AUGUST 2016 | ISSUE 108
How to Motivate Your Team Part Two...
Page 6
NZ’S E-MAG FOR SALES LEADERS | WWW.NZSALESMANAGER.CO.NZ
From the Editor Welcome to our August issue, and what is my final issue as editor of NZSM. Over the years we have changed several aspects of the magazine, but kept to the same formula of providing thought provoking articles, industry news and information to forwardthinking sales managers, business owners and sales professionals. It’s with great thanks to all the awesome contributors of articles that I have worked with that we are able to achieve this.
RICHARD LIEW
anaging Director
21 123 456
ww.espiremedia.com hardl@espiremedia.com
A final thanks to Jodi Olsson, who incredibly, has designed every issue. You are a legend Jodi. In passing the editors reigns back to the founder of the magazine, Richard Liew, I know the mag is in great hands and will continue going from strength to strength.
CONTACT/SUBSCRIBE&SHARE W
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
E
pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz
SUBSCRIBE AT
PN
www.linkedin.com
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz. It’s free!
ABOUT Short and sharp, New Zealand Sales Manager is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forward-thinking sales managers, business owners and sales professionals. 02 |
And thanks to all you readers too, for your encouragement, feedback, thoughts and ideas that help to keep the mag current and topical. I have enjoyed working on every issue.
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
ISSN 2230-4762 EDITOR Paul Newsom ART DIRECTOR Jodi Olsson GROUP EDITOR Richard Liew CONTENT ENQUIRIES Phone Paul on 021 784 070 or email pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Phone Jennifer on 03 443 6316 or email jenniferl@espiremedia.com
Landscape powered by Helix
New Zealand’s most powerful and dynamic segmentation solution
Inivio introduces New Zealand’s first truly household level segmentation product. Inivio have teamed up with Roy Morgan Research to create Landscape powered by Helix providing a dynamic and comprehensive view of New Zealand consumers. Roy Morgan collect a myriad of data on everything from income, discretionary spend, response to marketing mediums and thousands of other variables that drive New Zealand consumer attitudes and buying behaviour. Landscape Powered by Helix builds upon Roy Morgan’s Helix segmentation solution with enhancements utilising Inivio’s verified household level intelligence to create the most dynamic and granular segmentation solution for NZ.
Next steps
With Landscape powered by Hel x you will: Receive dynamic updates every quarter Gain access to Roy Morgan’s Helix website to view research intelligence and media consumption trends Manage marketing & risk through identifying value segments and how to attract likeminded prospects Focus media buying based on value prospect behaviour
To find out more contact Inivio on 09 367 6285 or visit www.inivio.co.nz
© 2013 Veda Advantage Solutions Group Pty Limited This document is the intellectual property of Veda Advantage Solutions Group Pty Limited. The information contained in this document is confidential and may not be stored, copied, given, lent or in any way transmitted to any other company or person without the express written consent of Veda Advantage Solutions Group Pty Limited.
contents
AUGUST THIS MONTH'S MUST READ...............................................................................................................6 HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM (Part two) FROM THE COALFACE .....................................................................................................................10 TWO IMPORTANT KEYS TO MAKE MORE BIG TICKET TECH SALES ..................................12
QUICK FIX..........................................................................................................................................17 It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell
PERSISTENT MYTHS OF PRICING (AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM)............................18
. TWO MINUTE TOP-UP.......................................................................................................................22 HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
BOOK REVIEW...................................................................................................................................24
Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed by Dr George S. Everly Jr, Dr Douglas A. Strouse, Dr Dennis K. McCormack
EVENTS CALENDAR...........................................................................................................................25 DID YOU KNOW?................................................................................................................................25 THE CLOSE........................................................................................................................................26
04 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
GOT A PRODUCT, SERVICE OR BUSINESS WORTH TALKING ABOUT? Want to grow brand awareness in a more effective and useful way? TALK TO ESPIRE MEDIA ABOUT OUR CONTENT MARKETING SERVICES We offer a range of ways to attract and retain customers, by creating and curating relevant and valuable content to engage and add value to your audience. BENEFITS: • Expand your digital footprint • Grow brand awareness • Increase traffic to your website • Thought leadership • Media exposure • Attract new customers • And... grow SALES!
