Tag: sales coaching

HOW TO RESET YOUR BUSINESS AND PEOPLE POST-COVID

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
We cannot ignore the fact that COVID-19 has had a serious impact on the Australian economy. This has resulted in many business leaders enduring sleepless nights and scratching their heads over the current and future impact of this pandemic on their business. But it is important to remember that the situation is entirely out of our control – everyone’s in the same boat. What is in your control however, as a Leader, is:
  • How your business recovers
  • What actions you take
  • How you get your team back on target
  • What outlook you hold
  • What strategic plans you have in place
  • What you are going to do to increase momentum

HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF HITTING THE RESET BUTTON ON YOUR BUSINESS?

For many of us, we may have issues about “coming back to the office”, or getting back on target, or concerns about our people being out of the physical hunt for results for too long, or simply – achieving ROI. Soon the pace of pre-COVID days will return, do you have actions in place for when we all can come together again? Have you considered:
  • How you are going to build a culture of performance?
  • How you will instil a mindset of positive thinking?
  • How to get results from your team?
  • How to re-frame your team’s conversations around the future?
  • How to React, Restore, Reset your business and people?

To find out more contact the KONA Group 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au

Have you considered a positive movement of encouragement and support for your team on their return – recognition of coming together when we can come together? But how? How, as a forward-thinking Leader, do I encourage and support the return of my staff? The strongest way to support your staff and show them self-worth with a definite ROI, is through instilling a positive mindset – that is the gift that keeps on giving. At the KONA Group we know the value and the power of Motivational Speaking. We can assist you in any capacity to harness positive thinking, spread its powers and skyrocket productivity as a direct result. All our exceptional Motivational Speakers have great stories behind them, their teachings come from walking the pavement of life, the words come from experiences not textbooks. Come on a journey with one of our team. Here is a snippet of one of our Senior team and the founder of the KONA Group. 10 years ago this week the 60-year-old inspiration climbed into the boxing ring with ex-Heavyweight Boxing Champion of Australia John Hopoate all in the name of raising funds for very worthy Breast Cancer patients. Glenn also ran across the Sahara Dessert for the same cause, AND – completed the Hawaiian Ironman in KONA. Oh, and did we mention earlier this year he became the world’s oldest CAGE FIGHTER?! His physical stamina is nothing compared to his mental strength – Glenn has built an outstanding reputation as a Personal Mentor, helping individuals of all ages to achieve goals they never thought possible. He is a specialist Business, Health and Sport Mentor.

To find out more contact the KONA Group 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au

And there are many more like Glenn for you to meet: kona.com.au/meet-the-team/ Everyone has a story and every story can be transformed to lead to positive outcomes. Hit the reset button on your business, engage one of our modern Motivational Speakers and bring out the best in your team and business. We did. To learn how to RESET YOUR BUSINESS or book in your team’s MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, contact KONA: 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au for a confidential conversation today.

SIX TIPS FOR SMASHING A VIRTUAL SALES MEETINGS

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

PROSPECTING IN A PANDEMIC

man at laptop in background, foreground image mask and keys in a table
A third of the Australian economy is generated from New South Wales, so what happens when that state goes into lockdown? Add to that Victoria in lockdown, and that is a sizeable portion of the nation’s economy taking a hard hit. We are once again in a situation where we need to be creative about how we are going to function and keep producing results. Virtual Sales Meetings are indeed back and look to be settling in quite comfortably for at least a month. So, do we stop selling and wait or do we power through and get busy smashing Sales remotely?
Imagine if at the start of 2020 you were told you can double the number of leads you see a day? Virtual sales meetings looks to be settling in quite comfortably as the preferred procedure moving forward. And used correctly this new modus operandi can work wonders for you, enabling you to see up to 10 times more prospects during a day than if you had to commute.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WIN OR LOSE
Acquiring and retaining strong professional sales relationships remotely is not as daunting as it seems in this new – online only world we are living in. As a Leader, is your sales team virtually afloat and motivated or really sinking? Are you as a manager making the right leadership decisions during this time of change?

MS Teams ZOOM meetings sales training with Brickworks

The simple truth is effective virtual communication skills could be the difference between winning and losing a sales deal. Just like in-person meetings, there are protocols to a sales meeting to bring about results. DOES YOUR TEAM KNOW HOW TO SELL EFFECTIVELY VIRTUALLY?

