Author: Sienna Anderson

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia

DISC Personality Test Australia Selling is not just about the numbers. That kind of approach may have worked in the past, but now customers want to be engaged with, and not just told all of the technical details of your products and services. Understanding a customer’s personality and communication preferences is now crucial. KONA Group, with over 16 years of experience in sales training in Australia, has crafted a highly effective approach to selling – the Hearts and Minds sales methodology and through the DISC Personality Test, Sales Training Australia programs have proven to deliver outstanding results. Enrol your sales team into the number one DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia programme and change the way they look at selling forever.

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia – KONA’s Approach.

Our Hearts and Minds sales program has been crafted from deep understanding of the reason why people buy. Pushy sales techniques, pressure tactics and all the other strategies that focus on closing the sale and not the customer don’t deliver long term results. Our DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia programme is a simple, practical and highly effective approach to selling. It brings to the fore a new way of selling, a new mindset that transforms selling into a process of building relationships with your prospects. Our expert coaches will teach your sales people some practical skills that will transform the results they deliver.

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia – What Your Sales Team Will Learn

Your sales team will learn how to: Make Your Investment in DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia Work For You. Just another sales strategy won’t work. At KONA, our sales training coaches will customise your sales training to suit the needs of your organisation. Effective and Pragmatic – Our Heart & Minds Sales Training Methodology is highly practical and has proven to have increased results for our clients be it in terms of the number of deals closed, sales figures or the number of leads generated. Your sales team will learn the skills and techniques of our Hearts & Minds Sales Training methodology in Sydney and Melbourne and will be able to implement these in their day to day interaction with customers. They will be able to identify and build a Sales Pipeline full of the right opportunities, and build relationships to Manage Key Accounts and close sales quickly, effectively and efficiently. Achieve the results your organisation needs with our bespoke and tailored programmes and don’t waste money on “by the book” or “off the shelf” Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne Contact KONA today for results driven Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne. The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide 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, HR Consulting; and more. So if you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or text 0425200883 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

Sales Training And Sales Coaching In Sydney And Melbourne

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

Sales Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne

Sales Training in Australia

Your sales team if the most important part of your organisation as everything else is dependent on your sales numbers.

So if you need to see an improvement in your organisation’s results implement customised Sales Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne

Sales Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne – Key Skills Your Team Will Learn how to:

Your sales team will get to learn these and many more key skills with our sales coaching Sydney programmes.

Why Choose KONA Group’s Sales Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne

Customised Sales Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne – All of KONA Group’s sales coaching programs are customised to the needs of your organisation. We do not believe in offering “by the book” or “off the shelf” training. That does not work in the real world, and is a waste of your money.

Measureable – Our work doesn’t end as the training workshop finishes. We make sure the change is implemented, that your sales people apply these practices, to make sure the change is lasting and permanent by providing in-field, on-the-job Sales Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne

Practical – Our Heart & Minds Sales Training Methodology is highly practical and has proven to have increased results for our clients be it in terms of the number of deals closed, sales figures or the number of leads generated.

Your sales team will learn the skills and techniques of our Hearts & Minds Sales Training methodology in Sydney and Melbourne and will be able to implement these in their day to day interaction with customers. They will be able to identify and build a Sales Pipeline full of the right opportunities, and build relationships to Manage Key Accounts and close sales quickly, effectively and efficiently.

Achieve the results your organisation needs with our bespoke and tailored programmes and don’t waste money on “by the book” or “off the shelf” Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne

Contact KONA today for results driven Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide 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, HR Consulting; and more.