Get in touch with Jennifer now to discuss our options. +64 3 443 6316 (NZT) | jenniferl@espiremedia.com | www.espiremedia.com
Check out our blog for content marketing advice, tips and ideas, plus a free copy of our content marketing guide The Content Creation Cookbook!
MUSTREAD
How to Motivate Your Team
Motivating young people and underperforming employees Words by Lynn Humphrey
06 | www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
2
I
n this second part of a two-part article on motivating employees, Lynn Humphrey explores motivating young people and underperforming employees.
How To Motivate Underperforming Employees
FIND OUT WHY. There are many situations where an underperforming employee is not to blame – such as if they simply don’t have the skills for the job, or if they aren’t the right fit, or if they don’t understand what you expect of them. In these situations, you need to look at yourself and the company structure to find out what can be changed. Is additional training needed? Do goals and expectations need to be more clearly stated? An underperforming employee can sometimes indicate a dissatisfaction with the business structure itself, so it’s a good idea to see whether it’s reflecting bigger problems down the line.
3
An underperforming employee can be tricky to deal with – you BE AN OBJECTIVE want to address the issue in a way that makes them feel more OBSERVER. You need to confident and excited to do better, rather than attacked and be as unbiased as possible defensive. There are several things you can do to ensure you when dealing with employees, deal with this in a healthy manner, and turn it into an opportunity even if their behaviour or lack to create motivation rather than just merely course-correcting. of performance or constant mistakes are an annoyance to you. Try to collect as much ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND HEAD ON. information as possible, and The longer an employee is left, the more they’ll think get the point of view of different their behaviour or lack of productivity is being sanctioned by managers and even other staff the higher ups, and will be more likely to become defensive members. Try to see things and difficult to communicate with when it’s finally addressed. positively, or at least from the Rather than just working around their underperformance by perspective that it may be you reassigning their work or letting them be shifted around the who is in the wrong here. company, address it fully and before it can get any worse.
1
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz |
07
4
Motivating young people can be a tricky business for those who have relied on the same business practices for decades – they value different things, have grown up surrounded by efficient technology, and have little patience for archaic or oldfashioned structures.
COMMUNICATE AND FORM A PLAN. Once you’ve identified what you think may be the problem, it’s time to open communication with the employee. It’s important to not put them on the spot or make them feel vulnerable. Instead, sit down and ask for their thoughts on the matter – why they think they might be underperforming and what could be done to make it better. Brainstorm with them to come up with solutions, and then work together to find ways to put them into operation. The How To Motivate Young People employee should always know that they’re valued and that you Some leadership figures of the older generation complain that young people (usually millennials) are difficult to have confidence in them, and want them to achieve their best. work with, accusing them of being lazy and entitled. However, rather than this being a problem of the younger generation, this almost always indicates that Dealing with a singularly the leader or business structure itself is out of date. unmotivated employee can be difficult, as you have to ensure Motivating young people can be a tricky business for those who have relied on the same business practices you come to them from a position of wanting to help and for decades – they value different things, have grown up surrounded by efficient technology, and have little believing they can do better, rather than just accusing them patience for archaic or old-fashioned structures. They bring a freshness and ingenuity, as well as having their of falling short. To do this, fingers on the pulse of modern trends. For many businesses, you need to identify whether having younger staff is essential for success and growth. It is the problem is with them or true that they require different motivation tactics from their older something more external and work together to come up with co-workers, though, so if you’re finding yourself disconnected from your 20-something staff, try some of the following tactics: solutions that will solve it. 08 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
1
LISTEN TO THEIR IDEAS. First and foremost, you need to shed the idea that the most established method is always the best one. Young people can provide a new perspective, and it’s frustrating to them to be dismissed just because ‘we do it this way’. You don’t need to take on board everything they offer, but listening to them and seeking to reach a middle ground can be a good way to compromise and bridge the gap. Particularly when it comes to technology, media presence and social marketing, their opinions can be very valuable.
2
OFFER FLEXIBILITY. Young people aren’t just in it for the money, they want to have better work-life balance, satisfaction from their work, and a sense of belonging and social connection to their workplace. By creating flexibility in these areas, you give them something in place of the traditional salary and bonuses that are nonetheless just as valuable. This can be a huge motivation, and employees of all ages are usually extremely grateful to be given this opportunity and work hard to ensure it’s deserved.
