering the Creative Cold Call, or Cluster CL-87: Making appointments.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

By Dave Kahle

Meet Your Clients In Person

I just fired my accountants.

They really hadn’t done anything wrong.  They were responsive when I called.  They appeared to keep up with the latest information in their profession. Their work was neat, accurate and timely.  Their prices were fair.  They conducted themselves professionally.

But, I fired them anyway.

Here’s  why.  While they consistently reacted professionally, they never, ever pro-acted.  They never came to me with an idea, never offered a suggestion that I didn’t first initiate.  Never suggested a change for my benefit.  I wanted someone to think about me, to hold my best interests up before their regular scrutiny, to extend themselves in order to keep me at the forefront.

My life insurance agent, on the other hand, makes it a point of contacting me at least twice a year, more likely three or four times.  While there always is a bit of self-interest motivating these contacts (he always asks for referrals), I always take his calls.

He can be counted on to share ideas with me based on his knowledge of my business and my personal affairs.  I don’t know if he has ever tried to sell me something I didn’t need (like more life insurance), but he has consistently demonstrated that he’s thinking of me by making recommendations and exposing me to ideas that I would not have had otherwise.  He recently, right out of the blue, approached me with an idea for a different kind of business retirement plan.  Only one of 100 people qualifies for this kind of plan.  But, he knew me well enough to know that my business did, and to make it a point to educate me about it.

Hmmm.  Keeping my interests at the forefront… Knowing me and my business well enough to be able to regularly scan the horizon and find things that would fit me.  Pro-actively presenting solutions and ideas that would benefit me and my business.  Could there be a lesson in here somewhere?

Of course.  People like to know that you are thinking of them.  (Observe the greeting card industry, which is built on that thought.)  They like to know that you are considering their interests.  They want you to understand their businesses well enough that you can scan the horizon, and spot things that may help them.  When they consistently see that in the people from whom they buy, they quickly develop loyalty to those people.

Why is that important?

You know that it is far more difficult to see your customers today than it was just a few years ago.  People just don’t have the time to spend with sales people today.  Their jobs are more demanding, their task lists are overwhelming.  More and more, they are asking the question, “Why should I see you?”

Ultimately, the answer to that question will, to a great degree, determine your success.  They will make the decision to spend time with you based on what they think of you, and what they expect to get from the time they invest with you.  In other words, they make the decision based on your reputation.

In the long run, your reputation will be your greatest asset.  While there certainly are lots of other elements to your reputation, you develop that reputation in large measure by your proven and consistent ability to show that you are thinking of them.

That doesn’t mean that you show up every month and leave them a catalogue, or that you regularly spew samples of the latest gadget on their desk.  It’s not a “throw a lot of mud against the wall and see if anything sticks” approach.  The world is full of sales people who focus on their product instead of the customer.  Don’t do that.

Rather, spend time coming to know their business goals and objectives and finding products, services and ideas that you believe will help them – whether you sell them or not.  Then make a point of showing those to them and explaining exactly how you think your recommendation will help them reach their goals.  Do this, sincerely, regularly and with forethought and sensitivity.

In return, they’ll come to respect you.  They’ll see you as an important and integral part of their business. You’ll develop a reputation as a valuable professional.

In the long run, nothing is more valuable.

If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, check out Pod-33; Positioning Yourself with Value.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

Commence is a cloud based CRM solution that is targeted at mid-size companies and small enterprises that have outgrown traditional contact management software. These businesses now require robust lead management, sales management and marketing campaign management functionality.  What sales managers have found particularly interesting about Commence CRM is the product’s automated business processes that enable the capture and automatic distribution of leads and the ability to rate and color code leads based on specific criteria. Red colored leads represent qualified opportunities, yellow promising new opportunities and blue are ones just starting the sales process.  This unique feature ensures that sales representatives are always working on the most qualified opportunities and not chasing tire kickers.

Commence CRM also incorporates an automated organization chart that details the reporting structure of every lead and account, and highlights the person name, title, telephone number and e-mail.  This allows sales managers to assist in the sales process and quickly identify the economic buyer and influencers within any organization.

Org Chart helps you identify the key contacts

Commence CRM is clearly focused on helping companies improve the management of leads and the selling process and offers functionality not available in competitive offerings such as Microsoft CRM and Salesforce.com. For more information about Commence CRM software, visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com and ask for a free trial.

One of the CRM software solutions that has become very popular among the mid-size and small business community is Commence CRM from Commence Corporation.  Commence is a web based CRM solution that is deployed via a cloud computing environment. The product offers one of the most comprehensive suite of applications in the industry including contact and account management, activity management, lead management, sales opportunity management, marketing, customer support, a document library, project management, reporting and an accounting interface.  E-mail integration with Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Mac E-mail and access to the CRM system via any hand held device is also part of this robust offering.

Upon entering a password and login, users are greeted with a cosmetically appealing home page or dashboard which is completely customizable by job function and enables the end user to manage their daily activity without leaving the screen.  Customers report that even the most novice PC or Mac users quickly become comfortable with Commence CRM.

The Commence CRM platform also mirrors that of enterprise level programs like Salesforce.com and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Built using a Java backbone and SQL server,  Commence is highly scalable and offers excellent performance – two important decision criteria not commonly found in lower end CRM offerings.

While the company’s twenty year history and track record for producing award winning software is a comfort to most companies that select Commence CRM, the product offers several unique features that are simply not found in competitive CRM offerings.  First is a customer account rating feature that allows the end user to rate and color code their customers based on the value they provide to your business.  Some of the rating criteria include company size, revenue produced, profitability, cost of servicing the customer, the potential for growth and retention.  This feature enables management and staff to quickly identify their top customers based on their rating and color.  This rating feature has also been extended to the leads application allowing sales management and their sales team to rate and color code leads based on where they are in the buying cycle.  Another core feature that customers find unique and valuable is an automated organization chart.  The chart is tied to the account and contact records so that employees and management can quickly determine the reporting structure of every customer.

Commence CRM offers an attractive blend of features, function and price that have made it perhaps the best CRM solution for small to mid-size customers.  To learn more about Commence CRM software visit the company’s web site at  www.commmence.com.

By Dave Kahle

Upselling

Q. How do you make in-roads with a prospect who is happy with another supplier, who is providing a similar product at a lower price?  Product is lower quality, but perceived as the same.

A.  Sounds like a tough nut to crack.  Let’s think about this together.  The first question I have is this:  Is the potential of the account worth the large expenditure of time and effort that it will probably take to make progress in it?

Some accounts just aren’t worth it.  It’s OK to make a cold-blooded business decision not to pursue some accounts and some business.  (Assuming, of course, that your manager agrees.)  The situation you described will take a lot of your time, and your success is certainly not assured.  So, first decide if your time is best invested in this account or some place else.

Let’s assume that you have decided that the potential is worth the time, or that your manager has directed you to hang in there on this account.  Now what?

“Happy with their current supplier,” is the most common thing prospects will say to you.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that.  It could mean that they are too busy to spend time with you, that they don’t know you or your company and have no motivation to get to know you. It’s the catch-all comment that means a thousand different things.

Your job is to find some point of “unhappiness”– what I call “discontent” –  and then leverage that to create some interest in your solution.

Let’s start out with a little review of our own thinking and attitudes.  Your competitor is supplying a product that you think is not as good as yours.  But your customer is happy with it.

In this case, your superior quality is a non-factor.  Who cares?  Evidently, not the customer.  The lower quality product is OK with him.

When we are selling expensive products, this is difficult for us to accept, but when we are in any other aspects of our lives, we understand this position totally. For example, I drive a Mercury, not a Mercedes.  Now I understand that a Mercedes is a higher quality product than a Mercury.  But I don’t care.  I’m not a big car person and I just want something that is comfortable and reliable.  The Mercury fits my needs perfectly.  So, while you can make a case that a Mercedes is a better quality product, the point is that I don’t want it.  So, it’s not a better quality product for me.

This is not difficult to understand.  I suspect that you, too, have not spent the additional money to purchase a better quality automobile than that which you drive.

This customer is like that.  You may have a better and more expensive product, but they are happy with their Chevy.

If you want them to throw out their Chevy and buy your Mercedes, you must find a way to make them unhappy with the Chevy.

So now we are back at the basics once again.  There really is no short cut, 25 words or less magic solution.  You have to do the hard work of sales.  Find the key decision makers and influencers.  Build a relationship such that they trust and respect you.  Dig deep into the account and find some discontent – some gap between what they would like to have and what the Chevy is providing them.

If your product really is better, those portions of your product that are different that what they are using should some how save them money, or reduce their labor, or increase their profits, or make them feel more secure, or …. something.  Your product should bring them some measurable advantage that they are not now receiving.

Your job is to find that gap, and then show how your product fills that gap, and how this customer is going to receive more value than the increase in price of the product is going to cost them.

This is a laborious and time consuming project that might take you the better part of a year.  That’s why you have to make the key decision up front – is this account worth the time and effort?

If you don’t think you can do that, than don’t bother with this account.  Leave your business card, let them know you’d be happy to talk with them if they ever want to do so, and find someplace else to sell your stuff.

Good luck!

We can help you learn to do this better.  Visit The Sales Resource Center ™ and consider Pod-2: Building Positive Business Relationships, Pod-4: Preparing Better Sales Questions, and Pod-6: Persuasive Presentations.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Copyright MMXI by Dave Kahle

All Rights Reserved.

Account Rating

The first of these features is an account rating system that allows you to rate and color code each customer based on the value they provide to your business.  Customers coded in red represent your top rated customers, while yellow and blue coded customers may purchase less products or services, may be more costly to support and less profitable.

Customer Scoring

The rating system is completely customizable and traditionally includes criteria such as: customer size, revenue generated, cost of providing service, profitability and growth potential.   This simple but unique feature is providing exceptional value to Commence customers by enabling management to better understand who their most valuable customers really are.

Account Rating

Organization Chart

Another unique feature that is differentiating Commence from the pack is the products automated Organization Chart that identifies key people within your customer base and new prospects.  This feature helps sales and support personnel to understand the reporting structure of their customers and new prospects.

Company Org Chart

Commence has been providing customer management software to mid size businesses for more than two decades and is no stranger to the CRM software sector.   Its cloud based CRM solution is competing very favorably with industry giants Microsoft CRM and Salesforce.com. For more information about Commence CRM visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com and sign up for a free test drive.

