Selling in December...

Selling in December is rough.  The time of year that most people are planning on spending money they don't have on their families, you are trying to get them to spend money with you....a stranger.

Once December hits, everything changes in sales.  People simply stop spending money and listening to sales pitches.  Right?  Wrong.  The fight just gets harder.  And your Q4 goal starts to loom and your boss is breathing down your neck and you have no choice but to either give up or go harder than you have all year. Because in December, mediocrity yields the same results as the below average deliver all year.

In my opinion you have one thing on your side when selling in December, and that is attitude.  Yours and your prospects.  After Thanksgiving people are just a little happier for 1 month.  They are more likely to speak to you, interact with you and legitimately listen to what you have to say.  Take advantage of this.  Get out of your car and into their place of business.  Pick up the phone.  The longer you sit and think about how to hit your number, the more your number becomes unattainable.

Then you have another factor that can be good or bad depending on how you position your sale.  That is urgency.  Can you create enough urgency so that a business owner makes the decision before the years end because he/she wants to be set up for success in Q1?  Or did you get sold on why it is just not feasible to spend that money around the holidays?  Someone is going to win.  Most of the time, it will not be you.  But if you are mentally tough, keep pushing, get up early and work late, you WILL win enough to hit your number. And if you don't...well there is always next year.  But if you lose every year in December, over 12 years you will have completely wasted an entire year of your selling career and probably cost yourself a LOT of money.

So when December hits, force yourself to work 2 more hours a day, talk to 10 more people a day and pitch your most expensive and valuable products so at the very least, you walk away with a moderate win for you and your company.

Usually, how your December goes is contingent upon the presents your family gets over the holidays....so don't let them down!

"You become what you think about all day"
Dave Altimari

10 minutes a day that makes or breaks your paycheck

I have been in sales for about 10 years now.  That is nothing compared to a lot of folks that I know, but it's an eternity if you consider that most people can't take the first month of any sales job and end up quitting. Over the years, one of the most interesting things that I have observed and experienced, is the amount of time allocated to things that do not directly impact your paycheck.

Let's face it.  One of the most appealing aspects of a sales job is that you control your paycheck every single day.  This terrifies most adults because how can you build a life and a family based on such an uncertainty?  Luckily that very same thing is what draws in the money hungry people with drive, passion, and the confidence that they will not only make a good living, but a great living.  But what are you actually spending time practicing?  Is it how to open up a call? Is it practicing your presentation over and over again?  Is it making sure you have all your notes for the week in line so that you don't let any potential deals slip through the cracks?  Well, I hope you are spending time on all of those things.  But for some reason, most salespeople don't practice the only part of the sales process that makes you any money.  The close.

Don't get me wrong.  Cold calling, presentation skills and follow up is critical to any sales job, but if there is no grand finale to your song and dance, then no one is going to pay you to see it.

Every single time you look at your commission check, remember one thing: That money is directly related to the 10 minutes a day that you are successfully closing someone.  Why aren't we practicing that more?  And do we even know how?

Think about what is practiced daily/weekly/monthly in any well run sales organization:

Cold calling
Presenting
Putting together a proposal
Objections
Fulfillment
Paperwork

But how often are you sitting down and practicing closing someone?  And how do you even do it?

You should be practicing it every single hour of every single day that you are working.  You should be closing out every single conversation that you have with a prospect with a specific action that moves a sale forward.

You are going to spend the majority of your week getting in front of potential clients, putting notes in your CRM, and presenting your product.  No doubt that is going to suck up the majority of your time.  But when it comes time for that all important time to say "Let's get you started" most of us fail miserably because the question is never even asked and if it is, you hear your knees clanking against each other because we're so nervous.  But really what are you afraid of?  You hear "no" 90% of the time in sales, but the 10% of "yes'" is all that really matters.

Quick story.  I'm sure some of you listen to Preston and Steve.  Well I turned it on a few weeks ago and unfortunately I don't know who the comedian was that called in but his story was great.  He had seen Paul McCartney on the street without any security or fans around.  Long story short, he finally got the guts to go up to him, speak to him, and ask him to be a guest on his Podcast.  Paul McCartney said "Absolutely, here is my cell phone number."  The comedian, after telling the story, said "This was like asking out the girl of your dreams and she actually said "Yes!".  His point and my is the same.  If you don't act on that very short window of time you have each day to make something happen in your life and in your career, you will be asking "what if" forever.

