The Rainmaker Series – Great Social Skills
It probably comes as no surprise that Rainmakers and Top Sales
Performers have excellent social skills.
Ron Willingham in his book “Integrity Selling For The 21st Century” describes social skills as:
The ability to gain rapport, adapt to different personalities and listen for subtle meanings revealed through non-verbal communication.
What I see in Rainmakers is they are simply great communicators especially good in a social or sales environment.
Please don’t mistake a great communicator for having the “gift of gab” or being able to give the most eloquent speech you’ve ever heard. These may be very good skills to have and I certainly admire anyone who is good at public speaking but I believe the ability to be a good communicator has very little to do with the ability to be a talker.
I think Top Performing Salespeople listen more than they talk. They do this by asking very good questions. The questions they ask have a purpose and they listen with intent and without bias to understand what is being said.
They are very good at reading body language and understanding the unspoken, much like how a mother can tell what her baby needs before her child is old enough to speak. This gives the Rainmaker (when needed) the ability to recognize the situation much quicker than others.
The Top Performers can easily adapt to different personality styles and communicate in a way that fits the other person’s style. Maybe a better way to put it is “they don’t force their own personality style on others but try to adjust their style to fit others.” It seems the Top Performers can do this without giving up any of their own identity. (I hope this makes sense.)
I think maybe the most important of all the social skills is the seeming easy ability to build rapport and trust with others. Rainmakers and Top Sales Performers seem to convey a sense of confidence, trust and clarity of purpose that others easily recognize. Have you had someone walk into a room and without knowing them or saying a word you think this is someone I should get to know or maybe think that looks like someone I could trust?
You may be wondering, why I would have a picture of Mr. Potato Head in this post?
Mr. Potato Head has all the traits needed for excellent social skills:
- 2 ears for listening for the answers to the great questions he asks.
- 2 eyes to help read body language and see what is unspoken.
- Only 1 mouth so talking can’t get in the way of the other senses.
- A personality that gets along with any and everyone.
- When he walks in the room who wouldn’t trust him?
So there you have four or five social skills that I think make our Top Sales Producers so good.
(This is the fourth in a series of posts called “The Rainmaker Series.” This series is an attempt to identify the common traits and characteristics that Top Sales Performers often called Rainmakers seem to possess.)
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
Making Cold Calls Just Like the Kids at Halloween
Its Halloween night and I’m trying to finish the last couple of articles
in the Rainmaker Series. In-between trips to the door passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters (my job is to hold the dog back while my wife passes out the candy) I seem to be getting nowhere.
So, I’m remembering how simple and fun Halloween really is for the kids, parents and us candy donors.
All the kids need to do is dress up in their scariest outfit or it seems this year their Super Hero or Fairy Princess Suit, ring some doorbells and get candy.
It may just be us, but the better the outfit and bigger the smile the more candy the kids get.
Is making a sales cold call really much different than getting candy at Halloween?
Sometimes all it takes is getting prepared much like the kids deciding on what they want to be for Halloween, going to the customer’s office full of excitement and just walking to the door and ringing the bell.
You will never know what you might get if you’re willing to go to the door and ask.
Happy Halloween!
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
The Rainmaker Series – Emotional Intelligence (People Smarts)
(This is the third in a series of posts called “The Rainmaker Series.”
This series is an attempt to identify the common traits and characteristics that Top Sales Performers often called Rainmakers seem to possess.)
When I think of our Top Performing Sales People they all have a high Emotional Intelligence which I call “People Smarts”.
Emotional Intelligence has nothing to do with how intelligent or smart someone is.
So what is Emotional Intelligence or “People Smarts”?
The ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. An individual with high emotional intelligence can accurately recognize and express their own feelings, reflect on them, regulate their own emotions, and even use emotions as a mental input to effectively solve problems. (Daniel Goleman, ” Working with Emotional Intelligence”)
It seems the Top Performers or Rainmakers in any sales organization excel in these abilities:
- Ability to control and express their emotions accurately.
- Ability to recognize and understand others emotions and react accordingly.
- Ability to not let their or others emotions get in the way of good decision making.
- Ability to use emotions as a motivating factor to get their desired results.
While we all have many of these abilities, it is the Rainmakers that seem to have confidence in these abilities and know when and how to use them effectively.
Top Performers can consistently size up a situation, appraise the emotions of themselves and others, and accurately adapt as needed.
