september 2013 Issue 75
Take a look in
THE MIRROR
Why you need to get out more Is this costing you sales? Focus on strengths for results NZ’s e-mag for sales leaders 1 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
CONTENTS 6
THIS WEEK'S MUST READ
Take a look in the mirror Four steps to empower your people
10
Why you need to get out more Just start with hello
12
Two Minute Top Up Is this costing you sales? Why the manager that buys from you is costing you sales
14
Quick Fix Focus on strengths for results It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell
16
Resource corner Selling Fearlessly A Master Salesman’s Secrets For the One-Call-Close Salesperson
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 2
18
NZSM CODE OF PROFESSIONAL SELLING
20
CALENDAR
23
THE CLOSE
Home Owners or Renters Geographical location
Gender
CONSUMER VAULT Age & Income Range
Ethnicity
Vehicles
Consumer Vault is one of New Zealand’s largest and exceptionally accurate residential prospect databases Consumer Vault contains contact details for over 1,000,000 adult New Zealanders. Being such a substantial database we focus on working with you to select the best prospects for your telemarketing, research, direct mail and acquisition campaigns. directory and as such we can offer
one of the most user friendly and
a 95% accuracy guarantee and
cost effective residential prospect
typically achieve 98%. Our high level
sources for New Zealand.
of address accuracy ensures your
Don’t buy customer or prospect
direct mail campaign qualifies for bulk mail discounts.
information you already have! KMS Data are happy to remove
We understand the cost of marketing to the wrong prospects so we have
your existing contacts from Consumer Vault ensuring you only
gone to great lengths to ensure we
pay for new prospects.
can refine the database to identify
Consumer Vault is 100% privacy
the absolute best prospects for you.
compliant. This means the database
As we own and maintain the database
has been constructed from legal
in-house, we know exactly what can
and ethical sources and KMS Data
be done and are flexible in how we
remove people that are recorded
KMS Data is a licensed provider of
can select and supply prospect
on the Marketing Association’s
phone numbers from the White Pages
databases making Consumer Vault
suppression lists.
C
onsumer Vault can help you better understand your current customers
and prospects by adding intelligent information to your existing database.
KMS Data offer an obligation free consultation, contact us to discuss how we can help you.
data
WWW.kmsdata.co.nz
E info@kmsdata.co.nz
P +64 9 621 0472
3 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
ABOUT / Short and sharp, New Zealand
FROM THE EDITOR
H
Sales Manager is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forwardthinking sales managers, business owners and sales professionals.
EDITOR / Paul Newsom
i, and welcome to
He concluded that it was because
ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson
the 75th issue of NZ
selling was not considered as a
GRAPHIC DESIGNER / Sevim Dogru
Sales Manager. Over
true profession.... either by those in
GROUP EDITOR / Nick Harley
the past five years we have set
the wider business world, or those
CONTENT ENQUIRIES /
out to inspire, encourage and
actually in the industry.
Phone Paul on 04 586 4733 or email
inform sales people throughout the country.
To me, one of the indicators of a true professional is a personal
It is with thanks to the many
commitment to their ongoing
contributors of articles to the
personal and professional
magazine that we are able to do
development. The minority do
this. In the competitive world of
this, and they have the majority of
sales, it is always pleasing to me to
the success. We know NZSM has
know that sales people are happy to
become a valuable resource to
share their knowledge and expertise
many sales people, and hope that it
with others.
continues to help with your success.
I just had a look back at founding editor Richard Liew’s editorial from issue 1, in which Richard asked why
Happy Selling
pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Sales Manager, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 99758, Newmarket, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / nzsalesmanager.co.nz
ISSN 2230-4762
Paul
the sales industry didn’t have it’s own magazine.
NZ Sales Manager would like to acknowledge the support of our major partners
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 4
Red wine gets better with age. Software doesn’t. Unfortunately, time takes its toll on technology. Microsoft will soon end security updates for: •
Windows XP
•
Windows Server 2003
• Office 2003 Without these updates, you leave your organisation at risk of harmful viruses and business disruptions. Ensure your business is future ready.
Visit microsoft.co.nz/getmodern for great deals on software upgrades.
