Do Project Managers Need Sales Training, Too?
(If you don’t have Project Managers in your firm–and instead, have Customer Service agents or Technicians, then substitute that title for PMs)
Well of course, you know the answer to that question before we start.
But I’d like to share some observations that may make it easier for you to train your PM’s in communication skills. It seems that companies are relying more and more on their PM’s to manage the client relationships and generate referrals so this topic might be relevant for your firm.
One chapter in Same Game New Rules is titled Process Makes Perfect, and it’s about how engineers and technical sellers make the best sales people. Mainly because they are in the right place to bring tons of value.
1. Need for Good Communication. In most projects, there are many tiny details that can spin out of control. Since the relationship is only as good as the project process, then it is necessary for PM’s to know how to communicate issues to clients. The PM must have a “relationship awareness” all the way through.
This includes: bringing up sensitive topics PRIOR to them becoming problems; knowing how and to whom to communicate these issues at the client; knowing how to keep the atmosphere open and honest so bad matters don’t get worse; and having a paper stream of promises so that there is nothing left to memory.
2. Having a Problem-Solving Attitude. I like to think of selling as problem-solving. And nowhere does that get stated like it does in project management. The PM is always solving problems and keeping things on course. It may be that they don’t want to be in front line sales (and they shouldn’t) but it doesn’t mean that they can’t have the same attitude that the top flight sales person has.
3. Referral Generation. Most times, the PM is the exact person who should be cultivating referrals. In most B2B businesses, referrals make up 60-80% of new business. It’s a bit of a stretch to think that a sales person who sold the deal, but does NOT have the relationship, can waltz in and get referrals. It should be the PM. So any training you do for that group, should have ‘how to generate referrals’ as part of the curriculum.
Fewer Sales People-More PMs
Many companies are hiring fewer new account sales people, and relying on their subject matter experts (the PMs) to do more of the value communication. I think it makes sense in certain industries. Just make sure you train those people on the principles of selling and good communication. They ARE trainable. Just don’t try to turn them into sales people.
Selling Skills For Money Raisers
Have been getting calls from Universities and other non profit organizations recently. Seems there is a pressing need to be more effective at raising money–given the economy and the loss of state of revenue on some fronts. And most of them are now using the “s” word in their language (“Selling”).
Here are a few things I addressed when I recently spoke to the Dean of a university Science Department who feels the economic pinch and knows fundraising/development is necessary today. In fact he’s so committed, he’s training his seven department heads in the skill. Pretty enlightened, huh?
(By the way, I’m going to use the word fundraising occasionally, even though you may refer to it as “development.” )
1. Most fundraisers aren’t very skilled at the art. Most have lists of people they sort through–then call–then ask–then move on. It’s not a very strategic process. And they go to symposiums with a lot of other people who do it the same way–and thus, no new ideas come out. So they all sound the same.
2. Most non-fundraisers–when asked to do so, are even worse. That’s not their competency. And then we put them in a place where they have to summon very different skills–then we’re disappointed when it doesn’t work. The silver lining is that these people are valuable. Find their ‘skin in the game’ (what juices them about the cause) and have them tell their story. Stop teaching them closing skills and start teaching them story telling skills.
3. The plan is the thing. One must have a plan that includes many components. What is the message you’re sending? How will you contact them? What, exactly and precisely, will you say when the prospect answers the phone? (It’s amazing how few have thought through this). How will you land the large deal? How do you use your current assets? (Students, faculty, alumni, friends, past donors).
4. Change the thinking. I worked with University of Illinois Technology/Licensing department years ago. One of the things I recall about that is their reluctance to see how much value they had in the ask. Their prospects actually WANTED to donate, but the U of I people felt they had to “sell”. I don’t buy that. The more you try to convince someone to give, the less likely they are to do so.
5. Work exhaustively on the message you communicate, including, why do most people give? What does it do for them? What value are you bringing to the world by doing what you do–and why should they be a part of that?
6. Don’t buy in to market ‘lack.’ We call it the Theory of Abundance in our training. It dictates that there is plenty of money in the market. If it’s not showing up in the quantity you want it to then you must look in the mirror and figure out what you’re doing to cause the stoppage. (One clue is if your pitch is all about you–and not about them. That’s a show stopper!)
7. Have high intent. When you make the calls, make sure your intent is right. As we say in our sales training, high intent means you’re thinking about your prospect. Low intent means you’re thinking about yourself. Make everything you do about them and watch results change.
Bottom Line
Be prospect-focused!! You must understand that there IS something in it for them–the feeling they get when they help a cause bigger than themselves. But the message has to be created correctly. (Advertising agencies don’t usually do well at this. They come at it from the “pitch” angle).
