Last week I was coaching, as I have done in the last year, a sales rep. He works in the manufacturing industry. He sells for a Sweden company, which I can't in this moment mention here. But, I can share our conversation dynamics and what happened on it.
He told me that his boss, the company CEO gave him a new strategy to follow. He is now going to approach clients that are already clients in other parts of the world for this company but still aren't his clients.
Then he said: "What should I do? How do you think we can approach this?"
(This question is brilliant and they are always going to ask it. The sales rep is always going to ask what to do to solve any situation but, I always apply the same principle... before telling them anything, ask... and ask... and ask and listen... you will be surprised that they already know what to do in order to get more clients. Not all the time but most of the time. And when they don't know, guess what, they discover the next step doing the previous one OR checking his own sales process.)
And I said: "-OK Do you mind telling me more?"
He said: "Yes of course. My boss told me that he and his sales team has observed that it takes less time to close a sales process when we are selling to those companies that are already our clients in other parts of the world except here. So what I'm going to do is to update the list that I have..."
I interrupted: "The list that you have is not updated?"
He said: "No, it isn't. I have to call the central office and ask the manager for the updated list."
I said: "And after that, what are you going to do?"
He said: "We have done this in the past but it didn't work."
I said: "Why?"
He said: "Because when I tried to ask the other sales reps for leads they didn't answered my calls."
I said: "Right, how many times did you ask for the info and for how many companies?"
He said: "Two... but, (bla, bla, bla, bla)."
(I didn't pursued more the why he didn't do more about this list in the past. Why? Because I noticed that he made consciousness about it and I'm going to be there to help him to complete successfully this job. What the CEO asked him to do.)
I interrupted: "Fine, then, what are you going to do?"
He answered: "Yeah, fine... In the moment that I have that list I'm going to contact the sales reps that have each account globally so they can help me with relevant information about a client: what we are selling to them, what is their relationship with ABC, Inc., if they are still our clients and if they have or can obtain for me the name of a contact here, in my country. Well, before that, I will review the list to find out if any of these clients are our clients here. Yes, that´s first. And then, well start calling them."
(Please notice that here, he is telling me what he is going to do. He asked me to help him with that but the one that is describing the first stage of his plan, is him. Not me. How? I only asked some questions.)
I said: -"Perfect... so you have a lot of work to do..."
He said: -"Yes, indeed! But I want to know how I'm going to approach them."
I said: -"Why don't we have the list updated first and then we act according to each case?"
(Sales reps always ask for the silver bullet. The one technique, strategy or tactic that is going to work in every sales situation or case. But sales coaching, at least the one that I do, doesn't work that way and experience have proved that to me. My client and I design each strategy, technique and tactic according the situation/client he is dealing with. It's a situational approach not a cookie cutter approach.)
He said: "Yes, you are right. I'll do that and we work with the list in our next call."
Me: "Yes, we work with the prospects that you are ready to call in our next call. Have a great week!"
Comments
Sometimes, when I asked them to describe more about their situation, they find the solution. One of the most important characteristics in my coaching process is not to arrive to conclusions too fast and say it. I prefer to go deeper and I have found that when I do that, in depth, there is the answer, the solution, the approach, the strategy and/or the technique that they are searching for.
Another point here is that this call lasted only 25 minutes. The more they work the less time is required.
The last comment is that besides depth, I prefer them to arrive to their own answers just because, yes they know them, even if they don't know that they know them but, if they arrive to their own answers, they are going to be the owners of them and they will keep the power, their power with them and the responsibility it comes with.
Toronto, ON
Me: "Yes, we work with the prospects that you are ready to call in our next call. Have a great week!"
Comments
Sometimes, when I asked them to describe more about their situation, they find the solution. One of the most important characteristics in my coaching process is not to arrive to conclusions too fast and say it. I prefer to go deeper and I have found that when I do that, in depth, there is the answer, the solution, the approach, the strategy and/or the technique that they are searching for.
Another point here is that this call lasted only 25 minutes. The more they work the less time is required.
The last comment is that besides depth, I prefer them to arrive to their own answers just because, yes they know them, even if they don't know that they know them but, if they arrive to their own answers, they are going to be the owners of them and they will keep the power, their power with them and the responsibility it comes with.
Toronto, ON