By James Kim

We are witnessing an increasing number of companies developing and implementing programs that work within “the cloud.” Because of this, services like word processors, data storage, online fax and CRM software are becoming hot online commodities. Below are some advantages and disadvantages of using cloud technology for business.

So, what is this illustrious cloud? You are already using cloud technology if you are utilizing web-based resources. Put simply, the cloud functions by means of a web browser. This is in contrast with client-server based computing, which requires users to download applications onto their individual computers.

The advantages of harnessing the cloud’s power are many and compelling:

-A greater number of clients are permitted to instantly use software and programs from diverse locations. This makes “increased equipment utilization” possible.

-Users are able to modify servers based on individual needs, cutting back on expensive energy features. This can happen because of the flexibility of the cloud.

-Also beneficial is the scalability of the cloud. As your business expands, you can increase server space with ease.

-Cost advantages are one of the most compelling reasons for businesses to switch to cloud computing. A report by WSP Environment & Energy asserts that when companies switch to cloud computing, emissions per transaction are decreased by approximately 95%.

As the cloud gains notoriety among technologically savvy groups, it has received some negative feedback from critics. In spite of its numerous advantages, utilizing the cloud might have a few possible cons:

-A few people believe that the immediate costs supposedly eliminated by cloud computing do not simply disappear in every scenario. Using the cloud requires a staff to keep track of databases, respond to helpline inquiries, and oversee applications. It should be kept in mind, though, that these potential difficulties are dependant on the number of employees at your business and the extent that you implement cloud computing into your operations. If you decide to utilize the cloud, you should make sure to determine exactly how much time and manpower you would like to devote to your projects related to cloud technology.

-Occasionally, outages are unavoidable. A prime example of this is the well-known fall of Amazon Web Services. A proven strategy to reduce the risk of losing important information is to take advantage of the services offered by several cloud providers. You should also back up information by inserting redundancies into applications.

Although there are a few potential pitfalls when it comes to cloud computing, businesses should still embrace this technology and stay ahead of the curve. The cloud is an exceptional vehicle for companies to provide online services to clients, expand their online presence, and cut costs.

About the Author:

ChooseWhat.com guides you through every step of the startup process, saves you time & money, and gives you the tools needed for your small business to succeed. Visit their blog or follow them on twitter.

By Dave Kahle

It’s the natural, predictable step along the way to a sale.  You have met with the right people, helped them achieve a degree of comfort with you, uncovered the opportunity, presented your solution and asked for their commitment.  But wait, they are hesitating!  Is something wrong?  Should you immediately transform into “pushy sales person” mode and try to bully your way to a sale?  Or, should you help them share their concerns with you?

It is rare that you have perfectly understood every aspect of what they want, and that you have presented the absolutely perfect solution that addresses every possible issue they have.  More frequently, you are a little off, and there are issues on their side of which you are not aware.  It’s only natural that the customer has some “concerns.”

“Concerns” are issues that make them hesitant to go along with your offer.  They are frequently internal issues that have nothing to do with you or your offer.  For example, you may have just proposed a new phone system, and they have concerns about what impact that will have on their receptionist, who is two years away from retiring.  Notice that the issue has nothing to do with you, but it is something they have to resolve in order to go ahead with the deal.

In this case, there may be little you can do other than empathize and offer some suggestions.  In many cases, however, once you know what their concerns are, you can do something about them.

“Resolving their concerns” then, becomes a higher-order sales skill – one of the best practices that separate the superstars from their average colleagues.  Before you can help them “resolve their concerns” however, you must learn what they are, and it is here that many sales people stumble.

The world is full of sales people who are hesitant to hear the customer’s concerns, afraid they will take the form of the more commonly used term – objections – and put a potential conflict into the relationship.  Afraid to hear anything negative, they don’t encourage any sharing of this critical information.

The best sales people, however, have a different mindset toward this issue.  They understand that, almost inevitably, the customer has some concerns that have yet to be expressed.  It’s the natural progression of things.  And, before the sales person can impact those concerns, he/she has to become aware of them.  So, they look forward to the customer expressing those concerns.  More than that, they pro-actively probe for them, and encourage the customer to share them.  A concern expressed is a concern that the sales person may be able to help resolve.

This often takes the form of asking good, open-ended, non-threatening questions.  However, prior to asking the customer to voice his concerns, the sales person must have helped the customer develop a level of trust and comfort with the sales person such that it makes answering the question a natural, easy, comfortable thing to do.

And that means that the superstar sales people have created a deep level of rapport with the customer and have shown themselves to be competent, confident and concerned.

In other words, before you can become excellent at this best practice, you must learn to excel at the other basics of good salesmanship.  This is a higher-order sales skill.  The best sales people do it well.  That’s why they are the best.

To learn more about this skill, read my book, Question Your Way to Sales Success. If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, consider course C-2, The Kahle Way B2B Selling System.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

By Dave Kahle

One of the habits often practiced by highly successful people is the habit of regular goal setting. There is a reason for that. Goals compel you to work with discipline and concentration rather than going about your job mindlessly and routinely. Goal setting is a discipline that helps you focus.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t do your job without goals. You can, and many salespeople do. But the discipline of goal setting forces you to think about what you do. It moves you out of the realm of being reactive — doing what other people want you to do — to being proactive — doing what you want to do.

Ours is a world that is more and more full of stuff to do; interesting things, multiple tasks and unlimited opportunities. Over the course of your career, you are going to be presented with thousands of opportunities and literally millions of decisions. If you’re going to maintain your sanity and have any kind of life, you need to focus on the most important of that chorus of possibilities crying out for your attention. That’s what long-term goals help you to do.

Here’s how to go about creating long-term goals.

Goal Setting

1. Select an area in which to concentrate.

Since we are talking about long-term goals — say 10 or more years into the future — you should be working with fundamental aspects of your life.

I often suggest that people think first about these five areas of their lives:

Spiritual
Financial
Career
Relationships (social)
Physical

Pick one area, work on it, and then move on to another area until you have all five fundamental aspects of your life covered with long-term goals.

Daydream

2. Brainstorm (Daydream).

Next, daydream about what you’d like to achieve with respect to that part of your life or job. Kick back, relax, and begin to list on a piece of paper all the things you’d like to accomplish in the area on which you’re focusing. Create a list of your dreams. Don’t edit or judge what you’ve written, rather, just make a long list of your dreams. Keep the time frame in mind. We’re not talking about next month. These are long term, decades ahead, lifetime-ish sorts of dreams.
Nobody else can do this for you because no one really knows your situation and your aspirations better than you do.

Here’s an example. Let’s say that you are thinking about your career, and you’ve begun to daydream about what you’d like to accomplish in that area. You write these things down:

make a lot more money

become one of the top salespeople

advance into management

successfully go into business for myself

become a vice-president of sales somewhere

Prioritize

3. Prioritize.

If you’ve done a good job daydreaming, you probably have a long list of things you’d like to accomplish. Unfortunately, you can’t do everything. You just don’t have enough time and energy to do everything you’d like to do. And, some of your possibilities, your daydreams, may be mutually exclusive. So, you must prioritize and select those things that are most important to you.

There’s no formula for this, other than to think carefully about each of your daydreams, compare them to your situation, and select those that you feel are the most important to you. Remember to apply a dose of realism to this process.

In our example, let’s say that you’ve decided to focus on two career goals:
a. to make a lot more money

b. to move into management

To Do List

4. Specify.

This step requires you to turn your daydreams, which are often pretty vague at this point, into specific, achievable goals.
Let’s take the first of the two examples, “to make a lot more money.” What’s a lot more? After some reflection, you think along these lines: “I made $50,000 last year. But I think I’m potentially a lot better than that. Good salespeople make over six figures in today’s economy. I can be at that level.” Your goal then becomes much more specific when you say, “I will consistently earn an annual income in the range of the best salespeople in the country – at this point, that’s over $100,000 a year.”
Your earlier, vague goal of “making a lot more money” has now been turned into something very specific — “Consistently earning over $100,000 a year.”
This is a key step in the process because the specific detail of the goal is part of what gives it power. If your goals are vague and abstract, they have less power to shape and direct your behavior.
You should now have a piece of paper with your specific, prioritized goals written on it. When you’ve reached that point, you’re ready for the next step.

Focus

5. Refine.

Because the power of a goal is to direct your behavior, it’s very important that you write your goals exactly as you want them to be. You will direct a great deal of your time and effort toward achieving that goal. So, it behooves you to make sure the goal is right.
Once you have created written, specific goals, take a moment to apply some criteria to them. See if they measure up to the following questions. If so, good. If not, rewrite them to meet the criteria.

a.   Are they specific? Does each goal specify, in detail, exactly what you want to accomplish? Can you make it more specific than what it already is?
b.   Are they realistic? Deciding to be elected President of the United States may be a worthwhile goal, but it may not be realistic for you. This is where your daydreams meet reality. Your goals should be a stretch and require you to work hard to accomplish them, but they shouldn’t be so optimistic that you have no realistic chance of achieving them.
c.   Are they measurable? Can somebody else tell whether or not you have achieved your goal? Have you stated it in measurable terms? Back to the example. To make a lot more money may be realistic, but it’s not measurable. What’s “a lot more?” By turning that phrase into a measurable unit, “$100,000,” you have made your goal measurable.
d.   Do they have a specific time frame? Every goal should have a deadline for completion. That helps put power into it. A goal with no deadline has little motivational power. For each goal, specify the date by which the goal will be attained.
e.   Are they worthwhile? You can spend years of your life working to achieve goals that, upon reflection, were not worth it. Don’t let that happen to you. Rather, consider before you commit to it whether or not this goal is worthwhile. Is it a good thing? Will you be proud of accomplishing it after the fact? If so, good. You are now ready to commit to your goal.

At this point, you will have created a set of long-term goals for each of the five fundamental aspects of your life. Good work. You’ll find them to be a major force in helping you focus your life and your energies. Now, place them someplace where you can review them every few months and keep track of your progress.

If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, check out Pod-53, How to set goals for every area of your life, including sales goals.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

All Images available on Flickr under Creative Commons license

By Dave Kahle

Q. How do you know how far to push a sale without overstepping your bounds and threatening the sale and/or the relationship with the customer?

