Author: Sienna Anderson

KONA Says Thanks | Celebrating 20 Years of Success!

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
 

WHAT HAS UNRAVELLED OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES?

   

This month KONA is celebrating 20 years of gratitude.

During our company’s time of growth and success, many events have unfolded.

Here is a snippet of the last 20 years in the workforce:

     
2000 1 July Howard Government introduces a Goods and Services Tax
15 September – 1 October 27th Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney.

Year Date Event
2001 Australia celebrates centenary of federation.
25 February Death of Donald Bradman aged 92 in Kensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia.
Western Australia adopts a uniform Age of consent of 16.
Boat load of asylum seekers is rescued by Norwegian ship, leading to the Tampa affair.
Australian forces deployed to War to topple Taliban for supporting Al-Qaeda
10 November 2001 Australian federal election: John Howard is reelected as Prime Minister.
2002 12 October 2002 Bali bombings, the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people (including 88 Australians).
2003 Australian military deployed to Iraq War to oust the Saddam Hussein regime for serial non-compliance with the 1991 Gulf War Peace Treaty.
Northern Territory introduces uniform Age of consent set at 16 for everyone.
New South Wales becomes the last State to have a Uniform Age of Consent at 16 for everyone.
Australia hosts the Rugby World Cup, with the home side losing the final to England.
19 September Slim Dusty, Country Music Singer and Musician Dies aged 76.
2004 9 September A bomb explodes outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
9 October 2004 Australian federal election: Howard Government (Liberal–National Coalition) wins fourth term and defeats Mark Latham led Australian Labor Party.
2005 December Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla sees a protest against the alleged bashing of a beach lifeguard, developing into an alcohol-fuelled, racially charged riot.
2006 15–26 March The Commonwealth Games are held in Melbourne.
8 September Death of Peter Brock, aged 61
Australian Forces are again deployed to East Timor to help stabilize the country.
2007 Australia avoids recession amidst Global Financial Crisis (to 2010)
24 November 2007 Australian federal election: Kevin Rudd (Australian Labor Party) defeats John Howard (Liberal–National Coalition) to become the 26th Prime Minister of Australia.
2008 22 January Heath Ledger Dies from an accidental prescription drug intoxication.
2008 13 February Kevin Rudd leads bi-partisan Parliamentary to formally apologise for the Stolen Generations.
Longest heatwave for an Australian capital city recorded in Adelaide.
15–20 July Sydney hosts Catholic World Youth Day
5 September Quentin Bryce assumed office as Governor-General of Australia, becoming the first female to do so.
2009 7 February – 14 March Black Saturday bushfires: Massive bushfires swept across Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities.
2010 23–24 June Julia Gillard challenged and replaced Kevin Rudd as leader of the Labor Party to become the 27th and first female Prime Minister of Australia.
17 October Mary MacKillop canonised as Australia’s first Saint of the Roman Catholic Church.
21 August 2010 Australian federal election: Election results in hung Parliament and narrow victory by Julia Gillard (ALP) over Tony Abbott (Lib-Nat Coalition); Liberal Ken Wyatt becomes the first Aboriginal elected to the Australian House of Representatives
2011 Queensland is affected by major flooding followed by Cyclone Yasi.
2012 1 July Carbon price introduced by the Gillard Government.
2013 21 March Julia Gillard apologises to victims of forced adoption practices for removal of babies from predominantly young single mothers
26 June Kevin Rudd defeats Julia Gillard in a leadership spill, 57 votes to 45. Gillard resigns from parliament, Rudd is sworn in as prime minister.
7 September 2013 Australian federal election: Tony Abbott defeats Kevin Rudd to become the 28th Prime Minister of Australia.
2014 14 July Carbon price is dropped by the Abbott Government.
21 October Death of Gough Whitlam, 21st Prime Minister of Australia.
15–16 December 2014 Sydney hostage crisis
2015 20 March Death of Malcolm Fraser, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia.
15 September Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott to become the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.
The Matagurup Refugee Camp is founded in Perth to defend Aboriginal Rights
2016 2 July 2016 Australian federal election: Malcolm Turnbull remains as Prime Minister of Australia.
2017 Late July John Cameron sets off the chain of events that became the 2017 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis.
9 December Same-sex marriage is legalised by the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017.
2018 24th August Scott Morrison succeeds Malcom Turnbull as Australian prime minister.
2019 16th May Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke dies aged 89.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Australian_history) On the verge of all the changes, along the way Kona Group has always maintained its goal for its clients:
  • Doubled sales of a B2B sales force in 6 months
  • Increased revenue of Finance organisation by 20%
  • Increased sales of a Pharmaceutical client by 19% to achieve 140% of annual target
  • Increased revenue for a Distribution client by 17%
  • Increased customer retention of a Major Credit Card by over 12%
  • Trained a sales team to make 439 appointments in ONE POWER HOUR Sales Training workshop and another team to sell over $1,200,000 of excess stock in another HOUR
  • Helped raise over $1,300,000 for Charity
  • Grown KONA from a one-man band to a team that is now part of the HBB Group with a team in excess of 18 Consultants Worldwide
With Training and Coaching Specialists in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Singapore and Auckland, the KONA Group provides Customised Training programs that include:  Sales Training & Coaching, Sales Pipeline Training, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, Storytelling For Sales, HR Consulting; DISC and MBTI, and more.

