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Continuing our series, Be Your Best in the New Year, this week we address those habits that are most annoying to customers, and therefore are most detrimental to your sales efforts and overall professional success: 1. Lack of Follow Through – Nothing erodes a customer’s trust and confidence more quickly than a sales professional who over-promises and under-delivers. The rule here is simple: do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you are going to do it. Certainly, we have all experienced situations in which something unexpected happened that prevented us from delivering to a customer as planned. But typically, individuals who operate in “over-promising” mode, do so on a regular basis, and customers and team members alike recognize this trait pretty quickly. 2. Not Listening – The importance of listening is addressed extensively in Carew’s DPS sales training, because listening allows us to better understand the customer’s needs and develop a superior solution. On a more basic level, a failure to listen reflects a lack of interest in, and respect for, the customer’s perspective, experience and insight; and that is extremely off-putting to the customer. 3. Tardiness – Keeping a customer (or anyone) waiting is the most blatant display of disrespect for his or her time. The dynamic of the customer-sales professional relationship makes tardiness on the part of the sales person all the more offensive. Yes, things happen – traffic, weather, delayed flights. Build in extra time, and build a reputation for being the sales pro who arrives early. 4. Bait-and-Switch Customer Care – Customers find it infuriating when a sales professional’s availability, attention and responsiveness take a dramatic dive once the contract is signed. The sales professional may not be manufacturing or delivering goods/services, but he or she can still return customers’ calls, answer their questions and address their concerns. Sales professionals who turn their backs on customers as soon as the deal is done will never cultivate productive, long-term customer relationships. The common denominator in all of these bad habits? They all reflect a lack of respect for customers—their time, their perspective or their level of importance. In contrast, a hallmark of the most successful sales professionals is their ability to make their customers feel extremely important, cared for and valued; in other words, the absence of the above behaviors.

It is universally acknowledged that an optimistic outlook is preferable to a pessimistic one, but few of us fully appreciate the prolific and tangible benefits of optimism. When compared to their pessimistic counterparts, optimists enjoy: More professional success Greater success in personal relationships Improved physical health Better mental health Increased life span Superior coping skills during times of stress or hardship What is it about an optimistic mindset that drives professional success? Psychologist and author Martin Seligman, who is considered a leading authority on \”positive psychology,\” asserts that optimists tend to view failures as temporary setbacks, while pessimists view such events as the end of the road. The greater resilience and persistence that accompanies optimism fosters successful outcomes. In addition, upbeat people are simply more pleasant to be around; people seek out their company and enjoy working with them. Consider the impact of these two factors for sales professionals! As for the health benefits of optimism, there are two leading theories. Emotional stress prompts the production of a hormone called cortisol, which has negative health implications. Optimists tend to handle stress better than pessimists, therefore producing less of the hormone. Research also shows that optimists tend to live healthier lifestyles relative to diet and exercise, practicing fewer bad habits. Those who lack an optimistic nature can take heart – Seligman suggests that positive thinking is a habit that can be learned. Here are tips to cultivate your optimism: Keep company with positive people. Zig Ziglar once said, \”You can\’t scratch with the turkeys if you want to fly with the eagles.\” Both optimism and pessimism are contagious. Seek out the company of successful, upbeat people, and avoid pessimists. Monitor your thoughts for negativity. When you notice negative thoughts, stop and look for opportunities to improve your perspective. Have a laugh. Engaging humor can lend perspective and reduce stress in times of duress. Count your blessings. At the end of each day, list the positive events that occurred that day. Our mindset is the foundation upon which all of our business activities and sales efforts are built. Start your New Year with a positive outlook to cultivate success in 2016!  

In the business world, the next two weeks are widely considered the slowest period of the year. But before you write off the coming days as inconsequential, consider the unique opportunities presented this time of year and how you can leverage them: Cultivate Customer Relationships This is the perfect time of year to personally connect with customers; in part, because they are more accessible. While it is true that folks tend to take more personal time during the holidays, they also halt business travel and have fewer meetings and events scheduled at the office. The result is more people answering their phone or accommodating visitors. For these reasons, it may also be the perfect opportunity to catch up and chat with an elusive prospect. Year end is a most appropriate time to thank existing customers for their business and support throughout the year. Cultivate a more personal connection by asking your customers about their plans over the Holiday and New Year. Even if your company sends a Holiday greeting or gift, you should engage key customers in your own personal way. Organize Those “slow” days in your office present the perfect opportunity to take some time and get organized – what a nice gift to yourself for the New Year! Recharge Your Batteries Take advantage of the reduced activity at work and time out of the office to truly relax, unplug, and enjoy yourself. It may feel like an indulgence in the moment, but recharging your batteries over the coming weeks will provide great benefits when you return in January rested, energized and ready to launch a spectacular year!

