Why Salespeople Fail

Sales Training for Success, Coaching for Life.lushin.com / 317-846-9200

Why Salespeople FailPresented by Brian Kavicky

Lushin & Associates, Inc.


Agenda for Webinar

• What do we define as failing?• What are the reasons for failure?

• Some ways to quickly get things on the right track.


Salespeople struggle because they…

• Chase poor prospects too long instead of looking for new business

• Keep discounting to win business and it’s affecting the bottom line

• Have low close ratios and long sales cycles that impact your cash flow

• Do too much unpaid consulting wasting your valuable resources

• Tend to be more of a professional visitor than a salesperson

Salespeople Fail


What must a salesperson actually do to close the sale?

• Must interrupt the way people buy to gain control of the sales process.• Must define and facilitate the decision making process to assist

the buyer.

• Must uncover the compelling reasons to buy.

• Must qualify the prospect and ensure that they are the right customer.• Must create urgency to decrease the sales cycle and clarify the timeline.

The Salesperson


Meanwhile the buyer…..

• Is hiding what their true motivators are• Plays cards close to the vest• Doesn’t want to commit to anything• Wants to know as much as possible before deciding• Normally wants to wait until the last possible moment to buy

The Buyer


Even worse commoditization

The Buyer

A

B

C

60% of the time choose nobody or status quo

Either the buying process is so complex that the buyer simplifies it, or they think that it is more simple than it really is.

BIDDERS

Start of Process


So why wouldn’t a salesperson fail?


Hidden Weaknesses

Salespeople struggle with…

• Need for approval

• Emotional Involvement

• Buy Cycle

• Money Issues

• Record Collection


Tactical Problems

No Systematic Way of Selling

• “Wing-it Stars” feel their way through the process

• Salespeople on the same team don’t sell the same way

• Fail to take control of selling process

• Fail to get the prospect to agree to make a decision


Closing Example

What are some reasons for failing to close? (put-off, competition, pricing)

• Not a qualified opportunity

• Not sure of ideal solution

• Lack of urgency

• Sales person did not create value

• No compelling reason to buy

• Timeline is misunderstood

• Not selling to the correct person

• Choosing lousy prospects

• Presenting too early in the process

• Not willing to spend to solve


Hiring Problems

How much of a role does hiring have?

What do you need to know before you hire someone?

Answer: CAN THEY SELL?!!


Hiring Problems

– Critical • Desire• Commitment• Responsibility• Outlook

– Other Factors • Self-Esteem• Figure it out factor• Coachable• Trainable• Hidden weaknesses• Level of selling skills• Level of strengths

You must know…..


Management

Evolution of a typical Sales Manager….

Producer Top producer Management

At which point do they learn to manage Salespeople?


Management

Management is a whole new skill set

• Manage selling behaviors

• Manage a consistent sales process

• Track and manage to the numbers

• Deal coaching, pre-brief, post brief

• On-board new people to maximize ramp-up

• Hire salespeople that can sell


Management

On top of that…..

• Must understand what motivates their people and use it.

• Must know how to teach by coaching and mentoring.

• Must know how to establish strategy to meet company goals


Salespeople Fail

Salespeople struggle because they…

• Chase poor prospects too long instead of looking for new business

• Keep discounting to win business and it’s affecting the bottom line

• Have low close ratios and long sales cycles that impact your cash flow

• Do too much unpaid consulting wasting your valuable resources

• Tend to be more of a professional visitor than a salesperson


Immediate things to do…

• Discover the weaknesses.

• Evaluate yourself or your team to find out what the issues are.

• Use a performance improvement program.

• Develop yourself as a sales professional by immersing yourself in a

program that promotes constant and steady improvement.

• Develop a sales process, use a system, and adopt a hiring process

that consistently finds the right people.

Action Steps


Be sure to fill out the survey following this webinar.

Questions?

Business

Why Salespeople Fail