Two Leadership Seminars to Help You Compete and Prosper
I have two seminars coming up in Vancouver in the next 60 days. If you’re a manager, executive or entrepreneur these two sessions are designed with you in mind. Today we need solid relationship development and leadership skills that are honed for today’s hyper-connected stakeholders and team member. These are not old strategies dusted off, they are up-to-date, current and very applicable leadership and communications tools. Here are the program outlines:
Partnering & Stakeholder Engagement Strategies (Nov 5) &
Leading in a Hyper Connected Marketplace (Dec 3)
Click here for registration information (PDF)
Presented by Shane Gibson
President of Knowledge Brokers International (http://www.closingbigger.net).
Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, Burnaby
November 5th & December 3rd, 2009
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Partnering & Stakeholder Engagement Strategies: November 5th, 2009
In order to survive and prosper most major business, government or not-for-profit initiatives necessitate the support
of multiple stakeholders and stakeholder groups. It is about identifying the core needs, goals, fears, and
motivations of every key party and managing that information for strategic and tactical success.
You will learn the key strategies on partnering and stakeholder engagement including:
• The stages of relationship and partnership development
• Key steps in systemizing your relationship and stakeholder development planning (includes sample
planning charts and templates)
• Tips on handling and avoiding roadblocks
• How to map the Power Players in any business or organization
• How to persuade each Power Player
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Leadership 2.0 – Leading in a Hyper Connected Marketplace: December 3rd, 2009
With employees, customers and stakeholders equipped with technology that allows for mass collaboration and
rapid communication we as leaders need to understand how to harness this technology and the crowds we are
connected to.
Today’s workplace is not a homogeneous one. As leaders we have to lead teams that are made up of Baby
Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. This coupled with diverse cultures and values in the workplace make
leading both exciting and challenging.
Key topics include:
• New rules for engagement in a digitally transparent era.
• Web 2.0 collaboration and learning tools.
• Creating an environment that is productive and engaging for the millennial / Gen Y.
• Tips and approaches for recruiting staff using tools like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.
• Using technology to break down silos and create collaboration within your organization.
• How to apply timeless leadership principles to this new work and business climate
Click here for registration information (PDF)
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28 Days to Better Selling with Shane Gibson
Launches May 18th 2009
If you want to improve your sales and have been too busy to put a plan into place you’re not alone.
I have had many people in the sales community including sales professionals, senior executives and high tech entrepreneurs and bloggers who are all looking for ways to convert connections into long-term clients and relationships.
Their challenge is that most resources available are either one time training opportunities, or extensive and over whelming programs that are tough to implement. This program takes care of all of this.
The 28 Days to Better Selling program is completely free and is 100% content and 0% advertising or promotions. All content focused on helping you.
This concept was inspired by a 31 Days to Build a Better Blog program that Problogger.com put on for 12,000 other bloggers. As a participant it was very helpful for me. The concept is simple:
Here’s how 28 Days to Better Selling Works:
1) A daily task that you can easily implement to improve your sales and business
2) A succinct daily lesson to help you make the improvement
By the end of the 28 days you will have looked at 28 ways to fine tune and improve your sales process and business. The daily lessons will be in written, video or audio format and will take less than 10 minutes each to review.
To Register for the program please enter your e-mail address below:
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Top Sales Blogs and Podcasts This Week
I have been spending more time seeing what my peers and friends have been up to this week. I’m connected to a lot of them via my membership in Top Sales Experts and others through speaking at the same conferences over the past few years. (In no particular order) Here are some good posts from the past week that you may find insightful:
Chris Maurer did a great blog post on Social Media for B2B Sales, he talked about the importance of laying out a strong strategy for your sales team to use the tools effectively.
Jonathan Farrington said it well when he said “Successful ‘closers’ know that there is no need to use magic phrases or techniques because if they’ve effectively followed the sales process, closing the sale is the next step in a logical sequence.” in his great blog post on “Closing. It’s easy if…”
Neil Godin did a great blog entry in his Marketing Dangerously blog on “May I help you?” and how he was able to help a company double their customer conversion levels by shifting the way they great customers.
Wendy Weiss did a podcast that really talked about the difference between Amateurs versus Professionals in the art of cold calling. “Fix Your Saggy Butt!” (I’m glad I never have been a dancer or a model, sales sounds easy after her story).
Colleen Francis blogged about the importance of CRM for sales teams of any size. The blog was answer to a blog reader’s question. I liked Colleen’s practical logical arguement for those that may still be sitting on the CRM fence.
