Mike Payne's Article featured in the April Issue of Ingrams Magazine:
10 Bold Tactics for Sales Leaders Facing Tough Times
Hard times test great sales leaders. Captaining a team through calm market waters takes skill, but the true challenge –and the best opportunity for learning –comes in times like these: Customers are hesitant. Some may turn away, while others remain wary of even the most solid investments. As stress runs high, team morale can plummet – right along with revenues.
When the turmoil subsides, the leaders that emerge will have gone far beyond mere survival. They’ll be the ones carrying our economy into the future. I’ve weathered many recessions in my decades of management and consulting. Experience has shown me key principles that can guide managers through the worst of times. Here are ten ways to boost your management approach, and develop leadership skills that last:
No. 1) Remember: Success begins with positive thoughts.
This time-honored truth is easily forgotten in tough years: Our present thoughts determine our future. Negativity abounds these days – not just in the news but among colleagues and competitors. Everyone is vulnerable to the overload of grim thoughts bombarding us all daily. If your own mind is clouded with grim finalities, what will become of your teams’? It’s imperative for leaders to stay anchored. Keep an upbeat attitude that nourishes your team with a steady diet of positive influences. That doesn’t mean you should destroy your credibility with Pollyanish statements and grandiose goals. Instead, cultivate an attitude that is both realistic and positive. Your team will follow suit.
No. 2) Start turbo-prospecting
Are there new ways you can identify and locate prospects? It’s time to energize your search for prospects. For instance, you might try engaging in focused phone sessions. Or, create client entertainment opportunities like “lunch-and-learns” and breakfasts with important guest speakers. Offer special terms and packages on your products. Find cross-promotional opportunities and foster new partnerships. Turn to your trade associations and other business categories for ideas. An economic slowdown calls for energized networking. Start your engines!
No. 3) Establish team prospecting objectives that can be measured and rewarded
As your business activities increase, create new incentives for your team. Make prospecting fun. For instance if your team’s primary tool is the phone, you might consider making a contest out of call sessions and using important sales metrics to gauge accomplishments. Reward individuals who make the most calls, generate the most leads and score the largest number of meetings. Highlight and celebrate successes, and make sure everyone in the company has a stake in the outcome. If you have non-sales employees that can help, get them on the phone, too. Aggressively manage these crucial steps in the sales process, setting objectives that empower everyone and you’ll find that effort and team morale remain high.
No. 4) Embrace sales training
Your people need training now more than ever. Confidence built on strong skills will help team members face the challenges ahead. However tempting it may be to prioritize other issues, an investment in training is worthwhile. Review your current staff’s skill-level. Focus on filling in important gaps, while boosting the fundamentals. Go back to basics. Even the most seasoned professionals can benefit from a refresher course. If you’re the trainer yourself, find ways to make learning interactive. Don’t forget to repeat, repeat, repeat, challenging each team member anew. You won’t regret the commitment when the economy improves. Give them the skills to survive now and they’re more likely to help your company thrive in the years to come.
No. 5) Keep your sales meetings real
Make sales meetings productive learning experiences. Invite sellers to be open about their losses. Nothing good comes from intimidation. But forbid excuses. No pity-parties allowed! Require sellers to offer solutions instead of playing victim to problems. Remember to criticize in private and praise in public. Bring seasoned sellers into discussions with newer sales people so that they can function as role models. Drill the team on sales objectives in your meetings and practice presentations. Never lose sight of the fundamental goal, ensuring that everyone walks out of a meeting empowered with fresh knowledge that will help them close a sale.
No. 6) Don’t just ‘tell’ them, ‘show’ them
Now isn’t the time to coach from behind a desk, no matter how much paperwork you’ve got. The quickest way to teach your team how to make a sale is to get out there and show them. Make a sales call! Better yet, spend a day in the trenches and discussing techniques that work with the team. Show them that those who teach can also do, at least in the world of sales. This is how you earned your place at the top. Inspire them to do the same.
No. 7) Build ties that encourage loyalty among customers and staff
Surely, you have nice smile. Use it. Get eye to eye and smile to smile with your customers. The time is ripe to call on important customers. Show your gratitude and ask how else you can help them. Focus on managers and owners of other small businesses. Call them up and listen. Let them do the talking. When the opportunity arises, describe how your company can help them improve profits. Remember: Sales hinge on small competitive differences and talent is all the more precious in tough times. Devote energy to securing loyalty among your staff, too. Take nothing for granted. Even with high rates of unemployment, competitors will search for ways to lure your best people away. Build long-term relationships that make your team members want to stick around. Don’t forget that a simple pat on the back –atta boy, atta gir¬l—goes a long way. Verbal feedback is all the more important when budgets are tight. Protect your team from competitors.
No. 8) Selectively enhance your products
Although now is not the time for high risk experimentation, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an opportunity to get creative. Are there minor enhancements that will help your company stay fresh and competitive that won’t cause you to stray from your primary focus? Your staff may have some ideas. Open your mind – and the floor—to creative feedback from your staff. Start with a creative brainstorming session, in which team members are invited to share any and all ideas about what changes could give your products an edge. Who knows? It could result in an enhancement that helps you gain market share. Setting your products further apart from competitors’ will help you compete without lowering prices –and avoid becoming a recession-era casualty.
No. 9) Offer customer incentives.
Competition for consumer dollars is cutthroat. You can rely partly on enhanced products and customer service to retain customers. But you might consider offering special incentives as well. New offers and packages give your sales team a reason to renew contact with inactive customers. This will not only put you back on the radar, but increase loyalty to the company. That applies all the more if you get personally involved in presenting the award. Speak directly to customers about incentives will help ensure you leave a lasting impression.
No. 10) Stay awake at the helm
Finally, never forget who’s in charge: You are the captain. Be available to your staff to offer guidance. Share your plans and put them into action. Communicate your vision of success. Now is the time to be deeply engaged in your business and with your people. If today’s economic news has you feeling daunted, you’re not alone. But ask yourself this: Years from now, what will your people say about you? Will they say that you found ways to inspire and teach? Will they say you made sure the team stayed focused and that you made sure the processes were efficient? Will they say you were demanding but fair? This is a defining moment for leaders of all kinds. Take charge and inspire your team to better themselves and the company. Your commitment will bring the richest of compliments: Employees that acknowledge your guidance and leadership for years to come.