This trait is very hard to detect in Sales People with very high levels of Emotional Intelligence or People Smarts because it’s a seamless process that is natural for the Rainmakers.
However, for those with lower levels of Emotional Intelligence (people smarts) it is a common barrier to his or her success.
- They struggle controlling their emotions both good and bad.
- They fail to take into account their customers emotions.
- They let their emotions at times take control of their decision making.
While lack of these skills are very recognizable to others, I find that those with low levels of Emotional Intelligence have a hard time understanding or seeing this weakness in themselves. Without a good understanding of emotions they will put the blame of poor results elsewhere.
Of all the traits that I have identified as being common among our Top Performers in this series, Emotional Intelligence (People Smarts) may be the least understood and the hardest to learn and teach.
Some may call it luck when they discuss the Top Performers seemingly always in the right place at the right time and that may be true but when in happens over and over, year after year, I call it High Emotional Intelligence and Great People Smarts.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
The Rainmaker Series – Goal Clarity
First, I guess I need to define what the heck I mean by Goal Clarity and what has lead me to believe this may be the most significant trait or characteristic that Top Sales Producers or Rainmakers all seem to possess.
I recently came across the term Goal Clarity in a book called “Integrity Selling for the 21st Century” by Ron Willingham. In the book he describes the term as:
“Goal Clarity- this means having clear, specific, written goals of what you want to have happen in the future.”
He further states that with Goal Clarity “you will stay focused despite setbacks.”
This is one trait that I see in most successful people no matter what their profession. It’s a level of confidence in their abilities and the ability to be successful in both good and bad times. A seemingly clear vision of their future without any self-imposed limits.
Nowhere is goal clarity (a clear vision of the future) more important than in Sales. Without a clear and specific vision of the future, along with a plan to reach one’s goals, can a Sales Professional be consistently successful through the highs and lows of selling. Without goal clarity the challenges we face in sales will soon become distractions to the best of intentions.
I have seen people that seem to be born with this clarity. Take for instance the the kid in in your third grade class that during career day stated he/she wanted to be a doctor. Sure enough they worked hard, made their grades, probably never considered anything else and became a doctor.
They certainly didn’t know anything about goals and goal clarity in 3rd grade but something within them was so strong that they could set their sights on a goal and achieve that goal. However, I feel certain that somewhere along the way they learned to use goals and began setting goals to achieve such a high accomplishment.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, several years ago we engaged a National Sales Trainer to help us improve our sales processes. Becoming good at setting specific, clear, written sales and personal goals was a vital part of the process. Goal setting was new to us at the time but once we began setting goals for ourselves and the sales team the results were impressive. I don’t want to give you the impression that all of our sales team bought into the goal setting process but those that did were surprised at their success in reaching their goals.
The one thing that I noticed was that our Top Sales Producers found the process much easier and in many cases had no trouble setting strong clear goals. I have since learned that many of these Account Managers had always set sales goals for themselves much as I had as a way to measure if the year was successful or not. In other words this was a way to keep score.
The one thing that I had not realized until recently was the value that writing the goals down and sharing them with others had on the success of our goal setting.
It is not my intent to go into how to set goals. I plan to go into great depth in a future article on how to set goals that will have a meaningful impact on your career and the small steps needed to make sure you are doing the right things to reach your goals.
However, I did come across an article that I think brings home the value of setting goals.
In Mark McCormack’s book “What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School” he tells of a study conducted of a Harvard graduating class. They were asked the question “if they had set goals for themselves or not.” And of those that had set goals “did they write them down”. The study showed that 84% of the students in the survey had set no goals for themselves. 13% said that they did have goals but had not written them down. And 3% said they both had set goals for themselves and had written their goals down. After 10 years the study found that the 13% (those students that set goals but had not written them down) were earning 2 times more than those with no goals. But it was the 3% (those that had set goals and had written their goals down) that showed the clear advantage of written goals by earning more than 10 times the other 97%.
So here are my thoughts on the survey and the importance of setting of goals.
- You may reach all your desires and expectations without setting goals.
- Just by setting goals you should have at least twice the likelihood of reaching your goals and full potential.
- But by setting and writing your goals down and I believe sharing them with others you are at least 10 times more likely to achieve what truly you desire.
After seeing the results of this survey I will be writing down all my future goals knowing this will increase my chances for success.
I also know that Goal Clarity leads to improved and consistent success in sales. It is a trait that can be learned and improved upon. I would suspect that the Rainmakers and Top Producers in your organization are constantly working to improve their goal setting skills. They understand that Goal Clarity and the ability to see what others can’t is the key to their success.