Stephen Jagger founder of Reachd and Ubertor posted a great video of Vic Jang speaking on the Future of Real Estate Sales.
Skip Anderson posted some straightforward but often missed sales management tips for ramping up your effectiveness in “Sales Manager, How Are You Going to Spend Your Time Today?”
Ian Watt did a video blog titled “Don’t Become a Realtor for the Money, it Will Eat You Alive” (you can see all of his video blogs here). It’s great insight on loving what you do.
Another great resource for sales blogs and podcasts is the sales channel of Alltop.com
If you have any favorite posts or authors you like please share them in the comments section.
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Professional Sales Diploma Program Launched in Partnership with The Academy of Learning
I have been working with the Academy of Learning for over a year to launch this program and it is now available through their network of 145 locations across Canada.
New Program Trains Sales Professionals Who Meet the Demands of Today’s Business World
Academy of Learning is pleased to announce the new Sales Professional Diploma program“ said Derek Hamill, President of LaunchLife International Inc., the franchisor of Academy of Learning. “Without sales there is no business. Academy of Learning wanted to deliver a first rate diploma program to guide and prepare graduates for top notch sales opportunities, and that’s what we did.
Academy of Learning, along with speaker, author and global entrepreneur, Shane Gibson, President of Knowledge Brokers International (KBI), designed the Sales Professional Diploma program with the goal to ensure that every student has the necessary sales knowledge and practical tools to succeed in a sales career.
This program is based upon KBI’s methodologies that have been implemented and used by leading business organizations such as SIEMENS, Old Mutual, The Certified Management Accountants of Canada, the Vancouver Board of Trade and dozens of manufacturers and leading financial services companies. Over 100,000 people in the last 10 years have attended KBI’s programs in Canada, USA, Southern Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and South America.
This program will prepare graduates with the right skills to excel as a sales professional.
Some of the key courses and areas of focus in the program include: Principles of Selling, Business Presentations, Professional Selling, Business Negotiations & Contracts, and Business Law and Ethics. Graduates will be prepared with the right tools for lucrative sales careers in disciplines such as inside sales, outside sales, key account management, retail and large business to business sales careers. This program is ideal for individuals entering the workplace for the first time, re-entering the workplace, or current jobholders who want to upgrade or get formal recognition as a sales professional.
Labour conditions for the sales profession have remained consistent. Jobfutures.ca indicates that there is a broad variety of career opportunities in sales in fields such as advertising, wholesale, publications, hospitality, entertainment, travel, as well as in the telecommunication industry. Companies need to be competitive and that means having the right sales person who knows how to win accounts and maintain business relationships.
A labour analysis conducted by Academy of Learning shows sales positions are still key requirements in the workforce. Additional research relating specifically to the sales profession research found that:
- Graduates of sales related programs can expect a salary at a mid to slightly higher than average annual salary.
- The employment outlook in sales is at a good level for the coming year.
- The Globe and Mail newspaper stated that employers are having difficulty filling Sales Representatives positions.
- 72% of those with previous work experience found a job within one month of graduation.
- 45% of respondents in the Canadian Professional Sales Association study on “The State of the Sales Nation” stated that finding good sales people was very challenging.
According to Rob Simas, Director, Academic Division at LaunchLife International, “the labour market findings allowed us to develop a comprehensive and focused Sales Professional Diploma program, designed to meet the outcomes and objectives of program standards used by many of the community colleges, without sacrificing vocation and integrity.”
Mr. Simas concluded by saying, “We are pleased to provide a program to individuals looking for a well-rounded introduction to sales. We are confident that this program will open the door to entry-level positions within the exciting and rewarding field of sales.”
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Sales Podcast Transactional vs Relationship Focused Selling
Today’s podcast comes from a question submitted to me by Dave Macdonald via twitter (@davemacdonald). Here’s what he asked: “What are some sound strategies to ensure that positive or negative momentum doesn’t result in purely transactional behaviour?”
It’s an interesting question. Falling into being transactional when things are going well or when things are not going well is a bad long term sales and business strategy. Non-transactional selling is relationship based, focused, purposeful and customized for your client and market. I answered his question via podcast. If you have a sales question you want answered follow me on Twitter.