MUST READ
TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR Four steps to empower your people By Heather Grace
Y
ou have heard it all before, right? You need
what you need next and deliver it to you before you
your sales team to have an ownership
need it, stay late in the office, take work home and
mentality. That is the answer to business
then willingly ask for more.
success! So how do you achieve this?
Every day I hear you say “I wish my staff would
If only you could find these fantastic super-human
take ownership” or “My team seem to have a lazy
beings, that will turn up early every day, work
attitude” or “What is wrong with my sales people?”
through all their breaks, take initiative, be proactive,
You keep asking yourself: “Where do I find such
get everything done without being asked, guess
wonderful people?”
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 6
MUST READ
The answer could be much closer than you think. It
end of this psychological spectrum before we take a
might even start with looking in the mirror!
look in that mirror.
Many business owners and managers don’t like
The theory goes that people with an External Locus
looking in the mirror; it is much easier to lay the
of Control believe that everything that happens
blame on other people having bad attitudes. Plus
to them is someone else’s fault. They blame their
we have read those psychological assessment
failures on external forces, like the Government or
papers that talk about the “locus of control”. Just
the climate, their horrible boss, nasty mother-in-
to clarify, for those who may not have studied
law, or the stupid dumb prospective client that just
“locus of control” – in psychological terms there
couldn’t see the value in the item being offered.
are two ends of the spectrum in attitudes. One is
The problem with this attitude is that if everything
the Internal Locus of Control, and the other is the
happens to them and everything is outside of their
External Locus of Control. Let’s take a look at each
control, success is also outside of their control. If
Many business owners and managers don’t like looking in the mirror; it is much easier to lay the blame on other people having bad attitudes. good things were meant to happen to them, then
from those mistakes and do it differently next time.
customers would just knock on the door, the sun
They are always striving to be better. Continuous
would always shine, and they would have won Lotto
improvement is their motto, for themselves
by now. These people clearly don’t take ownership.
and others around them. They put energy into
They drift along waiting for good things to happen.
everything they do because they know their actions
On the other hand, people with a strong Internal
make a real difference.
Locus of Control believe “If it is to be, it is all up
The problem with this attitude is that sometimes
to me!” These people take responsibility for their
these people burn out. Striving to be perfect and
own actions. If things don’t go right, they learn
putting bigger and bigger demands on yourself
7 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
MUST READ
Many people cannot take ownership unless you empower them. Are you empowering your staff? is not always healthy. Working day and night and
scale. You have the ability to help your people take
being “married” to your job does not give you a
more ownership than they do now.
balanced social life and can create difficulties in the
This is the part where you need to look in the
family. These people, in the extreme, are in danger
mirror. Unless people are already at the extreme
of illness due to stress. So be careful what you
“ownership” end of the spectrum and propelling
wish for!
themselves forward regardless of their environment,
Most people are somewhere in the middle of this
most of your team will only take ownership if
spectrum rather than at one end of the extreme.
you “give” it to them. Many people cannot take
Of course, it is desirable to have people shift more
ownership unless you empower them. Are you
towards Internal Locus, or the “take ownership” end
empowering your staff?
of the spectrum. The good news is that you have
If you are already in a situation where you are
some influence over where people sit on this sliding
frustrated with the lack of ownership in your team,
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 8
MUST READ
and this has led to mistrust, or you are convinced
connected with you, your company, the culture, the
they are lazy, or don’t care – then you need urgent
vision and the values you represent. People need a
help to get things back on track. It is unlikely you
sense of belonging and connectedness before they
will turn things around without bringing in experts. If things are not that bad, but you know they
really take pride in what they do.
could be better, take action fast before things go
CONTRIBUTION Believe it, or not,
further downhill.
most human beings really do want to make a
To empower people you need to provide
contribution. People like to feel they are making a difference in a positive way. You need to ensure
the 4 “C’s”.
COMPETENT This means you really need to assess their skills and work out where the gaps are. Investing in up-skilling your staff is making an
your people know how their contribution matters to the overall company goals, how important their contribution is to the customer, their colleagues
investment in your most important asset! When
and perhaps to society.
staff feel competent in their role they feel confident
When you provide these 4 C’s you will empower
to perform well.
your people. This will allow them to “take
CHOICES First you need to give clear guidelines
ownership” and become even more valuable and
about the process and procedures and set clear
more loyal to your business.
expectations on what results are expected. Then you need to give people the ability to make choices. Your people need to be empowered to
So look in the mirror. Are you providing the 4 C’s of empowerment to your team? If not, you are holding
make decisions about how to get the desired result.
your team back from being the best they can be.
