NZ Sales Manager Magazine - Issue 85

AUGUST | ISSUE 85

Nine Steps to Supercharge your Job Hunt Page 6

NZ’S E-MAG FOR SALES LEADERS | WWW.NZSALESMANAGER.CO.NZ

From the Editor A

recent survey showed NZ has one of the highest job turnover rates, with 55% of people surveyed having changed job in the previous year. A further 30% were considering changing their job, and a paltry 14% said they were completely happy with their job.

In this issue new contributor Tom O’Neil shares some strategies to get a jump on your competition. If you are looking for a change at the moment, his nine steps to supercharge your job hunt are well worth a read.

While the survey doesn’t look at job category or sector, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of sales people will change job or be thinking about changing job in this improving economy.

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A quick look shows 1,400 sales jobs advertised on Seek so it will be fairly competitive out there for any of you who are job hunting.

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ABOUT Short and sharp, New Zealand Sales Manager is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forward-thinking sales managers, business owners and sales professionals.

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ISSN 2230-4762 EDITOR Paul Newsom GROUP EDITOR Nick Harley

CONTENT ENQUIRIES Phone Paul on 04 586 4733 or email pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz

ADDRESS NZ Sales Manager, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 99758, Newmarket, Auckland 1151, NZ

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Phone Richard on 09 551 0607 or email richardl@espiremedia.com

ART DIRECTOR Jodi Olsson

MIKI SZIKSZAI CEO, SNAPPER

NEW ZEALAND’S SMARTEST BUSINESS PEOPLE ARE SWITCHING TO 2DEGREES. “We were saving between 35% and 40% off our telecommunications bill right off the bat. It also has opened up the opportunity for us to potentially reduce our reliance on landline phones in the office, which we’re now exploring. And again, that will probably take another 20% to 30% off our comms bill.”

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To see the full story about Snapper, and hear about other companies who have made the move to 2degrees Business, visit: 2degreesmobile.co.nz/business.

Talk to one of our Business Consultants today and we’ll help drive your business forward.

Call 0800 022 249 or visit 2degreesmobile.co.nz/business

contents

AUGUST THIS MONTH'S MUST READ...........................................................................................6 NINE STEPS TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR JOB HUNT NEW APP FOR TABLETS AIMS TO HELP SALES PROFESSIONALS MAKE BETTER PRESENTATIONS.......................................10 NEVER AGAIN STRUGGLE WITH STAYING IN CONTACT WITH PROSPECTS................14 MARKET: SOCIAL COOKING.........................................................................................20 MANAGING YOUR LINKEDIN ENDORSEMENTS..........................................................24 QUESTION OF THE MONTH..........................................................................................26 WITH SO MANY OF OUR BUYERS ORIGINATING IN NON-KIWI CULTURES NOW, HOW CAN SALESPEOPLE NAVIGATE THE CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS & WIN? TWO MINUTE TOP-UP....................................................................................................28 THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL TELEPHONE INTRODUCTIONS QUICK FIX........................................................................................................................32 It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell BOOK REVIEW...............................................................................................................33 The Innovative Sale: Unleash Your Creativity for Better Customer Solutions and Extraordinary Results by Mark Donnolo EVENTS CALENDAR......................................................................................................34

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MUSTREAD

Nine Steps to Supercharge your Job Hunt

Tom O’Neil shares some strategies to ensure you get a jump on your competition

1. Follow up and use your 2. LinkedIn personal Go through your LinkedIn profile with an objective eye, making networks sure your profile ‘sells’ you as much as possible. Look at Surprisingly, a large amount of job offers come from word of mouth. When a person is a colleague or friend, their word is generally more trusted. A person who is referred to an employer has a higher ‘trust value’ and therefore a higher chance of getting employed. This is especially true if there is not actually an official job vacancy and you are the only person being assessed for the role.

Therefore, it’s vital to get back in contact with your network with your good wishes, as well as tell them you are now looking for new career opportunities.

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common key words in the types of positions you are seeking and ensure these are included in your profile.After you have done this, ask a friend or two to have a look through as well – to see if you have missed anything of importance.