So, if you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

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4 Easy Steps to Improve Your Decision Making

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
In our recent article At What Age Should You Trust Your Gut Feeling we stressed the importance of when to trust your ‘Inner Voice’ and yet too many Managers make decisions without really looking at the trends behind performance and behaviours that lead up to their decisions.Apply These 4 Easy Steps to Improve Your Decision Making In this era of Fair Work Australia and Industrial Relations laws, where Employers are being treated as the enemy, this is a dangerous practice and therefore it is crucial that any decision made is based on Identified Repeated Behaviours (or IRBs). It doesn’t matter what the situation is – if you are recruiting; if you are thinking of promoting someone; if a customer is late in paying; if there is a staff performance issue; service at a cafe/restaurant; gifts at Christmas, the list is open ended, and in almost all situations, there are 4 easy IRBs that repeatedly demonstrate a trend and help you to make a decision. So next time you need to make a decision consider these 4 simple steps:
  1. If something happens once, it’s an occurrence
  2. If the same thing happens twice, it’s a coincidence
  3. If it happens 3 times, it is a habit
  4. If something happens 4 times, it’s an undeniable fact!
For example, In KONA’s Sales Management Training and Coaching programs, we regularly discuss how if you are thinking of promoting someone, identify how many times did they hit target in the last 4 months? Once – is an occurrence; Twice – is a coincidence; 3 times – demonstrates a positive performance habit; 4 times – it is a fact that they know what they are doing and should be considered Conversely,
  1. If one of your team comes to work late once it’s in occurrence.
  2. If they arrive late twice that’s a coincidence and needs to be acknowledged with them.
  3. If somebody comes late to work 3 times this is starting to become a habit and potentially a problem and must not be ignored.
  4. If somebody comes to work late 4 times there is definitely a problem with either their life out of work or their attitude to work, and must be addressed immediately.
So next time you need to make a decision apply these 4 IRBs to your decision making and it will help uncover how consistent the other person or supplier is, or if they are a one hit wonder; or a ‘peaks and troughs performer’ or ‘living off past glories’. The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading provider of Customised Sales Training and Sales Management Training and Coaching  and provide customised training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Conference & Motivational Speakers, and more. If you would like to discuss how KONA’s Sales Training, Sales Management Training and Call Centre Training will improve your organisation’s results, contact Glenn Dobson today on 1300 611 288 or info@kona.com.au or text 0425200883.

Why KONA Group is the Best for Sales Training in Sydney and Melbourne

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
sales training melbourne kona group

Your sales team is the most important part of your organisation, regardless of what other departments say:

Sales Pays the Wages.

No matter how good your products are; how stunning your branding; how up to date your technology, if your sales people cannot influence prospects and customers to buy your products and services, the result is lost revenues, reduced profits and potential consequences.

As the Sales Manager and Sales Leader, your biggest worry can often be the inconsistent performance of your sales people, especially when they miss their KPIs and monthly targets.

Partnering with the KONA Group will improve the performance of your sales people. Our customised Sales Training in Sydney and Melbourne and Call Centre Training will deliver the results you are responsible for.

Sales Training in Sydney and Melbourne – Hearts and Minds Sales Methodology

KONA Group’s customised Sales Training in Sydney and Melbourne is focussed on the Hearts & Minds Sales Methodology, and will completely change the way your sales people sell in this current technology driven era.

Our experienced Sales Training Specialists in Sydney and Melbourne will give them practical tools to:

Sales Training in Sydney and Melbourne – What We Do

Hearts & Minds Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne is focused on:

Your sales team will learn the skills and techniques of our Hearts & Minds Sales Training methodology in Sydney and Melbourne and will be able to implement these in their day to day interaction with customers. They will be able to identify and build a Sales Pipeline full of the right opportunities, and build relationships to Manage Key Accounts and close sales quickly, effectively and efficiently.

Achieve the results your organisation needs with our bespoke and tailored programmes and don’t waste money on “by the book” or “off the shelf” sales training courses.

Contact KONA today for results driven Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide 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, HR Consulting; and more.

So if you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

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How Can I Hit Target Before the Month is Over?

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
4 Tactics to Hit Target Before the Month is Over

In sport you hear a lot of players and coaches talk about ‘game plans’ and ‘structure’ – about how they will play at certain times during the game to get a result.

The danger of this is what do you do if your plan has gone out of the window and you are 20 points down at half time?

Hope is Not a Sales Strategy, so it is pointless sticking with the same game plan and hoping that you will get a result.

Sadly, in sales, too many teams are getting halfway through the month and are behind target, but nothing changes.

