Sales Mastery draws 32 to Baltimore in March for in-person training sessions

–STACEY FREED

Evan Perez had only been at Contract Exteriors for six months when owner Randy Hann decided to send him to CCN’s Sales Mastery program. “He was the most inquisitive about trying to improve his skill set,” says Hann of Perez who had been in sales construction for a decade prior to getting hired at the Myrtle Beach, N.C., windows, siding, and decking company.

CCN’s Sales Mastery had been offered online during the Covid 19 pandemic, but this past March the class returned to being held in person. “It was important to me to send someone now that the class is back to being face to face,” Hann says. “I knew that from our team, Evan would get the most out of it.”

By the book

When Contract Exteriors opened 13 years ago it didn’t have a real sales process admits Hann. But since joining CCN 10 years ago, they began using CCN’s structure and developed what Hann calls “a two-step approach. It’s important that we use CCN’s Measure Call questions throughout the appointment. CCN has about 29 questions our sales reps should be asking.” Hann has noticed that sometimes a salesperson will just memorize everything, “but then they can overthink the process,” he says. “Other times they think they can just wing it with questions for prospects. But asking those questions is critical to building trust for when you return for the presentation. You need to set the groundwork for the presentation. Without the questions you’re taking a gamble on your foundations.”

Hann believes that following the “5P Presentation” — problem, product, people, process, price — helps his sales people build confidence. “If they bounce around and don’t follow the 5Ps, they aren’t able to build toward a resolution.”

Despite having a decade of experience as well as in-house sales training courses with other companies, Perez says “there’s always more I can learn.” His enthusiasm was one of the main reasons Hann decided to send him to the two-day class, which was held in Baltimore. When he first began at CE, Perez had attended a Zoom training but was glad the March Sales Mastery sessions had returned to an in-person format. “There are no other distractions; you’re 100% invested in it,” he says. He learned scripted scenarios (aka “word tracks”) and did a lot of role playing, which he felt was the best part of the training. “I also really valued the feedback from others,” he says and appreciated seeing how other companies use the CCN training “to their advantage. If you’re not following the method, you can be missing out. I could tell [during class] who does it every day and who doesn’t. I saw that people who are using it are having success.”

Put to use

Since returning to the office, Perez has been logging in and practicing. “I listen to the audio and try to do more repetition and training on my own. The word tracks help prepare you for when a homeowner asks a question or offers a response to one of your questions. You have the information at your fingertips. The training is designed to help you keep the conversation alive instead of taking the first no and leaving.”

Hann had sent only Perez to the March training he says because he wanted to get feedback on the new class before committing other sales people. But since Perez’s return, says Hann, he knows he’ll be sending others. “I haven’t heard a sales rep that excited about CCN training in a long time.” n