Check the number and quality of your recommendations on LinkedIn. Social media author Linda Coles calls these your “silent salespeople”. I was recently told that a major international I.T. company would not select any senior level staff unless they had more than 20 recommendations. I was chuffed when I read this as I am up to 45. However, when I asked Linda I found that she has over 120! You can start to see the power these ‘sound-bite’ type recommendations can have.

3. Go back over your successes in the past 12 months Most people tend to rush into the job hunting process, only really thinking about their successes (and failures) when they are in the interview. Were you awarded further authority in your role? Did you exceed any sales or performance targets?

Did you train or mentor any new people?

All these things are important to an employer, so make sure you take some time today to think about the positive things that shaped your career recently (and be sure to include them in your CV!).

4. Plan your career, not just your next job Remember that each position is a stepping stone to the next, so take some time out to think about what you want to be doing for a role in 2020. Once you have done this, map out ideal positions (and study if needed) to get you there.

5. Direct marketing Has there ever been a company you would just ‘love’ to work for? Why not contact them directly and introduce yourself, your skills, and what you can do for them.

You would be surprised at the amount of people who, because they demonstrated a strong interest in the company, got a position personally crafted for them, even though there appeared to be no position available.

The other major benefit of this direct approach is that it means a manager does not have to pay a $15,000 recruitment fee, as you have come to them for free!

6. Check in with your verbal referees Time and time again a candidate has missed out on a dream job because their referees were too old or not overly positive.

During my HR and recruitment career, I have contacted the referees of candidates I have been really interested in employing, and got responses like “Oh no. Is Steve looking for another job?” or “Sorry, I don’t remember a Mike Smith. Are you sure he put me as a referee?”.

Contact your referees, ensure they are aware that you are back on the job hunt, and ask them if they are happy to provide a verbal reference. The five minute call you make today may well be the difference between getting your next job in October or March. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz |

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8. Take time to tailor your CV, cover letter and interview to the role A vacant position is a major headache for a company, especially if that position is at a senior or executive level.

7. Follow up Because of the nature of the recruitment process (especially executive search and selection) the hiring process can be extremely drawn out. Make sure you keep in contact with the recruiter or potential employer on a regular basis. Most candidates are not keen to do this as they feel it’s overly aggressive. However, as long as you are friendly and professional in your follow-up, you should be remembered positively when the time for the final decision comes.

Therefore, it’s vital that you tailor your entire approach as a ‘complete solution’, specifically for the opportunity. In most job advertisements and position descriptions, there is a section entitled “Personal Specifications” or “Characteristics” or “Competencies”. This section is the key to the role and is what you need to target. Read through the documentation and summarise what the ideal person would look like. With your skills, achievements, qualifications and experiences, how can you meet or exceed these requirements?

Finally, you want to ensure that the main aspects and keywords are ‘mirrored’ in everything you send to the employer and in your answers during the interview. The closer you meet their brief of the ideal candidate, the higher the chance of you getting that job!

9. Positive state of mind As the job-hunt progresses, it can become a painful process.

However, it’s vital to stay as positive as you can, as employers can sense frustration, anxiety, and antagonism: all the emotions they won’t want in an employee. Make sure you go into each situation with a positive outlook, take the best from all situations, and remember every challenge is an opportunity to grow and improve your skills. •

 www.careerguru.co.nz

Tom O’Neil is a leading international author, career specialist and MD of CV.CO.NZ. You can contact Tom via email at tom@cv.co.nz 08 |

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TECHNOLOGY

New App for Tablets Aims to Help Sales Professionals Make Better Presentations

An interview with Brett Ashmore from PressoPro

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Our first aim is to put more time into the salesperson’s day with a more effective presentation.

NZ Sales Manager: So what is PressoPro? Brett Ashmore: PressoPro is an app that we created for iPad, Android and Windows 8 tablets, to help salespeople deliver better sales presentations.

NZSM: How did the idea come about?

BA: Through our design business Conceive Creative, we identified the need for a solution for some of our clients who wanted a smarter more efficient way to present their products and services to clients and prospective clients.

Many of our customers had already invested in iPads or other tablet PC’s for their sales team, but they weren’t being used for much more than emails and web browsing. This is where the idea for PressoPRO was established – converting paper based sales and marketing collateral to a digital format all within one application.