If you remember from last week’s post, I gave you a homework assignment to identify two sales goals you are committed to accomplish during this next sales year. I also asked you to write them down.
Now write a clear, specific plan using your written goals of what you want to have happen in the future. Do this for each of your goals. Please try to use the “Smart Goal Guidelines” while writing your plan. Next put your plan in a place where you can frequently review. Don’t be reluctant to make changes to your plan as needed to reach your committed sales goals. But always keep your focus on the goals you want to achieve.
This has turned out to be a very hard post to write. Even though I would have thought Goals and Goal Setting would be easy since there has been much written on the subject and has been a tool I have used most of my Sales Career. But as I try to write something entertaining and valuable it has turned into an introspective look of my goals realized and not.
Setting clear and meaningful goals is not an easy task and will require much thought and practice to become good at the process.
There is no better time than today to start!
Next week we will continue with the Rainmaker Series – Emotional Control.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now Let’s get out there and over-deliver!
The Rainmaker Series – Hard Working
(This is the first in a series of posts that I had promised a few weeks ago. I call this the Rainmaker Series. While the intent is to show Sales and Account Managers the characteristics and traits of Top Sales Producers, I believe this series of articles will benefit anyone wanting to be successful in whatever they wish in life. These articles will be a little longer than usual so please stick with me.)
As we enter the last quarter of this year it seems we begin the final push to end the year strong and start thinking about next year.
For some Account Managers the quota has been made, the outlook is promising and “all” is well. Congratulations if you are in this group.
But for others there is still work to do. In some cases there may be much work to be done, the outlook may look promising but heck it did last year as well.
You are probably working harder than ever but your customers are not as busy as they have been in the past. Your competition is making a full attack on your accounts and is quoting at margins that seem unthinkable and most likely not profitable. The pressure is on to make your sales goal and you know time is getting short.
I think as Sales and Account Managers we have all been in this position at one time or another. If not (again congratulations) but if you stay in sales long enough you will have years that you struggle.
Over the years I have seen many account managers just give up if the goal seems unachievable. They just begin to convince themselves that next year will be better. In many cases they hope their quota will be reduced and much easier to obtain.
The thought is if I keep working hard everything will be ok.
I say let’s stop right there! Let’s change our mindset and begin thinking like a Rainmaker. Let’s not quit until we become our companies Top Performer!
Working hard is very important in sales if you wish to be successful. I have yet to see the most successful Account Managers not be hard workers. They may make their work seem effortless but just spend some time with them and you will see how hard they work to build and maintain their business.
Over the past few years I have asked the consistently Top Producers or Rainmakers in our organization what makes them successful.
I can’t think of a time that not one of the very first things they say is “they out work the competition.”
When I think of Top Producing and Hard Working Account Managers I’m reminded of my time as a new Branch Manager in Odessa Texas.
For those that don’t know, Odessa is right in the middle of the Permian Basin which is one of the largest oil fields in the country. Every spring, usually Memorial Day Weekend, severe storms start rolling across the Permian Basin bringing wind and lightning which is very damaging to the Oil Patch.
From the end of May into July storms consistently work their way through the area. The days following a really good/bad storm would be like an early Christmas. If the wells are not pumping, no oil is flowing and no money is being made. This is not a hard concept to grasp. So the phones would start ringing way before normal opening hours.
Ok, so much for the history lesson.
I can’t remember a time then or since that after such a storm two of the top producing salesmen in Odessa were not at work well before anyone else. We were fortunate that one of these salesmen worked for us and the other would join our sales team within a couple of years.
They both understood and still understand the need to work harder than the competition. They helped me realize the trust and confidence that can be built in a relationship by working hard. Their customers knew that their orders would get out first with the material needed to make repairs. This not only provided a value to their customers but perhaps an even greater value to their customers customer who was counting on getting their wells back into production as soon as possible.
As I think about this story I realize that their trucks were usually first at the branch every morning storm or no storm and leaving the store with me long after closing.
I’m not trying to say that hard work is the secret to being a successful Salesperson. What I do believe is that without hard work you will find it difficult if not impossible to be a consistent Top Performer or Rainmaker for you company.
So let’s start with the 1st trait or characteristic needed to be a Top Performer or Rainmaker is “Hardworking.”
