IDEAS, INFORMATION & INSPIRATION FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS

All in the Attitude

BY JENNIFER VISHNEVSKY

The most important thing for a sales superstar is attitude. “You can train someone to sell and provide product knowledge, but unless they can get up in the morning and be willing to promote the company’s products and services, it does not matter,” says Denise Beeson, a small-business consultant and loan adviser.Beeson has assisted companies in a wide range of industries in preparing their business plans, marketing strategies and presentations to the investor community.

Jennifer Brock also has the right idea. “Understand your customers; get to know what drives their businesses and their careers. If your product helps them look like a superstar, they will come back time and time again. There are many salespeople out there, and many of us selling similar products, but if you understand your customer you can anticipate needs and form long-term relationships.” Brock works with HRD, a full-service human capital consultancy offering selected clients executive search, project-based staffing and consulting services.

You’ve Got Personality

Of course, attitude has a lot to do with personality. According to David Schwartz, president of Executive Confidential, “The stereotype of salespeople suggests that the ideal salesperson is extremely extroverted, forceful and fast-paced,” he says.“To be successful in one type of sales often requires behaviors very different from another type of sales.”

Schwartz says, “For some companies, a very assertive sales profile is a top performer. For others, a more cooperative, less assertive individual does best.
For some, top performers are highly extroverted and fast-paced, while for others, a more introverted and introspective salesperson outperforms the rest, such as in engineering or analytical products. And there are those sales positions that demand command of a great deal of detail and a slow, stable pace to work through a complex sales process, while for others, exactness gives way to casualness with an emphasis on speed,” he says.

YOUR PERSONALITY PROFILE So which personality type are you?

1. Animated, playful, inspiring, lively and sociable?

2. Adventurous, persuasive, strong-willed and self-reliant?

3. Analytical, persistent, orderly and scheduled?

4. Adaptable, tolerant, reserved and diplomatic?

If you fit into #1, you are a socializer. Socializers are faster-paced and relationship- oriented. They gesture more frequently, dress less formally and supervise in a more personal matter.

If you fit into #2, you are a director. Directors are also faster-paced and relationship- oriented. They speak louder and more intensely, they are more riskoriented and have more consistent eye contact.

If you fit into #3, you are a thinker. Thinkers are slower-paced and task-oriented.They seem more serious and reserved, focus more on the facts and supervise in a more disciplined manner.

If you fit into #4, you are a relator. Relators are slower-paced and relationshiporiented.They are more tentative and less forceful in expressing opinions, making requests and giving directions. They also speak and move more slowly and softly.

Information courtesy of Mary Byers (www.marybyers.com)

ASI Announces 2012 Show Dates

Make your plans now. ASI recently announced the dates of its five super-regional trade shows in 2012. Timing and locations for the 2012 ASI Shows in Orlando, Dallas and Chicago will remain consistent, while the San Diego show will move to April and the New York show will move to May.

The 2012 schedule is:

* Orlando: Monday, January 16 to Wednesday, January 18, at the Orange County Convention Center

* Dallas: Wednesday, February 1 to Friday, February 3, at the Dallas Convention Center

* San Diego: Monday, April 2 to Wednesday, April 4, at the San Diego Convention Center

* New York: Tuesday, May 8 to Thursday, May 10, at the Javits Center

* Chicago: Tuesday, July 17 to Thursday, July 19, at McCormick Place For more information, visit: www.asishow.com.

PAY IT FORWARD

October 15, 2011, has been selected as the date for the second annual Promotional Professionals Pay It Forward Day, a yearly event where industry professionals from all across the country volunteer for their favorite charities on the same day.

The intent is for all facets of the industry, from suppliers, distributors and service providers to regional, national and international associations, to come together through volunteerism to build a sense of community within the industry and to make a positive impact in the process.

The idea that has turned into PromoProsPIFDay happened when a group of promotional professionals were talking about volunteerism during an industry event in August 2010. The first event was held just three months later on November 6, 2010.

“The reports that came in from the first event indicated that promotional professionals across the country volunteered solo as well as with their families, their companies and their regional associations for the first PromoProsPIFDay last year,” says Mark Shinn, president of Incentives West. “In addition, we continue to hear many stories of how our industry professionals are helping their local communities each and every day. We anticipate an even greater turnout and participation for 2011 and are looking forward to people sharing even more about how they are helping each other make their communities better.”

Volunteers can connect with each other, get ideas on things to do and share their success stories on the event’s Facebook page. Visit it here: www.facebook.com/PromoProsPIFDay. A Twitter feed and hashtag are also available: @PromoProsPIFDay and #PromoProsPIFDay.

How Often Do You Cold Call?

It may not surprise you to see that 44% of respondents never cold call – according to the 2010 Counselor State of the Industry report, 87% of new business last year came through referrals. However, there’s still a lot to be said for cold calling.Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling,” believes that cold calling is a great way to make up the difference between the number of first appointments you need and the number you are actually generating. For the 56% of respondents who cold call, whether it’s daily, weekly or monthly, Weiss encourages reps to focus on prospects that have a need for what you’re selling.

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK

Ad specialty distributors increased their revenues by 9.1% in 2010, according to recently released data from ASI. The result translated into industry revenues of $17.4 billion in 2010, an increase from $15.9 billion in 2009.

Even further, the outlook for 2011 is quite positive: A full 75% of distributors responding to ASI’s Quarterly Sales Survey said they expect their revenues to increase this year, while only 4% expect sales to be lower. In fact, more than half of distributors say they expect their sales to increase by double digits in 2011.

Distributors cited organic growth, a stabilizing market and clients willing to spend as major reasons behind a gradual recovery last year and continued optimism for 2011.

CHANGE AND GROW

In George Ludwig’s opinion, the only person who appreciates change is a baby with a dirty diaper. But salespeople must constantly change in order to improve and grow. “The very best still have areas where they can improve,” says the sales consultant and author of Power Selling.During his education session at The ASI Show Orlando titled, “8 Proven Ways to Grow Your Business Now,” he advised attendees to leave limited thinking behind.

Ludwig noted that it’s essential for salespeople to brand themselves and become known for how they sell, in addition to what they sell. Stop thinking about closing and ask yourself, can you open? “You have to be able to engage the prospect in the first place,” he said. Resist the temptation, however, to sell your products and services to anybody who will buy. “It’s important to know who your red-velvet-rope customers are – those you want to let into the club,” he said.

Ludwig also advised the audience, “Trust is currently under siege. You are guilty by association of every sin committed by past salespeople, so you have to prove to the prospect that you deserve their trust through competence, character and accountability. The number-one thing that separates the truly great salespeople from the mediocre is they take 100% responsibility for their results.”