An interview with Brett Ashmore from PressoPro

NZSM: How does PressoPRO help salespeople and businesses improve performance?

BA: Well there’s a few ways. Our first aim is to put more time into the salesperson’s day with a more effective presentation.

With PressoPRO, navigation of a presentation is nonlinear, meaning sales teams and consultants can tailor their pitch on the fly and present only the content that the prospect or client is interested in.

Unlike traditional brochures and leaflets where space is at a premium, PressoPRO BA: Yes, we saw a clearly defined need in the market to offers unlimited screens so harness the tablet PC’s potential and provide sales teams and content can be broken up consultants with a solution where they could easily present all into products, categories or their collateral including static screens, videos, animations and specific solutions. This allows client testimonial videos – something clearly not possible with the salesperson to focus paper based solutions. more attention to specific PressoPRO also eliminates the need for printing and content as they are not couriering paper based sales collateral to remote staff – not looking ahead in a text heavy only saving dollars but also significant time. brochure or leaflet.

NZSM: When creating PressoPRO was there a specific problem you were trying to solve?

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The second benefit is that with the addition of animation and videos we aim to shorten the sales cycle, with clients and prospects having a better understanding of the products and solutions on offer in the first meeting.

Information on products of interest can also be emailed to the prospect on the spot, creating a fantastic follow up opportunity for the sales person and keeping the businesses offering top of mind in the prospects mind.

Lastly, it helps cut down on a lot of the administration time involved when using paper based sales material. For example, sales teams don’t have to wait for reprints of brochures should a new product be introduced or terms and conditions change and so forth.

Through the web admin panel, master presentations can be changed very quickly and pushed out to the team no matter where they are in the world to sync the changes on their iPad or other tablet PC. Utilising wireless technology salespeople can seamlessly extend the presentation to a large screen or projector which is great for presenting to large groups.

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Utilising wireless technology salespeople can seamlessly extend the presentation to a large screen or projector which is great for presenting to large groups.

NZSM: What do you think differentiates PressoPRO from other products currently available?

BA: Well firstly we don’t charge per user or monthly charges. Customers simply pay us for the design and build of their initial presentations and then they can make their own changes to the presentation to push out to the team through the web admin panel.

We are a small team with designers, developers and strong sales and marketing skills so we take the time to understand the customers business and their products and solutions to ensure we deliver a highly effective presentation that can grow their business. Just as no business is the same, no presentation is the same as we are not restricted to templates – all presentations are bespoke and 100% unique to our clients.

My top tip for salespeople is to have an excellent understanding of their client or prospects business needs - to listen carefully and then tailor the content and solutions they present accordingly NZSM: What do you hope people will experience when they try PressoPRO? BA: We believe sales staff will have more confidence in presenting being tech savvy and the peace of mind knowing that 100% of the content they may need is all in one easy to navigate tablet application. For managers they will have the peace of mind that the information being presented to customers is consistent across the entire team.

NZSM: Given your experience in sales, what is your top tip for success?

BA: My top tip for salespeople is to have an excellent understanding of their client or prospects business needs - to listen carefully and then tailor the content and solutions they present accordingly. Embrace technology and have all the content and information they could possibly need at their fingertips. (But then I would say that wouldn’t I!) ●

 www.pressopro.com

Find out more at www.pressopro.co.nz or www.conceivecreative.co.nz. See PressoPro in iTunes App Store or Google Play www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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Never Again Struggle with Staying in Contact with Prospects

Do you have a proven process for ensuring that your relationships with prospects are continually moving forward in a manner that is purposeful, and leads to the natural culmination of the process?

In other words, are you and your prospect always on the same page, consciously and constantly moving forward to a purchase decision? Or do you, as most sellers do, approach the sales relationship process haphazardly, without knowing where the relationship is going, and often not knowing where it should go?

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ather than shooting from the hip – making follow-up calls to prospects without having an idea of how or why to make the call – you can turn the sales follow-up process into an organised and logical progression that makes it comfortable and valuable for both your prospect and yourself.