3
BE WILLING TO TRY NEW THINGS. Young people will have attended a very different school from the one older leaders grew up with, and a large emphasis is on challenging established methods and modes. It can be tempting to shy away from any drastic changes, but even trying out a new tool or software that they’re more familiar with can be a great positive change for them to see in their workplace.
Young people aren’t just in it for the money, they want to have better work-life balance, satisfaction from their work, and a sense of belonging and social connection to their workplace. Young people are a valuable asset to any company, providing new ideas and a new perspective. However if you don’t take the time to reach out to them and foster and understanding, you may find they become bored, underproductive, and may even leave to find somewhere else where they feel more satisfied.•
www.stepshift.co.nz
Lynn Humphrey facilitates, coaches and consults with clients to achieve critical results through enhanced leadership skills. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 09
From the Coalface
Straight talking advice from experienced New Zealand sales professionals
Hiring salespeople is fraught with dangers for the inexperienced manager. Out of the following which are the top three things you look for when recruiting salespeople, and why? Proven track record of sales success, Bachelors or Postgraduate Degree, Other Tertiary Qualifications, Industry experience, Product knowledge, Personal networks, Personal goals, Confidence, Personality or behavioural style profile, Appearance and grooming, Mind-set/Attitude, Sales process skills and knowledge, Previous employer references, Communication skills, Likeability factor/charisma
1. Mind-set/Attitude 2. Likeability factor/charisma 3. Industry experience Above all else, a fantastic salesperson must have the right attitude towards the job,and how they'll attack it on a daily basis. A good attitude and positive mindset can't be taught, so the potential candidate must have this inherently from the get-go. Most other parts of the job can be learnt along the way. Secondly, look for the spark or a twinkle in their eye. If you're interviewing potential candidates, go with your gut in terms of how you feel about 010 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
Reece Preston Managing Director - iTicket www.iticket.co.nz
the person within the first 30 seconds. It's hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes, but likeability and charisma are traits that should come through straight away when you first meet someone, and make you feel comfortable. That's exactly how your potential clients should feel too, when your sales person is sitting having a coffee with them and trying to win their business. Finally, hitting the ground running is vital. While it can seem impossible to find a person with the right experience sometimes, it's better to wait a bit longer to find the perfect match. A sales person with industry experience will knock months, if not years, off being able to successfully walk the talk and sell your product or service with confidence from the get-go.
Mike Stokes Owner - Sales Syndicate www.salessyndicate.co.nz
Lisa Baggaley Director - Kings Recruitment www.kingsrecruitment.co.nz
1. Proven track record of sales success 2. Mind-set /Attitude 3. Sales process skills and knowledge When hiring salespeople, most employers want to bulletproof their hiring process, to eliminate any risk and ensure they are getting someone who can deliver results. They want to know that the sales person they are hiring has a proven record of sales success. While ‘industry experience’ and ‘product knowledge’ are contributing factors to the hiring process, people who are successful in sales also need to display the right mind-set and attitude to make it happen. Salespeople also need to be effective and be skilled across the sales process, so they don’t blow any opportunities and they are effective in their sales activities. Of course, when we recruit for salespeople, we take a lot more into consideration that just these 3 factors. Recruiting for sales people is a complex, multifaceted process. Bad hiring is costly. You have to get it right!
1. Mind-set/Attitude 2. Sales process skills and knowledge 3. Communication skills One of the biggest challenges and one of the most important roles of any sales manager is to hire the right team members. The number one trait that I look for when employing a sales person is without doubt a positive attitude and resilient mind-set. Salespeople need to be self-motivated and recognise that they will have good and bad days. A salesperson's positive attitude towards challenges is infectious across the rest of the team. I also always look for sales people who recognise that sales is a process. They need to be hungry to learn and to consistently seek out improvement in their own performance. My third choice when recruiting is to search for salespeople with great communication skills. It is vital for any salesperson to be able to communicate effectively and professionally with clients or prospective clients. Included in these communication skills are most importantly listening, understanding, and to position effective solutions to support a client or prospect whether these are interactions are via phone, email, face to face or in a proposal. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 011
Two Important Keys to Make W More Big Ticket Tech Sales Words by Mary Crampton
012 | www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
hen you sell a big ticket (or expensive) technical product or service there are seven key things you can do to boost your sales fast. In this article, I’d like to share two of these seven keys.
