Phoenix Training

New Year Sales Tips – Bill Osmond

January 14th, 2010
Golf, a dexterity sport.
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Going into a new year, it is always a good idea to address the techniques you are using to hit your sales targets.  Many sales people return from the Christmas break full of good intentions but after a few days, momentum is lost and they fall into the same old routine.  Now is the time to assess your existing tactics, be honest and make changes! The following tips are designed to help you rethink your approach and make solid changes and not try to do too much too soon.  At this time of year people try to lose weight, the sensible ones will take it steadily and gradually lose weight , the foolish will try to lose two stone a week and get fed up when it doesn’t happen.

Tip number one: always be prepared to adapt your approach to suit the client and the selling environment.  A sales person must be flexible.  When selling you must try to match not only the client’s needs but also their buying style and manner.

The second tip is “remember sales structure and technique”.  After the first tip this might sound a little bit of a contradiction.  Sales people worry that by using a solid structure they might become robotic in their selling style.  Actually a solid sales structure enables a sales person to be more flexible.  In sport, top performers all have fantastic technique, they have a core of solid skills that enable them to adapt and flex, when necessary.  Golf is a good example of this.  Golfers have all manner of different scenarios to battle with; it is the top technicians that can play effectively out of bunkers, water, trees!  As a sales person’s experience grows they tend to drop their structure and technique and this leads to problems, normally in the form of objections.

The third tip for the New Year is; through questioning, find needs not information.  Information does not help a sales person as much as needs.  Too many sales people question a potential client but do not create or establish needs.  This means that there is no urgency created and the potential client only sees what is being sold as an option not a necessity.  Be brave, focus on problems and needs.

Tip four; after questioning the client, gain agreement that you have indeed not only created but understood their needs.  This agreement is vital because the buyer is accepting that that they have a need that needs a solution.  Too often a sales person will assume what the client needs and sell against that assumption.  Assumptions are created by a sales person thinking that this client will be like the last one they spoke to.  Tip four (b) treat all clients as individuals.

Tip five: use what you find.  Once needs have been created and agreed, sell against them.  Too often sales people present a lot of information about their products or services but do not relate it to the client’s needs.  Always explain how the product will help the client.

Tip six: Revise or update your product knowledge. I am always staggered by how little even experienced sales people seem to know about their products or services.  Test yourself, think of as many features of your product or service that you can.  I think that you should be able to come up with at least fifty.  Too often sales people use only a handful of features and this makes it hard to create a tailored presentation that matches exactly the needs of the client.  If it is too general it will probably only match some of the clients needs and this will lead to objections.

Tip seven: set yourself activity targets.  Financial targets tell you how much revenue you need to bring in, activity targets tell you how to get there.  Activity targets could be number of calls to make in a day, how many meetings to attend in a month, how many new clients need to contacted in a month.  I would be confident that if a sales person was hitting their “activity targets” they would almost certainly hit their financial targets.

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Team Building Day – Yapp Brothers – by Marina Wirkner

January 11th, 2010

I recently had the honour of co-facilitating a Team Building Day with Yapp Brothers Wine Merchants.  Being part of the Sales team here at Phoenix, it was a fantastic opportunity for me to see up close exactly how this type of event is successfully conducted.

yappThe focus of the day was about working more effectively together and increasing trust and communication throughout the team. Following a consultation with two members of the Executive team, an event was designed that would highlight the business challenges that were currently being faced and the positive impact that effective teamwork, communication and collaboration would have on both the results and the engagement and motivation of the whole team

I had heard a lot about team building days previously and I always wondered what they were about and what participants actually learn on a day like this. Even more importantly, I had questioned how what happened on a team building day would link back to the everyday working environment. I have to say though that the whole event really opened my eyes; it was delivered in a really unique style, incorporating high levels of creativity, interaction and challenge!

One of the things that I noticed was that initially the participants were a bit reluctant to put all their trust in each other believingScoop that they were in competition, although that was never in the brief they received. Once they realised that by working together they could achieve more, they began to share information and resources with amazing results.

Through effective communication, collaboration, teamwork and trust, everyone worked more efficiently and tasks were finished far quicker. The difference in the levels of individual and collective motivation, commitment to the task and quality of the results was astounding.