Unless you are engaged in a one-time-close sale, you know going into the initial meeting with a prospect that your sales cycle will require you to maintain contact with them over an extended period of time before the sale is consummated: whether that be a week, a month, or a year. Since you know you will have to follow-up with: additional information, more meetings, a proposal, a committee presentation, and/ or a formal needs analysis, you should be fully prepared to carry the relationship forward, knowing exactly what your next move will be before you enter the initial meeting with the prospect.

Think of the sale as a staircase with a number of alternate stairways branching off of it After only a short exposure to meetings with prospects, you have seen virtually all of the variances your meetings can take: from the prospect that shows a great deal of interest, to those who show no interest at all, and everything in between. Once exposed, you have no reason not to be fully prepared to take control of the situation when facing that type of prospect again.

Since you will see the same basic situations over and over again with your prospects, you should know exactly what the next step in your process will be before you wrap up the initial meeting.

Instead of going back to your office and wondering what to do next, you should have already agreed with your prospect on the next step to take, whether that be another meeting, sending follow-up information, or simply putting the prospect on your long-term touch program – or removing the prospect altogether because they are not really a prospect.

Think of the sale as a staircase with a number of alternate stairways branching off of it. If you are familiar with the drawings of E.M. Escher, think of his etchings of stairways where there are myriad branches but all stairways eventually lead to the same location. That’s your sales stairway, with all of the branches eventually leading to your central location: the sale. Some stairways are short and direct, others take a very circuitous route. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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Your job is to have planned each route and to know exactly what you must do to guide your prospect through the stairway he or she has chosen. To do that, you must have a welldefined plan, knowing exactly what your moves will be well ahead of time.

The first step in your staircase is, of course, setting the initial appointment. That step naturally leads to your second step: the appointment itself. Unfortunately, that is where the staircase ends for many salespeople: not knowing what the next step for any particular prospect should be. Don’t allow yourself to ever be put in that position.

Just as the first step, setting the appointment, lead naturally to the second, your second step should lead naturally to your third, and so on throughout the sales process. What your third step is will depend on what transpired during the initial appointment, since your prospect may choose one of several staircases to climb.

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For most of us, the initial appointment serves numerous purposes, one of which is qualifying the prospect. In fact, for many, the appointment isn’t with a prospect at all, but rather with a suspect: someone we think, or maybe just hope might be a prospect. During the initial meeting, one of your primary jobs is to determine if the suspect is a prospect, and if they are, what type of prospect: short-term or longer-term. Your staircase will branch off in different directions depending on whether you determine that the suspect is: not a prospect at all, a short-term prospect, or a long-term prospect.

The key to building your staircase and your relationship is to have your prospect agree on the next move before the end of the meeting. In order to do that, you must know what the logical next move for the particular prospect is and where that move is going to lead in the sales process.

Are you going to get the prospect additional information or data? If so, agree with them when and how the information will be delivered, the anticipated results of supplying it, and also what the next step should be after it has been delivered.

The key to building your stairway and leading the prospect to the sale is to always have your next step built before you finish the one you are on. If you are to deliver information, know If you determine your suspect is not a prospect, your staircase ends with this meeting. There is no need to pursue them further. exactly what information to deliver, how you will deliver If you determine your suspect is a short-term prospect, your it, and agree on what will staircase will continue, but you’ll have to decide during the happen once the information meeting which branch to lead your prospect to. Are you going is in your prospect’s hand. to set another meeting, present a proposal, send or deliver If you are setting a meeting, additional information – or is another move appropriate? agree on the time and date, The key to building your staircase and your relationship is to the goals for the meeting, and have your prospect agree on the next move before the end of the next step to be taken after the meeting. In order to do that, you must know what the logical the meeting. next move for the particular prospect is and where that move is Don’t rely on chance, luck, going to lead in the sales process. Never leave a meeting without or happenstance. Plan your agreeing on what will happen next, and when it will happen. moves well in advance Are you going to research an issue for the prospect? If so, and gain your prospect’s when will you deliver the results of your research, and how will agreement and commitment. you deliver them? In person? By email? Or will you send them Planning your moves is not by post? Once delivered, what is the next logical step to have difficult. If you are meeting your prospect agree to? with a short-term prospect Will there be a second meeting? Set a date and time and a you know what the likely specific goal for this meeting before you leave the initial meeting. next moves will be. In fact, www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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there are probably only a handful of possible moves. For some prospects the next move will be another meeting, for others additional information, for others possibly a demonstration or a proposal. Since you know what to anticipate, have a clearly defined plan of action for each eventuality.