Here is both the why – and the how – of effective virtual sales to skyrocket sales results remotely.

 
1. PREPARE FOR THE VIRTUAL SALES MEETING FIRST
  • Make an Appointment: make sure you email an invite to all the participants to accept it – include a link to the web-conference into the invite and make sure you point out that it is a video meeting, so it is no surprise for the client.
  • Inform your prospect about your agenda, the questions you are bringing to the table and the goal you are both pursuing.
  • Provide your prospect with leeway to decide on the time that is convenient for them.
2. CONTROL THE MEETING
  • Encourage everyone to identify themselves before each contribution, “This is Fred from…”
  • As host, repeat questions that are asked of you before answering. Some participants may not have heard the question.
  • Remind participants before and during the meeting to keep their microphones on mute when they are not speaking.
  • If you are bringing in additional material via screen sharing, such as PowerPoint presentations or product demos to make the conversation even more productive, send the documents to participants in advance.

3. MASTER THE ART OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Do your remote salespeople know how to listen to yield results?  Listening is key to selling. There, the secret is out. Active listening requires both ears and eyes. Ever watched a show on mute (no subtitles)? You get the idea of what is going on yes, but you miss key facts. Selling without listening is akin to watching tv with the volume down to zero.
Reading Non-verbal Behaviour
Most interpersonal communication (> 55%) is non-verbal. It may be a revealing facial expression, a particular style of body language, or the subtle yet telling flicker of an eye – these non-verbal communications are key to understanding the person in front of you and how to, in turn, effectively communicate with them. If more than half of what we communicate is non-verbal then more than half of what we are trying to say/sell is being missed if we cannot master our non-verbal styles.

4. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Just because you are not in a person-to-person scenario does not mean you can be lax in your line of questioning. In fact, it is even more vital in video conferencing to ask the right questions in order to engage and hold attention in a remote set up.

The difference between you and your competitor lies in the questions you ask clients.

Do you and your salespeople possess Advanced Questioning skills?

Or does your competition question better than you?

5. OBJECTION HANDLING ONLINE
Humans are humans, their environment will change much faster than their mindset and behaviour, therefore being objectionable is a trait even the strongest virus won’t diminish. But to protect your sales armour against the inevitable objections that come in sales, even remotely – preparation is key. Do you know how to handle an objection on the spot during a video conference? Can your team handle the heat on their own when selling remotely?

6. BE EXCITING!
Video conferencing is the prime platform to show off your presentation skills. Everyone is video conferencing now, so you need to stand out – add some spark to your next sales meeting.

How will you build rapport?

How will you break the ice?

What presentation skills does your team have?

These remote SALES SKILLS are just the tip of the learning pyramid and make up part of your bespoke  REAL | Remote Education Active Learning Program* developed around your sales team and delivered remotely by the KONA Group. *The recent changes in work from home situations globally has seen access to our REAL Learning Program skyrocket, so we will continue to fill the learning spots on a first in first scheduled basis. Call 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to secure a spot.

CONTACT US: 1300 611 288

or

email info@kona.com.au

SALES EXCUSE 2: THERE’S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

Let’s start by saying that busy doesn’t necessarily mean effective.

One of the most common complaints from sales teams doing poorly is that there’s not enough hours in the day to make phone calls, follow up leads, source new leads, or create effective pitches.

In our experience, more often than not, this is just an excuse masking laziness and poor time management.

The difference between success and failure can be influenced by how effectively time is used. We all get the same 24 hours, so if your sales people are telling you that there’s not enough time then it’s time to identify the real issues and sift through the drainers within the team.

Time management

In contrast, people with poor time management skills waste time on the unimportant things that ultimately will not contribute to converting a lead. These same people are prone to procrastination – a killer of performance. Charles Dickens and David Copperfield summed it up by saying  “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him”.

So, if a member of your sales team complains that they don’t have enough time to convert their leads into sales, “collar them” – look at how they are utilising their time and if the business is actually benefiting, or is simply being drained by a dead resource. Chances are that there are bigger underlying issues that need to be addressed.

Sharpen the focus

There are so many distractions floating around that it can be hard to sit down and focus, and importantly keep your team focused. However, this is not an excuse for deflated sales results. The great sales performers and leaders focus on the target and concentrate on how best to achieve it.

How long does it take your team to perform their daily admin tasks? Are they focused on the end goal or distracted by surrounding interferences?