What’s the single biggest reason corporate training initiatives fail? Organizations doing training for the sake of training, rather than as a means to achieve specific business outcomes. For this reason, every person who is involved in a corporate training initiative – as a sponsor, leader or participant – should read the book, The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning by Calhoun Wick, Andy Jefferson and Roy Pollock. This book is a guide for approaching training as a process, to help align training with desired organizational and individual outcomes.  It promotes and outlines a structured view of training, including all aspects of a complete learning experience. It is transformational, and will aid the learners and organizers in any training environment. There is something of value in this book for senior leaders, middle managers and individual learners of organizations, large and small. It sets expectations, defines the process and provides the measures of achievement that often seem elusive to training efforts. For a brief description of the specific “D’s” see below: D1: Define Business Outcomes: Deciding to engage in training should begin with the business results desired, including what the learners should be able to do differently and better to achieve those results. Once everyone involved understands the business value, it allows for greater buy in. Business outcomes are not the skills participants will achieve with the training; they are the value the participant will gain once they use the skills—such as increased customer satisfaction and increased profitability. D2: Design the Complete Experience: Converting learning into business results is a process, not a one-time event. During this stage the before, during and after period of formal instruction is completed. D3: Deliver for Application: What are the sellers supposed to do differently and better?  Well-designed learning experiences use adult learning principles, connecting the learning with real business issues, and motivating learners by answering the question, “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM) D4: Drive Learning Transfer: Great learning alone is not enough to drive change. Learning and development fails with the lack of serious post training follow through. Putting this in place, and actively encouraging and managing the process ahead of time, will ensure the transfer process from classroom to real-world usage. D5: Deploy Performance Support: Getting better requires practice, feedback and support. Managers have direct impact on whether the learning is applied or scrapped. This stage is to increase the probability that learners will be successful when they try to apply new skills to their work. D6: Document Against Business Outcomes: Documenting against the original desired business outcomes is critical to support a cycle of continuous learning, innovation, adaptation and improvement. Make sure you decide (or understand) WHAT to measure before you decide HOW to measure results. Regardless of your experience or position in an organization, this book offers valuable advice for how to ensure your corporate training initiative is a success.

This time of year, Americans are thankful to the Pilgrims for starting a tradition that paved the way for our beloved Thanksgiving holiday; but the Pilgrims deserve thanks for other reasons as well. In his blog, Thanksgiving Tips: 9 Great Business Skills Entrepreneurs Can Learn from the Pilgrims, author Alan Hall, discusses business skills modeled by the Pilgrims. The four skills below are particularly relevant for sales professionals worldwide. 1. Take Risks: The Pilgrims took on a risky feat when they decided to leave nearly everything behind and sail across the sea to start afresh in the New World. Oftentimes, as sales professionals, we want to stay where we are because we get comfortable with pursuing the same accounts. But, in order to be successful as sales professionals, we need to expand by finding new clients. This process can be risky as it requires navigating unknown waters in regards to meeting new contacts and familiarizing ourselves with new organizational needs and buying behaviors. But, as we can learn from the Pilgrims, taking a step out of our comfort zones can lead to great success in a new place. 2. Set Goals: You can’t take on a risky venture without having plans in place. The Pilgrims had an ultimate objective for setting sail, and they had plans in place for how they were going to reach the New World. Likewise, in sales, we have to have a plan in place for how we are going to sell to a particular customer. Going into a sales presentation blind, without properly planning a presentation that is tailored to our customer’s particular needs, can be ineffective and ultimately unsuccessful. 3. Be Flexible: While it is essential to have goals and plans in place, this doesn’t mean that we will reach our goals exactly according to plan. The Pilgrims’ goal was to land near Virginia’s Hudson River, but instead, they landed far off course, near Cape Cod. Landing on a different shore, however, didn’t stop the Pilgrims from building their colony at Plymouth Rock. As sales professionals, this teaches us that, just because we may encounter obstacles to our plan along the way (e.g., we find through listening to a customer that the original customer need [Gap] we had planned for actually isn’t the real need [Gap] after all) doesn’t mean that we can no longer reach the proper solution. We just have to allow ourselves room to be flexible and adapt our plan as needed. 4. Work Hard: Surviving in a new land and building a colony from scratch took a lot of hard work, and the Pilgrims were able to prosper because of the work they put in. Likewise, as sales professionals, we have to have the ambition to always keep going, even when we encounter setbacks. The Pilgrims were a tenacious people whose experiences set forth an example of best practices for us to follow. As sales professionals, we can be grateful for what we have learned from the Pilgrims, not just at Thanksgiving, but always.