These steps may include: your monthly or quarterly newsletter, scheduled phone calls at a specific future date, or even calls based on specific future events, such as the release of a new product, or the passing of a specific threshold: the beginning of a new quarter, for example.

Prior to your next appointment with a prospect (or suspect), create your staircase and Build the third step in your staircase the same way. During the map out a logical route to second meeting you gain your prospect’s agreement on what the sale for each scenario should take place next and then set a specific time and date you are likely to encounter. for that step, along with specific goals for that step. When Although you’ll have stairways delivering the agreed-upon research, agree with your client branching off from your main on the next step and again set a specific time and date and staircase, you’ll probably goals pertaining to it. have no more than a handful of branches for short-term By continually gaining agreement from your prospect to the next prospects and probably no step in the process, you keep them engaged, you continually monitor their level of interest, and you prevent yourself from falling more than two or three for into the awkward situation of wondering how to re-engage them. your long-term prospects.

Never leave a meeting or finish a conversation with your prospect Lay out on paper each logical without knowing what will happen next, when it will happen, and step for each branch, and what the anticipated results of the step will be. then plan how you will lead If you find you are working with a long-term prospect, you build a staircase that, like an Escher staircase, takes a longer, less direct route to the sale; but just as with a short-term prospect, you guide the prospect along a stairway that you know leads to the purchase decision. Your steps may have longer intervals and may entail less direct interaction, but they must still be agreed upon by your prospect.

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your prospect to agreeing to each step along the way.

Although many salespeople believe writing out scripts is fake and insincere, be aware that you will eventually create an effective script that you’ll

use over and over to introduce to your prospect to the next step to be taken and seek agreement from them. You can either leave the creation of your script to the spur of the moment as you are standing in front of your client, or you can take the time and care to do it while you can carefully think through the best way to introduce the next step and

gain your client’s agreement. Either way, you’ll eventually end up with a script you’ll use over and over.

You don’t have to be like the majority of salespeople who struggle both to keep in touch with their prospects and to move them along the sales process. Instead of worrying about what to say, when to contact a prospect, or how to get your prospect to move along the process, simply build the next step while you’re with them.

Not only will it give you more confidence, since you know you’re in control; you’ll close more sales, and close them faster – and that’s a good move. •

 www.mccordandassociates.com

Paul McCord is a best-selling author, speaker, and leading authority on lead generation and personal marketing.

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MARKET

Social Cooking Recipe for Success!

Social Cookings’ Graham Bloxam, on the right

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e spoke to Wellington entrepreneur Graham Bloxham about a new corporate events business that’s creating a buzz by combining our obsession with food and cooking with teamwork and relationship building.

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NZ Sales Manager: Tell us a bit about how Social Cooking came about?

Graham Bloxham: We were approached by a person who had a cooking idea from the US and with cooking TV shows on every channel, we thought it was a growth space.

We felt the associated constant TV exposure would provide extensive free positive advertising for us if we could develop and provide exceptional cooking and team building experiences.

NZSM: When creating Social Cooking was there a specific problem you were trying to solve?

GB: As we progressed we got feedback that when it comes to client and staff incentives, it’s hard to find an event that’s fun for both males and females, and that delivers dinner and team building.

So we thought, “Lets try this out,” and became silent investors in the startup, Social Cooking Wellington.

Traditional client hosting at bars and restaurants and most client events weren't cutting the mustard and to get clients out more, they needed more sophisticated offerings.

We have developed client We soon fell in love with the excitement and results generated connections, a range from helping people to have a great night out, and soon started of recipes, themes and helping managers to host cooking events for their teams. cooking experiences that We purchased our partner out and as the concept grew and can be adapted to deliver we received overwhelming client feedback, we launched into probably the best client the Auckland market in 2012 on the corner of Nelson and Cook hosting and team building Street; isn't that funny our cooking place is located in Cook Street! events possible. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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NZSM: How does Social Cooking help sales teams and the businesses they work for achieve more success?