So, if you’re in the development business, you’re in tough times. But if you follow the seven points above, you’ll at least be on the way to changing the game and increasing your results when those around you are crying ‘foul.’
When Charities Miss a Chance to Thank Their Patrons
This Christmas for each of our employees, I donated money to five different charities. We did this rather than giving Christmas gifts to each other.
Granted, the gifts were not big at all. But one thing I noticed was interesting. Four of the five charities didn’t even acknowledge the gift, other than a receipt of credit card email. One of the recipients, DonorsChoose.org, sent a nice note from the teacher whose class received the supplies/money, and it was a wonderful letter. (I would highly encourage this organization that provides students and classrooms in need with resources the public schools often lack.)
Didn’t they miss an opportunity? I keep hearing about how gifts were down in 2008 and how tough it is to get people to give money. Wouldn’t this have been a good chance for them to hire a volunteer to go back and thank every last one of the patrons for 2008?
Isn’t that an easy call to make? It seems like it’s a lot easier than making the call for the “ask” in future years.
Do you thank/acknowledge your customers?
Do you ever call them or sit down with them and say, “Hey, I really appreciate you doing business with us and I value our relationship both as a business relationship and a personal one. And I just wanted to take time out to acknowledge that”? You have to mean it, but wouldn’t that go a long way toward solidifying a relationship at a time when most relationships are tenuous?
If you’re in a mass market business where you have thousands of customers doing business with you, hire an intern to make that call. It can’t take more than two minutes. You’re probably going to get voicemail most of the time, but it still goes a long way toward keeping a customer.
Selling in Today’s Economic Climate
In last week’s episode Bill and Bryan talked about how to communicate your value. But this week, they talk about that issue when it relates to the current economic climate.
As sales strategies, your hosts deal with these questions in all of their current client work with sales forces around the world. The economy is on everyone’s mind—especially salespeople who call on prospects that are fearful.
Sales Podcast: Selling in Today’s Economic Climate from Joe Kelner on Vimeo.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
What Happens When There Is No Bright Light?
[Editors Note: I'm guilty of this next topic. So, before it starts to sound like a sermon, I want you to know that I struggle with this very issue.]Last week, a neighbor came over and was lamenting that his daughter was having trouble getting in to the college of her choice. He said, “All her friends got in, but her letter hasn’t come yet.” Next, I asked him the question that showed me the real problem. “What does she want to study?”
“Well,” he said, “she really doesn’t know yet. She just wants to go to XX University.” What? Doesn’t know yet? No inclination of what juices her?So she’s upset that she can’t spend $160,000 of your money going somewhere where all her friends are going.
Makes no sense. Yet it happens everyday. In fact it happens in another phase of adolescence – when there is temptation to take the wrong path (drugs/alcohol/deviant behavior).
I’m going to give it a name – and an explanation why it happens to all of us – adults, too. There is NO BRIGHT LIGHT.
The concept of NO BRIGHT LIGHT means there is no long term vision for what one wants their life to look like/feel like. When you have no long range goal – or vision – you get quite distracted by life’s choices. And when you make a wrong choice, it can screw you up (especially in the case of a young person in a tempting world).
A BRIGHT LIGHT is a vision for the future – a way you’d like your life to be – a place you’d like to live – a cause/profession that brings meaning to your days.
In business (sales), a BRIGHT LIGHT is what you’d like your customer base to look like. What you’d like your income to look like. What you’d like to accomplish in your business.
Brian Tracy talks about this when he says 80% of companies he sees have no long range vision. How can you get the troops behind a goal if it’s not clearly defined? You can’t. And when you’re tempted to sell to someone that doesn’t quite match what you expect your client vision to look like, then ask yourself why you’re doing it.
Is the China Import Problem Really a Sales Problem?
[This subject is covered in depth on our podcast at http://billcaskey.podshowcreator.com/podcasts.aspx?feedid=106 It's about 15 minutes but it applies to you who compete against ANY low price competitor - not just offshore.]
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My friends tell me I take selling way too seriously. And that I break every problem down to a sales or communication issue. Well Bill, in Reagan’s words, “There you go again…”
I used to call on WalMart and other major retailers in a previous job, so I know how powerful their order-writing pens are. When they say to their suppliers, “JUMP” the response is usually, “YES SIR, HOW HIGH WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO JUMP?”
I can see it now…
…I can imagine a US toy company going in to sell WalMart their Christmas 2006 line of toys. After the presentation, the buyer says, “John, I like your offer. But I can get these from China for 30% less. You have to drop your price.” To which John concludes that it’s all about price (it never is, even at WalMart) and gets pulled down into the commodity conversation. He eventually can’t sell his products at a premium – so he loses the business.But as we see now, all toys are not created equally. They are not a commodity.
