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Archive for the ‘Reinforcement’ Category

Sales Training and Golf: A Lesson in Repetition

So what does a professional golfer–someone who gets paid to play the game every day–really get out of coaches and practice sessions?

Trophies.

As Dave Mattson outlines in the video above, golf greats like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer made winning second-nature. Sure, there was something to be said for natural ability, but any all-star in any sport or profession would only be a skilled novice or weekend warrior without constant training, reinforcement and daily practice.

There is no way to know what your competition is doing every second of the day. But do you really want to play the game where you take the risk of staying put while they are sharpening their skills? Practice is a no-lose situation. Once your prospecting marathon results in a good fit, you’ll have an unparalleled level of practice and preparation to take into battle.

Make sure you practice every single facet of your sales process. While closing a deal may be fun to think about, it doesn’t do you any good to simply practice that final step if you other skills fail to get you there. Like golf, it may be fun to think about getting a hole in one, but practicing your overall game will get you the best score at the end of the round. Get a coach, take an active role in developing your skillset and prepare to have bragging rights when it is all said and done.

Posted in Motivation, Reinforcement | No Comments »

Sales Training for the Prospecting Marathon

By Ken Edmundson

What does a marathon runner know about making prospecting calls?

Probably very little. Maybe nothing! However, the strategy the marathon runner uses to prepare for a race can help you become a better prospector. No runner started out as a marathon runner. They trained over time to build their strength and endurance to go the distance. The first day they couldn’t run 100 yards before gasping for breath. The first week was torture. The second week was a little better. The third week better yet, and so on. With continual practice, desire and effort, they became a marathon runner.

Take a lesson from the marathon runner. If you are struggling with 10 or 15 prospecting calls a day, how will you ever make 30, 40 or whatever number your prospecting plan calls for? If the novice marathon runner is gasping for breath after 100 yards, how can he eventually last for two miles, eight miles, 12 miles or 26 miles? He must condition himself.

While marathon runners may have their own trainers, you’ve got me and the rest of the folks at Sandler Training to give you a little sales training advice:

Pace yourself, and you’ll get there.

You may not get past six calls the first day without gasping for breath, but the next day you can do seven, the next day eight, the next day nine or 10 and continue that practice until you can go the distance.

An average sales cycle to move a new prospect beginning from your initial introductory call to closing a sale takes an average of 12 quality touches (and that is not 12 irritating voicemail messages) over an 18 month period. That’s at least one meaningful connection every 45 days. Remember, it’s 12 touches over 18 months on average. You can be better than average if you get better at your technique and better at your strategy. You don’t have to be a marathon prospector right away, but you better start your training program, rest up and get ready for the long road ahead. As long as you have a contact schedule and strategy in mind, you’ll see that finish line.

Ken Edmundson is the CEO of the Edmundson Northstar Institute, a Sandler Training franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Illustration by Rob Green

Posted in Prospecting, Reinforcement, Sales Development | No Comments »

Sales Training: A Do-It-Yourself Guide

By Ken Edmundson

Over the last eight years I have done hundreds of one-on-one performance coaching sessions with salespeople, and the single most frequent question I hear is, “How do I get better?” It’s a meaningful question and almost always asked with a genuineness that signifies the person speaking really wants help.

I usually respond to that question with a question of my own that goes like this, “Do you really want to know?” You see, at these moments I’m always reminded of a statement by Dr. Lee Thayer, “Most people prefer the problem they have to a solution they don’t like.”

Step one is to be sure they can get specific on what “get better” actually means–and usually they can. I have spent many hours working on my own personal growth and development plan, as well as learning to coach others about how to effectively answer that question. And while I don’t propose that in one short writing I can give a complete overview, what I’ve attempted to do in the following paragraphs is provide a focal point for those who would truly like to know more. This is an outline of how to get better, so before you read further, pause for another moment and give even more consideration to Dr. Thayer’s comment.

Still ready to go forward?

Let me give a definition of the phrase “getting better” using two important areas of your life:

1) Getting Better Financially:

Growth in your sales volume, annual income or personal net worth. I consider the standard for growth, or getting better, in financial terms to be measured as an increase of 15% per year for your personal net worth, personal income or your sales volume. If you are not accomplishing this for five consecutive years, then you have not experienced real growth and are not getting better financially.

2) Getting Better Mentally:

Setting clear, achievable, exciting and meaningful goals.
Aligning what you say, what you do and what you think so they all agree.
Maintaining focus, purpose and intent toward that which you most desire with a minimum amount of stress, worry, anxiety, fear and anger.

Still interested? Read on. (more…)

Posted in Adapting Sales Techniques, Behavior + Attitude, Motivation, Reinforcement, Sales Development | 2 Comments »

Video: Sandler Rule #46: There Is No Such Thing as a Good Try

Sandler Training’s Karl Scheible explains Sandler Rule #46: “There Is No Such Thing as a Good Try.” At best, “try” indicates intention, but not commitment. If the outcome of an action is important, don’t “try.” Commit to it.

Posted in Motivation, Reinforcement | 1 Comment »

Video: Sandler’s Point of Difference

Sandler CEO Dave Mattson discusses why Sandler isn’t just your typical sales training seminar. Sandler is more than just a couple of sales tips; it’s a proven system based on continual reinforcement and incremental learning that results in a permanent behavior change. To see how there’s no “quick fix” to sales, leadership and management training, visit sandler.com.

Posted in Adapting Sales Techniques, Reinforcement, Sales Development | No Comments »

Why Do the Colts Go to Training Camp?

By Matt Nettleton

On July 30th of this year, the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts will go to training camp. This will signal the start of a four week period of intense practice designed to force the players to focus on what they need to do to improve their ability to play football. But it seems like a waste of time to me, after all–most of these players have spent at least the last eight years of their life working on their craft in highly competitive games. Plus, the Colts have won more than any other professional team during this time. What on earth could these people think they are going to learn? (more…)

Posted in Motivation, Reinforcement | No Comments »

Setting Sail

By Kevin Hallenbeck

With the great economic storm over the last year, many businesses wisely pulled back into safe harbors for a period of time. In fact, those that failed to make adjustments and continued their course were likely wiped out or at least seriously damaged. Unwise use of credit and perhaps a bit of bad luck has taken its toll on many. However, perhaps you are one of those businesses that made the proper course corrections by making the difficult and sometime painful choices. By reducing overhead, limiting loses and maintaining profitability you may have survived 2009, but there now is a new question: is it time to set sail again? (more…)

Posted in Motivation, Prospecting, Reinforcement, Sales Development, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

How to Lower Stress in Sales

By Dave Mattson

The rotten economy, if you haven’t noticed, may be taking a toll on your health. (more…)

Posted in Behavior + Attitude, Customer Relationships, Motivation, Overcoming Obstacles, Reinforcement | 2 Comments »