GB: We bring people together to think, collaborate and compete together to win, laugh together and grow ideas.

Social Cooking is a buzzy place with an amazing energy and vibe, It's like a TV set in a restaurant and bar.

The amazing results generated from a sales team meeting for a wine with key customers to plan, cook and sit together to enjoy their creation, is akin to a stunning family gathering. We have seen customers launch products, present major deals and work to maintain and build the client relationships.

A happy team and client relationship promotes better communication and knowledge. This enhances the relationship and delivers better sales and superior communication.

NZSM: What do you think differentiates Social Cooking from other events?

GB: Hey, its hard to find events for men and women, indoors, that are interactive and can get people working and having fun together. If it rains, most team building events are kaput!

We are totally inclusive, everyone adds their own personal energy and skills. No one is ever left out or behind. Its amazing what a small team will cook together under pressure. There is nothing we know of that is as warm, touches all the senses, but allows everyone to contribute and sit and eat a feast together like one big family. To help create this, is gold.

We have found clients love that the price includes not just team building, but also dinner, entertainment and drinks.

We can also pop up at your work or conference to rev it all up a bit.

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We have seen customers launch products, present major deals and work to maintain and build the client relationships.

A happy team and client relationship promotes better communication and knowledge.

NZSM: What do you hope people will experience when they try Social Cooking?

GB: Every event will be exceptional, high energy, engaging and memorable.

We serve different cultures, we deliver massive energy levels, adapt to all ages, men and women.

Our super experienced and excitable chefs can cook anything, challenge teams and individuals, and through our judging system we tease out amazing cooking creations that constantly never fail to impress participants.

Each event is captured with high quality photography.

Clients will experience a well planned, professionally well resourced event and since opening we have entertained over 25,000 guests and received a constant flow of complimentary comments and notes after most events.

NZSM: Given your experience in sales, what are your top tips for success?

GB: Love what you do and never give up. If you don't love your product and can’t deliver it with passion and enthusiasm, change it and do something else.

Spend like a big player on a scalable CRM to pump up volume efficiently, customer care capacity and comms which also allows you to react and keep up with modern communication methods that drive leads and customer discussions.

Listen properly to your customers and staff. Be open to trying their ideas and change and adapt to refresh your products to what they want. ●

 www.socialcooking.co.nz

Find out more at www.socialcooking.co.nz or follow on Twitter @socialcookingnz or Facebook

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Managing your Linkedin Endorsements Reader Murray Clode shares his advice on removing those false LinkedIn endorsements

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’ve just read the article in the July issue of NZ Sales Manager about LinkedIn endorsements. I agree with Kendra – I have already encountered people that totally disregard the endorsements of others because THEY have received endorsements from people they know can’t know that the person has the skills they are endorsing them for!

So they then don’t value endorsements they see in other people’s profiles.

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I have had people endorsing me for coaching, budgeting and I.T. strategy when I know they have never seen me do any of those things.

However, there is a fix if you get endorsements you are not happy to have on display.

I have already encountered people that totally disregard the endorsements of others because THEY have received endorsements from people they know can’t know that the person has the skills they are endorsing them for!

Go into Edit profile and move down to Skills and Endorsements and click on Edit.

This gives you options. One of those options is to not get endorsed at all, but assuming you want real endorsements, you have a couple of choices. You can delete all endorsements for a certain skill.

Let’s say you have two people that have endorsed you for ‘Accounting’ and you have no claim to fame in that area.

You can remove that section entirely. This gets rid of all endorsements for that, and also stops automatic suggestions by LinkedIn to others that this is a good skill to endorse you for.

Another choice is to ‘Manage Endorsements’. This lets you go to a certain skill that you have been endorsed for and not show the endorsements from people that you know have not witnessed that skill. You simply remove the tick from the tick box.

As far as I know, the person that endorsed you never knows that you decided not to display their endorsement.