I truly believe that to be an outstanding Sales Professional is not all that complicated but it is certainly not easy. If we can all agree that we are going to work hard to be successful and do what’s needed to be a top performer, I need you to do some homework before next week’s post.
If you have already made your quota and “all” is well or you may still have work to do to reach this year’s goal let’s begin working on the next trait which we will call “Goal Clarity”. This is probably the most important trait in the series and I would say to be successful in anything you wish to accomplish. But be aware that setting good goals is hard work.
HOMEWORK
Please identify two sales goals you are committed to accomplish during this next sales year and write them down. You may want to review an article I wrote in June called “A Goal Setting Refresher.” I also highly recommend “The Beginners Guide to Goal Setting” a blog post by Michael Hyatt that will help you with the SMART Goal process.
EXTRA HOMEWORK
Those of you who still have a little work to do this year additionally identify a couple of monthly goals you are willing to commit to for the next 3 months. This will not only give you practice with goal setting but may get you closer to meeting this year’s goals.
I will have some information and statistics next week that will show the importance of setting clear goals and their relationship with high achievers. I will also try to provide you tools to help you stick to and reach your goals.
If you have any suggestions that have helped you when setting your goals please share them by leaving a comment below or emailing me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com and I will try to include them in next week’s post.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
Is it a Negotiation or a Fight?
One of the first things I was warned about as a rookie salesman was to
never discuss religion and politics with a customer. I have done a pretty good job of adhering to this advice with only a couple of lapses that I can remember. I am not planning on making an exception today but I will try to use this political stalemate that our politicians are calling a “Shutdown” as a teaching tool on negotiation.
Negotiation is a very vital part of any sales and political process. Without getting the negotiation piece of the process right, things will quickly grind to a halt as we are currently seeing played out for the past week in the media.
Negotiation is defined as “a (willing) discussion intended to produce an agreement.”
I have inserted the word “willing” into the definition as without a willingness on both sides to negotiate it is very difficult if not impossible to have a discussion and produce an agreement.
But it is the word itself that gives us a clue of the main obstacle in reaching a mutual agreement between two parties.
Negotiation
Yes, that’s right ego. I have seen over and over how egos seem to get in the way of good honest negotiation.
Does any of this sound familiar in our current “Government Shutdown”?
Does any of this sound familiar in any of your recent negotiations?
How many times have your let your ego become a part of a negotiation?
If both parties can’t leave their egos out of the process or at least keep them in check any negotiation becomes nothing more than a fight.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with good honest hard fought negotiations. In fact, I enjoy being in a negotiation where both sides bring their best efforts to the table and engage in lively discussions with each side trying to reach a favorable agreement for themselves. If no agreement can be reached you either move on or step back and begin the process all over. It is when egos get in the way that honest negotiations can never take place.
I think the decision should be made early on whether you wish to engage in a negotiation or just have a fight. That way you are not wasting each others time.
If only our politicians would just decide if they want to negotiate or fight.
If they wish to negotiate, they must leave their egos at the door and attempt to engage in willing negotiations and have a discussion to try to reach a mutual agreement.
If all they want is to fight then we should put them on Pay-Per-View, charge a hefty fee to help offset the cost of the “shutdown” and enjoy it for what it is a “fight”.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
October Tip of the Month – Write it Down
The past couple of monthly tips have discussed being as prepared as
possible before making a sales call. Today I would like to suggest a good practice for after the sales call.
When you finish a sales call and while it’s still fresh on your mind, take time and write down anything that may help remind you of your discussions with the customer. Make sure and take note of any promises made or action items that need done before the next meeting. A good set of notes will go a long way when you prepare for the next meeting with that customer.
I know you probably have a memory like an elephant and you never forget a thing. Heck, I hope that’s the case but I can promise you (speaking from experience) even the best memories will fail at times.
It takes only a couple of times of having to admit to a customer that you “forgot” to make you realize your memory isn’t what it once was.
Maybe it’s not memory loss.
Last week I attended Sales Training and the instructor told us that we would forget over 75% of what we learned without at least reviewing our notes within 48 hrs. He said, typically if you review the material within a couple of days the retention should exceed 80%. In fact, we will be reviewing the processes we learned each Thursday over the next 8 weeks to ensure maximum retention.
Now I don’t know how scientific these numbers are but many times I have attended a seminar and within a few weeks I would be hard pressed to tell you 10% of what I learned.
So if it’s just natural to forget things, I suspect that our sales process is lacking if we are not taking the steps of writing down or taking notes after a sales call.