As we started the review of the activity, one of things that I found most interesting was that it was the participants, rather than waiting for the facilitator to do it, that recognised and highlighted many of the things that I have mentioned. Talking openly about what had happened during the activity and the impact that it had on them, they also started to relate many of the examples to work specific situations. Finally, and without much prompting, they also began to plan how they needed to take the ‘learns’ from the activity and apply them back at work to achieve a truly collaborative result.

pyramidHaving observed the event and spoken with the members of the Executive team, it is apparent that the Team Building day is simply the first step towards the embedding of a new set of team behaviours that will improve results even further. The Executive team were quick to recognise that to embed and sustain the change, will require their time and continued focus to make the new behaviours habitual.

Yapp Brothers have begun this process and are already beginning to establish their ground rules. It is these behavioural ground rules that will underpin the vision, values and performance of the company going forward.  Phoenix has and will continue to support this process. Three months later it is clear to everyone that the day was not simply fun but more importantly it has created a real difference in their work environment with the participants consistently still demonstrating the collaborative team behaviours and seeing a tangible difference in motivation and results .

Stick GameOne of the conclusions that I drew from attending the event is that a day out of the office rather than just being fun needs to give people a chance to stop for a moment, step back from their day to day tasks and spend a bit of time re-evaluating their strengths & development areas.  People need to be given the opportunity to ask themselves – what works for me currently or what am I good at? What is more challenging or more difficult?  How can I begin to work or build upon and address these areas? And finally what help, direction or support do I need for others around me?  From a team perspective, a day like this offers the chance for people to get to know each other again even often after working together for years. It can be a real eye opener for people to become more aware of and appreciate others’ strengths. They can then truly start to recognise and implement  their strengths to achieve the maximum individual, collective and business potential.

It was a brilliant day and I’m really looking forward to getting involved in another event soon!Thriller dance 1Thriller dance

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January Blog – Martin le Comte

January 6th, 2010
No Resolutions 2010
Image by katerha via Flickr

Well another year has passed and it’s time for a new set of New Year resolutions that you won’t stick to past the end of the first week.

I’ve heard this comment many times over the last couple of days and have been guilty of saying it to others as well.

Statements like that seem a bit negative really, why won’t your friend be able to abstain from drinking, why won’t you be able to lose that couple (in your dreams, more like a stone) of pounds that you have gained over the last six months and why won’t you be able to look after yourself more and get fitter? The answer to all of these questions is, of course, you can if you really want it enough.

There a couple of things that I really want to achieve over the next six months or so, I know I can do it but I don’t want to tempt fate by telling everyone what they are just yet… I have decided to be one of the people who actually wants to achieve something first before I tell everyone what it is I am trying to achieve. I have made the mistake too many times before of telling people what I am going to do only to end up with egg on my face.   Having said that I don’t have the best track record with resolutions, maybe that is because I kept telling everybody what my resolutions were and they kept telling me that I wouldn’t stick at it past the first week. Isn’t it funny how if you keep telling someone something, eventually they will believe it!

I suppose what I’m really talking about here is setting myself a couple of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound (SMART) goals.

Someone once told me that ‘the difference between lots of activity and lots of productivity is a good process’.

SMART is a good process and like many of the leadership and management tools and processes, the most work comes up front. I find that coming up with a really Specific goal is actually pretty hard.

In order to make SMART work there are some things that need to be considered:

Specific – “What is happening or where are you currently?” “What exactly do you want or need to achieve and why is it important to you?” and “What difference will achieving it make?”

Once you have identified the goal you want to work on, using the remainder of the SMART model will really help to support you in making it happen and keep the negativity at bay. There are a couple of quick and simple ideas for each of these:

Measurable - Make sure that your goal is tangible; can you see, feel and quantify the difference?

Achievable - Do you have the resources that you need to make this happen? E.g. learning to drive, do you have access to a car to practise in?

Realistic – In the ‘real’ world opposed to  the ‘happy clappy’ training world is this a practical goal?  My advice would be to have lots of small check points along the way as opposed to one massive goal. Taking this approach has a dual purpose. 1. It is easier to measure small steps and every time you reach one of the milestones you have achieved something. 2. You will keep both the internal and the external negativity at bay.

Time Bound – So when are you going to start and when will you need to achieve your goal by?

Ok, got all of that?  Now, all we need to do is start doing it rather than just talking about it.  One of the things that I really want to achieve this year is….