For example, you may have ten endorsements for Project Management, but two are from people that have

never been involved in or witnessed a project managed by you. If you un-tick their endorsements then your count simply goes down by two.

You don’t have to keep the order that LinkedIn defaults to either. If you want some skill emphasised and it is currently at the bottom of the list, then under “Add and Remove” you can drag the skills to whatever order you want.

That’s how to manage them.

Now we just need to restore faith in them by stopping the nonsense ones, and that’s much harder. •

 nz.linkedin.com/in/murrayclode You can connect with Murray on Linkedin

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QUESTIONOFTHEMONTH

With so Many of our Buyers Originating in Non-Kiwi Cultures Now, How Can Salespeople Navigate the Cultural Expectations & Win? Words by Ross Wilson

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aving lived in five countries myself, and engaged deeply in business in over 40 countries, I can certainly relate to this challenge here in my home country. It can be tough to really understand what is being said, let alone what’s not being said, when trying to do business with someone who has different cultural values and communicates in ways that are unfamiliar, or even uncomfortable, for us.

In my experience, though, it is possible to learn to sell and lead effectively across the cultural divide. Referring to this skill as ‘Global Versatility’, Wilson Learning has a depth of knowledge in this area, shared in part in this white paper which says, 026 | www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

“In our current global environment, effective cross-cultural work relationships are critical.

Global work teams have become commonplace, and while language and cultural differences create their own barrier, a potentially greater barrier is differing expectations about interpersonal communication.

At a time when world tensions are high, every individual, organisation, and country would be well served to seek out any mechanism possible that will ease tensions and create effective communications.

“Global Versatility is not a trait or value of a country. Rather, it is a learnable skill. We have found that if people follow a simple process they can improve their interactions globally, create a more comfortable work environment, and as a result, conduct business and social interactions more effectively and more productively. The first step in becoming more Globally Versatile is recognizing that it requires a mind-set shift and a skill set shift.

Global Versatility starts with the desire to make people from other cultures and countries more comfortable in their interactions with you, and a new awareness that what makes you comfortable in interactions may make others uncomfortable. Following the mind-set shift comes the skill-set shift.” •

Global Versatility starts with the desire to make people from other cultures and countries more comfortable in their interactions with you, and a new awareness that what makes you comfortable in interactions may make others uncomfortable.

Following the mindset shift comes the skill-set shift.

 www.growingorganisations.com/offers

Ross Wilson helps organisations improve business and human performance.

Read more in the full report here: For your free initial consultation to discuss how you can build Global Versatility in your organisation send your contact details to info@growingorganisations.com with ‘Global Versatility’ in the subject line.

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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TWOMINUTETOPUP

The Key to Successful Telephone Introductions

Words by Paul Newsom

I

received a call this week from an enthusiastic sales person. Have a think about what is going on for you when the I’m all for enthusiasm for our work. However, on this occasion the result of the enthusiasm worked against him. phone rings and someone is calling you.

The opening words of his introduction were confident and obviously well practiced, and didn’t sound scripted. It was said with genuine intent. What went wrong for this sales person, and me as the recipient of the call, was that I couldn’t keep up. Now I like to think my mind is pretty sharp, but the sales person said the first few words of their introduction far too quickly. I had no idea of the name of the caller or their company.

This rushed introduction usually happens when we are confident, enthusiastic, and know exactly what we are going to say.

028 |

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You probably stop what you are doing, and certainly stop what you were thinking about. In doing so, you check out of whatever you were doing and check into answering the phone. On many occasions, as we know, the former overlaps the latter considerably.

WHEN ANSWERING THE PHONE, AND RECOGNISING THAT THIS IS NOT SOMEONE WE KNOW, SEVERAL THINGS ARE TYPICALLY GOING THROUGH OUR MIND: • Who is this person?

• Which company or organisation are they calling from?

• What do they want?

• Do they sound like a sales person, and if so, what are they trying to sell me?

• Are they credible?

• How is it relevant to me?

• Do I want to give this any of my time?

This resistance makes it that much harder for the sales person to establish their credibility – while they back-track and have to repeat their name in those first few critical moments.

So when making calls – particularly those first-time calls where the person does not already have the answers to the above questions – it is imperative that your first few words are spoken slowly, clearly and at a pace where the person you are calling can process what is going through their mind, and so engage with you.