So, from our first client Fairfax back in 2000, to all of our past, present and future clients we THANK YOU all for your ongoing support and trust, as we really do appreciate it.

If you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact:

KONA Group

1300 611 288

info@kona.com.au | www.KONA.com.au

to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

Because Hope Is Not A Sales Strategy

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How to Sell Value Instead of Price

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

Customers are willing to pay more for products and services that guarantees them significant value. Most companies, at times, are presenting their products right away without even knowing if they are really engaging with their customers.

One might say that every product is just the same as the other, and it only differs with its price range; but, have you thought about how buyers also have different needs and points of view towards products?

How to Sell Value Instead of Price - Infographic
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Author – Garret Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/garretnorris/

Top Sales Trends in 2018

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Q4 has already started, and this means that we are only a few months away from 2019. Some of our clients have created a full sales strategy for this year, however different positive and negative implications have already taken place and key lessons learned – which is why businesses should adapt to the everchanging consumer purchasing habits and develop new techniques to be effective. For salespeople, it is important to blend in with the different trends that resonates with customers. Trends depicts how products and services should move and innovate because the sole reason why these are created is for the consumer’s benefit. Given that most companies are using technology to acquire further knowledge about buyer behaviours and the future of sales roles, there is no doubt that sales trends are also advancing with the use of automation programs. In this article, we will look at the different sales trends in 2018. Here are common business strategies:
  1. The Personalisation of Sales – One of the top sales trends this 2018 is personalisation. According to Accenture’s personalisation pulse check this 2018, about 2 in 3 consumers are more likely to purchase from a retailer if it sends them promotions that are relevant and personalised. Since the digital age has a huge impact when it comes to making a natural marketing communication through consumers, businesses can easily create humanise content for consumers using modern technology to convey goals.
  2. Using Artificial Intelligence and Automation for Sales – AI and automation saves the staff time when it comes to collecting data, which means less time answering calls and more time on more essential tasks and initiatives such developing new selling techniques, conducting sales performance analysis, and sales coaching to client-facing employees.
  3. Structured Sales Influenced by Millennials – Companies today are hiring more and more Millennial people. Marketers who succeed in handling their sales will proactively assess the impact millennials may have on their market from a macroeconomic perspective and as social influencers, which could affect bottom line campaign results.
  4. A Call for More Efficient Leads Management – More advanced sales and leads platforms are created to enable companies respond to every potential customer’s concerns as quickly as possible. However, many businesses are yet to fully realise the potential of these solutions in their sales operations. In fact, a recent Harvard Business Review study revealed that a large portion of companies are slow to respond to their potential customers; 24% of 2,241 U.S companies took more than 24 hours, and 23% of companies never responded at all.
  5. Account-Based Sales Leveraging Content – Companies are bringing together sales and marketing leaders to create a cohesive strategy to grow key accounts. And in 2018, creating content with the purpose to adapt to the natural behaviour of your consumers and heavily engage on building trust between business to community relationships. In this way, companies’ sales and marketing teams can design a successful campaign by tailoring content to specific consumers along the buyer’s journey.
This sales trend is focused on how buyers’ behaviours are changing with the rise of digital engagement and purchasing decisions, and the impact this is having on sales roles across both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) channels. If you are looking for a remedy to enable your company to create more sales and leads, KONA can offer you sales training. Contact us today to learn more Sales Management Training program can benefit your business today.

Reasons Why Customers Are More Important than Price (Infographic)

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Price and value are different definitions of how customers react to a product’s purpose. Price talks about the scale of the worth of a product or service by labelling the amount that customers will pay. On the other hand, value discusses the unique propositions of the product, which will enable customers to know more about the usefulness of their purchase. For example, some products have particular storage consumption which is indicated on the packaging of the product; it may be for 24 months or 12 months which suggests the quality that is prescribed when use. Most products and services ensure quality performance by ranging their prices through what the customers can afford. But not all consumers are checking prices based on the trend; customers sometimes look into the value of a product and what it can step up for them when they use it. Reasons Why Customers Are More Important than Price

When Does the Sale Stop and the Negotiation Begin? (Infographic)

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Sales equate the well-being of a company, it manages the income and expenses of a business and can cover its costs to create a stable operation. This also builds a healthy relationship with potential clients and investors since the data included on sales reports will provide sufficient knowledge to the company’s credibility. Without sales, one cannot interpret the current status of the company’s operations, increase the overall impact to customers, and provide the necessary growth for the business. When Does the Sale Stop and the Negotiation Begin?