Here’s today’s podcast:
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Sales Pipelines versus Relationship Pipelines
Many people talk about the sales pipeline. I have heard many people comment on the fact that they have a lot of business in the pipeline. When prodded further they can’t tell me how strong their relationship is with each client. Even fewer people have a method of measuring where they are at. You just can’t predict when a deal will close unless you have a handle on the relationship. Have a listen to today’s podcast:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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Selling Technology – IT Sales Tips
Selling Technology
One sector that often comprises both intangible and complex sales is the high-tech sector. Many of the solutions are literally invisible—they run in the background and the majority of people are oblivious that they even exist.
Saying that someone is in the high-tech sector or industry is somewhat ambiguous in this era, as most organizations harness technology to make their businesses run. Everything from engineering solutions, to cars, cell phones, and legal services use technology as part of their offerings to the marketplace. So even if you do not consider yourself to be “in technology,” you will most likely be selling solutions that involve technology now or in the future.
Communicating the Benefits of Technology to Different Types of Buyers
We have to realize that there are often many types of people that are involved in the procurement of high tech solutions. For instance, if you were selling Customer Relations Management software implementation to a client, the following buyers may be involved in the decision making and evaluation process:
• The CEO
• Finance/Accounting
• The sales staff who will use the software
• The VP of Sales
• The training department that will insure use and implementation
• The IT department or team who will have integrate and support it once it is installed
Each of the buyers or contributors will need to have the solution communicated differently:
• The CEO will most likely want to know the big picture, the bottom-line and how the return on investment will be measured. They will not want to get bogged down in details and specifics and should not be asked questions related to those specifics.
• Finance and accounting will be concerned about capital costs, warrantees, process management, risk and on-going fees.
• The sales staff will want to know how to use it, how it will impact their ability to do their job, and the amount of control others will have over them.
• The VP of Sales and the training department will want to know about measurement, implementation, tracking tools, and how it will impact their ability to support the sales team.
• The IT department will want to know specifics on programming, quality assurance issues, debugging, scalability, programming language security, and a myriad of other technical issues.
Most people are comfortable communicating with one or two of these types of stakeholder groups. Great salespeople in this sector have a strategy to address the needs of each of these groups, and they communicate the benefits in a way that is unique and applicable to each buyer type.
In addition to this, there are several other important attributes relating to great high-tech sales professionals as follows:
Knowing the Market
Understanding our target market and niche is critical. We need to understand the unique circumstances, competitive environment, and business processes of our target market. In doing this research and preparation, we are better equipped to address the needs of our target market and identify what core business challenges our technology can address.
Knowing the Client
We need to go beyond the market and spend time getting to understand each individual corporation’s situation and circumstance. Each client will have unique business challenges and processes that need the support of technology in a customized way.
Factors that will affect the type of solution needed will vary depending on their stage of business growth, existing business processes, corporate goals, immediate and long term challenges, as well as management and operations philosophy.
Know All Applications and Limitations of Your Solution
In order to fully service the client and become a true resource and problem solver, we must understand all the applications of our products and services. In addition to this, it is imperative that we also understand our weaknesses and limitations.
At times clients have un-reasonable or un-defined expectations—by understanding our limitations and communicating them effectively we can dispel any misconceptions.
Why this is important is that a small misunderstanding early on could result in a largely off-target project or solution. On the positive side of course, by knowing all of the applications of our solution we make sure that we truly maximize revenues and client satisfaction.
Be a Problem Solver
This is an integral part of selling technology. Most new technologies evolve out of a client problem for which there is no solution.
Have Great Consulting Skills
Elevating ourselves from the status of order taker to trusted advisor can give us a real advantage in the marketplace. To be seen as a consultant, we need to have a thorough needs analysis approach, build our profile as a subject matter expert, have a high level of rapport with the potential clients, and look for ideal solutions—not just “our solution” to client problems.
Great Project Planning and Management Skills
Many large high-tech sales deals will require numerous people on our team to help us close the sale. There most likely will be a need to engage technical and support staff and then coordinate their interaction with key staff in our client company. Once we have the deal, there will be a need to continue to monitor these interactions to ensure that the promises we made to the client are in fact fulfilled.
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Risks Associated with Long Sales Cycle Selling
A large complex sales opportunity can be very lucrative and offer great rewards for salespeople who pursue them. With these rewards also come risks because a large investment of our resources over an extended period of time is required for success. This large investment can be in vain if we have not addressed some of the risks associated with large complex deals.
Risks:
Not Targeting
If we do not have a clear idea of who our ideal clients are (referred to as A’s or the 20 percent that bring us 80 percent of our revenues) then we can be spending a lot time prospecting the wrong companies and opportunities. It is often a large effort just to get in the door and if we are knocking on the wrong doors, it can be costly.