CONNECTED I am not talking about the
Their future and yours is in your hands.
internet or BYOD! Your people need to feel
Success With Grace is home of the TechBiz Success Academy, specialising in helping technology based businesses grow. For information about TechBiz training and coaching please contact Heather Grace directly www.successwithgrace.com
9 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
WHY YOU NEED TO GET OUT MORE Just start with hello
I
By Linda Coles
attend quite a few seminars and networking
was attending. I saw Brian’s name. The lady on the
events each month with one sole purpose
desk promised to introduce me when he arrived.
in mind: meet more people. Not to sell my
services, but to chat over breakfast or a glass of wine at after 5 events because the people you don’t yet know can be the lifeblood of your future.
It was whilst I was getting myself a coffee that I first met Brian, and we exchanged pleasantries. After me flooding the drinks area with boiling water and Brian admitting he had forgotten his jacket and he
Last week, I went to a breakfast marketing seminar
had the wrong socks on, we realized we were both
to listen to a Q&A session with a well-known
on the same wavelength and we hit it off like old
marketer. When I entered the event, there was the
friends, putting the world to rights and chatting
usual table with attendee name badges all laid out,
about marketing, the subject of the morning’s
and as I always do, I stopped to look at who else
seminar. Since then, we have met over coffee to see
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 10
how our paths might cross in a business sense and
Each one of his three pearls was given to him via an
how we might be able to use each other’s talents
encounter with a stranger, someone he didn’t really
for a project. A stranger turning into someone
know, and they have become his own life rules.
I now know. During the event, the speaker told us a tale about how his vineyard’s name had come about, about
I wanted to ask him as a marketer, where he gets his inspiration from each day, to come up with new
how a traveller had asked for directions and had
ideas and concepts, but the answer was already
misheard him. Rather than the traveller hearing
staring me in the face. Just like my chance meeting
“turn left at the lone Nikau” (a tree) he thought he
with my new friend Brian, it’s simply about chatting
had heard “turn left at the lonely cow”! The name
to new and varied people from all walks of life, all
stuck, and he drew the logo on a scrap of paper there and then and it is still used today - Lonely Cow Wines. Without that chance meeting of a
of the time, that is where our inspiration and our future lie.
traveller, who knows what the vineyard would have
Just this week, I have been able to reach out to
ever been called.
people for funding advice and secure a conference
He also had three pearls of wisdom to offer that
speaker for an event I am involved with, all from
had been passed on to him from encounters with
getting out more and getting to know more people.
various people he had come into contact with over the years, from a business man, an architect and
so how can you meet someone new each and
a cleaner: •
•
•
You don’t meet people sat at your desk all day,
I’ve lost my fortune three times; thank goodness
every day?
I’ve made four.
You may want to hear about The Say Hello Project,
Never pull your carrots up to see if they
which is running in New Zealand on Friday October
are growing.
4, encouraging everyone to speak with 5 people
Love what you do, have something to look
they don’t currently know but come into contact
forward to and have somebody to love.
with. Contact Linda if you want to be involved.
Linda Coles is a Speaker, Author, Trainer and Content Creator. Author of “Start with Hello”, founder of The Say Hello Project. To find out more visit www.bluebanana.co.nz
11 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
2 Minute top-up
IS THIS COSTING YOU SALES? Why the manager that buys from you is costing you sales By Elliot Epstein
J
eremy is your client. He is a mid level manager in Operations, Logistics, IT, Finance, Procurement or similar. You really like Jeremy
because he always orders six widgets a month, attends your beer and pizza product demos and he is always happy for a flat white (two sugars) to chat about how things are going.
So, what’s the problem? Here are three things potentially going on that are costing you sales. 1. Jeremy has a limited budget. It’s actually true. His boss has said that when the $1.6M is spent, that’s it. Jeremy doesn’t want to look incompetent so he won’t challenge that budget
He likes you too. He sponsored your 10K Run for
unless the Auckland Office is on fire or Nigerian
the Kids Charity, tells you he values the relationship,
hackers have infiltrated the CRM. You are now
only screws you on price when he ‘really has to, just
limited in offering new solutions that would
this quarter’ and has told your boss that he only
benefit Jeremy’s company because they exceed
wants to deal with you.
page two on his spreadsheet.
