As the year unfolds, it’s important to think about creating new habits and rituals for your sales team. Sales meetings can be time-consuming and unproductive if not run effectively, but by implementing a few simple guidelines, you can make them more productive and engaging for your team.
One of the most effective ways to improve sales meetings is to establish agreements that all team members must follow. These agreements should be clearly communicated and reinforced at the beginning of each meeting. Some examples of agreements that you could implement include:
100% participation
Being on time
Encouraging questions and actively listening to feedback
Creating a positive and fun atmosphere
No distractions such as mobile phones or other electronic devices
It’s also important to set strict time limits for meetings, this will help keep the meetings on track and ensure that all important topics are covered. Additionally, clear communication and goal-setting are crucial to the success of sales meetings. This will keep team members focused and motivated throughout the meeting.
In summary, by implementing simple agreements and guidelines for your sales team, you can make meetings more productive and engaging for your team. Encourage participation, set strict time limits, and create a positive and fun atmosphere in your meetings. And remember to always encourage clear communication and goal-setting.
Mike Brunel started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur and founder of NRS Media. He co-founded NRS Media in Wellington, New Zealand, expanded it into a global powerhouse in media sales and training, and was eventually responsible for opening offices in London, Atlanta, Toronto, Sydney, Capetown, and Bogota. He has hired hundreds of salespeople around the world.
He made a lot of mistakes when it came to hiring his superstars. Check out his How to Hire A Super Salesperson Each and Every time – It’s packed with tips and ideas on how to hire great salespeople. Don’t ever Hire Bad Salespeople Ever Again. Promise!
In our first article on goals for 2022, I talked about overcoming the obstacles that prevent you from accomplishing those goals.
In this article, I will talk about spending time each day to help you stay on track and chunk down the activity you devote to achieving your goals.
Do you know that every day you can create an hour to help fulfil your goals and keep you on track?
The answer is “start” each day a little earlier than your fellow workers.
And plan tomorrow today…
One of my early mentors and previous partners at NRS Media, Brian Duffy, taught me this valuable tip.
Plan Tomorrow Today – I first met Brian when he was a consultant to one of the first media companies I worked for.
He would always sit me down on his visits and ask me this simple question:
“Have you set goals for what you are going to achieve tomorrow? More importantly, have you considered what you have achieved today and congratulated yourself?”
This piece of advice has stayed with me to this day. Most days, I plan what I will do the next day using this simple method.
At the end of each day, I review what I have achieved, taking about 30 seconds to pat myself on the back mentally.
Even if I only managed to complete a couple of tasks, this simple exercise gave me a sense of achievement. If you don’t do this, you honestly feel you have achieved nothing.
Acknowledge your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Every day is a path to the appreciation of self.
I then look at what I have not been able to achieve due to timing and other factors and place them on my plan for the following day. No judgments.
I then review all the meetings and appointments and place them on my plan for the following day.
Finally, I take about 10 minutes to study my priorities for the month, quarter and year. I select 3-4 goals I want to achieve as soon as I return to my office that are in alignment with these goals.
It works for me; it just might be the tonic for you.
Have fun selling your stuff in 2023.
Mike (Goals are dreams on paper) Brunel.
P.S.
Everyone wants to make more sales in their business – want to know how to do it?
Invest in yourself and enrol in the Sales Mindset Blueprint course; to ensure you’re setting yourself up for selling success.
Here are 3 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.
1. Try the new 7 Days to Sales Success Framework.
Make more sales in 7 days. The framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to find out how you can grow your business by increasing sales.
2. Join our Private Facebook Group – The Salesmindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas.
Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here.
3. Work with me One-on-One.
If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Jump on a FREE 15-minute Brainstorm call with me by clicking here.
As we dive into 2023, it’s often a time for reflection, to review both the good and the not-so-good bits.
I am often asked this question by owners and sales managers.
“Mike, what makes a good salesperson, and what should I look for?”
2023 they tell us, is going to be a tough year; I guess the way you look at it, it just might be 365 opportunities to get better.