Start asking for the order.  These prospects very rarely close themselves.  And people are very indecisive these days.  So help them make the decision.  If you believe in your product and you know it will help them, then tell them so.  And then ask them to sign your contract.  When they say it's too expensive, go back and work on how you prove value.  If they have to talk to their significant other, you schedule an appointment with both of them.  If they "know they need it but can't do it right now" reprove value by showing the gaps in how they currently run things. Then ask them for the order again!

Time is money and the 10 minutes a day that you need to be closing deals, you're probably not.  So next time you finish a presentation, and you enter the awkward 5 seconds where someone has to make a move, try saying "Mr. Customer, I truly believe it's time to get you started with this.  I wouldn't be here if I thought otherwise.  Now, let me ask you, what credit card gets you the most reward points?  That's the one I would suggest using."

Most of your time each day will be spent on what I mentioned above, but the time spent closing amounts to about 10 minutes a day depending on what you sell.  Those are the most important 10 minutes of your day.  Make them count and start asking for the sale.  If you don't, someone else will.  No reason why you should be paying some other kids college tuition because he wasn't afraid to ask for the sale that you couldn't.  The best presenters basically T up sales for good closers.  My favorite prospect to come across is the one that says "I already saw this presentation" because the leg work is all done.  Now I just have to close this person because the salesperson before me was unable to.  I mean come on, what's harder?  Opening up the pickle jar before or after the guy before you loosens it up?

Make YOUR 10 minutes count.

"You become what you think about all day"
Dave Altimari

DON'T MOVE! - Face to Face selling

Face to face sales is great.  It's one of the most interesting and fun games any two human beings can play with each other.

One guy sits on one side with a product or service.  The other guy sits opposite with his money in hand.

The goal is for those two people to exchange product or service for money.  Easy enough.  But why is it so hard for some to make that exchange happen?  And why so easy for others?

Well for starters, you need to look the part.  No explanation needed here.

Then, you need to command attention while giving the prospective buyer the illusion that they are in control.  Sales 101.

Then have fun selling.  You pitch, they object, you rebut, they object, you move to the left, move to the right.  And eventually, if you're good enough, it's time to for you to make a move.

That extremely critical part is next.  You need to ask for the sale.  And if you're not currently asking for the sale, you need to find a new job.  Just an FYI.

But 99 times out of 100, when you ask for the sale, you're going to get an objection of some kind.  Sure, every once in a blue moon, you'll get an "OK let's do it," but for the most part you're going to have to work for it.

So here is my advice.

DON'T MOVE!

I'll use the sticker shock close as an example here.  Let's say you're selling a software that specifically helps restaurants streamline the ordering process.

You explained the service that you're going to provide and have told the owner that it's going to cost him $4,000 a month if he wants your top of the line package. But hey, that's for the corporate company's out there.  Since he is just a local restaurant looking to thrive in a tough economy, all he will need is your medium package at $1,000 a month.  And if executed correctly, he will see a return of $2,000 a month.

"$1,000 a month? That's outrageous! There's just no way we can afford that!"

I'm telling you, that even if the service is $5 a month, you'll get this objection half the time.  It's just the world we live in.  But don't worry.  And don't move.  Don't even respond at first.  Let him decompress.

Think about it.  How often do you go to buy something and think "hey that's cheap and a great quality product!"  Not often.  And if you do get to that mental state, it's probably because you were convinced by a salesman, family member, or friend.

OK so now you become the therapist.  Time to shut up and listen and get the contract ready.

You're about to hear about a dozen reasons why it's too expensive.  And instead of going toe to toe with this guy, you're simply going to nod, agree and let him speak.  Why?  Because you're about to get to the dozen reasons why he DOES need it.  It's a very simply psychological process.  There's a reason why the average person eases into the pool instead of jumping off the diving board.