A.  First, let me share with you an idea that may be totally opposite of everything you have heard and believe about this question.  It is OK, every now and then, to overstep your bounds.  That helps you understand where the boundaries are. If you never push it to the limit, you’ll never know where the limit is.  Believe me, far more sales people are held back by their fear of overstepping the boundaries than are guilty of doing so.

Let me illustrate with an example from my selling career.  At one time I sold surgical staplers.  I would approach a surgeon in the surgeon’s lounge of an operating room suite, demonstrate the staplers, and then ask to accompany the surgeon into surgery where I’d talk him through the application of the instruments.  Getting into surgery was the absolute essential step to selling our stuff.

In one hospital, the chief of surgery decided that I was too aggressive in approaching his colleagues, and told the Operating Room Supervisor to keep me out. I was devastated.  When I commiserated with my boss, he said, “Don’t feel bad.  Now you know where the limits are.  If you never step beyond them, you’ll always wonder if you could have done more.”

It’s the same idea as losing some business because your price is too high.  If you never do that, you’ll never know if you could have gotten more.  You have to lose some in order to establish the boundaries.

So, it is OK, every now and then, to overstep your bounds.  But you don’t want to do it too often.

With that as a preface, let’s deal with your question.  How do you know if you’re pushing too much?

As a general rule, your customers will tell you.  Now, they may not say it in so many words, but they will communicate to you via their body language, with what they say and what they don’t say, that you are overstepping your bounds and going too far. You’ll see them become uncomfortable and show it.  You’ll see them be a little irritated, and show that.  You’ll see them become personally affronted, and show that.

They key thing for you to do is be sensitive to the communication you receive from your customer.  Consider the possibility that you may be pushing too much, and sensitize yourself to reading those messages from the customer.

Once again we come up against one of the foundational truths upon which effective, professional sales is built: It is far more important to be a good listener than it is to be a good talker.  The best sales people are great listeners and are especially sensitive to the customer.

Probably a better question to ask is this:  How can I prevent pushing too much?

And the simple answer to that question is “dialogue.”  Dialogue is, according to Webster’s, “an open and frank discussion, as in seeking mutual understanding or harmony.”

If you can regularly engage your customer in an “open and frank” discussion of where the customer is in the sales process, and how the customer views your solution, you’ll be equipped to make thoughtful and sensitive decisions about your next step.

One of the best simple techniques to use to keep an ongoing dialogue going is to simply ask for an agreement following every conversation you have with the customer.  That puts the issue on the table, gives you a continuous reading of where the customer is, and ends every conversation with a mutual agreement.  As long as the customer is agreeing to do something, you are not pushing too hard.

Hope this helps.

To help you develop this key sales skill, consider these learning units in The Sales Resource Center ™:  Pod-19: Characteristics of Super Star Sales People, Pod-36: Achieve Instant Rapport with Anyone, and Nugget N-22; Push Too Far.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Image by storem, on Flickr available under a Creative Commons license

Buyer’s remorse is the result of executives being part of one of two camps which I call Camp “A” and Camp “B”.

Mistake #1 – Camp  “A” Executives believe the following:

All CRM systems are alike.   So let’s simply select the least costly one.

What management is really saying here is that a CRM solution is just not that important to the business or they just don’t have time for a lengthy evaluation.   There may be no specific business challenge that they are trying to address, but the staff says they need a CRM solution so they are willing to approve one as long as it’s inexpensive and does not tie the company to a long term contract.  Companies that take this path traditionally have very low utilization rates and often discontinue their utilization of the system within a few months.

Executives that are in  Camp “A”  often  discover that they have  gotten exactly what they paid for; a solution with limited functionality, poor customer service and perhaps even uncertainty with regard to where their data is being hosted or how they can  get it in case of an emergency.

Mistake #2 – Camp “B” Executives believe the following:

All CRM systems are alike.  So let’s just pick the most popular one.

What management is saying here is that all CRM solutions are pretty much the same so let’s not waste too much time evaluating systems that we have no interest in. Let’s pick the two most popular ones, the ones with all the “BUZZ” and marketing hype.  I call this the me-too decision. Camp “B” executives make the common mistake of assuming that if everyone else is talking about a specific solution then it must be good and the best one for our business.

The fact is that all CRM solutions are not all alike, but you need to know where to look to uncover the differences.  Most people spend too much time evaluating features, functions and price which is fine, but there’s a lot more to know before selecting the right solution.

Let me offer two examples.  Today’s most popular CRM solutions are hosted or cloud based. Do you know the difference?  Well they are quite significant, yet most vendors utilize the terms interchangeably and get away with it because the consumer just doesn’t know the difference and doesn’t know what to ask.

What about a product’s architecture?  Do any of you remember the popular CRM system called Entellium?  This low cost offering was very popular a few years ago until customers discovered that the system was not designed for scalability.  Generating reports for example, took so long that the vendor instructed customers to only run them at night.  Entellium eventually closed their doors and many customers lost all their data – Ooops!

So what can you do to ensure you don’t get buyers remorse?  First, don’t be a Camp “A” or Camp “B” executive.  CRM software is not a toy.  You will need to invest the appropriate time to identify your business challenges then assess which products can functionally address those challenges. Once this is complete, you are ready to ask the tough questions and narrow down your final selection.  I have written a white paper which I believe will help you with this process and ensure that you don’t get “buyers remorse”.

The attached link will take you to my white paper:

Don’t Make a CRM Buying Mistake – 7 Points to Consider
http://www.commence.com/downloads/7pointstoconsiderLC2.pdf

About the Author: Larry Caretsky, is the president of Commence Corporation, a leading provider of web based CRM software for mid size companies and small enterprises.  Caretsky is the author of several white papers on the subject of CRM software.  They are accessible via the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

Easy to use, feature rich solutions

Mid size companies and small enterprises looking for an easy to use feature rich CRM solution are turning their attention to Commence Corporation’s cloud based CRM software.  Commence is no stranger to the CRM sector and has been providing customer management and sales management software to growing businesses for more than two decades.

Better known for their desktop CRM solutions, Commence is an up and comer in the cloud CRM race and is becoming a welcome competitor against high priced competitors like Salesforce.com.

While price is a strong consideration when selecting a CRM system, it’s Commence CRM’s feature set which is attracting new customers.   Right out of the gate users experience a cosmetically appealing user interface that is clean, easy to navigate and easy to use. While most CRM solutions are identical with regard to managing accounts and contacts, Commence offers an array of unique features that quickly differentiate it from competitive products.  One of these features is an account rating system that enables customers to color code their customers based on a set of pre-defined criteria such as revenue, profitability, cost to provide service and growth potential. This provides management and all authorized staff the ability to quickly see who their best customers are by viewing a single screen.

Account Rating Screen

Another unique feature of Commence CRM is an automated organization chart that identifies each member of the organization, their title, e-mail, telephone and who they report to. Sales executives and support personnel have found this extremely useful in identifying who the appropriate person is within the client’s organization.

Built-in Organization Chart

Commence has also incorporated a Lead Scoring feature in the leads module.  Similar to the account scoring feature above, leads can be rated, scored and color coded based on how qualified they are.  This ensures that the sales team is laser focused on the most promising new opportunities vs. chasing tire kickers.

Lead Qualification and Scoring View

Commence CRM software offers a suite of fully integrated applications for account and contact management, sales lead management, marketing and customer support. In addition, the product has a project management application and an accounting interface. Email integration with MS Outlook, Gmail, and Entourage along with full mobile capability is also part of Commence CRM software.  Commence CRM may be deployed on PC’s or Mac in a cloud or on-premise environment.

To learn more about Commence CRM software visit the company’s web site at Commence.com or call Commence Sales at 1-877- 266-6362.

By Dave Kahle

All too often, sales people are directed by the urgencies of the moment:  A lead pops up, a customer calls with a problem, or some paperwork to which you need to attend.  They find themselves busily pursuing an agenda created by other people.  They are busy, but too often with the wrong things.

The best sales people, however, understand that sales happen as a result of methodically managing people through certain well-defined steps in a sales process.  They have refined that process to the specifics of their selling situation, reflecting the uniqueness of their customers and their offerings, while at the same time building it on the infrastructure of the fundamental sales process.  Here is an excerpt from my book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, which describes that sales process.

Step One:  Engage with the right people

“Engage” means to interact in some kind of communication.  It can be face-to-face, over the phone, via email, or via a website.  “Right people” means those people who have a need or interest in your product, and for whom the timing is right.

If you don’t engage with the right people, you spend all of your time in the wrong place.  Sort of like trying to plant carrot seeds on a cement sidewalk.  You can do everything else right, but it won’t matter.

Step Two:  Make them comfortable with you

If they are going to believe what you say, you have to be somewhat credible, and they have to feel at least a bit comfortable with you.  If they aren’t comfortable with you, they won’t spend much time with you, and the time  they do spend will be guarded and tentative.  They may be convinced to do business with you because of the fundamental attractiveness of your offer, but if they are not comfortable with you, it will be action taken against the grain.  They will be forever uncomfortable and eager to find a replacement.

On the other hand, if they are comfortable with you, they won’t mind spending time with you.  They’ll be much more open to sharing the information that is necessary for you to do a good job of crafting a solution.  They’ll believe what you have to say.  You’ll get the benefit of the doubt and they’ll be eager to share future opportunities with you.

Step Three:  Find out what they want

Selling is not manipulating people so that they take something they don’t want.  It is, instead, finding out what they already want, and appealing to that interest.  The best sales people excel at this step in the process.

I believe this step is the heart of selling – the essence of what sales is all about.  I know that flies in the face of the routine practices of multitudes of sales people, who believe that the end-all of their focus is to push their product.

You can proclaim the merits of your product to willing and unwilling listeners and web page visitors far and wide, attempting to sway them with the powerful features and advantages which your product offers over the competition.  Or, you can focus on the customer, finding out what motivates him, what issues are important to him, what problems he has, what objectives he is trying to solve, what he looks for in a vendor, etc.  That’s a better way.

Everything that comes before is designed to get to this understanding.  And everything that you do after is based on this step.  It is the fulcrum upon which the entire sales process pivots.

Step Four:  Show them how what you have gives them what they want

Proclaiming your product’s features is the preferred routine of the mediocre sales person.  Personally and individually crafting your presentation to show the customer how what you have gives him what he wants is the mindset that, in part, defines the master sales people.