In fact there are millions of dollars and tons of time being spent on Customer Relationship Software (CRM) that helps Sales Teams with the process of documenting sales calls. One of the objectives of a CRM program is to not let anything in the sales funnel slip through the cracks. The information contained in these software programs if done consistently and with good intent is invaluable in preparing for the next meeting.
What do you do if you don’t have that fancy software stuff?
- Find a good Note App like Notepad, Evernote or Notability and learn to use it. (I’m not giving a recommendation but I use Evernote and Notability)
- If you’re a little computer challenged and about all you can do is get email and read this blog then just get a spiral notebook and write it down.
The key is to make sure you document your sales calls and don’t forget to review your notes when you prepare for that next meeting.
If you don’t see any value in this tip, I would suggest beginning to practice your “I Forgot” speech. I can assure you at some point you will need it.
If you would like to share your process for documenting sales calls please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles and quotes I come across that I think may be of interest.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
Still Wondering about this Mattress Sale
This week during a sales meeting one of our Branch Managers told a
story that had most of us chuckling and scratching our heads.
A few weeks ago Jim and his wife went shopping for a mattress for their daughter. They went into a large national mattress store and were greeted by a young sales associate who showed them the mattresses available. Jim said they hadn’t done much research on mattresses but the prices seemed fair. They went ahead and picked out a mattress and were ready to make the purchase at the price the associate quoted. So far so good.
Then without Jim or his wife asking for a discount, the associate told them of the store’s policy to meet any competitor’s lower price. Next, without any encouragement the sales associate whipped out her cell phone and looked up the price on Amazon which was about half the price for the same mattress. Jim while please with the savings was stunned that the associate would make such a blunder when he was willing to pay the original quoted price.
Jim leads a very large, dynamic and successful sales team and seemed to be miffed that someone in sales could or would make such a mistake.
After the meeting, a couple of us were discussing Jim’s story and wondering if we had any Account Managers that might be making the same mistakes.
We kind of came to the conclusion that the sales associate probably didn’t make a purchase without getting online and checking prices and figured everyone else did the same or she may have thought Jim and his wife were just so nice she would just give them a break (they are really nice). Who knows, but the associate sold the mattress for half the price that Jim was willing to pay.
So I’m sitting at the airport waiting on a late night flight back home and find myself still thinking about Jim’s story and how we can prevent this from happening to our sales team.
I’m wondering how much our sales style is predetermined by the way we like to buy?
- If price is the main driver of the things you purchase are you more likely to sell on price?
- What if the features of a product are your main concern are you more inclined to lead with features and benefits?
- Maybe you analyze the products you buy to determine value of the product. Will you assume everyone does the same and sell on overall value rather than selling on price?
If the mattress store’s sales associate would have just asked a couple of questions she most likely could have determined what were Jim’s motivating factors for buying the mattress. The associate probably assumed (oops) price was the key factor which would have been her motivating factor.
Jim told us that the price of the mattress wasn’t a big deal he just wanted to get a mattress bought, get back home and continue with his weekend.
I would probably question the sale’s associates sales training or maybe lack of training in this case but without knowing more all we can do is wonder why.
I do know that without a good sales process in place, becoming solid in the sales basics and being intentional with every sale we make we probably have a tendency to sell like we like to be sold.
I would like to hear your thoughts or if you have had similar experiences as Jim and his wife.
Please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles and quotes I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
What I Learned at the Zoo about Sales
I may be getting a little off topic with this week’s post but I would like
to share how a trip with our granddaughter to the Zoo has me thinking that a zoo may be the perfect sales and business model.
This past weekend we decided to take our granddaughter along with her mom and dad to the Zoo. She is only 18 months old so we had some reservations on how the outing would go but with grandma being a huge animal lover we figured the nut wouldn’t fall to far from the tree. Besides it’s never a bad day if you can spend it with your kids and grandkids.
So after a good breakfast and a little sunscreen we’re off to see the animals.
When we arrived we were nicely greeted with free parking. The other, much larger zoos in the area begin their fundraising in the parking lot but not here. After a short stroller ride we reached the pay window which was manned by a young man who graciously asked if I qualified for the Senior Citizen discount. I’m not sure that was the perfect question to ask while trying to make a sale but for a couple of bucks off I’ll let it slide.
Once inside the Zoo I noticed how clean and well kept the grounds seemed and without much thought the walkway led us down to where we needed to start our adventure. First up was the Pink Flamingos. As we got closer you could see our granddaughter’s eyes light up, her finger starting to point at the pink birds and that big mostly toothless smile came across her face.