It might be the time to invest in yourself.
In this article, I talk about hiring the right salespeople.
“What behaviours are the most important for salespeople in this new selling environment?”
“What abilities do you believe will help salespeople in this new selling environment?”
Here is my take on it as you start the New Year.
I will address one behaviour at a time in each blog.
I want to do this because it’s not okay to accept just anyone that shows up in an empty suit.
Having hired hundreds of salespeople, I know what makes the good ones tick.
1. Self-Management
This first behaviour is one of the most important skills I look for in a salesperson. It can be a lonely job selling. Often, you want your sales team to be able to take instructions and make sure they can be confident to be comfortable.
I want my salesperson to be able to focus on their effort to achieve their goals. Why? I do not want them to forever come to me for the answer. Good self-managers work it out for themselves. You want to know that your salesperson can utilise his/her efforts on their task load and attain their daily objectives.
2. Survival Capabilities
In my business, we had a salary and at-risk structure in place. Survival in that environment requires the salesperson to take control of the sales process.
If you can select the person with the motivation, then your salesperson ticks off the first important trait you need to look for –Self Management.
Check out a special video I have put together to help you select the right salesperson for your company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biXKMYnK_eE
If you’re reading this here, I have put together a video on how to hire a salesperson in a competitive environment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biXKMYnK_eEI
Well-managed well throughout incentive programs plays an essential part in achieving and exceeding sales targets. If your incentives are adequately structured, they can result in a high level of motivation.
Here are a few basic principles I recommend to my clients.
Avoid incentives where individual salespeople compete directly with each other to win a single prize. This often causes animosity. It is much better to ensure that every person has a chance to achieve an incentive by reaching a certain level of sales.
2. Incentives should be introduced with some pizzazz and excitement to help generate an air of urgency. Incentives are designed to motivate salespeople, so how they are presented needs to reflect this.
3. Incentives should not be long-term – usually a month- under certain circumstances; incentives could be offered for one week only. Don’t make the mistake of running incentive programmes for more than three months.
The fact is, It is hard to sustain interest in incentive programs if they are run over too long a period. Salespeople tend to focus on incentives only when they are close to achieving them. A year-long incentive, for example, will only really generate genuine interest among salespeople about three months from the end of the year (by which time it’s too late to impact on the result) – for the rest of the year, the incentive seems too far away.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
Mike
PLUS: WHENEVER YOU’RE READY…
Here are 3 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.
1. Try the new 7 Days to Sales Success Framework.
Make More Sales in 7 days. The framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to find out how you can grow your business by increasing sales.
2. Join our Private Facebook Group – The Salesmindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas.
Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here.
3. Work with me One-on-One.
If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Please jump on a FREE 15-minute Brainstorm call with me by clicking here.
Mike Brunel started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur and founder of NRS Media. He co-founded NRS Media in Wellington, New Zealand, expanded it into a global powerhouse in media sales and training, and was eventually responsible for opening offices in London, Atlanta, Toronto, Sydney, Capetown, and Bogota. His products and services are now sold in 23 countries and in 11 languages generating $350 million annually in sales for his clients. Mike sold the company in 2015 and now spends his time following his passions which include rugby, travel. His promise: “I can find thousands of dollars in your business within minutes – GUARANTEED” TRY ME OUT!
80%……….Of all sales made after the fifth call 48%……….Of all salespeople, call once and quit 25%……….Call twice and quit 10%……….Keep on calling
These statistics are close to the mark in all selling forms, be it a service or product you sell.
I think that we all know…
SALES DON’T JUST HAPPEN.
I have created a diagram to illustrate the real-time that your buyer is available to sell to.
Just email me at mikebrunel.com for a copy.
Why do many salespeople thrive when others do not? Here are some ongoing practices I observe every day.
1. Always add to your pipeline.
Not continuously adding to your pipeline is often a mistake that salespeople make once they have established a solid ongoing sales funnel. If you continue to add to your sales pipeline, then if that long-established client decides that this month they will not buy this, then it does not matter because you have more potential opportunities in your pipeline.