If what you have doesn’t help them get what they want, you either have the wrong thing, or you are talking to the wrong person.

Step Five:  Gain an agreement on the next step

Closing the sale is by far the most over-hyped phase of selling.  If you have the right person, and you have uncovered something they want, and you have shown them how what you have gives them what they want, why wouldn’t they take the next positive step?  It’s natural.  You just need to help them define what that is, and commit to it.

In more complex sales, there can be a series of appropriate next steps.  They may need to test it, to evaluate it, to submit it to a committee, etc.

Every sales interaction has an assumed next step.  If you call someone for an appointment, the next step is the appointment.  If you present your solution to a decision-maker, the next step is the order.  In between, there are thousands of potentially different sales calls, and thousands of potential action steps that follow the sales call.

The agreement is the ultimate rationale for the sales call and the aspect that makes it a “sales” call.  A sales call is set apart from the rest of the interactions in this world by the fact that it anticipates an agreement.

Without an agreement, the process has been a waste of time.  It is the ultimate goal of every sales person, and of every sales process, and of every sales call.

Step Six:  Follow up and leverage the transaction to other opportunities

After they buy, you then make sure they were satisfied, and you assume that, because they are satisfied, they will want to do other business with you and will want to let their friends know about you as well.  Sounds simple, and it is.

This is the step of the sales process that is most commonly neglected.  Most sales people are so focused on making the sale they neglect to consider that their real purpose is to satisfy the customer.  And that extends beyond just the sale itself.

The sales follow up call on the customer, made after the sale is complete, delivered and implemented by the customer, is one of the most powerful sales calls available.  In it, the sales person seeks assurance that the customer is satisfied, and then leverages that affirmation to uncover additional opportunities within the customer and/or referrals to people in other organizations.

The best sales people build all of their actions on this module, effectively moving people from one step to the other.  That’s why they are the best.

To learn more about this best practice, consider my book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime. If you are subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, consider course C-2, The Kahle Way® B2B Selling System.

]]> http://www.commence.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/10/best-practice-47-understands-and-is-guided-by-an-effective-sales-process/feed/ 0 http://www.commence.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/09/customers-applaud-commence-crm-full-featured-dashboard/ http://www.commence.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/09/customers-applaud-commence-crm-full-featured-dashboard/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:12:50 +0000 Commence http://www.commence.com/blog/?p=1263

The highly competitive nature of the CRM software sector has software providers searching for ways to differentiate their product from the myriad of options available. While many focus their attention on adding wiz-bang features that often provide little value, one CRM software provider has focused their attention on the product’s usability and access to customer data.  That CRM software provider is Commence Corporation.

Commence is a feature rich CRM solution that is attracting customers away from industry giants Microsoft CRM and Salesforce.com.  While Commence offers several unique features over the competition, what customers find most alluring about Commence CRM is how easy the product is to use.  Commence has paid close attention to the routine functions that individuals in sales, marketing and customer service perform each day and has incorporated this functionality directly into the product’s dashboard or home page.  With Commence CRM, sales and customer service people can conduct the majority of their daily business without ever leaving the dashboard.  This not only reduces the learning curve, but provides customers with an immediate return on their investment.

Commence customers and resellers have commented about  the clean and efficient deign of the dashboard which is cosmetically appealing and so easy to use that employees immediately become comfortable with the product’s navigation and access to customer information.  “Commence CRM is well designed, has an excellent sales workflow process and enables the user to perform numerous tasks with a single click.” says Nigel Park, managing director of TPS Consulting, an IT consulting firm and reseller of Commence CRM.  “Customers who test the product prefer it every time over the competition.”

Commence CRM Dashboard

With Commence CRM the user can read and compose email right within the CRM system, add activities, create a new lead or a new account, add a sales opportunity, a service ticket or a project task right from the product’s dashboard.  You can even access both standard text and graphical reports from the reports tab on the left hand tool bar.  No other CRM system offers this level of access to customer and sales data as easily as Commence CRM.

Outlined below is a comparison of the dashboards of Salesforce.com and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  You can see for yourself why customers prefer Commence CRM.

Salesforce Dashboard

Microsoft CRM Dashboard

To learn more about Commence CRM and the features that are making Commence one of the most talked about CRM solutions, visit the company’s web site at commence.com or call Commence Sales at 1-877- 266-6362.

For the past two decades Commence has been quietly providing high quality customer management software and services to customers around the world and boasts one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry.  Commence’s origin comes from a team of Bell Laboratory engineers who founded the company and engineered one of the most flexible and reliable desktop CRM solutions in the world.  Better known for its engineering savvy vs. sales and marketing, Commence’s desktop solution was sold under a private label agreement with several enterprise giants like IBM, AT&T and Compaq computer.  These relationships enabled Commence to better understand customer requirements and design software solutions that were easy to implement and easy to use.

Today, the company’s CRM offering has evolved into a robust suite of applications for sales, marketing, project management and customer service and is one of the few CRM systems that may be deployed on premise or hosted via the cloud.  Under the direction of industry veteran Larry Caretsky, the company is expanding its sales and marketing organization throughout North America and Europe and is enjoying a great deal of success against the competition.

“Commence is simply easier to use, less expensive and offers the flexibility you don’t find with enterprise level solutions.”

Larry Caretsky
CEO, Commence Corporation

“This industry is full of hype” says Caretsky, “bolstered by the deep pockets of companies like Microsoft and Salesforce.com who continue to market the ‘one size fits all’ approach to CRM. This simply is not the case. If you are an enterprise organization that requires several thousand users and 10 different languages then these products make sense.  If you’re a traditional mid-size company or small enterprise however, Commence is simply easier to use, less expensive and offers the flexibility you don’t find with enterprise level solutions.”

Commence CRM offers several unique features that businesses have found extremely valuable. First, there is the account scoring capability that enables companies to color-code their customers based on the value they provide to their business such as, the revenue generated, profitability, cost to provide services and future growth potential as examples.  This scoring feature is also incorporated in the lead management module which helps the sales team qualify each new lead based on pre-defined criteria. Integration to Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and accounting systems like QuickBooks as well as full mobile integration is all part of Commence CRM.  In addition to these unique features Commence also offers a world class cloud CRM service via a strategic relationship with Rackspace, one of the top application service providers in the industry.  Added together, it’s no wonder that Commence is a top rated CRM solution for growing businesses.

To learn more about Commence CRM visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com or call Commence sales at 1-877- 266-6362.

By Dave Kahle

No one looks forward to an encounter with an angry or difficult customer.  Most of us can’t help but feel emotionally impacted by an upset customer.  An ugly incident can ruin our entire day.

Not only that, but there is usually some damage that can be done to the company by the angry customer.  Our job security is not enhanced when the company loses business.  Put those two things together, and you can see that dealing effectively with an angry customer becomes a challenge that we must overcome.

Here are some tips to make your next confrontation easier for you, better for your company, and much more satisfying to the customer.

1.    Don’t take it personally.

Unless you were personally involved in the incident that caused the customer’s anger, the customer probably isn’t angry with you.  He’s angry with your company, and he’s angry with the consequences that impact him.  There is no reason that you should take it personally.  You are just the current expression of your company, the most convenient representative.

When you take the customer’s anger personally, it’s so much easier to become defensive and argumentative.  And when that happens, the net effect is to turn a bad situation into something even worse.  When you are tempted to react in kind, emotionally, just tell yourself that this is not about you.

2.   Listen.

That is often enough to turn a customer’s attitude around. It is amazing how powerful an empathetic, active listener can be.  When you sincerely and actively listen, that calms the customer down, it shows him that you are interested, it gives some credence to his/her position, and, it gives you some information and time to think. A magic elixir!

3.   Empathize.

If you were the customer, and this thing had happened to you, how would you feel?  Wouldn’t you also be upset?

Empathizing doesn’t take much effort on your part, and it has a powerful impact on a tense situation.  When you empathize with the customer by letting him know that you understand how he feels, you release much of the tension out of the situation.  Picture a balloon that you have blown up almost to the point of bursting.  There is tremendous tension inside the balloon pushing outward.  But when you open the bottom, and let some of that pressure out, the balloon relaxes.  Same thing when you empathize with the customer.  Picture yourself letting air out of the bottom of that balloon.

4.   Apologize.

This sometimes seems like too little, too late.  Regardless, it’s the minimum acceptable response.  If your customer has been wronged, or thinks that he or she has been wronged, apologizing for your company is the least you can do.  If you are afraid of admitting responsibility, then let the customer know that you are sorry this thing happened to him.  That’s generally enough to not accept any responsibility, and still convey a message of concern.

5.   Don’t blame.

No one cares who is at fault.  No one really cares that so-and-so in inventory control didn’t order enough inventory, or that the picking clerk incorrectly picked the order, or any one of a thousand other possible mistakes that other people may have made.  Blaming someone emphasizes that you are more concerned with yourself than you are with making things right with the customer.  It emphasizes the past (what happened), instead of the future (what you can do to fix this.)

Blame is the first response of a small person.  Don’t show yourself to be in that league by immediately jumping to blame someone.

6.   Ask.

Always ask something of the customer.  By asking, you show your interest in the customer, indicate that you really do want to understand, and give the customer an opportunity to describe their situation.  Ask about the details, ask about the situation, ask what the customer would like to see as a solution.  Don’t worry about asking the wrong thing.  Almost any question in that situation is going to have a positive impact on the customer.  No matter what, ask.

7.   Promise accurately.

The worst thing you can do is make some grandiose or unfounded promise to fix the customer’s problem, and then not follow through on it.  Or make a promise on behalf of your company, and then discover that your company is not able to meet the terms of your promise.

By doing that, you’ve fed the customer’s frustration and added fuel to an already hotly burning fire.  It is far better to not promise anything than it is to jump to a hasty and unfounded promise.

8.   Deliver more.

Here’s an opportunity to turn the customer around.  Deliver more than what you promise.  If you say you’ll have a replacement to him on Friday, try to get it there on Wednesday.  If you say you’ll replace that gallon of paint with a free gallon, throw in an extra brush. A little something above and beyond what you promise is a great way to say that you are sorry for the previous inconvenience, and leave the customer with a good feeling about the encounter with you and your company.