See, already I nearly gave the game away and told you about my resolutions before I had even started.

I’m off now to rewrite some of my resolutions.

Good luck to you all, I promise to tell you later about mine if you tell me about yours.

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Ongoing Sales Technique Development – Bill Osmond

December 17th, 2009

To improve their skills, sales people often attend training courses. As someone who runs a training company this is something to be applauded and encouraged.  In my ideal world sales people would feel the need to attend a training session of some sort every week.  However, financial constraints often put a limit on how many courses a sales person can attend and so sales people end up attending workshops every so often at best, unless their employers are totally committed to a training culture and invest huge amounts of money and time to develop their team.

So given that the average sales person is only likely to attend one or two courses per year, what else can the sales person do to develop their skills?  Training often provides momentum, and sales people often return from a course full of enthusiasm and new ideas.  They are keen to put into practice what they have learnt and try to use new ideas.  In short, the course has done its job.  No one or two day course will change behaviours completely but it can start the process.

At the start of most years, many people join gyms and head off to their first workout with great gusto and enthusiasm; they meet an inspirational instructor who talks them through what they need to do in order to get fit.  After the first session they leave, excited and ready to become a fit, healthy, powerful, Adonis!  What happens next? gym-pic-2Most people struggle to put into action what the instructor suggested.  They slip back into bad habits.

As do sales people.  After leaving the course, the temptation to return to what they used to do is strong.  To use what they have learnt, they must adopt a strong mentality.  Same as the gym goer, if the lifestyle around the gym sessions does not change the progress will be slower.  I know that people say that going to the gym means that they can drink as much as they like and eat loads of cream cakes, but that seems to be a “treading water” tactic rather than a progressive tactic.

So my advice for you as a sales person is: go on a sales course, learn some new ideas and techniques, come back raring to go!  Then think about how you will adopt the new ideas and stick to them.  Try to break habits.  Sales people often return to tried and tested methods more through habit than anything else.  People do things in a certain way because they have always done them that way.  A sales person should always evaluate what they are doing.  At the end of each week, write a list of what worked, what didn’t and what you could change.  Try wearing your watch on the opposite wrist to what you are used to, see how it feels.  After a week or so it will feel more comfortable and after a month or so, you will wonder why you ever wore it on the other wrist.  This will remind to try to use something new.  Try a new route to work… basically, try anything that breaks the routine, this will help you to adopt new techniques and give you the mentality to stick to them.

At the end of the month or the quarter, evaluate again.  Ask yourself, honestly, how are you doing?  What did I do this month that was better than last month, different to last month, worse than last month and therefore what can I change for next month?  To get fit, you could go to the gym or run round the park but to get really fit and make permanent changes to your health, your lifestyle will have to change as well.  I know it’s not quite the same thing but you can see the connection, I hope.  Sales people must adapt their approach to make real sustainable changes to their performance.  Constant evaluation, habit changing tactics and the setting of personal objectives are three things that could be done to make ongoing changes.  Einstein’s definition of insanity crops up on many training courses, sometimes not always relevant but I think to most sales people it is applicable:  “when a person does the same thing over  and over and expects to get a different result”.

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We laugh, but have we done it!

December 8th, 2009
Laughing Donkey
Image by jaxxon via Flickr

Whilst running training courses, it is always nice to have a series of anecdotes or stories to highlight key learning points.  For all the models and structures that surround a subject like sales, I often find an actual example of what a sales person has done, works really well.  It is by showing and highlighting what not to do that sales people start to see how techniques and skills can really help them.  Fortunately, sales people in all sorts of environments provide me with an endless stream of examples of “what not to do”.

Possibly one reason as to why these mistakes and errors creep in could be pressure.  As pressure grows on sales people, techniques get pushed aside and sales people start to use what I term “street sales” techniques.  These revolve around getting a sale as quickly as possible. The results can be catastrophic not only for short term business but for long term as well.  However much pressure a sales person feels that they under, they should always use solid techniques to achieve a sale.

It is not just pressure that leads to poor sales technique; over confidence can lead to some terrible mistakes.  Experienced sales people often get into routines and do not change their approach, “because it worked once”.  Poor training is a major factor as to why sales people start using random tactics.  If you are not pointed in the right direction how do you know what to use?

