THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THE CHAMPION FORUM PODCAST WITH JEFF HANCHER! THE KEY TO ANY BUSINESS IS SALES. IF YOU DON’T HAVE SALES, YOU CAN’T MAKE A PROFIT, NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOUR PRODUCT IS. IN THIS EPISODE, I TALK TO MY FRIEND MIKE WEINBERG. MIKE IS A CONSULTANT, COACH, AND 3-TIME BEST-SELLING AUTHOR WHO SPECIALIZES IN NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND SALES MANAGEMENT. HE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTED AND SOUGHT-AFTER SALES EXPERTS IN THE WORLD TODAY. IN TODAY’S EPISODE, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS SALES MANAGERS FACE AND HOW YOU CAN ENSURE YOUR SALESPEOPLE ARE A GOOD FIT FOR THEIR JOB AND ARE INSPIRED AND EQUIPPED TO SELL YOUR PRODUCT.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY.
I SET MYSELF APART AS A GUY WHO COULD GET NET NEW BUSINESS IN SALES. I PLAYED AROUND WITH CONSULTING UNTIL IT WORE ME OUT AND THEN I WENT BACK TO CORPORATE AMERICA TO BE A SALES EXECUTIVE. ONCE I GOT IN THAT ROLE, I SAW HOW HARD IT WAS COMPARED TO BEING IN A SALES ROLE. I KNEW I COULD HELP SALESPEOPLE SELL MORE. AT THAT POINT, I WORKED MOSTLY WITH THE SALES TEAM, BUT I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT IF YOU DON’T DEAL WITH THE LEADERSHIP STUFF, LIKE CULTURE, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT, YOUR SALES TRAINING WON’T DO MUCH LONG TERM. I STARTED A BLOG, AND THEN I WAS ADDRESSED BY TWO PUBLISHERS WHO ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK. I NEVER IMAGINED IT BEING AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT IS.
WHAT CONVINCED YOU TO WRITE SALES MANAGEMENT SIMPLIFIED?
I DIDN’T WANT TO WRITE IT, I WAS COMPELLED TO WRITE IT. I KNEW I WAS CALLED IN TO HELP PEOPLE FIX THEIR SALES PROBLEMS. NINETY PERCENT OF THE TIME, PEOPLE WERE NOT FACING A SALES PROBLEM. THEY WERE FACING A LEADERSHIP PROBLEM. I FELT LIKE I NEEDED TO HOLD UP THE MIRROR AND SAY, HERE’S WHAT I’M SEEING IN YOU, LEADER. THE LEADER IS THE KEY TO THE CULTURE AND THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF THE TEAM.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT YOUR COMPANY HAS AN UNHEALTHY SALES CULTURE? A HEALTHY ONE?
UNHEALTHY CULTURE
- HIGH-EGO EXECUTIVES
- DEMEANING THE SALESPEOPLE
- TAKING THE CREDIT FROM SALESPEOPLE
- CHANGING TERRITORIES AND COMMISSION
- FORCING SALES MANAGERS TO COMPETE WITH THEIR EMPLOYEES
- USING SALESPEOPLE AS FREE LABOR FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS
- A GENERAL DISRESPECT FOR THE SALES PROCESS
HEALTHY CULTURE
- PUSHING PEOPLE TO CREATE GOALS
- SOLID RECRUITMENT PROCESS
- COMPETITIONS
- FUN TEAM MEETINGS
- CELEBRATION
- ROLEPLAY AND PRACTICE THE SALES PROCESS
- PROTECTIVE OF THEIR PEOPLE
- IN FAVOR OF HIGH-EARNING OPPORTUNITIES
- REAL COACHING
Q: DO ANY OF THESE QUALITIES STAND OUT TO YOU AS PARTICULARLY GOOD OR PARTICULARLY BAD? DESCRIBE A TIME WHEN YOU WERE AFFECTED BY THAT QUALITY. WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR COMPANY OR TEAM CULTURE? WHAT DO YOU DO THAT REINFORCES YOUR CULTURE?
WHAT MISTAKES DO LEADERS MAKE WITH THEIR SALES TEAM?
MAKING SALES HAS MORE TO DO WITH THE TIME YOU SPEND SELLING THAN YOUR SELLING ABILITY. SOME MANAGERS CAN LOSE SIGHT OF THIS AND USE THEIR TIME TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR CLIENTS BY RUNNING ERRANDS. WHILE IT IS OKAY FOR SALESPEOPLE TO DO THIS, IT SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION AND NOT THE RULE. THIS SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE. SALESPEOPLE CANNOT MAKE MORE SALES IF THEY ARE FOCUSED ON PERFORMING CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THEIR EXISTING CLIENTS. THIS HAPPENS A LOT WHEN LEADERS ARE IN CHARGE OF SALES AND OPERATIONS. THEY ALWAYS DEFAULT TO THE OPERATIONAL ISSUES BECAUSE THEY ARE URGENT AND IN YOUR FACE. YOU DON’T EVEN SEE THE SALES PROBLEM UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH.