9.   If possible, follow up.

To this day, I remember a hotel calling back the day after I rented a small conference room to ask if everything had been acceptable.  That follow-up call was eighteen years ago, but I still remember the powerful, positive impact it made on me.  Someone cared enough to call after the fact and determine that I had been satisfied.  What a concept!

Your follow up call can have the same effect.

A difficult and angry customer is one of the most intense challenges you’ll face.  Implement these nine tips and watch yourself grow in confidence as you expertly handle these hot situations.

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If you’d like some additional help with this thorny issue, check out a variety of resources at http://www.davekahle.com/difficult_customers.html.  If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, check out Cluster CL-12: Abusive Customers, Cluster CL-17: Dealing with Difficult Customers, and Pod-15:  How to Skillfully Handle Difficult Customers.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Image Credit: by Molumen source openclipart license Public Domain. Free images from acobox.com

By Dave Kahle

Q. I’m one of those salespeople who hasn’t spent $20.00 this year on a book or seminar to improve myself.  I just don’t want to go to the trouble.  I believe that I can learn sufficiently on the job, and I’m tired of going to school.  Should I feel bad?

A.  Now that’s an honest question.  Should you feel bad?  My knee jerk reaction is to say, “of course.”

But, on further reflection, it depends on your approach to your job, and on your aspirations for yourself. First, a definition –  “mastery.”  You achieve “mastery” of any profession when you are in the top 5% of performers in that profession.  Pursuit of mastery is the continuous striving to achieve and then to remain in the top 5% of your profession.

I believe that every serious professional salesperson ought to strive for mastery.  If that applies to you, then you want to become as good as you can become. If you want the greater sense of fulfillment, the greater degree of respect, and the increase in economic status that mastery brings, then, yes, you should feel bad because you are not acting consistently with your aspiration.

I am highly suspect of the idea that you can learn all you need to know “on the job,” particularly in the profession of sales.  The world is full of experienced salespeople who don’t sell well, but think they do.  Somehow, they have not learned “on the job.”

There are a number of reasons for this.  Here is just one: Sales is an isolated job, with no clear standards of performance readily available to the sales person.  Let’s take one of my pet issues:  asking better questions.  Left to your own, how do you know that you did well in asking questions?  You could go merrily on your way, thinking you did an adequate job, when in fact you totally blew it.  How do you know?

That’s the issue.  Unless you get out into the greater community of sales people, and expose yourself to the best practices of your profession, you’ll never know.  Having no idea of what “best” looks like, you have no standard to which to compare yourself.  So, you naturally default to the behavior that is comfortable.

I hate to sound so harsh, but total reliance on “on the job” is most often an excuse that allows mediocrity and lack of accountability.

As a side note, this is why we have created behavioral assessments in The Sale Resource Center, so B2B and distributor sales people can compare themselves to the “best practices,” and create a development plan. We’re not talking about going to school here.  We’re talking about delivering sales development instruction over the internet.

So, from one perspective, I have to say, yes, you should feel bad. You have some wrong ideas.

But it is not an ideal world.  And, realistically, only about 20% of salespeople have such aspirations.  Most are content with the status quo.  Most just want to do their job, go home at the end of the day, and be done with it.  If that’s you, then I guess you are living a life consistent with your values, and that’s OK.

The difference is what you want for yourself and your family.  If you are perfectly content with your situation and your results, if you do not want anything that can be achieved by higher performance, if you don’t want to become something better than you are, then you are perfectly content, and contentment is the enemy of growth.  If you want to be or achieve something that you are not now, that discontentment should lead you to the realization that you must change if you are going to achieve something more. And that realization should stimulate you to invest more heavily in your own development.

I guess, if you are satisfied and content, and want nothing more, that’s OK.  I just don’t want you selling for me.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Image Credit: By Youth Hostel (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By Dave Kahle

“You should have an objective for every sales call.” That’s a bit of sage wisdom that we have all heard, probably multiple times, throughout our sales careers. Unfortunately, I disagree.

I believe you should have four objectives for every sales call. Every sales call is an opportunity to accomplish these four things:

1. To connect with the customer more deeply and more intensely than ever before.

2. To learn about the customer in more depth and detail than previously.

3. To present something to the customer that he/she will likely think of value.

4. To gain some agreement on what happens next.

These four goals really reflect the four fundamental competencies of the best sales people. They are exceptional at connecting with the customer, learning about the customer, presenting to the customer and agreeing with the customer.

As a result, they accomplish far more in a sales call than their less disciplined colleagues. Each more effective sales call ads to the total, and they become super stars as a result of excellent execution of each sales call, one after the other.

Every sales call is an opportunity to practice your craft, to improve upon your skills in these foundational areas. As you focus on achieving the four goals of every sales call, you naturally become more and more adept at them, until you achieve excellence. Excellence expresses itself in great sales calls.

I have two rules for planning a sales call: 1) You must plan to do all four things, and 2) You must plan to do each as well as you can, given the constraints of time and the situation.

Visualize a sales call as being organized like a dart target. Imagine the dart sphere being divided into four quarters – each representing one of the four fundamental goals of a sales call. Then, imagine the rings – large on the periphery of the target, but increasingly smaller until they end in a tiny bull’s eye in the middle.

You understand that you have four darts to throw, and each dart that sticks closer to the bull’s eye scores more than those on the outskirts of the target.

So it is with a sales call. You have four goals, and you can achieve each with various degrees of proficiency – i.e. closer to the bull’s eye. For example, you can connect with the customer when you both acknowledge how miserable the weather is outside. On the dart target, that’s the very outer ring of the target, where it doesn’t count very much, if anything. On the other hand, you can share some deep common bond that you discover. That’s a dart that sticks much closer to the bull’s eye.

You see then, that each sales call is an opportunity to accomplish four objectives, and to accomplish each as deeply as possible.

The best understand the power of a sales call, and plan to wring the greatest value they can out of every sales call. This is a way to do it.

To learn more about this best practice, consider my one-hour training seminar: Best Of Dave #1: Target Sales Calls. If you are subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, consider course C-2, The Kahle Way® B2B Selling System, or Pod #1: Target Laser Sharp Sales Calls..

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

By Dave Kahle

The sales presentation is the ultimate purpose of every sales process, of every sales call, and of every sales system.  The job of the sales person revolves around the point in time when he offers the customer something to buy.

The sales presentation can take a variety of forms.  If you demonstrate a product, for example, that is a sales presentation.  If you use a hard-copy brochure or a CD Rom presentation on your laptop, that is a sales presentation.  If you deliver and detail a sample, that is a sales presentation. If you respond to the customer’s request, and provide a price, deliver a proposal, or submit a bid, each of these are sales presentations.

Without the sales presentation, there can be no sale.  It is, then, the foundational step in the sales process.  Everything that happens before is in preparation for the presentation, and everything that happens afterward is a result of the presentation.

You would think, then, that every sales person is extremely well-trained in the science of making an effective sales presentation.

Alas, that is not the case.  Left to learn on their own, many sales people make the same mistakes over and over again.  Here are the three most commonly made sales presentation mistakes.

1.  Lack of preparation.

In my very first sales position, I had to endure six weeks of  sales training.  In those six weeks, the entire training class had to memorize two four-page sales presentations, and give them to the training class.  We were videoed and critiqued, over and over, for the six weeks.  At the end of that time we were thoroughly prepared to give that sales presentation.

Now that may have been a bit of an overkill, but the point remains:  Preparation is the first step towards an effective sales presentation.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you memorize the presentation.  But it does mean that you organize it, that you secure and check your collateral (the sample, brochures, price quotes, etc. that form the basis of what you are selling), and that you practice the presentation several times until you are comfortable with it and confident in your ability to deliver it.

Unfortunately, preparation is a discipline that seems to be fading from the routines of many sales people.  The world is full of sales people who either have little respect for their customer’s time, no particular interest in doing their jobs well, or an over-inflated view of their own ad-libbing abilities.  Any of these produces the sense that they don’t need to prepare, that on the spur of the moment, they will come up with the most persuasive things to say, in the most effective manner.

That’s too bad.  Preparation is the first step toward a better sales presentation, and lack of preparation is endemic in the world of sales.

2.  Information purging.

This occurs when a sales person thinks his/her job is to relate everything he/she knows about the product, service or proposal.

I was deeply into a training program wherein we work with six sales people every day for a week.  Sales people role-played various situations, we videoed them, critiqued them, and had them role play again, only better.

We were methodically working through the sales process, and it was time to make the sales presentation.  The class was taught to organize the presentation on the basis of what they learned about the customer in the previous “find out what they want” role play.

One particular sales person never got that message.  He thought a sales presentation was like an oral exam in school.  It was his opportunity to spill everything he knew about the product.  What should have been a 20 minute presentation dragged on and on for 45 minutes.  Even though it was a role play in front of the class, even though it was being video recorded, the person playing the customer began to fall asleep.  The hapless sales person continued on, purging himself of every bit and morsel of related information.  I had to finally step in and put an end to the tedium.

While that may have been a dramatic example of this mistake, it occurs in smaller ways thousands of times a day.  It occurs when sales people feel the need to tell the customer everything they know about the product or service they are presenting, whether the customer cares or is interested in that feature or not.

The problem is greater than just “too much information.” Sales people who do this disrespect the customer, as they don’t take the customer’s interests and requirements into account in the presentation.

As a result, customers are turned off and tuned out, and sales people leave shaking their heads, unable to fathom why the customer didn’t buy all the incredible features of his sales presentation.

3.  Failure to include the customer in the presentation.

This occurs when the sales person thinks that the presentation is all about his product, service or proposal.  The truth is that effective sales presentations are always about two things: the offer, and how it can impact the customer.

When sales people simply talk about their offer, and ignore the second half of the equation, they make one of the most common mistakes.

Customers are far more interested in how the thing being presented impacts them, than they are in the details of the offer.

The sales person may be impressed with all the neat details and features, but that reflects his/her values, not necessarily those of the customer.

The best sales presentations describe the salient features of the offer, and then relate them to how they impact the customer.  Remember “features and benefits”?

This third most common mistake occurs when sales people emphasize the features, and forget the benefits.