Have you ever had a customer who was unresponsive, inconsiderate or unreasonable? Frustrating customer behavior is a reality of the sales profession. How we handle it defines us as sales professionals. It may seem obvious that “punishing” undesired customer behavior is never an option; yet, it is a tactic deployed too often in the form of customer shaming. Make no mistake, conveying to customers any indication of disappointment or disapproval is a form of punishment, and it is never productive. A customer recently shared her experience with Starbucks, in which she received notification from the company that because her purchase activity had dropped in recent months, she was being downgraded from the “Gold Level” to the “Green Level,” and her “Star Account” had been reset to zero. Ouch. Instead of providing incentive (in the form of a gift card or coupon) for the customer to regain “Gold Level” status, the company took punitive action. Now, Starbucks has gone from having a customer with reduced purchase habits to a devout non-customer determined never to patronize Starbucks again, as well as a customer who is sharing her negative experience with others. How sales professionals deal with rejection or difficult customers is a telltale sign of their perspective and overall sales capability. Sales professionals who take disappointment personally are clearly operating in their own “Odds Are.” Sales professionals who are focused on the customer and the success of the customer’s organization are better able to frame behavior in terms of its impact on the client, rather than them or their own organizations. When it comes to guiding customer behavior, always use the carrot. Keep your focus on maximizing your value to your customers, and positive results will follow.

In Carew International’s Dimensions of Professional Selling (DPS) sales training, the concept of “Response Checks” is introduced as a key component of an effective sales presentation (or any sales discussion). Response Checks encourage customer participation and provide valuable insight for the sales professional regarding potential objections as well as the customer’s overall acceptance and understanding of the solution being presented. Be aware that not all Response Checks are created equal! Phrases like, “Am I right?” or “Wouldn’t you agree?” lose the intended benefit of the Response Check and can alienate your audience because they come across as insincere, presumptive and even manipulative. Response Checks are only effective when they reflect a sincere effort to gain feedback. When using them, be sure you are prepared for, and then wait for, the customer’s response. Not familiar with Response Checks?  Here’s a recap: Open-Ended Response Check Purpose: to check for understanding and acceptance. The open-ended Response Check is lower risk than a closed-ended response check. Example: “How do you feel about the improved delivery schedule I have outlined?” Closed-Ended Response Check Purpose: to check for acceptance or rejection. The closed-ended Response Check is more definitive, but higher risk, than open-ended. It solicits a “yes” or “no” response. One would use closed-ended Response Checks when, based on body language or verbal cues, you are confident the customer will respond positively. Example: “Do you feel the delivery schedule I have outlined will support your inventory reduction goals?” Prolonged Pause Purpose: to emphasize an important point or provide thinking time. Response Checks can be a powerful tool in your efforts to secure the buyer’s acceptance, and even ownership, of your solution. Be aware of catch phrases and faux Response Checks that can hinder, rather than facilitate, your connection to customers and your broader sales objective.