At this point there's probably been about 10 different opportunities for you to shake this guys hand, tell him you'll follow up next week and slash your chances of actually getting this sale.

But DON'T MOVE.

Just sit there and let him talk himself into it.  Your job is almost done.  Now the buyer just needs to sell himself.  That sometimes takes a while.  It also sometimes takes a little pressure.  No fear.  You don't have to say a word.  Just stay there.  Miss your next appointment if you have to.  But you can't leave no matter how awkward the situation gets.

Then finally, once everything has been said and done, and all the cards are on the table, you need to once again ask for the order.  You by no means will always get it.  But you're in a way better place than you were 10 minutes ago when $1,000 sounded like a million.  What if you would have left then?  The owner goes to the manager and says "psshhh, he wanted a grand for this system...he'll probably pop back in next week..tell him I'm not interested."

But you stayed.  You're forcing the thought process that must happen for a potential sale to get done.

Now you're in a position where the value has sunk in, the buyer hasn't kicked you out, and you just heard exactly why he needs what you have.  Plus you listened to his problems.  You didn't talk over him, go toe to toe, or tell him that you'll give a discount.  You simply let the buyer decompress, and now he is at the point where an emotional high is about to set in as he hopefully purchases your product or service.

All because you didn't move.

Never ever leave a sales call before you are told to by the prospect.

When you walk in, sit down, take out your materials, and stay put.

You will absolutely sell more by implementing this tactic into your sales calls.  And as a by-product, you'll also close a lot more doors a lot quicker so that you can move on to the next potential buyer.

Good luck!

David Altimari
"You become what you think about all day"

We Treat our Sales Reps like Philly Sports Teams

So the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Flyers are just about as annoying as can be.  Why?  Because they are all either mediocre or striving to be mediocre.

So are the majority of sales reps.  And sales reps are viewed exactly like a Philly sports team.

"What have you done for me lately?" and the blue collar work ethic must be there.

Some company's have weekly goals, some bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.  But does it matter if you hit your weekly goal for the first 10 weeks and then miss it the next 3 weeks?  Sure, you might be given the slightest bit of slack, but in the end it doesn't matter at all.  As a sales rep, your job is to sell and to sell consistently.  And it is definitely one of the hardest things to do.  Think about the obstacles holding a sales rep back from selling every single week.  They are endless.  But it doesn't matter to upper management or ownership how good last week was.  It ALWAYS matters how good this week is.

Side-note - That should be all that matters to you as well.

Getting realistic pipeline projections from sales reps is tough. If it went the way they tell you, every rep would have 3-5 sales a week and every company on earth would be rockin and rollin.  But unfortunately, nothing is going to tell more of the truth than the numbers and the effort exerted on a daily basis.

So here is the harsh reality of a sales rep.  You will always be treated by what you just closed or didn't close.  Not what you plan on doing or what you did last week.  It's the deal you JUST signed at all times.  And that's how it should be.  The hungry ones will never stop because the money and recognition just pours in nonstop and it's an incredible feeling.

I mean think about it.  Why are we so hard on our Philly sports teams?  I'll tell you why.  We pay outrageous cable bills to watch them, pay $100 for our favorite jersey, and pay hundreds of dollars to sit in the nosebleeds at the Eagles games.  Guess how we get that money?  By working our butts off.  So to give it to an already rich organization is painful enough, but to do it and then see a poor product on the field is even worse!

Same for business owners.  You get a salary, benefits, a commission plan and the tools to sell a product.  If you can't do it week in and week out, why is a business owner paying to see you in the office every day?  That's why management is relentless with sales reps and constantly treats them like our good ol' Philly sports teams.  Because it's not about tomorrow or last week.  It's always about today.

Dave Altimari
"You become what you think about all day"

The Arranged Marriage of Sales and Customer Support - The Divorce Rate is High

There is a lot that goes on when a sale is made.  Depending on the caliber of the salesperson, things are about to get either very messy for customer support or a nice smooth transition which leads to a happy customer.  Typically customer support complains about sales and vice versa and it is a never ending battle of "They just don't understand what it's like on this side."  And for the most part that is true on both ends.