If you are guilty of any of these mistakes, or, as a manager, if your sales force is guilty of them, their sales presentations are not as effective as they could be.  You are leaving money on the table.  Fix these mistakes, and watch your sales rise.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Cloud computing is all about providing shared configurable computer resources such as servers, applications, storage and other computer related services. Similar to application software hosting, cloud computing is a service, but with several very important differences. Cloud computing enables a customer to scale their computing requirements upward and downward often without vendor intervention, share virtual resources in a multi-tenant environment, access data anytime and anywhere via a PC, tablet or mobile device and pay only for the computer processing and resources utilized. Unlike a hosting service tied to a specific server or servers, with cloud computing the access to computer resources can in effect be limitless.

Providing application software that performs properly in a cloud computing environment is not for the faint hearted. It starts with the selection of a world class cloud computing service, offered by several companies including RackSpace and Amazon.com as examples. This is coupled with CRM software that has been designed for a multi-tenant architecture and can perform well under high transaction volumes. Many CRM vendors have struggled with delivering reliable and scalable software solutions in a hosted environment and simply do not have the experience to migrate their solutions to the cloud. As a result many customers have experienced poor performance and downtime. The way to avoid this is to select an established proven CRM software provider that has the experience and track record for delivering their customer management software in the cloud.

Companies like Commence Corporation have been delivering software as a service or (SaaS) based solutions for several years. Commence began as a hosting service and has evolved into a true cloud based computing offering that offers the scalability, resource pooling, reliability and performance you would expect from a top rated CRM software provider.

For more information about Commence CRM and the Commence cloud services, call one of our experts at 1-877-266-6362 or visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

Image Credit: by Bpgriner at en.wikipedia source Wikimedia Creative Commons

Ranking and segmenting customers according to their value to your business can play an important role in defining future service level agreements and marketing activity. You may for example choose to modify your service contracts for customers that consistently require a high level of customer care thereby increasing profitability.  In addition, by segmenting those customers with the highest potential for up-selling or cross selling, you can create specific marketing programs targeted at this customer segment. The color coding feature enables management and each end user to quickly identify the top rated or most profitable customers allowing you to pay special attention to them and provide the type of service that ensures customer retention.

Automated Customer Ranking Process

Account Summary View

Commence Corporation continues to be an innovator in the field of customer management software providing advanced functionality not offered by industry competitors, Microsoft and Salesforce.com.   The company has been providing CRM business solutions to mid-size and small enterprises for more than two decades.  For more information about Commence’s  CRM software solutions, call 1-877-266-6362 or visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

By Dave Kahle

Q. I struggle with knowing how much information I should leave when I’m making a cold call, or just beginning to warm someone up to one of my products. Are there any guidelines for this?

A.  Great question.  This is one of the more sophisticated issues that many sales people face.  I do have some thoughts.

The principle by which you should be guided is this: The amount of information you leave depends on where you are at in the sales process and your goals for the particular sales call in question.

For example, if it is the first call on a prospect, your goal is to get a second visit. It is not to sell the prospect anything, but merely to begin the process of developing a business relationship.  That means that you must get a second visit.  Otherwise you will have wasted your time on a dead end.

So, in that situation, you provide just enough information to prompt the prospect to grant you another visit. For example, you may be discussing a potential opportunity.  You have the solution in a brochure in your briefcase.  But, cognizant of the need to create an additional visit, you don’t immediately offer the solution.  Instead you say something like this:  “I have a solution that I’m sure will work for you.  Can we get together next week to let me show it to you?”

In this case, while you had the information, you chose to pursue the goal of an additional visit, rather than provide it now and risk that the customer would not want to see you again.

In a different place in the sales process, you may want to provide that information.  For example, if you have already dug into the customer’s situation and uncovered the details of his problem, and it is now time for you to present your solution, you would be well served to present the brochure and discuss the features and benefits of your solution.

You see that the different spot in the sales process, and the different objective for the call lead to a different decision.

There are no hard and fast rules for how much information to leave at each visit, but, if you will think carefully about where you are in the sales process with each visit, and what your specific objectives of this visit are, those two thoughts will lead you to a decision.

In other words, the answer to your question lies in the process you use to think about it.

One additional thought.  In today’s economic environment, we are all overwhelmed with too much information. As a general rule, sales people are guilty of adding to that mass.  Many sales people think that the more information they regurgitate to the customer, the more the customer is impressed with the sales person, and the more likely they are to buy.  Alas, that is just not true.  More sales are lost because the customer is confused and overwhelmed with information, than are lost because he doesn’t have enough.

In fact, I have observed a direct relationship between the depth of the relationship the customer has with you and the amount of information he requires.  In other words, the greater the relationship the customer has with you, the less information he requires to make the decision to buy.

I have often thought that the ideal presentation offers no information, and goes like this:  “We can do that.  Shall we go ahead?”

Think about it.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Image Credit: by Ee source openclipart license Public Domain Free images from acobox.com

The new automated business process allows you to rank and color code customers based on criteria such as company size, annual revenue, cost to deliver services, profitability, future growth potential, service level requirements and more.  The pre-defined criteria are completely customizable by the customer, providing them with the ultimate flexibility in determining how to rank their customers.  This customer ranking feature is a unique business process that is not available from competitive CRM software offerings.

By Dave Kahle

A study of the behavioral characteristics of the best sales people was published a few years ago.  One of the not-so-surprising conclusions was this:  The best sales people “listen more constructively” than their more average counterparts.

What does it mean to “listen constructively?”  My wife is a crises counselor, and she talks about listening “empathetically.”  That means that she listens to understand and relate to how people are feeling.  But the study didn’t say great sales people listen “empathetically,” it said they listen “constructively.”

There is a clue to its meaning in the word itself.  Think “constructively = construction = building.”  Listening constructively means to listen for things upon which to build.

Great sale people ask great questions, and then listen more constructively.  They focus intently on what the customer is saying, filter it through the perspective of things “upon which to build.”  So, they build their next question on the braces and beams of the customer’s answer.  As they dig deeper and listen intently, they gather a better picture of the customer’s issues, needs, situation, motivation and concerns.  They form a clearer mental “blue print” of the selling situation, and are able, therefore, to provide a more accurate and appealing solution.

This, of course, flies in the face of a piece of conventional wisdom that proclaims that good sales people are good talkers.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Good sales people are good listeners, not good talkers.

A study published by RainToday.com, found that 74% of 200 purchasers surveyed at companies nationwide said they would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if the seller would simply listen to the prospect.

Imagine that.  Almost three quarters of customers would be more likely to buy if the sales person would just listen!

Listening well — listening constructively — is not a natural skill.  It takes intentionality and dedication to work consistently at it and to become, over time, one of the best listeners.   As in every aspect of sales success, the best decide to become the best, and put in the time and effort it takes to gradually develop the skills that take them to the top.

There are few things more important than listening well.  The best do it better than the average.  That’s why they are the best.

To learn more about this skill, consider my training video, “Improving Your Listening Proficiency.”, or read Chapter 16 of my book, Question Your Way to Sales Success.

If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, consider taking course C-2: The Kahle Way® B2B Selling System.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Proto Credit: source openclipart license Public Domain Free photos from acobox.com

By Dave Kahle

            Here’s a situation.  You have created a list of 20 highly qualified prospects.  You’ve researched them, and you know that these 20 people hold your prosperity in their hands.  But they don’t know you, have never spoken to you, and aren’t inclined to drop everything and see you. 

            How do you get to see them?

            You can do what everyone else does.  Send them an email.  Maybe leave a voice mail message.  Then be really frustrated that no one calls back.  Or, you can do something a bit different, and much more creative.

            For those highly qualified prospects, think of using a “pre-call touch.”  A pre-call touch is something you deliver to the prospect that says something about you, catches his attention, and makes it more likely that he/she will see you when you call.

            Here are two examples of “pre-call touches” from my most recent book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

            One of my clients was an advertising agency.  They had identified 100 “right people” – the key people in their market and location who held the future of the advertising agency in their hands.  They had accomplished the first step – identifying the right people – with excellence.

            Now, the problem was to move those highly qualified prospects to interact with the agency.  The experienced team knew that those key people with whom they needed to interact were busy and difficult people to see.  They just wouldn’t respond to the normal channels.  So, they came up with this very creative way of engaging with their prospects.

            They sent each of the 100 prospects a box, about the size of a watch box.  It was wrapped in brown paper and contained no return address.  The name and address of the prospect was hand-written in a female hand.  Inside the box was a sugar cube and a small piece of paper, like the size of a fortune cookie message, with the words, “Keep it sweet.”

            That was it.  Nothing else.

            One week later, those same prospects were sent another box, wrapped and addressed in exactly the same fashion.  This time, it contained a lemon with the message, “Don’t let it go sour.”

            Again, nothing else in the box. 

            On the third week, yet another box, wrapped and packaged identically.  This time, the box contained tinsel foil, like that which you use to decorate a Christmas tree.  The message?  “Make it sparkle.”

            Once again, nothing else.

            Week four and yet one more box arrived, identical to the others.  This time there was only one thing inside – a business card from the advertising agency sales person, with a self-stick note stuck to it.  On the note was the hand-written message, “I’ll call you tomorrow for an appointment.”

            Of the 100 people who received that series of deliveries, every single one of them took the call and made the appointment.  The advertising agency, when faced with the difficult task of engaging the prospect, had developed an effective and creative solution.  They gained their prospect’s attention, they captured their interest, and they prompted them to take action – they took the phone call and made the appointment.  In other words, they engaged the right people!

            Here’s another example.  This time, I was on the receiving end of a well done “pre-call touch.”  I was busily typing away on my computer when the FedEx guy walked into my office, put a box down on my desk, and said, “sign here.”  I did.

            You know what you do when you get a personally addressed FedEx delivery  — stop everything and open the box.  That’s what I did.  Inside was a  package of microwave popcorn.  Underneath that was a plastic bottle of Diet Pepsi.  Underneath that was a linen envelope with my name hand written in a female’s script.  I opened the envelope.  Inside was an invitation, personally written in the same script.  It said, “Dave, We have researched your company, and concluded that yours is the kind of company who gains the most from our service.  I’d like to invite you to take 30 minutes and watch a webinar as I introduce what we can do for you.  Enjoy the popcorn and soda, and let me do all the work.  I’ll call you this afternoon to confirm.”

            I thought to myself, “Not bad.  This probably cost them $30.00 to $40.00.  They wouldn’t have invested that money and time in someone who was not a good prospect.  I probably am right for them.  I’ll take the call.”

