Sales Training

Jim Mikula

Sujets

• Meetings
• Business Communication
• Presentations
• Marketing et communication
• Economics
• Business

Informations

• Publié par: Association for Talent Development
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2004
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781607284697
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2004 by the American Society for Training & Development.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please go to www.copyright.com , or contact Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 (telephone: [phone], fax: [phone].)
ASTD Press is an internationally renowned source of insightful and practical information on workplace learning and performance topics, including training basics, evaluation and return-on-investment (ROI), instructional systems development (ISD), e-learning, leadership, and career development.
Ordering information for the print edition: Books published by ASTD Press can be purchased by visiting our website at store.astd.org or by calling 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100. Terms of Use for accompanying website material with ASTD Press Titles: As the purchaser, you can modify or otherwise customize the slides and other materials in the purchased book by opening and editing them in the appropriate application. However, all uses must denote the original source of the material—presenting this content as your own work is a breach of copyright law. You may indicate that a document was adapted from the purchased book and copyrighted by ASTD. The proper form for this identification is: “Adapted from materials found in Sales Training published by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), 2004. All rights reserved.”
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number (print edition only): 2004109351
Print edition ISBN: 978-1-56286-369-2 PDF e-book edition ISBN: 978-1-60728-469-7
2004-1
Acquisitions and Development Editor: Mark Morrow Copyeditor: Christine Cotting, UpperCase Publication Services, Ltd. Interior Design and Production: UpperCase Publication Services, Ltd. Cover Design: Ana Ilieva Cover Illustration: Todd Davidson
C o n t e n t s



Preface
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK EFFECTIVELY
Thinking, Communicating, and Networking
How This Book Was Developed
The Context and Content of Training
How This Book Is Set Up
Basic Tips on Presenting a Class
How to Use This Book
Icons
What’s on the Website?
What to Do Next
Chapter 2 GAP ANALYSIS AND TRAINING SALESPEOPLE
What Is Learning?
Who Should Be Trained?
Sales Gap Analysis
Tips for Training Salespeople
What to Do Next
Chapter 3 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EFFECTIVE SALES PERSONNEL
Key Points to Effective Selling
Website Resources
Selling Today Module
Effective Selling Module
Sales Cycles Module
Basic Knowledge Module
What to Do Next
Chapter 4 THINKING: SALES MIND FOCUS MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 5 THINKING: MANAGING TASKS AND RELATIONSHIPS MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 6 THINKING: CONDITIONS OF SATISFACTION MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 7 PLANNING AND ORGANIZING MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 8 EFFECTIVE LISTENING MODULES
Artful Listening Module
Inquiry Module
What to Do Next
Chapter 9 COMMUNICATING: A BASIC FORMULA MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 10 COMMUNICATING: PRESENTATIONS MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 11 COMMUNICATING: FEATURES, BENEFITS, AND PROOF MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 12 COMMUNICATING: COMPELLING OFFERS MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Chapter 13 NETWORKING MODULE
Training Objective
Key Points in This Module
Materials
Website Resources
Sample Agenda
What to Do Next
Appendix A TRAINING PROGRAM EXAMPLES
Appendix B PROGRAM EVALUATION FORM
Appendix C USING THE WEBSITE
Contents of the Website
Computer Requirements
Printing From the Website
Adapting the PowerPoint Slides
Showing the PowerPoint Presentations
For Further Reading
About the Author
P r e f a c e

As I started writing this book, I tried to remember my very first sale. It seems as if I have been selling my entire life. Was it the raffle ticket sales in Cub Scouts or helping my grandfather at the horse auction? Growing up, I worked on our horse ranch with my grandfather. We always were busy finding buyers, “haggling” (as the horse swappers called it), talking about the benefits of the horses, and finally coming to agreements. It all was part of business, similar to keeping the books and making sure the horses stayed in prime condition. Selling was not a profession—it was the way business survived. Those down-to-earth business experiences formed my view of selling, and I am thankful—it’s a simple philosophy that has served me well.
When I started my career, I ended up in sales, not because of any grand scheme or desire to be a top salesperson—I wanted to see the world. During my trainee rotation in the sales department of the first hotel I worked in, I learned that the sales people traveled often. At the end of my trainee program, I asked to be in sales. I was profoundly surprised to find that selling was not as easy as I thought. And the pressure from clients and bosses, WOW! For every victory, there were many more rejections and there always was another dead file to make a call on or the ever-present prospecting list.
Just nine months out of college, I was slogging away in sales at Hyatt Hotels with little training or support when I crossed paths with Joe Kordsmeier, who was Senior vice president of sales and marketing at the time. Joe took an interest in my career and became a wonderful mentor. He taught me about communicating and networking, and he shared many important insights with me. It didn’t take too long to realize that there was no pixie dust from Joe; it was common sense: be polite, keep your promises, don’t be a doormat, and understand the difference between activity and productivity. I was amazed at the relationships he developed and his proverbial Rolodex. Joe was the first sales professional I had met, and what great fortune to have him as my mentor!
Later in my career, another mentor arrived. David Neenan is the CEO of a construction company (and what CEO is not a salesperson these days?). When I met David, I was leading sales teams and training salespeople and managers. From David I learned about disciplined thinking and the art of inquiry. He showed me how to uncover conditions of satisfaction and the concerns that drive people’s decision—how to exercise impeccable listening. I have learned that this is much more meaningful than overcoming objections, which is much like having a tennis match with a customer. These skills in disciplined thinking and inquiry lead to a collaborative process with clients that results in satisfied customers and sustainable relationships.
What I have learned from haggling for horses to selling luxury services is simple. There are three skills that salespeople always use: thinking, communicating, and networking. This book is intended to help you get new salespeople up to speed and productive quickly and help you provide experienced salespeople with opportunities to sharpen their skills. This book will give you an effective response to the age-old declaration, “Our salespeople need training!”
In addition to Joe and David, I would like to acknowledge the man who started me on the path that led me to this book, Claude Rand. After World War II Claude helped open up TWA offices in Europe and Asia. During his career he visited more than 130 countries. Alzheimer’s disease has trapped his wonderful memories of far-away lands and people, but this book truly is his legacy. Many of the discoveries I share in this book were made because of Claude, and I will be eternally grateful for them.
Special thanks goes to Todd Lapidus and Ruth Ann Hattori of Customer Contact Corporation, or C3 as we call the firm. Todd’s patience with my multiple meanderings about what the book should really focus on and his gentle coaching were tremendous help. Ruth Ann took on the incredible task of making sure I was making sense. Her many hours of reviewing manuscripts and asking, “Are you sure you really want to say this?” have made this book much better than I ever could do on my own! Thanks, Todd and Ruth Ann; your support is wonderfully appreciated.
Finally, I would like to dedicate this book to my grandsons, Logan and Kyle, and my granddaughter Andreya Pimley! They are the essence of energy, persistence, and charisma—quite a formula for future success!
Jim Mikula August 2004
C h a p t e r 1

Introduction: How to Use This Book Effectively
What’s in This Chapter? A look at the three key elements of selling: thinking, communicating, and networking An explanation of how this book was developed Basic tips on presenting a sales training class A peek at what’s included on the accompanying website
Thinking, Communicating, and Networking
The essence of selling is thinking, communicating, and networking. Every customer is different, so a salesperson always is thinking about what action to take next. As soon as