KEY ONE - KEEP IT SIMPLE One of the big challenges in tech sales is that tech salespeople often have a wide range of technical knowledge to share with clients. If you are selling technical products and/or services to highly technical clients, they’ll be happy to hear all the jargon. It may even help build credibility with your clients as you speak the same language.
When the blocks were fitted together, the drivers could obtain the technical data they needed to streamline their With an increase in tech products and services and the industries they delivery processes. And of are used by, you need to remember that many of the people you talk course, when software updates to are not tech experts, even though they need your product/service. became available; these would They don’t want to hear all this jargon; they want you to explain be automatically fitted on, just your product/service in simple language that they can easily like adding a five millimetre Lego block. It worked. understand. And they want you to do it respectfully. Just because they lack tech knowledge doesn’t make them silly. Truck drivers understood They are the decision-maker for your big ticket tech items – you immediately how our need to get them on-side. products worked, and could
Here is an example of how a simple explanation opened the way for more sales: I worked with a company that sold highly technical software to truck drivers. The drivers needed this software, but it was challenging to communicate the range of services our company could offer to them, because of their lack of technical understanding. The simplest way I found to explain this was to say that their mobile telephone, or hardware, was like a twocentimetre high Lego block.
make informed decisions to purchase. When you take the time to think of a simple way to explain how your product or service will solve their tech problems, you help increase your clients’ understanding and thus reduce the risk of them making a wrong purchasing decision due to lack of understanding.
Doing this builds trust, and will In order to obtain the technical data about their vehicle and their increase the likelihood that consignments, they needed our software. Fitting our software they will choose your business. was like fitting a one-centimetre high block on to the twoYou will more than reap the centimetre block. rewards with increased sales. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 013
ACTION EXERCISE ONE: 1. Create a list of the top 10 technical terms, (jargon), that you need to communicate to clients. 2. Next, create two definitions for each piece of jargon. The first definition is the correct technical definition. This will be helpful when you are selling to a client who understands technical terms. 3. The second definition is to be in plain, simple terms. This definition is for clients who need technical solutions, but who don’t have the technical background to understand the first definition.
014 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
KEY TWO – FIND A BETTER WAY TO SELL Let’s start with two quick questions: How many businesses are there in the entire world that are selling big ticket IT products and services at similar prices to the same type of customers as you sell to? Obviously, there are a lot! Now, how many of these businesses are getting better sales results than you are right now? The answer again is yes there are probably a lot. If these business who sell the same big ticket IT products and services as you do, to similar types of customers at similar prices are getting better sales results it only means one thing. They have a better way of doing some part of what they do. It could be a better way of making a sales presentation, getting repeat sales, getting referral business, resolving customer concerns. These people may have a better way of lead generation, a better way of getting customers to trust them or a better way of doing something. If you want your big ticket IT sales to improve in your business your responsibility is to spend a bit of time each week looking for one or more of these better ways. Because when you find it and implement it your big ticket IT sales will increase.
Here’s an interesting example from a business I used to work in: A number of years ago I worked for a removal firm – we’ll call them Firm A. Firm A had two main competitors, Firm B and Firm C, whom I was often quoting against when tendering for work. At that time, one of New Zealand’s largest banks was strategically relocating key personnel to their offices in Australia. Each time one of their staff moved, the three removal firms would be asked to tender for the work.
So I changed a couple of small parts for my client presentation. Firstly, during my usual sitdown time with the client before we walked around their home to assess volume, I took particular care to ensure that I discovered what each person’s particular removal concerns were and that I showed them how Firm A would solve this problem for them.