This sales person could have sent me an email, and I would have deleted it unopened.  She could have left me a voice mail message, and I would not have returned it.  Instead, she chose to deliver something to me that got my attention and made it much more likely that I would accept her phone call.

Clearly, a “pre-call touch” isn’t for every situation, nor every prospect.  For those high potential, qualified prospects, however, it can be the event that opens the door.

I don’t know what you can use as a “pre-call touch.”  A little creative brainstorming on your part could develop just the right delivery.  Don’t give in to the temptation to send a company brochure (yawn), or just a letter.  Break out of the box and think about what you could deliver that would catch the prospect’s attention, say something about you, and make him more likely to take your call.

It can make all the difference. 

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Photo Credit: by snowmanradio at en.wikipedia source Wikimedia license GFDL Free images from acobox.com

By Dave Kahle
Do great B2B sales people, regardless of what they sell, have any practices in common?  In other words, do the best sales people all sell the same way?

A number of years ago, a professional association attempted to answer that question.  They studied superstar sales people from a wide variety of industries and concluded: Yes!

In fact, the best sales people excel at the same things.  Here are the top five practices of the very best sales people:

1.  They see the situation from the customer’s point of view.

2.  They ask better questions.

3.  They listen more constructively.

4.  They are obsessed with time management.

5.  They do bigger deals.

Let’s look at the relationship among these items to see if there are any lessons for us.

“They do bigger deals.”  That is both the result of their work (that is, after all, why they are the best sales people) as well as their focus from the beginning.  They start with an understanding that it is their job to bring revenue into the company, and that the more revenue they bring in, the more valuable they are to their companies and the more successful they become.  And this realization leads them to what becomes an obsession.

“They are obsessed with time management.”  That means that they intentionally and methodically strive to make the best use of their sales time by focusing the bulk of their efforts on the highest-potential opportunities and customers.  You won’t find them running an errand for a “C” customer just to be a nice guy.

In my book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, I make the point that this practice – investing in the highest potential prospects and customers – trumps all other sales practices.  If you are a great presenter, for example, and wonderful at closing the sale, your skills will be squandered if they are not exercised with the right people.

And what do the best sales people do with the time they invest in the highest-potential customers?  “Ask better questions,” and “listen more constructively.”  Amazing.  These two fundamental communication skills are, perhaps, the earliest communication skills we learn.  Yet, the best take these foundational skills and execute them better. And since they excel at these two fundamentals, they naturally gain a better understanding of the “customer’s point of view.”  Equipped with that competitive advantage, they formulate creative proposals that lead them back to where they started:  bigger deals.

This should be immensely encouraging to sales people.  Unlike the promotional messages from legions of sales trainers and authors, the reality is that there are no “secrets” in sales.  Success comes not from hidden strategies and mysterious tactics, but rather from the excellent execution of the essentials.

The best sales people execute the most fundamental skills with excellence.  And, since we can all do the things the best do, we can, if we choose, strive to do them better. And, if we strive to do them better, at some point we will arrive at the same place they are: a master sales person.

In other words, there is a path to sales mastery, and we can all follow it, if we choose.

It begins with our mind-set.  We need to see ourselves as professional sales people, whose job it is to bring revenue into the company.  That sounds so simple and so basic, yet legions of sales people are loath to consider themselves sales people.  They are account executives, sales facilitators, mobile customer service representatives, etc.  Some consider themselves to be exclusively the advocates for the customer and hand out discounts and concessions to anyone and everyone.

Since they don’t see themselves as professional sales people, they don’t invest in improving their sales skills.  They don’t understand that their behavior creates a reciprocal reaction on the part of the customer. The sales person’s actions create reactions on the part of the customer. If they want more profitable actions from the customer, they need to improve their actions.

Once we have the mind-set of the professional sales person, we slowly begin to gravitate toward the opportunities and customers that hold the greatest potential.  We understand that we only have a small and limited quantity of sales time, and that we must invest it, with a cold-blooded business attitude, in those situations that will bring the greatest reward.  In short, effective time management becomes a daily obsession.

Now, since we are interacting more frequently with the highest potential customers and prospects, we focus on excelling at the most fundamental communication skill:  asking better questions and listening more constructively.  Armed with these two fundamental and powerful communication devices, we strive for continued improvement and constant development.

With this as a path, sales mastery is an achievable goal for every committed sales person.

As the best have taught us, there is a path to sales mastery, and it comes through excellent execution of the essentials.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

Image by insideview on Flickr, available under Creative Commons license.

Mid-size businesses and small enterprises looking for a CRM solution typically focus their energy on a few specific CRM software providers.  Two of the companies battling for a slice of this middle market are Commence CRM and SugarCRM.  Both are considered high quality alternatives to the more expensive and complex Salesforce.com program, but there are several differences between the two.  This brief report highlights some of the differences that consumers may be interested in.

Functionality: Both Commence CRM and SugarCRM are comprehensive offerings that rival enterprise level solutions such as Oracle and SAP.  In addition to contact and account management, calendaring and activity management, both solutions support sales force automation, lead management, marketing campaign management, customer support, e-mail integration, document management, mobile integration, reporting and analytics.  Integration with third party accounting solutions is also offered by both providers. Both products offer robust functionality and it is unlikely you will require features that are not offered by either CRM vendor.  Commence also offers an integrated project management solution which is attractive for companies that require this functionality.

Advantage:  Commence CRM if project management is required.

Customization: Both CRM solutions are customizable. SugarCRM was originally released as a free open source CRM program, but is now sold under an annual subscription license.  The product is written using the PHP language which is not highly regarded as an enterprise level language and while the product can be highly customized it does require PHP knowledge for most customizations. Commence CRM is designed using Java, an industry standard for scalability and high speed performance.  Commence has incorporated a lot of flexibility within the user interface which enables the system administrator to tailor the applications without programming knowledge.  More sophisticated customization however would require Java expertise.

Advantage:  Commence CRM due to industry standard Java programming language.

Deployment: Both Commence CRM and SugarCRM are online web based CRM solutions that may be deployed on premise or via a cloud computing environment.  Both offer a tremendous advantage over Salesforce.com who does not offer on-premise deployment.

Advantage:  SugarCRM. Commence limits on-premise deployment to larger organizations.

Hosting & Data Security: Commence CRM has a strategic partnership with Rackspace, the industry’s number one rated hosting facility which has datacenters in the United States, Europe and Asia.   Rackspace provides the highest level cloud computing environment in the industry.  SugarCRM can be hosted by the client or any third party hosting provider.  This may be of concern to customers looking for continuity with regard to new product releases and high quality support services.

Advantage:  Commence CRM. Rackspace is a recognized cloud computing leader.

Customer Support: SugarCRM offers several customer service plans. They are separately priced from the product’s annual service fees.  Commence bundles in telephone support into the annual service fee.  Support is provided directly from the company’s headquarters in the United States.

Advantage:  Commence CRM. Telephone support included in annual service fees.

Price: Both products are attractively priced as compared to rival Salesforce.com and offer good value.   SugarCRM offers two editions: SugarCRM professional at $360 annually per user and SugarCRM Enterprise for $600 per user per year.  Commence CRM offers a bit more flexibility with regard to the selection of functionality and price, and lets you build your own CRM system by selecting the functionality you require at a price that meets your budget. Prices start at $220 per user annually and go up to $780 annually per user.

Advantage:  Commence CRM, due to flexible applications selection and pricing.

Image Credit: Sugar cubes by Original uploader was Creet at en.wikipedia – originally by Uwe Hermann source Wikimedia license CC Free photos from acobox.com

In order to gain a competitive edge or simply compete against larger corporations, mid-size and smaller enterprises need to take advantage of the same technology the bigger guys are using.  Many are turning their attention to Customer Relationship Management software or CRM as a tool to automate and improve how they market, sell and provide service to their customers.  CRM software can help companies implement a set of structured internal processes that enable them to become a more efficient sales and service organization.  The most significant challenge facing smaller businesses, however, is the lack of resources and experience with the implementation of CRM software and managing the changes associated with automating their internal processes.  This is almost always underestimated by smaller businesses that seem to prefer the do-it-yourself methodology versus engaging the expertise of the CRM vendor.  These do-it-yourselfers often learn that engaging the assistance of the CRM software provider is paramount to the successful implementation, use, and ROI realized from the CRM software.

With CRM – It’s All About Service

I find the CRM software sector perplexing.  Due to its rapid growth it has become one of the most competitive industries, chock full of low cost solutions, cut throat competition and immature products that deliver very little value.  In fact, the whole concept of customer relationship management seems to have disappeared. Today, many of the CRM vendors don’t have the time to discuss your requirements or demonstrate how their solution would address your business requirements.  They prefer that you simply place your credit card over the Internet and download the software.  They will then bill you each month that you utilize their product and if you require assistance: send an e-mail and someone will respond in a few days.  Is this really customer relationship management?

One company that conducts business the old fashioned way is Commence Corporation, a provider of customer management software solutions for more than two decades.  Commence takes a completely different approach to selling their CRM software by first taking the time to understand the customers’ business, offering personal demonstrations and “try before you buy” programs that ensure the customer is comfortable with the CRM software and the value they will realize from it.  Commence also has a large staff of experienced personnel who assist each customer with the implementation, making recommendations along the way with regard to implementing an appropriate lead qualification process and a structured sales methodology.  The value of this service can be measured by the ROI Commence customers realize with Commence CRM and the number of years they remain customers.  My point is simple.  If you think you will impact the performance of your business with some low cost CRM solution that you purchase over the Internet you will be very disappointed.  Many CRM solutions may appear similar, but the winning formula is all about the level and quality of service provided by the CRM vendor.  This is what makes Commence a top rated CRM solution and differentiates it from the competition.

Commence CRM software is available on premise or as a cloud based CRM offering. To learn more about Commence CRM, visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com and see for yourself why Commence is the best CRM solution for mid-size and small enterprises.

Image Credit: Diary by Sheikh tuhin source openclipart license Public Domain Free images from acobox.com

What should you be looking for when selecting CRM software?  Well it depends on what is important to you, but let me offer a few tips that may help you in the selection process.  While it seems almost impossible to differentiate one CRM solution from another other than by price, all CRM systems are not alike.  The first thing you need to do is determine what problem you are trying to address.  Most CRM systems address three specific business requirements.