People tend to avoid asking for referrals because it feels awkward or they don’t know how to ask. Considering that referrals provide THE strongest sales leads, it’s worth overcoming your referral phobia to start leveraging satisfied customers for accelerated sales growth. Here are some tips to get you started: When to Ask: Obviously, you should never ask for a referral before you have satisfied your customer. Look for “moments” of peak customer satisfaction, such as immediately after a customer has experienced the benefits of your product or service. At this juncture, your inquiry about his or her satisfaction is both natural and appropriate. The other prime opportunity is anytime a customer pays you a compliment. When the referral wording has already been delivered, you just need to ask him or her to share that insight for the benefit of others inside or outside the organization. How to Ask: Model the behavior you want to see in your customers by looking for opportunities to provide referrals for them. Recruit leaders in your own organization to reach out and compliment customers on their professionalism or success in implementing your product or service. Recommend customers on LinkedIn, and make this practice part of your normal post-delivery sales cycle. Make the referral request in a matter-of-fact manner. Even if making the request feels awkward at first, don’t communicate your discomfort or position the referral as a HUGE favor. If you are asking at the right juncture (see above), it makes the request feel more like a natural consequence than a big ordeal. Who to Ask: Build a short list of your biggest fans in your customer base and start here. Launching your referral acquisition effort with customers who are loyal to you, your company and your product will make the effort much easier, and will build your confidence to move outward in your customer network. Within the customer organization, it is most natural and appropriate to ask the individual with whom you worked most closely on the purchase and implementation. However, per the suggestion above, if someone from a higher level or another department pays you or your product a compliment, seize the moment to ask him or her to share their opinion. Remember that while outstanding products, services or customer service are a prerequisite for referrals, they by no means guarantee them. The only certain way to get customer referrals is to ask for them.

America was discovered by a salesman. Columbus was looking for India, missed it by 12,000 miles and still went home reporting he had “found it,” so he obviously wasn’t a navigator. But was he really a salesman? Consider this: He had only one prospect to call on, and if he had missed the sale, he would have had to swim home. That’s selling! History records that unusual methods of financing were involved in raising the money for the trip. Not only that, but when Isabella protested that she did not have any money, he persuaded her to hock her jewelry to finance the trip. Another thing many people don’t realize is that Columbus left Spain with five ships and two of them did go over the side (yes, my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek)! Columbus had to “sell” all the way across the Atlantic. His sailors wanted to throw him overboard, but he was able to persuade them to sail “just one more day.” Their “one more day” extended until one morning when the call came forth, “Land, ho!” and the most profitable sales call in history was completed. Columbus did something else that was significant. Previous westward journeys involved heading north out of the Mediterranean Sea before turning west to cross the Atlantic, putting ships directly in the teeth of the wind and hampering progress enormously. Columbus charted his course to go south once he got out of the Mediterranean and then turn toward the west. This way he had prevailing winds. He had to do a little “selling” in order to take that particular route. Everything revolves around selling in some respect… Actually, everything involves selling. The teacher sells the student on learning, the parent sells the child on being a good person, and the employer sells the employee on doing a better job. It’s true: The better job you do of “selling” or persuading, the more your benefits in life will be. Yes, America really is the land of the salesperson, so learn to sell and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Our communication skills are the single biggest factor in defining us as professionals. They project our intellect, judgement, commitment and respect, all of which define our overall “professionalism.” Read the common communication faux paus below, and consider whether any could be undermining your effectiveness: Listening without intent. Whether in person or on the phone, the person talking to you deserves your undivided attention. Period. Multitasking when you are supposed to be listening is not only rude, but it also compromises your understanding and comprehension from the exchange. This includes glancing at your phone to see who is calling or texting you, even if you ultimately ignore it. Just by glancing at your device, you have broken your attention and accommodated the distraction. To facilitate your undivided attention, turn off your phone prior to the start of your meeting. Talking without purpose. Be concise and precise with your words. Doing so will not only get your point across more clearly and with greater impact, but it will also prevent the kind of rambling that can be perceived as wasting your audience’s time and annoying. View your words as a commodity – to be used judiciously and for the greatest possible impact. Asking pointed questions. Questions are not always neutral; in fact, they can be quite inflammatory at times. When you ask a question, be sure it is with the pure intent of gathering information, and not a veiled attempt to deliver criticism or drive home a point. Using excessive (verbal) force. Sometimes less is more. Often, in the heat of persuasion or disagreement, we use stronger language than is necessary or productive. This can be done in an effort to ensure our point is made, “win” the argument or simply save time. In reality, overly strong or blunt verbiage will likely start a destructive and irreversible cycle in which there is no winner. Did you recognize yourself in any of the above examples? Shedding just one or two bad communication habits can greatly improve your image and the quality of your professional relationships.