So each time, I would show up to the client’s home, talk them through what was involved in a household removal overseas, walk through their home, accurately measure the volume, cost the job, send through the tender, follow up. And each time, the work would I also told them that they were so fortunate that their go to one of the other two firms, often to Firm C. We needed to employer looked after staff turn this situation around. during household removals. In fact, they looked after them so Two facts emerged, which I realised I could turn to Firm A’s much that they even paid for advantage. the house to be fully cleaned • One: I discovered that the Bank had a policy of trying once all the furniture was out to give their staff choices about the relocation, of the house! that they would let them choose which removal All the clients loved this – firm would move the goods, provided that the price cleaning a house after the was close enough in range to the other two. furniture has been moved out is • Two: The bank paid for their staff member’s home to be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the removal – yet often the person at home when I came to quote was completely unaware of this fact.
often quite an exhausting job! Most of them were unaware that the Bank was paying for their home to be cleaned. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 015
I would also make sure to tell them how fortunate they were that their employer wanted them to be happy with this move, and I would put it to them very clearly – “So, during this process of obtaining your three quotes, if you feel there is one household removal firm that you’d most like to handle this for you, be sure to tell the Bank. And if the prices are not too different, they will probably give you the choice.” By telling the client that the bank would let them choose which firm, I was taking a punt that they trusted and liked me enough to choose Firm A. Suddenly we won a job! Then another, and another. In a few months, this situation had turned around so much that Firm A now won 80 or 90 percent of the work. What had changed?
ACTION EXERCISE TWO: Find 10 better ways to sell your big ticket IT product or service this month.
Summary:
I still showed up at the client’s home, talked them through what was involved in a household removal overseas, walked through their home, accurately measured the volume, costed the job, sent through the tender, followed up. I had found a better way to sell by adding in a few sentences to my presentation to each client.
To improve your big ticket tech sales is actually a lot simpler than you might think. Just try these two keys in your own business and I The good news is that there is always a better way to sell. You just know you’ll be impressed need to look for it! at how well they work.•
www.magnifyconsulting.co.nz
Mary Crampton is a sales advisor and consultant specialising in helping her clients to boost their sales of big ticket products and services. You can get a free copy of her brand new sales resource ‘The Big Ticket Tech Sales Success Guide' from her website www.magnifyconsulting.co.nz
016 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
QUICKFIX
h t i w s l i a m E r u o y Craft d n i M n i s r e p e e k Gate
Words by Kendra Lee
M
any emails aren’t read by decision makers – they’re read by gatekeepers, and these are the people your email must break past. Target emails to address issues that decision makers grapple with and gatekeepers can’t handle on their own. Your goal: entice gatekeepers to share your email with your target contact.•
www.klagroup.com www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 017
Persistent Myths of Pricing (And How To Overcome Them) Words by Sean d’Souza
A
t a recent conference, a sales rep was telling me about a deal he should have won. After hearing his story, I couldn't help but agree. He should have made the sale. Even worse, it was clear that someone was ruining his chances. And I knew exactly who it was - this same person has sunk my own deals too. When you’re giving away bonuses, it’s easy to believe you don’t need to give away your best product or service. The best information always needs to be sold so you can earn a decent living. And yet, this article takes an opposite stance. You need to put your best stuff out in front—free. Yes, give away the goodies, no matter whether you’re in info-products or content marketing; services or running a workshop. Giving away outstanding content is the magic behind what attracts — and keeps clients.
018 | www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
Keep reading to find out how... “Don’t go out in the cold without your coat — or you’ll get sick”. Which one of us hasn't heard our parents insisting on us wearing a coat? Almost every parent on the planet firmly believes that a cold is sure to descend upon you if you don’t have that coat on. And yet, you don’t get colds because of the temperature outside. You get a cold from viruses — and guess what? Those viruses are more likely be indoors than anywhere else. So yeah, getting that jacket or coat on, is just a myth, but it sure keeps you warm. In pricing, we also have myths that keep us warm. And two myths prevail, causing us to lose out on charging higher prices over time. They force us to put on a coat when it’s perfectly good to go outside without one. Let’s take a look and find out what these myths are, and how to overcome them.