Not Managing Pipeline
Being organized with a clear game plan is imperative as there are so many details and variables in a complex sale the deal can easily get side-tracked. By being organized in our sales process and managing our pipeline, we can reduce the chance of losing the deal due to apathy or distraction.
Not Knowing the Buying Process
We need to really understand how the client assesses potential suppliers and what process they use to do so. Too often we push our own agenda at our own demise. Spending time probing, asking questions, and researching is critical in helping us understand the likelihood of landing a deal. It also ensures that we do not miss critical pieces of information and steps that are important to the prospect.
Taking the Wrong Advice
We need to gather information from multiple sources to make sure that our approach is in line with the values of the key decision makers. If someone is blocking your access to the internal network of your client company, and all the information comes from that source, there is a good chance that your proposal will miss the mark. Take advice and gather information from people without personal agendas.
Not Having a Bid Qualification Process
Just because a big company sends you a Request for Proposal (RFP) it does not mean you should apply. Many companies have failed because they won the wrong contract and went bankrupt trying to service a large client and/or one with unique and expensive specifications.
As big complex deal hunters, we need to know what a profitable deal looks like. More importantly, we need to know how we could lose money or burn up time on deals that are a misfit.
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Influencing Top Level Decision Makers
Guest Blog By Bill Gibson bill@kbitraining.com
Top level decision makers are results-orientated. Both tangible results and intangible results appeal to them. When we talk about results we can talk about both tangible and intangible results.
Tangible Results
The kind of tangible results that appeal to them are:
Raising Revenues:
Show them how their overall volume can be increased; in other words, an increase in sales. They know that an increase in sales means more profit if the expenses are well managed.
Increase Efficiency:
They want a sizable return on their monetary investment. If they see that their employees, or their equipment, or other capital will be more efficient, then the chance of their buy-in is higher.
Keeping Shareholders Happy:
Top-level decision makers are the ones who have to answer to the Board of Directors and to the Shareholders in a large corporation. Keeping the Board or shareholders happy is their main priority. This means that you are showing them ways to improve the value of the company, in turn improving the value of the shares paid out, or returning a bigger profit so that larger dividends are declared and paid to the shareholders.
Lowering Cost of Production:
Again, more logical, linear, left brain appeal to the top level decision makers. Lower costs equal better margins and bigger profits.
Increasing Market Share:
They are interested in advertising, marketing and business development strategies, tactics and methods to increase market share. Taking market share from the competition is something that inspires them. Also, gaining a bigger share of the average client’s buying power also means increasing market share to top level decision makers.
Higher Return On Investment:
Can you show them how they will get a bigger return on their investment for the money they invest with your services, products, ideas and concepts? If you can, they will want to know you and they will also open to investing time with you.
Dealing With Market Changes:
A sudden down swing in the economy, a new big competitor grabbing market share, a sudden market switch to a new technology, a new way of doing business, new government regulations that affect them adversely, a major change in consumer behavior are all examples of market changes that corporations have to adjust to and capitalize on. If you come with solutions for market changes that affect them, then they will take the time to explore the possibilities with you.
Intangible Results:
The types of intangible results that appeal to top-level decision makers are:
Lower the Risk And Worry:
Anything that you can do to lower or eliminate the risk makes them feel better. Showing them how you will finish a project on time, protect their investment, handle unexpected situations, save them personal stress or personal hassle are all examples of what they consider to be valuable as an intangible. It makes them feel better and reduces their worries.
Personal and Corporate Pride:
Senior executives and top-level decision makers are at the top because they have personal pride and are proud of the business results that they achieve. Whatever you can do to make them feel even more proud of themselves and their company, will usually provide positive results. One particular business journalist who works for the Globe and Mail uses this as her primary strategy to get senior executives to call her back for interviews. She will leave a message or send an e-mail genuinely complementing them on their achievements and track record and citing why she thinks they are an industry authority. Her callback rate is almost 100 percent.
Image – Personally And Corporately:
Yes the car they drive reflects their success level. The suits, the shoes they wear, the house they live in, the office address, and the image their marketing material portrays are all examples of personal and/or corporate image. Not all top level decision makers hold image as a top motive for buying, although most do, whether they admit it or not.
Retaining And Attracting Good Employees Who Work Beyond The Norm:
The top level decision maker knows that you win when you have exceptional people working with you. Show them how to attract and keep really good people who work beyond what normal people do, and they will be open to listen. When they see these types of people around them they are impressed and it gives them that intangible result of a sense of pride and comfort.