No matter what you're selling, there is usually some sort of fulfillment that must happen after the sale is made.  That is most of the time done by customer support after sales has collected the information needed to process the sale and get the account rolling.

So let's look at it from the organized salespersons approach first.  The hand-off from the organized sales person is usually pretty easy.  You hand over the required information that you were supposed to collect, fill in customer support on the expectations that you set for the client and your job is done (for the most part).  If you do this correctly even 7 out of 10 times you will have customer support behind you as a salesperson.  This means your issues will be handled properly, timely, and usually the support person will go above and beyond to satisfy that client.  This is a marriage made in heaven and the client will most likely have a great experience with the company because what they were sold, they received.

And then there is the situation when an unorganized salesperson sells something.  And even worse, when they rushed it.  All hell breaks lose.  If you're an outsider looking in, the situation is quite comedic.  You'll hear things like "Jim just closed one....can't wait to see what kind of crap he told this guy that we can't fulfill" or my favorite "let's see how much of his job I have to do on this one."  Usually the first couple of times it happens, there will be mild rumblings from the support team.  Maybe they'll poke management and mention it to them.  But for the most part, it's just dealt with.  BUT then there is that truly magical moment when the support person completely loses it.  It just happened for maybe the 3rd time in a week and they've had enough.  And it begins.  "Why would you sell it like this?  We can't fulfill that in the time-frame you promised.  We don't even have that feature! Forget it, YOU'RE talking to this guy!"

The battle has begun!

In my opinion, this is the biggest recipe for disaster that a company can have if they have any interest in client retention.  Sales and Support battling will ruin office moral, cause mini battles within a company, and cause favoritism all over the place.  It just leads to nowhere good.

I have found that even if a support person is having a bad day, or you know you screwed something up that you have to hand-off, the best thing to do is be nice.  Don't rush anything.  Don't assume anything.  Simply talk to support and treat them like the client you just sold.  If you help them initially, they will help you fulfill the length of the contract, help with getting referrals, and make your book of business the one everyone wants.  There is a ton of things that can go wrong when a sale is passed along to support BUT if communication is there, and you simply have manners and don't treat them like dirt, you'll have an incredible experience.  These guys have one of the toughest jobs around.  They are basically the complaint department and they smile the whole time.  I could never do it.  Hats off to them.

Those that support a sales staff have a lot going on.  Be the salesperson that sticks out, stays on their side and helps them help your clients.  Otherwise, you will get the bare minimum treatment (which is totally acceptable in my opinion) and your clients won't get what you promised.  Which most likely, was the world.

Go thank your sales support team tomorrow and see how they react.  Oh and don't ask them "did you get to that email yet?" because I promise you this.  They saw it, they are going to tackle it and they are thinking of a way better solution than you.  Just go sell another one and they will have your back.

Dave Altimari
"You become what you think about all day"

Salespeople - They are ticking time-bombs. Embrace them.

Let's explore the salesperson from an emotional standpoint.  Usually when a new salesperson starts (that is at least a mediocre performer), they come off pretty confident, scare the under performers a little bit, and really hit the ground running with sales activity.  That's exactly what you want if you're a manager or business owner.  Now as they start to perform whether it be good or bad, you get to see what makes them tick.  "Oh this guy is a total moron...he wouldn't buy because we don't have X, Y, and Z" or "That lady is crazy.  She just can't make a decision and I'm running out of ways to close her."  This dialogue is completely normal, but the reason you're hearing it is because salespeople are sensitive, emotionally unstable ticking time-bombs and that's what makes us great!

One of the main reasons I love selling is because I love the adrenaline.  I still remember my first sale (sold a guy Cable and Internet in 2002. His exact words were "I'm only buying from you because I can't seem to hang up on you").  And the feeling I got from that first sale NEVER went away.  Every time a contract is signed, I still get that rush and feeling of self satisfaction.  But on the flip side, going through a sales slump is one of the most frustrating things you will experience.  You feel like your boss is watching you throw his wallet out the window as you become a walking bloated salary bringing in no revenue.  But that doesn't last long because of the emotions you go through.  Regrouping, staying on task, and taking a 5 minute break can do wonders.