To make this worse, they then have a ‘next month will be better’ attitude and decrease their efforts instead of looking for ways to make up the shortfall.

5 Proven tactics to use if you are behind target halfway through the month

Introduce a Power Hour

In 2 recent Sales Training workshops KONA turned training into immediate sales and turned around an organisation’s results by introducing a Power Hour.

All attendees were given a list of selected products, prices and quantities; they then developed and practised what they were going to say; then actually picked up the phones during the sales training workshop and called customers and prospects.

Results:

  • Over $1,000,000 of products sold in ONE HOUR
  • Excess stock cleared and warehouse space created
  • Monthly target smashed

Another client used the same tactic a week later and they made 546 appointments in ONE POWER HOUR!!

Commando Raids

My first job after leaving the Army was with L’Oreal, the international Hairdressing Products Supplier, selling hair colours, perms and setting lotions to hairdressers around the North of England. (Just a little cultural shift between the two jobs!!)

Half way through every month my old boss introduced what he called a ‘Commando Raid’ on the territory of one of his 8 salespeople – a tactic where all 8 reps met early one morning and the local salesperson gave each one of us a list of target customers, then out we went and called on them.

At the end of the day we all got together, shared our wins and celebrated that we had helped the local salesperson get back on target.

30 years later this is a tactic that we have introduced to several KONA clients, and it still works today.

Short term Incentives

Monthly and Quarterly sales commissions and bonuses are an integral part of any sales team’s effectiveness and motivation and help drive their Sales Pipeline.

However as well as the Longer Term Incentives (LTIs) many organisations are successfully linking weekly Short Term Incentives (STIs) to specific tasks or products.

For example, this week…

  • Open up 5 new accounts
  • Sell 30 of Product X
  • Generate $20,000 in revenue

The big advantage of this tactic is it is easy to manage, can be monitored daily with a single phone call, and can turn around a month’s results well before it is too late.

Bundle and Package your Products & Solutions

Every time we go into a retailer we see products bundled and packaged together:

  • A toothbrush with toothpaste
  • A car with 2 years servicing
  • A slice of toast with your coffee
  • A scarf with a jacket
  • A burger and fries and a drink

Often the included product is one the seller has an over stock of, or is looking to introduce to the market as an additional line and source of revenue.

Yet far too many organisations see that tactic as “just for retailers”, which is the wrong attitude and approach.

If you put your mind to it what could you Bundle and Package up in your organisation?

Outbound Customer Service

By definition Customer Service is often seen as a reactive service, typically responding to inbound customer calls or emails.

Yet this doesn’t have to be the case.

There are times in every week where your inbound calls and inquiries are quiet so why not use that time to generate more outbound activity.

In KONA’s Call Centre Training and Customer Service programs we regularly customise a workshop to help inbound teams become more proactive and make outbound calls.

In many cases we include 2 of these 3 previous tactics by combining a Power Hour and Selling Product bundles.

A real life example of this is recently with an organisation selling Power Solutions our Call Centre Specialist Garret Norris helped a client TRIPLE their sales results in only 3 days.

So if you find your salespeople are missing target way too often, what exactly are you doing to change your game plan and the pace of your game before your month turns into just another month of underperformance?

If you would like to discuss how KONA’s Sales Training, Sales Management Training and Call Centre Training will improve your organisation’s results, contact the KONA Group today on 1300 611 288 or info@kona.com.au.

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading provider of Customised Sales Training and Sales Management Training & Coaching.

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At What Age Should You Trust Your Gut Feeling?

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
hearts and minds challenge

How much do you trust your ‘gut feeling’? That 6th sense, the inner voice that niggles at the back of your mind that you are not quite sure how much you should listen to?

As you go through your career there are different times when you should listen to this inner voice and here are 4 insights into when and what you should do:

From your working age of 16 to 30

In between 16 and 30 you are starting on your working career and your experience is limited.

You had various levels of education at school and could even have achieved good grades at university or college yet your real world experience is limited.

Your parents haven’t necessarily been totally honest with you and have possibly told you that you are perfect and “can become anything you want”.