Ongoing evaluation and reinforcement of daily targets should be established to keep the team on track.

Priorities and delegation

Are your sales people typing reports, filing, responding to unnecessary emails and taking long meetings rather than being on the phone following up leads? The number one priority for the sales team is to generate leads and convert them to sales.

Other tasks can be delegated to the administration or management team so the sales team can focus on what they are there to do – sell!

Sales management training and coaching

At the end of the day, when sales teams blame poor sales on not having enough time in the day, it is usually a case of lacking focus, poor sales management or poor time management, or perhaps they are just not the right person for the role.

Focused, driven and passionate salespeople achieve goals. Time is money so don’t let it be drained by underperforming team members.

KONA Group specialises in a wide range of services that address sales performance and sales management, executive and leadership coaching, and performance and time management. These customised training and coaching programs drill down to the core of the issue and drive solutions through proven methodologies.

For more information, please email info@kona.com.au or call 1300 611 288.

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The 4 Most Impactful Sales Enablement Trends for 2019

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
The modern age is now adding a new flavour in the business industry. Considering how the new generation of consumers is reshaping the way companies promote their business, products, and services, acquiring sales seem to be in a clearer perspective this 2019, especially for sales enablement leaders. As heads of a growing function, sales enablement leaders are learning more about how to succeed in their roles with each passing year. Sales organisations have come to appreciate the value that sales enablement solutions can offer, particularly in shortening the length of the sales cycle and increasing pipeline opportunities. In this article, we will discuss the most impactful sales enablement techniques that you should utilise in your business. To start with, here are the four sales enablement trends that you should watch out for this 2019:

1. Sales Coaching and Learning

Gone were the days when salespeople gain all the knowledge and techniques they have to use on the field. Today, most companies are giving time and effort in nurturing their sales team before deploying them on the field. In 2019, most companies will further demand and expect deeper integration of learning and coaching tools into their existing sales enablement platforms. Doing so will help these companies avoid increased turnover, slower ramp time, and fewer sales. Sales coaching is now the common ground of most sales representatives since this enables them to move fluidly in the market.

2. Customer Relationship Management

CRM is the single greatest spend on your sales stack. If your enablement strategy isn’t anchored to it, then you need to rethink your CRM. To fully apply effective CRM, you should weaponise your core sales management with its essential requirements. Start from prompting necessary information on a prospect to connecting with prospects via social media platforms.

3. Generation Z

While Millennials is still a driving force that marketers and salespeople must focus on, there is a new generation emerging that both marketers and salespeople need to be aware of as well: Generation Z. This generation is entirely different from previous generations, at least in some aspects. For example, they were born with access to incredible technology and grew up using social media, smartphones, online shopping and all kinds of other techniques daily. They also care a lot about global issues and their impact on the world, particularly when it comes to environmental issues.

4. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has the potential to make a significant effect on sales teams, which is why it should be on your list of sales enablement. The time savings are inarguable, but the rise of AI has other effects as well. AI increases the value of human skills that can’t be replicated by traditional sale management tools. In 2019, expect that AI-powered roleplay tools will analyse facial expressions to provide insight into the real emotional responses of an audience. Contact us if you are interested to know more about how our Sales Training program can help your sales department create a meaningful sales enablement for your business today.  

Preparing New Sales Reps for Success: The Importance of Training After Coaching

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

Sales representatives are the people who have a significant influence on how the prospects will respond to each campaign you initiate, and more importantly, how your sales will perform in the long run.  

To ensure optimal results, your sales team must possess a number of skills, especially in the area of communication and relationship building. The best salespeople aren’t always the slickest talkers — they’re the most effective listeners.

Instead of doing all the talk and trying to stay one step ahead, an effective salesperson carefully listens to the client’s needs. As for your sales representatives, it also takes time of quality training for them to hone and utilise their skills efficiently.

In this article, we will discuss the importance and benefits of sales training after coaching that is very relevant for startup businesses and small businesses this 2019. Moreover, since 2019 seems to be a fast-growing year for different companies, here are the critical importance of coaching and sales training that you should consider:

Sales Training Supports Coaching 

Coaching and training go hand-in-hand, as training provides employees with the knowledge and techniques to develop their skills, while coaching helps instil these skills by assisting employees to apply them at work appropriately. By providing annual training for skills improvement, and then evaluating how well your sales team used what they’ve learned, you will be able to identify more effective ways to sustain productive training for your company.