Ever watch a salesperson completely freak out?  Just completely lose it because they couldn't close a deal or lost it at the last second because their boss wouldn't drop the fee by $100?  It's absolutely hilarious.  But we've all been there.  You NEED those freak-outs.  They get you back to a normal state of mind...eventually.  But you also need those celebrations when you bring in the big deal.  And it's hard not to feed into those emotions.  If you've ever been the one to close the big deal at COB on Friday and heard the whole office cheer, you can be rest assured knowing that everyone is a little jealous of you at that time.  It's very rare the office claps when customer care solves a ticket they've been working on all day.

OK so the whole point of me talking about this is because I think more salespeople need to embrace their emotional instability and just roll with it.  There's nothing wrong with walking out of a meeting and letting loose by yourself in the car.  Call your boss and vent.  The venom needs to be taken out on anyone BUT your next potential sale. It's 100% normal and I highly encourage it.

And for the managers, business owners and co workers of salespeople, let me tell you something that we all hate to hear. Any sentence that starts with "Did you try....", "What I would have done...", and "Next time try..."  But if you REALLY want to ruin a salespersons day and completely stop their productivity on the spot, say "We really needed that one."  I promise you this.  We know!  Let us decompress and then give all the feedback you want.  Adding fuel to the fire will always end productivity for the day until you can recharge your batteries that night.

Salespeople are great.  They have awesome personalities, they can make you a ton of money, but they're the biggest pains in the asses at any company.  Ask my boss.  He'll tell you how badly I annoy him.  But we have to be.  No one can create a sense of urgency quicker than a salesperson trying to ink a deal.  It usually sends a nice shot of adrenaline through the whole company, which is awesome and usually much needed

Embrace salespeople and all their emotions.  Sometimes a little attaboy here and there is what motivates us to work 10 hours instead of 8.

Dave Altimari
"You become what you think about all day"

For the most part, you won't sell anything...

This is my first of many relatively short posts about what I have seen and experienced in the world of sales from a rep, to a manager, to simply an observer.  The first thing I want to address is how hard it is to be successful, and why most people will undoubtedly fail.

Selling is difficult.  It is one of the most stressful jobs you can find yourself in.  Almost everyone at some point in their lives has held a job where they are required to sell some type of service and/or product.  Whether it be a waitress pushing tonight's special, a car salesman making you feel uncomfortable (these guys get a bad rap in my opinion), a girl in retail telling you how great you look in that ugly sweater, or a local business owner just trying to make a living.  However, the most common outcome for most people who have dipped their toes into the pool of selling, is failure.  You get out of it for a number of reasons:

- You burn out
- You can't hack it
- Your boss expects too much
- Stress/Pressure
- You aren't good at dealing with people
- Reading and reacting isn't your thing
- Lack of organization
- Lack of drive

The list goes on and on.  The point is that selling is extremely difficult.  I always want to say that only the strong survive, but that is not at all the case.  The mediocre survive forever.  The elite will make tons of money.  The weak would rather do anything else, and soon will.

There are a number of reasons why most people won't ever sell anything or ever make any real money in sales, but for now I want to focus on one particular reason - WORK ETHIC (or lack thereof)

See you can't teach work ethic.  You either have it or you don't.  Ask any business owner what the hardest thing to find is.  The answer isn't "clients."  The answer will always be "someone willing to work their butt off for me."

You will never find any successful salesperson that wakes up at 9am, stops working at 5pm, and goes to bed at 10pm.  You will find quite a few who make a decent living, but you don't want them on your team.  You want the truly elite who are "on" all the time.  They network nonstop, log every conversation they have, follow up relentlessly, know how to prove value in 30 seconds or less, and never stop closing.

The unfortunate reality is that most salespeople have nothing to offer besides a warm body willing to pick up a phone every once in a while and play the numbers game until they reach quota.  They run from client calls, hide behind voicemail, and never take the serious steps needed to establish that one relationship that will make it all worth while.

So for the most part, you won't sell anything....but if you're in that elite group of salespeople that are truly in it for the profession, the company you represent, and most importantly, yourself, then congrats, you are already a success.

Dave Altimari
"You become what you think about all day"