In pricing, we also have myths that keep us warm. And two myths prevail, causing us to lose out on charging higher prices over time. They force us to put on a coat when it’s perfectly good to go outside without one. Myth 1: Ending prices with 7 or 9 (e.g. $97 or $99 instead of $100) Myth 2: You can feel the 'right price' in your gut Let’s start with Myth 1: Prices ending in 7 (E.g. $97 or $99 instead of $100). Back in the 70’s or 80’s, a marketer called Ted Nicholas is said to have suggested that prices ending with the number 7, do better than other ending digits. This means that theoretically speaking, you’d sell more at $9.97 than $9.99. Sure, it’s only two cents, but does it actually sell more product or services? The answer is that price rarely if ever depends on your magic figure. So we decided to test the pricing on our site at Psychotactics When we started out, way back in 2002, our prices all hovered around the $7 ending. But then we decided to test if the ending prices made any difference whatsoever. And you know where this is going, right? Yup, we ended prices with 8, or 2, or just any old figure that came to our heads. And we waited with bated breath. And nothing happened. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz |
019
When creating a price point, it’s easy to just not have to think about the price too much at all. And so we revert back to our 7 and 9, without much thought. So how do we overcome this first myth? First, recognise that it’s a myth. That if you’re spending time wondering if you should price your product with a 5, 7 or 9, you can go right ahead. In all pricing experiments online and offline, you’ll find that a mere ending rarely has any bearing on sales. Some sites like Target will hover madly around the 7 or 9, but then slip in an 8 here and there. On equally large sites such as Expedia, the prices for an airline ticket can be $1331 or $791 — or even $798 or $644. The sales didn’t go up, and they didn’t go down So we started putting any price endings that came to our head. One of our bestselling books (it’s sold over $500,000 worth of copies) sold for $109.22. Our courses and workshops had all sorts of odd price endings and it didn’t make one whit of a difference. Yet what would you notice if you go to our website today?
If you head to buy houses, say in Washington DC, you’ll find that houses sell at round figures of $4,500,000 or $2,750,000. If you buy movie tickets, you’ll find routinely that the prices may be $12.50, $14 or some round figure with not a 9 or 7 in sight. In fact, the closer you look around at different products and services, the more you find there’s no logic for a 7 or 9 to exist. In fact, despite the widespread use of 7 or 9, scientific studies (and these are mostly retail examples) have shown the following: • At least among US retailers (where the study was done), there is no evidence of their effectiveness. • While the use of 9 as an ending increased demand, it was only for new items than any items sold in previous years (this suggests a novelty effect).
If you were to do a systematic sweep, you’d find to your • That in some situations where there is a 'sale' cue, the 9 ending surprise that most of the price becomes less effective. endings are 7, 9 or 5. So how on earth did that happen? If the • In cases where the retailer wants to create an price endings don’t matter at all, impression of a sale, they price at the 7 or 9 price how did we end up with such ending. When they sell 'regular merchandise', the oft-repeated figures? It’s a factor prices are always rounded prices, so that customers of laziness, really. see the products as valuable and not underpriced. 020 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
So with all this conflicting information, in which direction do we go? Most of us are either selling a product, service or training of some kind. Training or services are bought one at a time and after considerable evaluation of the consultant or trainer. If you’re having a workshop, no one is jumping up and down simply because you decide to put in a magical number. In fact, we have conducted The Brain Audit workshops over several years, pricing the very same workshop at $USD1500, $NZ1500, NZ$1499, $800, $500, and because we do workshops worldwide €879 or £835. And the very same workshop, with the same content and the same speaker, sells out because of the content, and not the price. If it were the price, and especially the 'so-called' magical 9 price ending, the lower prices might have triggered quicker sales (since the workshop sells out anyway). And granted it’s not industrial-scale testing of the pricing, but that’s how most of us are — we’re selling small programs, workshops, training and services. And the customer has made up their mind whether to go ahead — or not — long before they see the price, let alone the magical 7 or 9 price ending. So what are you to do? What’s your action plan?
Try it out for yourself by pushing your price up from say, $29 to $32. And all you’ll be is $3 richer, every time you sell that particular product. It may sound like it’s just $3, but it’s a whopping 10% increase — and your customer won’t even notice it. So the sooner you get off the myth of 7 or 9 pricing, the better. And if you’re still fussed about sticking to 9, well, sell it as $32.99. That way you can have your 9 and your increased profit as well.•
www.psychotactics.com
Sean D’Souza helps you understand why your customers buy, and why they don’t. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 021
TWOMINUTETOPUP
How to Connect with Your Audience Words by Sally Maybelle
H
ow do you connect with your audience when you’re giving a presentation? Remember that you’ll likely have a variety of different personalities in your audience, all with different preferences and priorities. Here’s an easy-to-remember guide to use when you’re planning your presentation to make sure you are building in aspects which will help you engage as many of your audience as possible. Think ‘A,B,C,D,E’....