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 12
2 Minute top-up
2. Jeremy is comfortable buying six widgets a month and he jokes about the fact that one day he’ll buy Widget-In –The - Cloud. But it never seems to happen. Jeremy is wary, anxious, risk averse and unsure so he’ll keep coming to the breakfast seminars, but won’t actually roll over to the three year managed contract you want. Stuck again. 3. Jeremy deployed some new software two years ago, and it nearly drove his managers to distraction. He was told never to do that again without executive sponsorship. So, when you have new Software Widgets to offer in addition to the six widgets a month, he thinks back to the time he nearly had to go home to his wife and ask her to go back to work full time. No Software Widgets then. So, what can you do? •
Wean your company off its reliance on Jeremy and all the other Jeremy’s in your account list.
•
Get more people involved in the account – your sales director should be talking to Jeremy’s boss and your CFO could talk to Jeremy’s CFO about a new way of reducing Opex.
•
Get trusted vendors, partners, manufacturers and industry
•
Over a flat white, tell him in three months he can’t buy that way anymore without the Software Widgets. If your relationship is that good, he won’t want a new supplier and a new account manager and different widgets. The key point here is that whilst you stay close and protect your relationship with Jeremy, fresh ideas and thinking need to
consultants involved inviting Jeremy’s
be deployed to create movement, action and results.
boss to events.
Without this strategy, Jeremy may very well join your Fantasy
Restructure your six widgets into
Super Rugby competition, but your sales figures from that
something closer to what you want.
account will be as flat as his coffee.
Elliot Epstein is a sought after keynote speaker and corporate trainer who has coached and trained over 4000 people including CEOs, senior management and successful sales teams throughout Australasia. To find out more visit www.salientcommunication.com.au
13 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
Resource QUICK FIX Corner
QUICK FIX It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell.
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 14
QUICK FIX
Focus on strengths for results
M
anagers can have a tendency to focus on identifying and improving the weaknesses of
their people. Very often, you will get more from your team by focusing on strengths, and ensuring that your sales people know how to ‘play to their strengths’ and maximise the opportunities this presents. People may know that they have talent at certain things, but may not know how to turn this into results. Moving from good to outstanding on strengths is likely to realise the potential of your people more than moving from poor to average on weaknesses. Should your next training session be on ‘gaining results from our strengths’?
Resource CorneR
Selling Fearlessly
A Master Salesman’s Secrets For the One-Call-Close Salesperson
Authors: Robert Terson Publisher: Winthrop & Foster Publishing Price: $15.20 from www.amazon.com
Resource CorneR
Sales books are ubiquitous, but Selling Fearlessly:
Salesmanship and divided into 57 short, easy to
A Master Salesman’s Secrets for the One-Call-Close
read chapters which allow the reader to absorb each
Salesperson, although beneficial to all salespeople,
element of selling without reading the entire book.
specifically targets the one-call-close simple-sale
This is not another book of dull, dry abstract theory;
salesperson; addresses all the elements of selling;
this is a book of captivating stories and practical
and spotlights the paralyzing fear factor that 80%
applications raising the curtain on the real world
of the 16,000,000 salespeople in the United States,
of selling. It’s like watching role-playing. If you are
who only do 20% of the business, must face every
ready to receive it, this book has the potential to
time they make a call or give a presentation.
change your life.
The book is formatted into four sections: Bridge to the Triangle, Mental Attitude, Work Habits,
17 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
THE NZ SALES MANAGER CODE OF PROFESSIONAL SELLING When dealing with me: • You will find honesty and integrity. • You will be listened to. I will seek to understand. • You will be told the truth, how it is and as it happens. • We will be working towards mutual gain. • You can expect me to follow through on the promises I make. •
You can expect me to be committed to my own personal development.
• You can expect me to be an ambassador for the sales profession.