So what do sales people do, that in a training room one can laugh and say knowingly “I would never do that”.  All of these are true and some more disastrous than others but the common denominator being that each sales person had no idea of what they were doing in terms of damage!

  • A sales person once phoned me and asked to speak to Mr. Osborne, I politely told them it was Mr. Osmond, he said Osbourne, I said again, no Osmond, O.S.M.O.N.D, to which he replied, “yea, whatever”. That was an obvious example of someone thinking I just want to sell to you, so his brain is moving quickly to where he wants to be. Unfortunately he has let the cat out of the bag and verbalised that feeling. Lesson: get the customers name right and take your time. He now has no chance of ever selling anything to me.
  • I walked into a car showroom and told the guy I needed a bigger car because we had twins and needed more space. To cut a long story short, he showed me a Ford Galaxy and sat me in the front seat. He then proudly demonstrated the front and back parking sensors, returning to me, pronouncing that parking sensors are now standard on Galaxy’s. As a sales trainer, I felt like saying to him, “what in my conversation has led to think that I need help with my parking?” Lesson: don’t tell someone what you think is good about your product. Tell me what will help me. All I needed to know was whether my double buggy would fit in the car.
  • I was buying a digital camera for my office recently and asked the assistant for a camera that was light weight and easy to use. He got me a camera off the shelf, which fitted the bill perfectly. As I was just about to say that all seemed fine and could I buy it, he told that “the other excellent thing about this camera was that it had sepia mode and sports mode”. Now I was starting to think that I was about to pay for things that I simply did not need. Lesson: do not over sell, tell the customer only features that can be of benefit to them.
  • When I walked in a clothes shop, with two of my children, I was somewhat surprised by an assistant who greeted me with the phrase “Alright big fella” Quite an extreme example, but over-familiarity with a customer does not sell. I wanted to know where the jeans were. He thinks he’s getting on well with me. Lesson: earn the right to be familiar, by being solid and professional, you can develop a business relationship before you are their best mate.

Some are more extreme than others but these examples show how easy it is for sales people to slip into bad habits, thinking they are increasing the likelihood of making a sale.  Beware!

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On-boarding – lessons from a new hire!

December 7th, 2009

By Lawrence White – [New] Senior Learning Consultant at Phoenix Training and Development

lawrence-white-imageWell, my last few weeks have felt like a real rollercoaster ride.  Eight weeks ago I was happily leading a successful team of sales managers, delivering financial solutions to the mass affluent market in Yorkshire.  Today, I’m sat in my new London office with my new colleagues enjoying excitement and challenge in equal measure and looking forward to a new chapter in my life, returning to a dedicated role in people development.  When asked if I’d like to contribute something to the blog my thoughts went back to a previous role – that of Induction Delivery Manager looking after the needs of around 3000 new hires for a large corporate. In particular my thoughts turn to two key areas.

Firstly, close attention to the emotional journey any new-hire is likely to go through is crucial to their success.  The on-boarding process needs to recognise that journey and help the new-hire celebrate and retain the emotional and motivational ‘highs’.  It also needs to anticipate and recognise the potential lows and help the new-hire deal with the associated emotional impact.  Having now been both recruiter and ‘recruited’ the experiences have, once again, put the different perspectives into sharp focus.  One thing is undoubted, both the hiring manager and the new starter have a common interest at the outset – success.  The question is what does ’success’ look like for both and are they similar?

The challenge this throws squarely in front of the hiring manager – ‘how do you have a generic on-boarding process that caters for the needs of individuals?’.  It boils down to one thing – know your people.  Not just your new-hire but those people you already have that are likely to be the key influencers in the individual’s early development.  Checking in regularly with you new-hire is crucial.  You need to pulse check motivation.  As managers we often correlate motivation with productivity.  What’s missed is the link – development.  In order to be more productive I need to develop.  A strong belief I have brought with me to Phoenix is that, in order to develop, individuals have to have to want to learn.  For new hires or ‘old hands’ or indeed anywhere in between, the effective manager will know how to motivate the individual.