However at this age you haven’t had the depth of wins and losses; problems and solutions; pain and gain, that you need.

You might not know what the questions you need to ask are, never mind the answers, so don’t ignore your inner voice but go out and validate it.

If you are in sales and your organisation invests in you and invites you to attend Sales Training or Customer Service training, then embrace it, but don’t sit silently at the back, playing with your iPhone pretending you know it all.

Ask people their opinions; ask them how do they do things and learn through trial and error.

“Perfection is the enemy of action” so don’t play safe. Try things out and make mistakes then learn from those mistakes.

Danger Time:

When something happens and you get that rush of emotion (and/or ego) don’t make immediate rash decisions.

Discuss your feelings and thoughts with others, and not just your close friends who often will tell you what you want to hear.

At work, in relationships, and with any potential change, take the time to think things through, look at contingencies and options, and DON’T DECIDE THEN REGRET.

A lot is currently being said about millenniums and how they know everything but many have experienced nothing.

Maybe you do and maybe you don’t but if you don’t actually put theory into practice, then how will you know what you know, and more importantly what you need to learn (as there is a strong possibility that your parents lied to you!!)

30 to 40

Between the ages of 30 to 40 you have now had a breadth of experience and have been in the workforce for anything from 12 to 23 years

You have had successes and you’ve had failures, and you’ve possibly made more mistakes than you are willing to openly admit to.

Importantly, if you are smart, you have stopped pretending you know everything and you’ve decided not to go it alone, and have found mentors and coaches to help you achieve your goals.

You have surrounded yourself with a network of good people and not hidden behind the false mirage of 100s of Facebook friends that you have never spoken to, never mind met.

Your gut feeling is now becoming more trustworthy but it is still a time where you still need to validate your inner voice to gain a bigger and more varied picture.

Use peers, trusted advisors and people’s opinions that you respect as sounding boards and get an insight into other potential options that you might not have considered.

40 to 50

40-50 are good years for your gut feeling.

You’ve now had well over 20 years of commercial experience and have possibly achieved a position of seniority and/or management.

People are looking to you for guidance, maybe to validate their own gut feelings.

This is a time to trust your inner voice as you are possibly in a position to have the final decision, but there’s no harm in asking others what their opinions are as they might be able to add to your thoughts.

A good example of this is I had a conversation with an MD of a very successful organisation last week who was thinking about taking on a well credentialed person for a senior role.

However, it was only when he articulated his gut feeling and silent concerns about the new person that he realised she wanted to join his organisation for all of the wrong reasons.

Having made the phone call he was then in a far clearer state of mind to trust his gut feeling and make a more rounded decision.

Danger:

There is one key proviso you must take into account at this age and it is based on how varied is your experience.

On KONA’s Customised Sales Training and Sales Management Training workshops we regularly hear Senior Sales People and Sales Managers say “I have over 10 years’ experience in this industry” and with that they demonstrate how blinkered they have become to the ‘new world of sales’. (Check out the article https://kona.com.au/embrace-sales-technology-before-you-become-obsolete/)

The reality of their statement is that for many people it is one year that has been repeated 10 times!

Now that’s fine if your gut feeling is in an area of expertise that you are particular familiar with, like a piece of old machinery or equipment.

However, technology is moving faster than people so if you are moving into a new field, be it a new technology, or a new position, or new industry, or a new relationship, that does not always mean that your 10 years of experience is dependable and reliable.

One of the reasons why many senior people nowadays are contracting Executive Coaches and Sales Coaching specialists it is that their coach’s experience is across multiple industries and multiple markets; across multiple roles, countries and even languages and cultures, and not exclusive to specific industries or product applications.

So if your world is changing, go back to what you were doing in your earlier years and discuss and confirm that your gut feeling is up to date

50 to 60 

50 – 60 is the time when you’re gut feeling is at its peak. If you feel it, it is probably right.

You are still commercially driven and striving to achieve goals but you are also in a position where you are a Leader of People and/or Organisations.

Maybe you now have two or possibly even three generations of people underneath you and looking for your guidance.

There is very little that surprises you, as, without being arrogant, you have probably seen it, heard it and done it all before.

So trust your gut feeling and go out of your way to look for people you can mentor and help through their careers.

You don’t need to understand the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the changes impacting on you and your organisation, however it is important to stay up to date and open to change.

Trust your gut feeling, go with it and bring others along with you for the ride.

If you would like to discuss how KONA’s Sales Training and Executive Coaching can improve your organisation’s results, contact the KONA Group today on 1300 611 288 or info@kona.com.au or text 0425200883

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading provider of Customised Sales Training and Sales Management Training and Coaching and provide customised training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Conference & Motivational Speakers, and more.

Sales Management Training in Sydney and Melbourne

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Sales Management Training in Sydney and Melbourne

The success of your organisation greatly depends on your top sales leaders. How the people at the bottom of the hierarchy perform will depend a great deal on the performance and strategy of the sales leaders and sales managers of your organisation.

Don’t leave this to chance.

Enrol your leaders and managers into one of our Sales Management Training programs in Sydney and Melbourne

Results Driven Sales Management Training in Sydney and Melbourne

Whether you want to mentor future leaders, new leaders or want to improve the performance of current leaders of your organisation, our leadership training can make a world of a difference to your organisation. Here’s what our Sales Management Training programs in Sydney and Melbourne can deliver for your leaders and for your organisation.

  • Nurture a culture of sales leadership in the top level sales leaders and sales managers
  • Develop sales leadership skills and capabilities
  • Bring continuous improvement in the way of sales performance and operational excellence
  • Make sure that ‘sales strategy’ is followed up by ‘execution’
  • Nurture future leaders you have identified in your organisation
  • Transform sales managers into sales leaders
  • Create, nurture and sustain high performing sales teams
  • Win the Hearts and Minds of more customers

Our Expertise

At KONA, we have helped improve the performance of managers and leaders of several organisations. Over the past 16 years, KONA is the trusted Sales Management Training in Sydney and Melbourne for organisations that want to improve the performance of their leaders, executives and managers.

We have a proven track record of delivering successful results. Our clients see an improvement in the leadership skills of their executives, managers and top leaders, which has a direct impact on the business’s sales, bottom line and revenues.

Book a Free Consultation Today

Our programs are customised for your organisation, your needs and your sales team to deliver the maximum returns on your investment.

Contact KONA today for results driven Sales Management Training in Sydney and Melbourne

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide Customised Training programs that include:  Sales Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, HR Consulting; and more.

So if you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your sales performance and results.

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Sales Training Courses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Regional Centres

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Sales Training Courses in Melbourne and Sydney

Looking for high effective Sales Training Courses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Australia’s Regional Centre

We can help. KONA Group can coach your sales people a professional and effective way of selling with our “Hearts and Minds” programme. It will change the way your sales people look at sales, and drastically improve their results immediately.

Take a look at our case studies for an in depth understanding of the results we can help deliver with our Sales Training Courses in Melbourne and Sydney

Sales Training Courses – Who is It For?

If you can relate to any of the following situations, our Sales Training Courses in Melbourne and Sydney can bring the change you need in your sales team.

  • Your sales team miss their KPIs frequently
  • Most of the business they bring is from their current customers/clients because they aren’t sure how to generate new business any other way
  • They are not comfortable speaking with top level decision makers because most of their contacts are at middle or low level
  • They lose negotiations because the competitors offered a better price
  • They do not have enough leads in the pipeline
  • They blame the product, the accounts department, the customers, and everybody else for their poor KPIs and when they don’t reach their sales targets

Why Choose KONA Group

With our Sales Training Courses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Regional Cities – your sales people will:

  • Learn how to negotiate successfully
  • Be able to produce impactful presentations
  • Understand the requirements of your clients better
  • See opportunities for growth
  • Learn practical, effective sales strategies that drive sales and revenues quickly
  • Build strong relationships with accounts from top down, not just at the operational level
  • Prospect with belief and confidence

Make sure your organisation achieves the results you want with our customised programmes. We do not offer “by the book” or “off the shelf” Sales Training Courses.

Sales Training Maximum ROI

Our programs are customised for your organisation, your needs and your sales team to deliver the maximum returns on your investment.

Contact KONA today for results driven Sales Training Courses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Regional City Centres.

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide Customised Training programs that include:  Sales Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, HR Consulting; and more.

So if you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

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How Do You Know if Your Product/Service is What Your Customers Will Want Next Year?

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
How Do You Know if Your Product/Service is What Your Customers Will Want Next Year?I read recently about an organisation that is struggling because the CEO keeps introducing new products as he thought it would add value to his organisation’s customers. The main problem was that when the Sales Team presented the new products into the market their customers said that their demand was for something quite different, and/or, the new range didn’t have any benefits compared to the products they were currently purchasing. Worse still, the teams were given limited Sales Training on how to present the value of the new range and expected to “just go out and sell it” If you only use History Based Measurements, like last month or last quarter’s sales, then how do you know if your product/service is really adding value to your customers before it is too late? Or are you just the cheapest on the day? Do you know EXACTLY WHY a particular line isn’t being bought by customers, or is it based on anecdotal feedback or excuses from the field? Many customers, especially in Australia, “talk with their feet” so giving your customers an opportunity to provide you with feedback – or better still, actively pursuing it before they decide to buy off one of your competitors, not after they have made the decision – is crucial. As mentioned in a previous post, “5 Reasons Why a Customer Feedback Program is Key for Growth”, we expand on point one: “It Will Help You Make Much Needed Improvements”. Working in an organisation can often consume our lives with our own products or services and can lead to a narrow line of vision, where opportunities to improve are missed, or ignored. As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one, and this rings true with Customer Insights. Customers have the ability to look at your products/services with a more practical pair of eyes, or hands, and can add improvements or adjustments to your range that you may not have even thought about, if you ask them. When you ask a customer to provide feedback that they believe are needed, you are going straight to the horse’s mouth. Customers know exactly what they want and need from a product and often know more about them than people in your organisation do, as they use your products daily on the job. They will tell you exactly what is needed to retain them as a customer, as well as encouraging new customers to purchase from you. The information that they provide you with can be used to develop your offer into something that not only meets their needs, but keeps you in front of your competition! Imagine becoming a market leader because you listened to your customer’s needs and developed your products and services accordingly. Unfortunately, too many organisations are still saying “we have always sold a lot of these or “this new range will be outstanding addition” Don’t believe it? Then pass me your typewriter or Blackberry from Dick Smiths. Or the video and book you bought last week from Blockbuster and Borders No one likes to feel ignored, and by actively listening to your customers when they are providing feedback wins their Hearts and Minds and they feel engaged and valued. It is not hard to see that a valued customer will help you to create better and stronger relationships that increase customer satisfaction, reduce churn and increase sales and profits So if you would like to discuss how Customer Insights can improve your organisation’s results, contact the KONA Group today on 1300 611 288 or info@kona.com.au or text 0425200883 The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading provider of Customised Sales Training and Sales Management Training and Coaching  and provide customised training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Conference & Motivational Speakers, and more.

Embrace Sales Technology Before You Become Obsolete

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Embrace Sales Technology Before You Become Obsolete

I met with a very experienced sales person recently who had left his organisation after 16 years employed to go into business for himself.

Last time he had been self-employed was back in the late 90’s, and he had been highly successful, so expected to pick up from where he had left off.

Unfortunately, despite all of his experience and ambition, after 9 months in Sales and Business Development he is struggling because he hasn’t adjusted to how the ‘New World of Sales and Technology’ are aligned.

Technology has a tendency to evolve far quicker than people, and as customers become more tech savvy and organisations more dependent on technology, far too many underperforming sales people are still burying their heads in the sand and not embracing it.

So here are just some of the ways technology is changing organisation’s sales processes and the dangers of getting left behind.

Prospecting is Warmer Today

When the KONA Group was founded 17 years ago prospecting was basically getting a copy of yellow pages, picking up the phone and making a 100 telephone Cold Calls a day to secure 10 appointments.