Does your organisation have a code of sales ethics? We’ve developed this one especially for NZ Sales Manager readers. Please feel free to adopt for your team or organisation! www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 18
CALENDAR DATE
NAME
PLACE
COMPANY
LINK
Tuesday 8th October
Overcoming objections
Auckland
Top Achievers Sales Training
www.topachieverssalestraining.co.nz
Thursday 10th October
Social Media and Sales
Auckland
Top Achievers Sales Training
www.topachieverssalestraining.co.nz
Monday 14th October
Professional Relationship Selling
Wellington
The Marketing Company
http://events.themarketingcompany. co.nz/courses/3-professional-relationship-selling
Monday 14th October-
Capturing Business
Wellington
Shipley NZ
Tuesday 15th October
http://www.shipleywins.co.nz/publictraining-schedule.html
Tuesday 15th October
Sales Basics
Auckland
Geewiz
http://www.geewiz.co.nz
Wednesday 16th October
Customer Service Basics
Auckland
Geewiz
http://www.geewiz.co.nz
Thursday 17th October
Time Management When Selling
Northland
The Marketing Company
http://events.themarketingcompany. co.nz/courses/6-time-managementwhen-selling
Tuesday 22th OctoberThursday 24th October
Thursday 24th October
Thursday 24th October
Scotwork Advancing Negotiating Skills
Auckland
Scotwork Negotiating Skills NZ
http://www.scotwork.co.nz/
Winning Executive Summaries
Auckland
Shipley NZ
http://www.shipleywins.co.nz/public-
Prospecting & Gold Calling
Hawkes Bay
training-schedule.html
The Marketing Company
http://events.themarketingcompany. co.nz/courses/21-prospecting-goldcalling
19 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
case study: stray
“I’ve forgotten about reliability issues because there are none.”
Brett Hudson Operations Manager, Stray
Stray
Stray Limited is an adventure bus company taking travellers to out-ofthe-way places around New Zealand. We caught up with Operations Manager, Brett Hudson to talk about 2degrees and their business.
Adventure Travel 50 staff 41 mobiles Around NZ Joined 2012
Why does stray need mobiles?
Our tagline is “off the beaten track” so we’re not staying at your main destinations. We’re getting out there to the extremities of New Zealand and our sole way of being in contact with our drivers is through phone communications. We have changes happening all the time and we need to be able to contact our team in real-time.
What Was your old provider like?
There were large phone bills and if we had a problem like a phone outage it seemed they were either busy or they weren’t organised, and couldn’t get back to us. It was very frustrating and it became a constant problem within the business.
and What impact is 2degrees having?
It saved us $60,000 in the first year. In the second year, it’s going to save us that again. All this will go back into marketing campaigns or growing other parts of the business. The other impact is having an Account Manager I can get hold of to get solutions to my problems when I need them.
What difference do mobile devices make? Our drivers are now able to use their smartphones and other mobile devices to show videos, photos and information about other tour packages and options available, like our operations in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. We couldn’t do that before and it has made a huge difference. Of course, they’ve now got email and internet access too. “You need damn good partners for successful business, and 2degrees I put in that category.“ Brett Hudson, Operations Manager
hoW is the coverage?
The coverage is fantastic. Regularly, I’m on road trips across New Zealand and off the beaten track and haven’t experienced issues with coverage. With our old provider there were a lot of black spots around Auckland and I don’t get those with 2degrees. And the bus drivers could be at Cape Reinga, they could be at Stewart Island, they could be down the West Coast; so in all sorts of different coverage areas and 2degrees works well for us. 3 x $89 plan
37 x $49 plan
1 x $149 plan
hoW reliable is the netWork? Since I’ve been with 2degrees I’ve forgotten about reliability issues because there are none. Previously I regularly had issues. I would be on the internet and it would drop out and when I sampled a 2degrees SIM card in there, I was amazed at the speed, how much quicker it was. I would regularly be on the phone with the last network and it would just drop a call. I don’t get that any more. As I said, the word reliability has disappeared from my vocabulary because it is so reliable.
For video case studies about Stray and other businesses who have made the move to 2degrees Business, please visit 2degreesmobile.co.nz/business
better 0800 022 BIZ (249)
2degreesmobile.co.nz
businesscare@2degreesmobile.co.nz
BUSINESS
THE CLOSE
“An organization’s ability to learn,
and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.” - Jack Welch
Have you subscribed to NZ Sales Manager? It’s free! Simply visit www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Sales Manager delivered straight to your inbox monthly!
21 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz