Saturday, May 8, 2010

Just an update

Pictures from HTG meeting


http://www.crn.com/mobile/224700989;jsessionid=QDC2SSHEQ5A5BQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN?pgno=9

Thursday, May 6, 2010

What is the next step

Many times I have seen reps not know what the next step is. Many times you do not have to the best presentation, have the most product knowledge or the lowest price. However you do have to have the next step.

What does this look like. Almost like it sounds. You need to have the next meeting, know when the board meets or know when to call back.

So what is the next step?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Sales Process of questioning?

One of the key successful processes of sales questioning is not only questioning but also letting the answer flow. What does this look like?

The best way I can think of describing this process is if you are asking about business needs and a customer brings up an opportunity you have to ask them "Is there anything else?"

Real world example.

In my business we have to have a disaster recovery plan that allows us to recover our data at a remote site.

Now, may poor reps would want to deep dive the opportunity. IE to sell the backup plan, DR plan or what ever solution you have for this opportunity. However an experienced rep would continue into more opportunities. What else does your business need? This way you do not just hear the first opportunity, you hear all the opportunities the customer has!

Recently this worked for a customer I visited. He called because he wanted new PC's. To be honest, no one wants a new PC. They want faster speeds, new features, better applications or other. So we set an appointment and visited the customer. This is where we found the real opportunity. Sure, they had older PCs that needed updated. They needed Office, monitors, switches, storage, replacement of servers and tech work. If we had just listened to the first opportunity we would have missed the complete solution.

Monday, May 3, 2010

In the office after being gone a week.

It amazes me how few voice mails or how few emails (In comparison) I get when I am gone. Early in the week there are more then they dwindle. Why are people afraid to reach out to my cell or send me a quick message? Many times when I am traveling I have some significant travel time and have time to respond.

That means that when I get back in there will be a backlog of communication taking days to get through. I work in a communications technology industry, however that all stops when your light in the office is off.