If the line is bad, it makes You are also tuning into the tone of the caller’s voice and their it a whole lot harder. If accent. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are forming our you are calling to a mobile first impressions of the caller. there is a greater chance of Now, the mind is an amazing machine, but if we are given the background noise and poor opening message too quickly while we are trying to answer all reception. The quality of of these questions, then we will already be going down a path of your opening becomes all resistance if our first responses have to be “Who are you?” and the more important for you to “Where are you calling from?”. establish credibility. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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When making calls...it is imperative that your first few words are spoken slowly, clearly and at a pace where the person you are calling can process what is going through their mind, and so engage with you.

A good way to do this is to say your first name twice in your opening.

• You make the call.

• John Smith picks up the phone, and says “Hello, this is John.”

• You say in a relaxed, well-paced manner “Hi John, this is Paul (one second pause) Paul Newsom (one second pause) of NZ Sales Manager.”

• Giving your Christian name twice gives John the moment that he needs to check out, and check in with you, and latch onto your name and company.

If your surname is long and hard to pronounce, then start the introduction with just your first name. If your company name is long, has no obvious meaning, or is hard to pronounce or spell, then figure out a shorter, more meaningful way of introducing the company.

This may seem a small thing, but you will find it makes a huge difference. No longer will you get the response “So, who are you? Where are you calling from?” •

 pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz

Paul Newsom is the editor of NZ Sales Manager. Contact him at pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz 030 |

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Home Owners or Renters Geographical location

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QUICKFIX

Let your Client Know if You are Running Late T

raffic, delays, taking the wrong turn, can’t find a car park, meetings going over time: there could be several reasons why you are running late.

You might think arriving a few minutes late for your next appointment will be OK with your prospect. They won’t mind.

However, you must respect your prospect’s time. If it is 10:50am and you are 20 minutes away from your 11:00am

032 | www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

appointment, then pull over and make a call, or send a text, or email. It will demonstrate to your prospect that you are thinking about their day and that you value and respect the time they will be giving you.•

RESOURCECORNER

The Innovative Sale: Unleash Your Creativity for Better Customer Solutions and Extraordinary Results

W

hen it comes to strategies, salespeople usually veer toward one of two extremes: operating analytically, or by the seat of their pants. In this ground-breaking book on sales creativity, readers will learn how to integrate the right-brain aptitude for innovation with the left-brain affinity for logic and process.

The result is a fresh, dynamic approach that addresses customer’s needs while expanding the salesperson’s entire way of thinking.

Packed with real-life examples and powerful principles, The Innovative Sale reveals how to: define the sales challenge; question assumptions and look for ways to reframe the problem; mine unrelated situations for fresh solutions; get comfortable with feeling lost as you explore new they’ll unleash their own directions; and break some rules and learn to “grow with the flow”. unique powers of intuition and innovation, and land The Innovative Sale draws on the work of pioneering more sales than ever geniuses in design, architecture and the arts to help before – in ways they never salespeople develop a predictable creative process. With imagined possible. • the tools and tips of this game-changing book in hand,

www.amazon.com

By Mark Donnolo - Kindle or hardcover www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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EVENTSCALENDAR

034 |

DATE

NAME

PLACE

COMPANY

29th August

The Career Guru

Auckland

Tom O’Neil

4th September

Intensive Sales Accelerator Programme

Auckland

The Marketing Company

11-12th September

Negotiating Skills

Auckland

NZIM

15-17th September

Sales Performer

Auckland

David Forman

15th September

Protect and grow your margins Auckland

David Forman

16th September

Sales Basics

Auckland

Geewiz

16th September

Cold calling and prospecting

Auckland

Top Achievers

17th September

Advanced Serious Selling

Auckland

Geewiz

24th-25th September

Turning Leadership Inside-Out Auckland for Sales Managers

Gill Chater

25th September

Sales Management

Auckland

Top Achievers

25-26th September

Persuasive selling boot camp

Auckland

The Marketing Company

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THECLOSE

“If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours” Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds

Taina Sohlman / Shutterstock.com

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