Locating prospects that would meet with you, never mind prove to be profitable, was a challenging task to say the least, and not for the faint hearted!

However, with the introduction of new technologies, sales people have access to a wide range of customer information online that will turn a Cold Call into a Warm Call, as long as they are willing to use it! (Check out 427 Reasons Why Cold Calling is Not Dead)

Linked In

Sales people and Sales Managers who still see Linked In as a digital recruitment tool and somewhere to post their CV online in the hope that they will receive job offers need to smarten up.

While HR and recruiters might be interested in which school you went to and what tasks you have completed to keep your job over the years, your Linked In profile should be about what you do for your clients and customers, and the outcomes you have achieved for them.

What have you saved and reduced; increased and grown; improved and prevented, for your customers and clients? Then use that as the start of your profile (While not perfect, here is an example that highlights results and outcomes rather than day to day tasks https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenndobsonsalescoach).

How many recommendations do you have?

How many endorsements?

How many quality high level and influential contacts do you have (Note it is important not to treat Linked In like a 16-year-old who is desperate to be ‘liked’ would treat Facebook. While a minimum quantity of LI connections is important, quality must be the focus).

Check out some of the profiles of your colleagues/team. How many are Customer Centric and how many are just Online Resumes?

Build a Profile

When a potential supplier calls a prospective Decision Maker, you can often hear the sound in the background of a key board tapping, as the prospect types the caller’s name into Google.

Immediately Gatekeeper Filter # 1 occurs as the Decision Maker starts to check out your credibility as they want to know what differentiates you from the crowd.

If you can only be found by a weak Linked In profile (and God forbid a few drunken images of you at last month’s Bucks/Hens night) then straight away you are potentially self-sorting yourself out of the mix.

Build a profile with links to updates, articles, blogs, videos, opinions and lots more, all relevant to your target market. Create links to Industry Websites and join Industry Groups then contribute.

Big Data is in the Lead

In today’s business environment, the more you know about your customer and client’s market, the better your chances of winning are.

Big data has bridged that gap and successful sales teams are embracing it for good reason. The sales advantage they can get depends mostly on their ability to capture, manage and evaluate that massive amount of information without getting overwhelmed in the process.

This is where technology that can process big data comes into the picture. Using analytical tools that are designed specifically for this purpose, your sales personnel can get Customer Insights into the buying behaviours of your target clients.

What was once a labour-intensive task can now be completed in minutes as now your staff can prospect for potential leads without waiting ages for the results.

Customer Insight Analytics can also help your business determine exactly which customers should be targeted and how to use their profiles to your advantage.

The ability to do so can help you determine which ones are similar to one another and which ones respond best to certain marketing campaigns or messages.

In other words, it will allow your sales team to focus their efforts to get fast and accurate insights on what customers are doing. It will also help them in creating activities that can attract more customers.

Cloud based CRM Technology

Gone are the days when Sales Pipelines only had a narrow window to qualify customers with. With Customer Relationship Management solutions, they are now able to acquire a bird’s eye view of their relationships by integrating sales, customer support, distribution and marketing tools.

Cloud based CRM solutions are designed to take Key Account Management to a completely new level to provide fast and accurate insights on what customers are attracted to and when they are most likely to make purchases.

With upgraded and relevant information at their fingertips, your sales team will be a force to be reckoned with as long as the people who are expected to use it, i.e. the sales team, are involved in the selection of the CRM and not just left to the Marketing Department and IT people to make the choice.

And the outstanding thing of Cloud Based CRMs such as Pipedrive is that they won’t break the bank and can start from as low as only $20 a month.

Final Thought:

Sales People and Sales Managers don’t need to be ‘propeller heads’ and understand how every megabite, encryption, hashtag, ping, router, VoIP, etc works.

However, they must adopt New Sales Technology quickly before they are left behind and replaced.

Going Forward:

If you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your Sales Team, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288, text 0425200883 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

In addition, if you want to receive a FREE Sales Capability Assessment for your organisation, email The KONA Group today on info@kona.com.au

The KONA Group trains and coaches 1,000s of Sales People and Managers a year and is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide customised training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, and more.