Creates an Interactive Environment for Learning 

Once a preliminary training program is underway, push the agenda onward and upward. Begin by providing ongoing educational opportunities that keep your entire staff up to date on changing protocols, regulations and technologies. When employees are consistently offered opportunities to acclimate, grow and lead, they’re more satisfied with their work and committed to the organisation.

Boost Productivity

By helping your sales representatives to work smarter, they can better understand and balance their time during working hours. This also means that they are less likely to suffer from too much stress because they are more able to approach each task more strategically, thus providing them more time which they can spend on other self-enriching activities.

Improves Emotional Intelligence 

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the capability of individuals to recognise their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately. Guiding your sales reps with how they should balance their emotional understanding in times of crisis will shape them to be cooperative in solving a problem, rather than being incapable of coming up with certain sales issues.

It Helps Bring in New Clients and Appease Current Ones 

When combined with a rigorous training program, sales coaching has the added benefit of inspiring and motivating sales representatives to feel more comfortable about taking risks which can lead to big deals and clients. Great coaching can also improve your customer service which can, in turn, appease your clients and raise awareness about your business through word-of-mouth.

If you are looking for a professional sales training company that can help you prepare your sales representatives, contact KONA Customised Training and Consulting today to learn more about our different services that can help your company.

3 Questions That Identify Why Demonstration is the Key to Sales Coaching

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
3 Questions That Identify Why Demonstration is the Key to Sales Coaching In a recent blog One of the best Sales Managers I ever had was a Rubbish Removalist called ‘Cowboy’ we stressed that just because an employee has experience in a certain area of business it doesn’t mean they will be successful in a new role or new project. Look at how many successful people fail when promoted to managers; or how many corporate high flyers fail when they go into business for themselves; or how often a new employee headhunted from your competition doesn’t achieve the same success in your organisation. HR and Recruiters will point to Behavioural Event Interviewing techniques (a technique that asks the candidate to describe a situation or an experience they had in a previous job) and say that “Past behaviour is an indication of future success”. However, this isn’t effective if the role is different or new to the person. As a Manager and Coach it is critical that Managers don’t have the attitude that because an underperforming employee ‘should know better’ they actually know how to perform. Managers who are having coaching conversations with their people from behind their desks, and discussing what the underperformer should be doing, instead of actually getting out on the road and seeing them in action, are letting their people down and taking the easy way out. In a recent article 4 Things to Consider When Promoting Your Top Sales Person to Sales Manager  it was stressed that KNOWING WHAT to do in a job is very different to actually DEMONSTRATING HOW to do the job, and yet far too often Managers and Leaders are taking past results and current office conversations on face value. Until you actually see your people demonstrating the skills and tasks they need to be successful, Managers must stop delegating and empowering, and start providing sales training and coaching to become better Managers as Coaches. So here are 3 questions to see how well your people are being coached: 1. How many days a month do your Managers spend with each of your sales people, actually on the road watching them in-front of customers, so they can see and hear them in action, to be able to provide Sales Training and Coaching. In a recent on-the-spot survey in a KONA Sales Management Training workshop, 12 managers, who were managing 60 sales people between them, had collectively only spent 8 days on the road coaching in the last 4 weeks – less than 1 day each a month. And they were blaming their sales people for being below target! NOTE: Coaching is not offering a better price that you haven’t allowed your people to have, or dropping into a Key Account for a Royal Visit, or spending a couple of hours with your sales person, before “having to get back to the office for an important meeting”. 2. Coaching Professional Sales Skills involves many stages to Sales Proficiency, in addition to the core skills of Cold Calling and Making appointments; Questioning and Listening; Presenting; Negotiating; Closing; and Account Management. So how clear are your Managers and People on the 4 specific and exact Key Skills and Capabilities they need to be proficient at to help them Hit KPIs? (Not to be busy and fill their diary, but to Hit Their KPIs.) 3. What are you going to do as their Manager, Trainer and Coach to improve the way each of your people demonstrate their 4 Key Skills?

Additional Question

Is the blunt, honest truth that the problem with your underperforming people is that their Manager is suffering from Imposter Syndrome – The fear of being exposed as not being up to the job because they actually might not have the Sales Skills or Sales Management Capability they need in the position they are now in?

Going forward:

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. 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,  HBDI and DiSC Personality Profiling and more.