This brings me to the second part of successful on-boarding of the ‘new-hire’.  That of being aligned with the company vision, goals and values.  I spent my first day in the training room with Bill (MD and trainer) observing Phoenix’s Essential Management open course here in London.  It re-affirmed the pre-hire belief that my own values and beliefs were aligned with that of my new employer.  Imagine if they weren’t!  And it’s not just being ‘told’ the company values – as a new hire it’s vital to see those values coming through in the behaviour of leaders, managers, peers and teams.  Again this confers a responsibility on the manager to explore the individual’s values and ensuring that those of the company are communicated in a way that demonstrates that ‘you’ve made the right choice’.

Having had my confirmations that I’ve made the right choice I’m now on the lookout for lots of work – ah, the power of motivation!

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Full-Time Trainers – Adding Value Where it Counts Most – Tim Holmes

December 1st, 2009

lawrence-white-imageIt’s been an exciting 12 months for Phoenix, culminating this month with the arrival of Lawrence White, our brand new permanent Senior Learning Consultant, who has come to us fresh from HSBC.

Lawrence was a high-flier at HSBC, filling a multitude of roles during an illustrious career with them, including 8 years within the bank’s Learning & Development Team.  He was also part of the HSBC ‘Talent Pool’, designated as one of the top 5% of managers in the business.

A proven leader, coach, and sales professional, he brings a great deal to our team, including TAP, MBTI, & Prism Profiling accreditation, not to mention a huge store of practical experience designing and delivering.

tim-holmes-profile-picBut it’s what Lawrence brings as a permanent member of the Phoenix team that I wanted to briefly reflect on in this post, as it is his full-time status that, from a client perspective, we believe will add the most significant value over time.

Until the 1st November 2008, Phoenix operated with a familiar model in the training industry: aside from our MD, Bill Osmond, every one of our trainers was an Associate, i.e. they were freelancers with particular subject or industry specialisms, who we called on to fulfil work under our banner, as and when required.  This arrangement is ideal for a small training provider, as it enables you to punch far above your weight, bringing in delivery resource according to sales – and in truth the rationale is generally a financial one: why pay a salary for someone who might not be needed all the time?  Instead, bring people in when you need them and pay them a daily rate; and when you don’t have work, there is no overhead.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting down freelancers: many of Phoenix’s Associate Consultants have been working with us for more than a decade, and will continue to do so.  Moreover, these long-term collaborators have successfully aligned themselves very closely with what we call The Phoenix Way – our methods and philosophies of training, and our focus on the practical transfer of learning.  I salute the fantastic job they do as designers and deliverers.  Thank you guys!

However, even the most dedicated freelancer has to take off their ‘Phoenix hat’ at some point, and turn their attentions to their other non-Phoenix projects – and it was a realisation that as a company we wanted to consistently uphold The Phoenix Way, and give maximum attention to the pre-course and post-course elements of the learning cycle, that led us to a turning-point decision: to build a full-time team of Phoenix Trainers.

Thus in November 2008 we started with our first talent acquisition, Phoenix’s Head of Learning Martin le Comte.  Martin joined from Barclays Asset & Sales Finance, and had been runner-up in the Training Journal 2007 Training Professional of the Year Awards. Martin is an absolutely inspirational figure to everyone he works with: he has an infectious charisma and ability to carry participants with him on even the most difficult development journeys, and in a very short time he was proving the absolute wisdom of the full-time trainer model.  Client after client has fed back how much they appreciate his passion and commitment, and prove it by rebooking with us again and again.

Specifically what makes the difference with a full-time trainer is their ability to extend our engagement with clients without having to charge them on a measured time basis – it lets us truly operate with Covey’s Abundance Mentality.  For example:

  • You want to meet us to discuss possible content?  That’s no problem.
  • You’ve decided to use Phoenix, but feel that the participant buy-in would be enhanced if delegates had a chance to meet their trainer in advance of the course? No problem.
  • You want to debrief the training with all stakeholders round the table?  It’s all part of the service.
  • We’ve delivered a successful programme for managers, but they would benefit from a bit of impartial advice on dealing with specific issues from time to time?  No problem, our full-time trainers make sure everyone they train has their mobile number, and it’s not a problem to call or email at any time.  Genuinely.  Many of our participants use Martin or Bill or now Lawrence as informal coaches or mentors, long after the formal training events they may have attended.

In these and many other ways, having full-time trainers means that we can add value at every stage of the learning cycle, and it enables us to move training away from its traditional, transactional footing (you pay your money, the trainer delivers a course for a day), into a properly ongoing process of development in which we partner with clients.  They can then use us as and when they need us, in a variety of ways and on deeper and deeper levels, so as to help drive real change in their people, and ultimately their organisations.