If you are always taking the position of helping and assisting your client, then your pipeline will increase. If you are only filling up your pipeline when you are desperate, many clients will sense that, and you will come across as desperate.
2. Never assume they need you.
I have noticed that many salespeople leave a message with a client or a voicemail, and they think it ends there. They think they have done what they had to and then move on. Depending on your relationship with that client, they may or may not call you back. If you want to do business with them, you have to plan that call and decide the ongoing strategy to get the person to respond. Create a proactive message for them to call you back.
3. Sales potty training.
For those that may have had young children, there was a time when you had to train them to go to the toilet. In my experience (a while ago), I always used to say, “Pee or get off the pot”. In other words, make a decision. There will be times when you have to make a decision to get off the pot.
Some clients need to be let go. You need to figure out whether a prospect is serious about working with you. A promising pipeline is full of qualified prospects, not “tyre kickers.”
All pipeline activities have to support your key messages, and understanding who your client is and where they play is vital to successful sales.
Good selling
Mike
PLUS: Whenever you’re ready…
Here are 3 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.
1. Try the new 7 Days to Sales Success Framework.
Make More Sales in 7 days. The framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to find out how you can grow your business by increasing sales.
2. Join our Private Facebook Group – The Salesmindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas.
Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here.
3. Work with me One-on-One.
If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Jump on a FREE 15-minute Brainstorm call with me by click here.
Part of the reason people panic is that selling seems like a mysterious process. We can solve that mystery. Selling is like any other journey: the territory you are covering may be new to you, but it has been travelled before, and there are certain steps you can take to clear the way.
Each step you take along the way matters. Let’s look more closely at the selling journey.
Building up
Selling a product or service is, in many ways, like a building project.
I have been involved in two major renovations for both a home and a commercial building. Here’s how the process unfolds:
1. You speak with an architect who presents you with some plans, drawings, or visual examples of what your home or building might look like.
2. Once you approve your plan, you seek a builder to do the construction.
3. If you want to approach the build with confidence, you’ll also want to be involved in the builder’s plans and timelines. Using excellent project management tools is key.
4. Still, even the best-laid plans sometimes change. You might go back and forth and change a few parts of the plan.
5. Even when you get started, you need to keep in mind the need to be flexible, adjust to shifting timelines, accommodate last-minute decisions, and possibly suffer some setbacks.
6. You need to be nimble, but it’s hard, because there is a lot at stake, financially and emotionally.
7. Soon enough though, you start to visualise the final product and then watch your home or building take shape. Finally, you see your completed project in front of your eyes. All of that planning has paid off.
Following a plan and actually building that home requires discipline and principles.
It’s the same with sales, which unfold in similar stages. With both types of projects, it is important, to begin with, the right mindset, so why don’t we do that when it comes to constructing a sale?
Why don’t we plan the process that will let us get the result we want? Most business owners jump in too quickly, assuming that their product is so magnificent that people should just buy it.
Or, they don’t bother to plan. Usually, salespeople do not follow any particular steps or processes on the way to the sale of that product.
If you look at sales the way you look at building your home, though, you will see that there are certain processes you have to follow to get a good result. It does not have to be a complicated process, but you do need a plan.
Knowing a few simple steps in the journey to your sales is all that is required.
If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?
My favourite thing to do is to show you what’s working right now. It’s not as good as being a client, but it’s close.
2. Take advantage of a FREE 45-minute consultation
Need some sales support? Make an appointment, and let me take you through the past, present, and future templates.
3. Work with me one-on-one.
If you are wanting to take your product or service from face-to-face to virtual selling, then I have a product that may be able to help you. You can get started for as little as $250 a month. If you’re interested then email mike@mikebrunel.com and put ‘Virtual Selling’ in the subject line…tell me a little about your business and I’ll get you all the details.
One Hour a day to Accomplish Your Goals.