Q: DO YOU SEE THIS ISSUE IN YOUR BUSINESS? HOW WOULD YOU SOLVE IT? WHAT DISTRACTS YOU FROM YOUR JOB (WHETHER YOU ARE IN SALES OR NOT)? HOW CAN YOU ELIMINATE THAT DISTRACTION? WHO WOULD YOU NEED TO TALK TO IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN?
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT SALES LEADERS MAKE IN HIRING?
LEADERS NEED TO COME UP WITH AN HONEST LIST OF WHAT THE JOB REQUIRES AND THEN MATCH THE DNA OF THE PERSON TO THAT JOB. YOU NEED TO ALIGN THE GIFTEDNESS OF THE PEOPLE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ROLE. ONE REASON WE DON’T DO THIS IS THAT WE INTERVIEW TERRIBLY. WE FALL FOR PEOPLE TOO QUICKLY, AND WE DON’T ASK ENOUGH OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS.
Q: WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU REMEMBER FROM YOUR JOB INTERVIEW? WHAT QUESTIONS DID YOU ENJOY ANSWERING? WHY?
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR SALES REPS?
I LIKE QUESTIONS THAT ALLOW ME TO HEAR THE WHOLE STORY. I LIKE TO ASK, “TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LAST TWO BIG SALES AND HOW YOU WON THEM.” “WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN YOUR FIRST 60 DAYS?” AND “IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE YOU WISH I WOULD HAVE ASKED YOU?”? IF A POTENTIAL SALES REP CAN’T SELL YOU IN AN INTERVIEW, YOU ARE TALKING TO THE WRONG PERSON.
SPEED ROUND
WHAT BOOK HAS MADE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE? - THE BIBLE
LAST SONG YOU DOWNLOADED - WAKING UP BY WE THE KINGDOM
CELEBRATION SONG - THE FINER THINGS
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? - FLYING
FAVORITE JUNK FOOD? – NY PIZZA
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE? “SALES IS ABOUT MAKING YOUR CUSTOMER SUCCESSFUL. YOUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THEM AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE AND AS LONG AS YOUR MOTIVATION IS TO HELP THE CUSTOMER WIN, YOU WILL ALWAYS WIN.” AND “SELLING IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO TO SOMEBODY, IT’S SOMETHING YOU DO WITH SOMEBODY FOR THEIR BENEFIT.”
APPLICATION ACTIVITIES
SALESPEOPLE ARE TYPICALLY COMPETITIVE. TO MAKE YOUR COMPANY CULTURE MORE FUN AND SALES-FOCUSED, COME UP WITH A COMPETITION OR REWARD FOR YOUR TEAM (IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE ONE). IF YOU’RE NOT IN SALES, THINK OF A MILESTONE THAT YOUR TEAM COULD CELEBRATE, LIKE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF QUALITY, A NEW LOCATION LAUNCH, OR A CERTAIN PERCENT OF POSITIVE REVIEWS. MAKE SURE THE REWARD IS FUN FOR YOUR WHOLE TEAM AND LOOK FOR THEIR INPUT WHEN YOU CREATE IT.
WHAT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS DO YOU ASK? IF YOU DON’T KNOW, ASK YOUR HR REPRESENTATIVE OR ANOTHER LEADER INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS THAT ALLOW YOUR CANDIDATE TO EXPLAIN HOW THEY APPROACH THE SALES PROCESS? WHAT QUESTIONS WILL ALLOW YOU TO DETERMINE IF THE CANDIDATE IS A GOOD CULTURE FIT? AFTER YOU AUDIT THE QUESTIONS, COME UP WITH QUESTIONS YOU THINK SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE PROCESS BASED ON THE EXAMPLES MIKE WEINBERG DISCUSSES IN THIS INTERVIEW. ADD THEM TO THE PROCESS, OR PRESENT THEM TO THE PEOPLE WHO DO THE INTERVIEWS.
LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF A HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY CULTURE. MARK OFF ANY CHARACTERISTICS YOU SEE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION. WHICH SIDE DO YOU THINK YOUR CULTURE FALLS INTO? REMEMBER THAT CULTURE IS AS MUCH ABOUT THE POSITIVE THINGS YOU DO AS IT IS ABOUT THE NEGATIVE THINGS YOU DON’T DO. IDENTIFY ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS OF A NEGATIVE CULTURE AND THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN ELIMINATE IT FROM YOUR CULTURE. COME UP WITH ONE ACTION STEP TO TAKE THIS WEEK AND FOLLOW THROUGH ON IT.
CONNECT WITH MIKE WEINBERG TWITTER: @MIKE_WEINBERG INSTAGRAM: @MIKE_WEINBERG SUPER CHARGER SALES LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE: MIKEWEINBERG.COM/EVENTS
JULY 8, 2021
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