That excitement and smile stayed on her and grandma’s face for the entire time we were in the Zoo. At times it was almost a dash to see the next exhibit.
While in the park I began to notice how happy and relaxed everyone seemed. There were lots of grandparents with their grandkids just like us but also many couples both young and old and of course mostly parents with their kids all having fun.
Even the workers appeared to really enjoy their job. I realize many of them may have been volunteers but they were all very friendly and helpful. I had no doubt they cared about making the Zoo experience as good as it could be for their guests.
But I guess what really got me thinking about this being a great business model to study was when we finished with the tour and had to walk through the gift shop to exit. As I’ve said in previous posts I’m no shopper but this time it was different.
The Zoo had provided so much pleasure and enjoyment (value) that in a weird kind of way I felt obligated to buy something to help pay them back. We paid to get in but they exceeded our expectations and over-delivered and seemed to deserve more.
As a business owner, manager or salesperson what more could you want than to provide your customers with an experience so good that they feel obligated or at the very least wanting to buy what you are selling because of the value you have provided them.
This Zoo (business) made it very easy to do business with them. From the very start I knew they were in the customer satisfaction business and not the selling tickets and parking space rental business. When we got to the pay window they began building trust by offering discounts without being asked.
The layout of the park was such that you didn’t have to worry about which way to go. We could just take our time follow the path and enjoy ourselves. The employees and volunteers seemed as though they enjoyed being there as much as we did.
Then after they had met and exceeded our expectations they brought us into their sales area so we could buy a little something to remember them.
I think this is the key to every business and where many business and salespeople fail. We try to make the sale before we gain the trust and show/prove the value to our customers. We fail to create a working environment where our employees and co-workers are just as happy and engaged as our customers. And many times we don’t come close to exceeding our customer’s expectations.
I would suggest if you can find the time go to a Zoo and just sit back and observe. I think you will see a very good business model that you may want to incorporate into you business.
I feel bad about waiting till the end to give this Zoo the ultimate business compliment – a referral.
I recommend the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Texas. Gainesville is about 60 miles North of Fort Worth on I-35. There are bigger and more famous Zoos in the area but the Frank Buck Zoo was outstanding.
One more thing, before you go to the Zoo get a roll of quarters. You will need them for the goat petting area.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
What Makes a Sales Rainmaker?
This week I came across a book that I had read several years ago called “How to Become a Rainmaker” by Jeffery J. Fox. I noticed that I had dog-eared and highlighted many of the pages. This book is chocked full of ideas to help new and seasoned Account Managers become top sales performers or as the author refers to them as “Rainmakers”.
One of the chapters that caught my attention was “How to recognize a Rainmaker” which is the motivation for this article and a series of articles I plan to write in the next couple of weeks called “The Rainmaker Series”.
In the chapter, Mr. Fox answers the question “What one attribute makes a Rainmaker — the “Best” salesperson?” He feels the answer is really very simple “they sell more than the others”.
Mr. Fox goes on to state:
“When the score is tallied, it doesn’t matter how hard someone worked, or how many brilliant memos someone wrote, or how perfect the monthly reports. It doesn’t matter how clever the conversation, how hip the clothes, or how smooth the style. The only score that counts is how much money is generated.”
This may sound as though it’s only the sale that matters. Which, at the end of the day or when the final score is tallied may be true but it is and has always been the Salesperson who practices and perfects the many skills needed and develops good work and sales habits that will have the best chance to become a Rainmaker.
The really successful Account Managers and Salespeople that I have worked with possess many of the same skills. Some of these are:
- Assertive
- Organized
- Good listener
- Able to communicate effectively
- Willingness to learn
- Care about their customer’s needs
- Never satisfied with just being average
These are the skills needed by all Salespeople but the really good Salespeople do most of these things much better than the others.
So, if your desire is to become a Rainmaker or Top Salesperson for your company or organization, please follow along as I discuss each of the skills in depth over the next few weeks. I will also interview some of the most successful Account Managers in our organization and find out what they think has made them so successful.
As you read the articles please ask yourself “What skills and habits do these people possess that I don’t or that I may need to improve?”
I hope you enjoy this upcoming series. If you would like me to cover a topic that I may not have mentioned above or would just like to leave a comment please do so below or you can email me a feedback@wewaonthenet.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward where I tweet articles I come across each week that I think may be of interest.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
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