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It’s all in the questioning! – Bill Osmond

November 27th, 2009
Questions

Image by via Flickr

One of the most important phases or sections of any sales structure is that of “questioning”.  Some structures refer to it as “probing”.  Whether it is probing or questioning, much time is spent on it and many sales people are aware of its importance but it still remains, without doubt, the area that I find most sales people get wrong.

When I mention questioning on a sales course with reasonably experienced sales people attending, they all nod and say how important it is and how they should listen and normally quote a cliché about having two ears and one mouth etc etc.  However, as soon as the role plays or practical exercises start, they seem unable to use questions to help them in any way, shape or form.  My view is that sales people misunderstand what they are trying to achieve when questioning a client.  Actually I think the word “questioning” encourages behaviour that does not help.  If you question a client it starts to move towards interrogation and this is not what the client wants.  Or the sales person asks the client questions that they already know the answer to and this does not move the client any nearer to seeking a solution.

The sales person must think what their objective is when they are in this phase of the sales process.  Once you have introduced yourself, the sales person needs to enter a conversation with the client so that by the end of it, they know exactly what their needs are and more importantly the client recognises that they have a need or a problem that needs solving.  Without questioning, not only does the sales person have no idea what the client really wants but also the client does not recognise the level of need that they have.  The main role of the sales person is to establish and grow needs within the client.  Good questioning helps the client to start thinking about what they might be able to achieve if they altered their buying process.

My advice is to listen to the client’s situation, analyse their problems and focus on what happens if those problems continue and then you will find yourself in a position where you can solve those problems.  It is much better to be seen as a problem solver than a sales person.  It is therefore vital that a sales person understands precisely the needs and problems of the client they are selling to as this enables them to match their product exactly to those needs.  If the client does not recognise that they have a need they will not buy anything.  Instead of going into a client meeting thinking about questioning them, think about having a conversation with them. By the end of it you will have a good understanding of their position, needs, problems and objectives and through a summary of those needs they will have agreed with you that that is the case, which gives the sales person something to sell against.

The key skill with questioning is patience.  Sales people are often over keen to sell which means they don’t listen and therefore do not correctly diagnose the needs of the client.  They move too quickly to an area where they can present their solutions.  When asking a question, listen to the answer and try to ask at least three questions based on the answer.  This will help you to understand the real needs or problems that the client has and not simply the “general” need.  It is all about detail!  Once you think you know what the needs of the client are, check you’ve got them right by asking the client.  “So you are looking for something that will…….?”  It is useful to use the word “something” to keep your options open.  The most important thing at this stage is to gain agreement that the client needs something to help them.  Your presentation will convince them that it is your product/service that will solve their problems.  You don’t have to mention your products when questioning the client, the focus is on them.

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Attitude & Approach – Bill Osmond

November 26th, 2009

Selling during a recession presents, without doubt, a serious challenge to most sales people.  The market is suppressed, money is tight, the media are talking everything down, customers and clients are cautious, all reflecting the reality of the situation.  Sales people cannot fail but to pick up on this negativity.  The problem for them is that still have to sell their products and services and as the pressure to sell grows, the pressure on the sales person’s technique starts to tell!

Sales managers spend a lot of time reminding their sales teams how far off the target they are, they tell them that they need to sell more!  Do they imagine that the salesperson is not one hundred per cent aware of the situation. Almost every sales person knows how far they are from their target. They are desperate to hit their targets, not only for the financial gain in terms of bonus and compensation but also for the recognition they receive both from colleagues and friends and even family.  Hitting targets is what it is all about, a sales person status depends on it.  A sales person’s motivation is more often than not success, it is not as simple as money, money is a bi-product, success leads inevitably to success because the sales person’s mind expects success.  During a recession a sales person’s mind tends to expect failure.

Approach and attitude are vital for a sales person’s success at the moment.  Sales people are often expected to be “self motivated” and when things are going well this is less of a problem.  Many of the conditions needed to maintain motivation are in place; success for one, recognition, praise, progress, engagement with clients are all of the aspects of the job that make it fun, interesting and challenging.  Challenging but not impossible.  During a recession sales are fewer and farther apart, targets are going up, the distance between success and where I am at the moment is growing.  The sales person thinks “I will never make this month’s target”.  So many of those positive conditions are replaced with negatives.