How to Ask Powerful Sales Question to Uncover Buyer Needs (Infographic)

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

Asking effective and probing sales questions is critical to uncover buyer needs. These questions often depend on several factors such as the level of competition in your industry, as well as the value your products and services provide to your customers.

By asking the right sales questions, you will be able to understand the nuances behind the different behaviours and needs of your customers. Powerful sales questions are the root of how you can prove your brand’s long-term relationship to your customers.

In this article, we will discuss the different techniques and tips on how to formulate powerful sales questions to uncover buyer needs, but first, let’s define the importance of “the art of questioning” in sales.

How to Ask Powerful Sales Question to Uncover Buyer Needs

Poor Accountability — The Poison for a Sales Team

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Try to think about the five most prominent, most successful names in your industry today. With their standing with your industry’s market nowadays, it’s easy to assume that they’re already doing everything right and they have the luxury of keeping their place no matter what they do. However, before they all got there, it’s inevitable that they also faced numerous challenges and problems during their growth. This is especially true for their sales department. As one of the most dynamic teams of any organisation, the sales team are always on the move to close deals and convert leads into customers. This exact nature, however, is what also makes them one of the likeliest to face problems over time. While some problems can be relatively small and harmless, others do need additional time, effort, and expertise from your team. In either instance, however, they should still have a strong sense of responsibility and accountability to accept these problems and work on them efficiently.

The Effects of the Lack of Accountability

One of the most tell-tale signs of lack of accountability in your sales department is when the staff within it starts blaming each other, the market, the products or services, or the customers for the problems they’re facing. Instead of looking internally, they begin deflecting the blame to external factors. Over the years, numerous companies have faced this issue — it’s quite a common occurrence no matter how undesirable the situation is within the owner’s expectations. Conflicts are natural in every workplace, but these unresolved conflicts can become a deadly poison for the rest of your department, too. A lack of accountability in a sales team disrupts the compatibility within the entire group. The immediate effect of this in your sales department staff is that they won’t be able to perform as well as they did before the conflict arose. This, in turn, affects your sales figures, as it stands to be the biggest risk for decline. Over time, the conflict spreads across the entire department. If your organisation is small and tight-knitted, it may even spread across the whole workforce. This affects the overall efficiency of the company, which results in deteriorated quality. Customers you’ve retained over the years eventually stop coming back due to these failures on your part and the organisation is left with the inability to acquire more customers.

Solving the Issue

Poor accountability in an organisation can occur for various reasons. It can be due to poor company culture and staff structure, which makes salespeople more likely to blame each other or someone else when they face setbacks. It can also develop due to poor management. Without positive and motivation management, conflicts arise, and the employees will become embittered when under this kind of management. Luckily, building a sense of accountability doesn’t require business owners and their salespeople a degree in rocket science. Here are some tips you and your team can get started with:

  • Clear up job roles and responsibilities

People can blame others if their roles and responsibilities are not clear enough. Remove confusion about job roles by explicitly defining them. If there are gaps or new roles and processes, identify them and account for them as well.

  • Develop a sense of ownership

When employees feel they are closer to the company, they become more accountable for their professional actions. Conduct team building exercises and programs to bring your sales team closer to your company. Coaching programs can not only help develop the skills and responsibilities of your sales team but also help them understand their company better. When proper structures, cultures, and management have been set, the more your people grow and take ownership of their actions and mistakes. To learn more about KONA’s Sales Training, Call Centre Training, Customer Service Training and Sales Management training in Sydney and around Australia, telephone us at 1300 611 288 or email us at info@kona.com.au.

Stop Hunting Unicorns! (Are They the Customers You Want?)

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

When it comes to proper strategy-making, one of the factors that you need to determine to effectively conceptualise the entirety of your campaign is the market you’re targeting.

In other words, what kind of customers you’re aiming to sell your products or services to.

This will significantly dictate what tone you should go for with your sales pitches, what kind of behaviour you should expect, and what improvements you must implement based on their problems.

When you manage to pinpoint the correct niche or attract the right customers, you can expect that your business will experience exponential growth in many aspects. This is a scenario that most entrepreneurs dream of achieving because it solidifies their chances of success and keeps their company afloat.

However, knowing if you’re targeting the right people can be a hit or miss — often because you’re trying instead to reach for the unicorns.

What are unicorns?