One Central Database of All Customer Information

First is data consolidation. This enables you to capture, track, manage and share vital customer information with the people and departments that require it to efficiently do their jobs.  Previously known as contact management, this functionality is traditionally found in even the most basic CRM systems and is fine for those companies simply looking to get away from managing their business using an Excel spreadsheet.  But what if you need more?

Drive More Business and Close More deals

The next core functionality requirement most businesses have is how to get the telephone to ring more. Most businesses need more leads and may not have a structured sales process in place to ensure that both new leads and the sales cycle are properly managed to closure.  While lower cost CRM systems offer some basic sales management and reporting, you need to consider a mid-market offering that offers the work flow processes for creating marketing campaigns that generate new leads, qualifying or scoring the leads and automating the entire sales process.

Improve Your Customer’s Buying Experience

Lastly, providing world class customer service may be the difference between earning new and recurring business and losing to your competition.  More robust CRM systems offer a customer support application that provides service representatives with access to a complete customer profile. This enables them to react immediately to customer inquiries or complaints. Higher end CRM systems may also include a customer portal that allows the customer to check the status of their order or service ticket or edit their profile right within the CRM system.  This new self-service component provides customers with a better buying experience and gives your business a leg up on the competition.

Choosing a CRM Vendor

So now that you are thinking about your specific business challenges it’s time to start short listing some CRM vendors.  Most CRM companies target a specific market based on the functionality they offer.  The most basic low cost contact management solutions tend to sell to small office or small home businesses, while mid-market CRM providers focus on companies that have greater business requirements.  Enterprise CRM solutions offer scalable platforms that can support hundreds and even thousands of employees and as such tend to focus on this market segment.  So the question you need to ask is where do you fit?

Next, I would take a look at the CRM vendor’s track record. How long have they been in business? How many customers do they have that are similar to your business and what level of customer support do they provide?

While there are dozens of CRM software providers in the industry, one of the most popular CRM systems that appeals to mid-size and small enterprises is Commence CRM.  Commence has been providing CRM software solutions to this segment for more than twenty years and has been rated one of the best CRM software programs based on its robust functionality and attractive price points. Commence CRM is a web based CRM solution that provides online real time access to data from anywhere in the world.  What is also appealing about Commence CRM is that it may be deployed as a cloud based CRM program or implemented on premise.  Commence is ideal for mid-size companies that need a robust online CRM solution at an affordable price point.  For more information about Commence CRM software, visit the company’s web site at Commence.com.

Image “Aperture & Sharpness” by Ross on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Tinton Falls, N.J.  May 10, 2011 — Commence Corporation a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) has introduced a new flexible pricing structure that is attracting new business away from rival CRM software providers.  Many CRM vendors have designed pre-built application packages often called ‘editions’ that force customers to select a pre-set group of applications at a fixed cost.  Salesforce.com, one of the leading providers of CRM software not only forces customers to select a pre-packaged set of applications, they also limit how many users can utilize the applications without bumping up to the next level at a higher cost. “This just doesn’t make sense” says Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation.  “Customers should not be forced into selecting a group of applications and features designed by the CRM vendor”.

Commence Corporation’s pricing structure allows customers to build their own CRM system by selecting only the applications they require and there is no limit to how many users can use the applications they have selected.   You start with the essentials such as account and contact management, calendaring, e-mail integration with MS Outlook, and activity management. Then add any additional applications you require from a comprehensive list that includes lead management, sales force automation, marketing campaign management, help desk, documents, project management, analytics and mobile integration.  Commence even offers an interface to popular accounting packages at an additional cost.

“Customers are finding our program very attractive and for good reason,” says Caretsky.   “No one wants to be told what applications they must purchase.  Our program offers the flexibility and affordability customers simply cannot get from competitive offerings while offering a growth path to additional functionality down the road”.   For more information about Commence Corporation’s flexible pricing structure visit the Commence CRM Pricing link or call Commence sales at 1-877- 266-6232.

About Commence Corporation

Commence develops and delivers a diverse suite of award winning CRM software that integrates people, processes and technology.  Available on premise or via a cloud computing environment, Commence CRM solutions streamline the front office business processes that directly impact sales execution and customer service.   Commence is one of the most trusted names in CRM software. The company has been providing customer management software solutions to the middle market for more than two decades and services several thousand customers in twenty two countries around the world.

Media Contact:

Nicole Reed
Marketing@commence.com

By Dave Kahle

Q. I wanted to do some sales training last year, but it just wasn’t the right time for it.  We had too many things on our plate.  Looking at our calendar this year, I am coming to the same conclusion.  Am I ever going to have time to do sales training? Will it ever be the right time?

A.  Great question.  Probably the number one reason sales managers don’t provide sales training for their teams is “the timing just isn’t right.”

Why is it that some companies, regardless of the press of the urgent and the demands of the customers, find time to provide regular training and development opportunities for their sales force, and others, in the same industry, just can’t make the time?

The answer really does not lie in the ebb and flow of “things to do.” Nor does it lie in the open spaces of the calendar – if only you could find some empty days, you could slot in a sales training event. The answer does not lie in the world of stuff outside of ourselves that so occupies our time and attention.  Rather, the answer lies inside ourselves and our organizations – in our attitudes, our values and our corporate culture.

Let me lay some ground work with a bit of thinking about effective sales, in general and then circle around to address the question head on.

1.  I think everyone would agree with this statement:  Better sales people sell more than average sales people.

Better sales performance is not a matter of inheriting the best customer, or falling into a lucky deal.  Those things happen occasionally, but year in and year out, the best performing sales people are those who ‘sell better’ than the rest.  They do something, and usually a lot of things, better than their colleagues.  As a result, their customers respond more positively to them, and the sales people post better numbers.  They sell more because they act differently.  Not just differently – but better.

There is a direct relationship between what the sales person does and how much he sells.  Here’s a simple example.  One study found that 74 percent of purchasing agents said they would be “much more likely to buy from a sales person, if that person would just listen.” Doesn’t it follow, then, that those sales people who listen better sell more than those who don’t?  So, if you could help all of your sales people listen better, wouldn’t that result in more sales?  Of course it would. And listening is just one of a number of sales practices that are essential to better sales performance.

That’s my point.  What a sales person does directly and measurably impacts how much a sales person sells. And better sales people, because they do things better, sell more than average sales people.

2.  Most of my readers would also agree with this statement:  Almost every sales person can become better.

One of the things that I have most enjoyed about my career as a sales person has been the fact that I have never yet reached my potential.  I can always do better.  And, frankly, I’m a pretty good sales person.

I’m not perfect yet, even though I have tried to get there my whole life. Rarely does a day go by that I don’t find myself saying, “I should have done this or that better.”  Unfortunately, it is in the nature of sales that one is never as good as he can be.  Vince Lombardi aptly summed up the challenge of continuous improvement in a different area:

We will relentlessly pursue perfection, knowing full well that we will never attain it, because no one is perfect.  But, we will chase perfection, because in the process we will catch excellence.

Put these two paradigms together (#1 & #2 above) and you have a pretty good rationalization for continuous and immediate sales training.  If better sales practices bring in more money, and every sales person can become better, then investing in making them better will bring in more money.

How can you afford the luxury of not improving the practices of your sales team?

3.  But wait, some of you are saying, sales training doesn’t automatically mean better sales practices.

You’re right.  It doesn’t.  But it sure outperforms the alternative of not doing anything and expecting everyone will just automatically improve by trial and error. I’m going to make a radical statement here:  I believe that there is not an exceptional performer in any endeavor who is entirely self-taught (with the once in a generation exception for the occasional savant).  Tiger Woods, for example, has a swing coach.

The more sophisticated and challenging is the endeavor, the more likely that the exceptional performer has had multitude of coaches, mentors and trainers along the way. Sales is an incredibly sophisticated endeavor, where learning on your own can only take you so far.

Everyone who wants to improve, in every endeavor known to mankind, sooner or later puts himself in a situation where he/she learns from a coach, trainer or mentor – someone who has gone before and has a gift of being able to discern and communicate the intricacies and insights of the field. It takes someone outside of ourselves to help us see and realize our real potential.

The dedicated sales person, for example, buys all the books, gets the Ezines, listens to the podcasts, etc.  The sales manager who wants his team to perform well, constantly injects them into learning experiences.  He brings in the videos, distributes good articles, sends them to the seminars, etc.

And, like everything else, there are qualities of sales training.  You can bring in old Tom, for example, who is getting ready to retire and is looking for something less demanding than sales to do. Or, you can employ the local unemployed sales person who always wanted to be a trainer. The world is full of both types.

But, if you are going to invest your sales force’s valuable time and your hard-earned money, I’d recommend you invest it into a safe choice – professionals who have an understanding of how people learn and change, real life successful experience in sales, and years of proven experience in the profession of training.

4.  One more point.  Have you ever stopped to calculate the cost of maintaining the status quo?

Today — just this one day — how many opportunities did your sales people not uncover because they haven’t been trained in how to better uncover opportunities?  How many opportunities did they miss because they have not been trained to listen well?  How many new customers should have been developed this month, but weren’t because your sales people have never been instructed in how to develop a new customer?  How many high-potential customers languish in business-as-usual because your sales people have never been taught how to penetrate large accounts?

Just play around with those numbers and the conclusion will stagger you.  The greatest cost in most companies is one which never makes it on the P&L statement – the cost of opportunities lost, customers not created, and sales not made due to a sales force performing at far less than its potential.

Now that I’ve laid some ground work, let me go back and answer the question.  Is there ever a good time to do sales training?  It depends on your values, your attitude and your culture.

If you believe that your sales people can not become any better, then NO, do not make the time for sales training.

If you are perfectly content with the numbers your sales force is producing, then, NO, do not make the time for sales training.

If you think everyone will improve forever on their own, then NO, there will never be a good time for sales training.

If, on the other hand, you believe that just a small change in the behavior of a sales person can leverage into huge increases in sales and profits, then by all means make the time, as soon as possible.

Is there a good time to do sales training?  That really is the wrong question.  The question you should be asking instead is: How can you justify continuing to bear the costs of a sales team performing at less than optimum?  How can you justify the maintenance of the status quo?

Parenthetically, our Sales Resource Center provides a virtually unlimited number of sales development lessons, delivered to every sales person’s computer, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

About the Author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.