This is where the managers have to help the sales teams.  Helping them to focus on obtainable targets.  Targets such as “contact ten customers you haven’t spoken to ever/in the last two months etc”.  I have been telling sales managers to change the focus; “tell your team not to sell anything this morning”, this seemingly strange piece of advice has a purpose.  By getting your team not to sell but to find out something new about their clients, it will focus them on questioning and investigative techniques that will inevitably lead to a sale.  The point is that the focus is on strong technique and it changes the attitude and approach of the sales person.  If the sales manager puts pressure on the sales person to sell, it will change the focus to the closing aspect of the process.  In the modern environment, clients are too sophisticated to be swayed by hard selling.

Strong consultative selling will develop relationships and result in positive results.  Sales people will be encouraged by the results they see, the progress they make and this will maintain a positive, proactive approach which is precisely what is needed at the moment for many sales people.  Tightening up on structure and maintaining a positive approach will ultimately hit targets, panic and pressure will not.  This is difficult for sales managers – I know they themselves are under huge pressure to achieve results – but I think it is essential that they maintain focus on how they will achieve those results.  The argument between quality and quantity rages during times like this but putting pressure on making more calls will lead to a drop in quality.  Sales managers must maintain the balance between the two.  They must work hard to maintain the attitude and approach of the sales team, this is the vital factor whilst selling in a recession.

[Image from Wikipedia on licences: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 and GNU Free Documentation License ]

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Higher & Haya – A Customer Service Legacy – Oliver Osmond

November 25th, 2009

oman-pic-1Over the past 18 months, Phoenix have had the pleasure of delivering training in one of the least well known Gulf States, the Sultanate of Oman.   However, whilst it may not have the global status awarded its more famous neighbours – Dubai and Saudi Arabia – it more than holds its own in terms of culture, history and hospitality.

Our experience in Oman focuses on the training we have delivered for Haya Water – a government owned organisation – responsible for building and operating a world class wastewater system in the Governate of Muscat (the capital of Oman).  Having initially delivered some highly successful Presentation & Time Management Skills events, we were then asked to design and deliver a Customer Service programme for team members throughout their Commercial Department.  Crucially, the programme had to go way beyond the simple straightforward transfer of skills – it needed a permanent legacy!

To begin with, we designed a 3 tier accredited programme, with an exam at the end of each level.  The participants duly responded to this challenge and so far we have awarded 8 Distinctions and 16 Merits which really is a fantastic effort.

With the customer service skills of the team developing nicely, the next step was to provide Haya Water with something more sustainable and to achieve this we created a ‘Developing your People’ programme.  Also known as Level 4, the most outstanding participants from the Customer Service programme were joined by two colleagues from the Training Department and we set to work ensuring that they would soon be able to train, coach and develop their colleagues with little or no external assistance.

olly-oman1Delivered over six days, in two separate sessions, each participant has also been required to build their own portfolio, recording every time they have had the opportunity of putting their newly learnt skills into practice.  In addition, they all delivered a range of developmental team events and presentations which were observed by myself and one of our Senior consultant’s, Richard John.  I am delighted to say that the standard was extremely high indeed and the take up of skills was even better than we could have expected.

Haya Water are now well on their way to having a fantastic internal resource that will enable them to develop the customer service skills of individuals throughout the organisation without relying on external providers like us!  All in all it’s clear evidence of how by working in partnership with our clients, we can create sustainable solutions with long term benefits.

Client Testimonial

Customer service training is notoriously difficult to deliver effectively.  Working closely with Haya Water – a newly formed wastewater company, with a Customer Service department fully manned by Omanis with no previous experience of utility customers – Phoenix rose to the occasion brilliantly, not only understanding the local culture and developing a fan club from the Haya Water staff but also delivering a superb programme with very fast and effective results.  Success can be demonstrated by the fact that the recently qualified and highly enthusiastic staff set to and organised a series of workshops to deliver their newly acquired knowledge. They were able to hold their own against project engineers, consultants and contractors and persuade them how important that the right approach be used to ’surprise’ our customers with superb service.  Hats off to Phoenix.” – Omar Al Wahaibi, CEO

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