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Sales Blog – Selling Intangible Solutions
Key Skills and Strengths for Selling Intangible Solutions
The following provides a brief overview of some of the skills and strengths needed to be great at selling intangibles.
1) Personal Brand of You
When selling intangible solutions, it really is about credibility and the relationship. Because the solution is intangible, the purchase is largely based upon the believability of the salesperson. For example, a business coach sells a very intangible service. They are often evaluated by their own personal presence, ability to communicate, and by third party endorsements and certifications.
Having a strong personal brand helps people understand who we are, what we are about, and it removes uncertainty. There is so much information out there to process that it is almost impossible for a consumer to choose a service or product—instead they choose the right company or the right sales representative and leave the product selection up to them.
2) Differentiation
People who are good at this type of sales often communicate what they do in a unique way. This means specializing and unique positioning is often necessary. Thousands of people in Canada call themselves “financial advisors” and the minute we hear that term we mentally lump them into the same category as the last 100 advisors we met and lose interest. One of the top one percent of advisors at London Life/Freedom 55 Financial refers to himself as a “Wealth Management Specialist” and just by the nature of his positioning, attracts very affluent clients. Find a way to present what you do in a way that makes it memorable and creates a distinction between you and the rest of the people in your industry.
3) Passionate Evangelist/Industry Authority or Both
As an extension of our personal brand and our ability to differentiate, our passion and knowledge are critical in selling intangibles. Because the client cannot often experience the service or solution in a tangible way, their experience of you has to be credible and inspiring. In fact, their experience in dealing with you will determine if they purchase or not.
Passion is really about having a strong conviction and unwavering level of confidence in ourselves, our company, our industry, and our solution. It is also critical to be seen as an industry authority—consistently doing such things as writing articles for local periodicals, blogging, being a guest speaker for local business or community groups, maintaining a regular newsletter, and having endorsements from well known people in the community. A combination of passion and being an authority increases our believability factor and takes away the fear of saying “Yes” for the client.
4) Clarity
In communicating, your greatest enemy isn’t the noise around you – it’s the noise you create, un-wittingly – Harry Beckwith, author of What Clients Love and Selling the Invisible.
Brevity and focus are key. If we focus on one or two core things we are good at and communicate those proficiencies really well, we can own a large portion of client mindshare and wallet share. Clearly communicating what we do, and not trying to be all things to all people, sets apart the high-paid specialists from the generalists.
Nick Usborne, author of NetWords makes an interesting distinction when he says that:
We’re not just writing to be understood, we are also writing in a way that insures we are not misunderstood.
Make sure the message about what you do is clear, focused, and void of any ambiguity. Focused, predictable service providers make clients feel safe.
5) Value Builders
Because what we are selling cannot be seen, touched, or measured, we need to be good at building value. Your ability to articulate the real value in terms of return on investment is very important. Solutions must be presented in a way that solves a core client pain or challenge. Describing our solution as innovative, leading, next generation etc. is not enough. These are weak business cases that are uninspiring. Look for client pains, fears, and challenges, and then talk about your solution as a pill for their pains. Back up your claims with research, data, client references, and proof. Help your clients measure what they cannot see.
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Selling and Succeeding in Turbulent Economic Times Video Interview
I was interviewed by Tom Everitt of ThinkTom.com on my upcoming seminar at the Vancouver Board of Trade next Tuesday November 25th. Take a look at the video ( details of the event are below the video )
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Managers’ Toolbox
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Speaker: |
Shane Gibson, President (North America), Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. |
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SELLING AND SUCCEEDING IN TURBULENT ECONOMIC TIMES |
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 Many sales professionals and entrepreneurs are concerned about how they are going to weather today’s global financial storm. The rules of the game have changed with the meltdown in the banking sector, along with globalization and the introduction of disruptive technologies to almost every industry.
Succeeding in turbulent economic times is about proactively taking control of our own personal economy. Shane Gibson, president of Knowledge Brokers International, will share with you strategies to succeed in any economic condition. Fortunes have been made during times of change and economic downturn; sales people and entrepreneurs must develop a tool kit to help us adapt to and succeed in this ever-changing environment. It’s not what happens that defines an event; it’s how we respond to it that matters. This fast-paced session will give attendees the tools, insight and strategies needed to respond to today’s marketplace conditions. You will also learn:
About the speaker Who should attend Presented by The Board’s Small Business Council
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090722 |
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008 |
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Registration: 7:30 a.m. |
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The Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites, Stanley Park – Comox Ballroom |
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