The problem occurred when the US toy guy couldn’t differentiate between his toys and the cheaper, lead-painted Chinese toys. My question is: Was it a selling problem?
You see, the consumer (even WalMart) does NOT just look at price. The sales organizations who don’t know how to sell any other way (except for low price) will NEVER admit that. Consequently, the admonition of “everyone buys on price” is a convenient way to prevent them from having to work on their message – or themselves. It’s a lot less effort to ‘sell cheap.’
Cheap Labor – Same Issue
I admit that cheap labor is quite enticing to businesses and customers. If I’m in the market for landscaping and I get three bids, chances are the one that uses the lowest-cost labor will probably be low bid. But is that what I’m buying? Just price?Hell, if the American consumer bought on price and price alone, they wouldn’t buy anything. Because doing nothing is ALWAYS CHEAPER than doing anything.
When will American companies understand that they offer value – that their value is tied up in things broader than price – that how they sell/market/communicate to the customer is as important – if not more so – than their price?
I’ll tell you exactly when – when they get out of their own way and start focusing on the customers – and how they can bring value to the customers – instead of how can we sell a bunch of toys? (In the world of retail there are many more important things than price – like retail profit margins, marketing campaigns for the item, store sell-through, in-store displays, etc.)
If you’re in a head-to-head combat with a low priced provider – and you get chewed up often on price – then look much deeper into your value. Get a third party assessment of the value of your solution.
Here’s What To Do
Spend time away from the office with your people – and some customers. Record every word of what they say. Have it transcribed. Study it more. And soon, you will come up with the 3-5 things that separate you from everyone else. And it won’t be price. Ask them this question: “What do you believe you give up when you decide not to do business with us?”If they say, “Nothing” then start worrying because you are nothing but a commodity.
Because if you don’t believe your value is worth 10% – 20% – 30% – 100% more than your competition (and you should) then you won’t be able to sell that value to the customer.
And they’ll buy offshore. And babies might be poisoned.
"Sorry I Lied to You — But You Made Me Do It"
Probably not something you’ll ever hear a prospect say, “Sorry I lied, but you made me.” But just because they don’t say it, doesn’t mean it’s not the truth.
At our training company, we take very seriously the idea of ‘creating space’ with a customer. What we mean by that is the sales professional has a profound responsibility in the sales transaction to get the truth. And that won’t happen if there is no trust/environment created for that.
To that end, I’ve made a list of “5 SureFire Ways to Get Your Prospect To Lie To You” (a bit tongue-in-cheek, but remarkably, we see these in action all the time. You can laugh at these, but make sure the joke isn’t on you.)
1. Start Pitching and Convincing Early. This is a favorite of the amateur sales person who fancies himself as a studly seller. They paste on the charm (which we all can see through) and go to work. “Pitching” is great because it quickly forces the prospect into a defensive mode, right where you want him, so you can close quickly. Advertising agencies and the media are great at ‘the pitch.’ In fact, they’re so good at it, they actually call it that. It really forces some great lies. Good luck with this one.
2. Ask A Lot of (Meaningless) Bonding and Rapport Questions. This is wonderful because you can ask questions about their vacation, their business–anything that you really don’t care about. And the true amateur never realizes that the prospect knows exactly what they’re doing to them. This is a surefire way to get the prospect to mislead you.
3. When Talking Money, Discount It’s Importance. You’ll be great at making people hide the truth when you brush over their concerns about money. In fact, even better, make them feel a little shame that they don’t understand how valuable your service is. It’s not up to you to explain the value–it’s up to them to take your word for it.
4. Close Hard and Often. This is one of the greatest pieces of training I got in my first sales job. This really makes prospects run away quickly. Or, if they stay in the process, you can blame them for continuing to lie to you. Buy all the books around on closing skills and watch the lies flow!5. Don’t Make Your Sales Message About Them-Make it About You. This is one of my favorites. A salesperson comes in and explains to me how great he and his company are–and makes no effort to relate his value to my problem. There are a lot of sales training companies who teach this method. It works wonders to create atmospheres of lies and hidden agendas. This is a great time waster for sales people–for some prospects won’t tell you they have no interest, they’ll lead you on for months, living rent-free inside your head.
Sometimes the absurd works better than logic and reason, thus my crazy list. I was in a training this week where a supposedly-well-trained sales person laid the “if-I-could-show-you-a-way” move on me in a role play. Made everyone in the room almost vomit. That’s when I knew I’d made progress. Those old sales moves really should make you sick to your stomach.