Generally speaking, unicorns are mythical beasts that are majestic in appearance yet hard to catch or even catch a glimpse of.

They are often attributed to having mystical abilities that make them valuable for anyone who manages to find or befriend one. Their roots trace back to the ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilisation, accounts of natural history from the ancient Greeks, and even in the Catholic Bible.

In more modern and business-related contexts, a “unicorn” is a descriptive term for an individual that is not unlike the term’s origin. It refers to someone who exceeds expectations and is almost a perfect choice, yet is difficult to catch or keep, often due to a mismatch between the business and the individual.

It is a term most commonly used in human resources, which Divestopedia describes as “when those who are responsible for hiring candidates have impossible expectations […] In other words, human resources is looking for a mythical candidate (i.e. a unicorn), rather than facing reality.”

But what does this have to do with your customers?

Based from the connotation of the term “unicorn” in human resources, we can define “unicorn” customers as those who seem to be the perfect match for your business, the ones that you should be targeting with maximum effort because they’re the ones that fit your ideal customer profile.

However, like in human resources, they are the type of people that you’re most likely wasting your time finding, because of impossible expectations that may not be grounded on the reality of your business or the niche they belong to.

While it seems ideal to hunt for them as they’re the people that you believe need your products or services the most, again, you may be targeting the wrong ones. Simply because, like the unicorn of legends, they don’t exist. Businesses that hunt for customers that are unicorns are akin to companies looking to hire unicorns — they often have these expectations merely because they “are rushed, lazy, or actually have no idea” about what they want.

When you hunt for unicorns, you’re essentially wasting your time, as:

(1) They don’t even exist, and

(2) Even if they do, they aren’t the customers you would want despite thinking that they are.

Already, you’re setting yourself up for failure by forming your whole strategy around the idea of attracting the customers that your business doesn’t need.

How to avoid targeting unicorns and start hunting customers that you want and need

The answer to this dilemma is simple: define your target market realistically by making an in-depth analysis of the different factors that go into forming this profile. Base your ideal customer profile around your reality and facts backed by research, not on expectations. You can start creating a good image of what your customer should be like by employing these steps:

  • Look at your current customer base

If your business has been operating for some time, your best resource for customer profiling is your existing customer base. What kind of people are they? Why do they buy from you? Which ones bring in the most business? People like them are likely to buy from you, too.

  • Check out your competition

Whether you’re old or new to the market, you can always benefit from observing what your competition is doing and whom they are targeting. By analysing what they’re up to and what kind of customer base you have, you can find an opportunity to find a niche they haven’t touched on before and base your customer base off that.

  • Analyse what you can offer, and who’d be interested in it

When you have a product or service, it means that you already have a solution to an existing problem. It’s just a matter of matching it to the right customers that need what you can give to them. To do this, make an objective analysis of what you have, and then make a list of people that most likely need the benefits that your solution gives them. This is an excellent base to start from when building a more specific customer profile.

  • Define your demographics and psychographics

Think about the following factors to give you a more concrete idea on what kind of customers you need to target: age, location, gender, income level, education level, marital or family status, occupation, and ethnic background. Psychographics also help build a better profile for you. Consider the following personal characteristics: personality, attitudes, values, interests/hobbies, lifestyles, and behaviour. These aspects can help you develop a clearer image of the kind of people you’re looking for.

  • Evaluate your decision

Once you’ve defined your target market, ask yourself these questions to see if you’ve managed to reach a set of reasonable expectations:

  • Are there enough people who fit into the criteria?
  • Will they see a need and be able to reap benefits from what I can offer?
  • Do I understand who they are and what drives their purchasing behaviour?
  • Can they afford my prices?
  • Can I easily access and contact them from my communication platforms?

Remember: It’s time to stop hunting for unicorns because that’s detrimental to your business’ success. Instead, start looking for the ones that do exist by establishing your expectations on reality.

To learn more about KONA’s Sales Training, Call Centre Training, Customer Service Training and Sales Management training in Sydney and around Australia, telephone us at 1300 611 288 or email us at info@kona.com.au.

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Are They Suspects or Prospects? (Infographic)

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
As a salesperson, it can be frustrating to realise that the person you’re pitching to in a demo or sales call isn’t serious about the transaction. Worse, you just wasted all that time and effort to someone who wasn’t going to close the deal when you could’ve pursued someone else entirely and made a successful lead. When you are selling a product or service to a new client, they can fall into a specific type depending on their likelihood of buying from you. While marketers do vary on how many categories a new client can be classified under, two types are consistent with every list: suspect and prospect. Defining these two categories and knowing how to differentiate between the two can immensely help you and your sales team label leads in your sales funnel quickly and save precious time. Are They Suspects or Prospects - Infographic