022 | www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
A- STANDS FOR ‘ALL’: We all have the ability to change our priorities and preferences, so it’s important to keep an open mind as regards your audience, and to realize that they could respond differently than expected from time to time. The B, C, D, and E stand for the FOUR common human behaviour types that you will likely encounter in your audiences: B - STANDS FOR ‘BEING’: People who display ‘being’ behaviour will tend to be more relaxed and easy listeners. They will respond to a warm and harmonious tone in your presentation. C - STANDS FOR ‘CHECKING’: People who display ‘checking’ behaviour will focus on the details and your getting things ‘right’. To better engage these types, ensure you are well-organised and have your facts and figures correct. D - STANDS FOR ‘DOING’: People who are ‘doers’ want you to make your point sharply and quickly, so best for you to get to your point directly and assertively to engage these people. E - STANDS FOR ‘EXPRESSING’: People who are expressive love to interact and have fun. Include plenty of action and interaction for these people, make them the centre of attention through focusing on making them feel noticed.
It’s important when crafting a presentation to research your audience beforehand if you can. The more you understand who they are and what’s important to them the better your connection will be. If you are not familiar with the audience, your preparation can be a little trickier. That’s when it is useful to apply the A B C D E technique and to build in aspects to address each of these different kinds of people. So remember your A, B, C, D, E’s if you want to improve your ability to engage an audience. Enjoy practising with the abundant opportunities you’ll encounter in Life as you engage with a variety of different personalities. Over time, notice how you become more sensitive to the needs of others and how that improves your relationships and the outcomes of all your interactions and presentations.•
www.sallymabelle.com
Sally Maybelle teaches the essential leadership skills of voice projection, emotional connection, and presence to help people step up and show up to make a powerful difference for themselves, their teams, and their organisations. www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 023
RESOURCECORNER
Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed
The power of passion and perseverance
P
rofessional athletes, surgeons, first responders--all perform remarkable feats in the face of intense stress. Why do they thrive under pressure, while others succumb? What separates the two is attitude. Resilient people meet adversity head-on and bounce back from setbacks. They seem to naturally exude an inner strength - but studies show that resilience is something that anyone can build. Analysing the heroic exploits of U.S. Navy SEALs and others who succeed against all odds, 'Stronger' identifies five factors that combine to unlock deep reserves of personal power: Active optimism: believe that you can change things for the better Decisive action: you can't succeed if you don't take the leap • Moral compass: face any challenge with clear guiding principles • Relentless tenacity: try, try again • Interpersonal support: gain strength from those around you
Available from Amazon.com
Drawing on the unique perspective of a standout team of authors (a stress management expert, a skilled entrepreneur, and a Navy SEAL), 'Stronger' explores the science behind resilience and explains how you can develop this vital trait for yourself. Whatever your profession, today's demanding world calls for a special kind of strength. This revealing book holds the key.•
By Dr George S. Everly Jr, Dr Douglas A. Strouse, Dr Dennis K. McCormack
024 |
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
EVENTSCALENDAR
DATE
NAME
PLACE
COMPANY
Aug 22
Influence and Persuasion
Auckland
PD Training
Aug 30
Key Account Management
Wellington
IMNZ
30 Aug - 1 Sept
Advancing Negotiation Skills
Wellington
Scotwork
2 Sept
Sales Training
Wellington
PD Training
3 Sept
Sales Training
Hamilton
Top Achievers Sales Training
6 Sept
Effective Prospecting
Christchurch
PD Training
7 Sept
Influencing Others
Auckland
IMNZ
10 Sept
Sales Training
Christchurch
Top Achievers Sales Training
13 Sept
Sales Performer
Christchurch
David Forman
16 Sept
Sales Management
Auckland
Geewiz
20 Sept
Sales Performer
Auckland
David Forman
20 Sept
Sales Basics
Auckland
Geewiz
DIDYOUKNOW
A
ccording to the Guinness Book of World Records, American car salesman, Joe Girard holds the title of Worlds Greatest Salesman. While we reckon it's pretty hard to measure such a claim, he single-handedly sold 13001 cars at a Chevrolet dealership between 1963 and 1978. That's just under 900 per year and often he would sell more in a day than some salespeople in a month. How did he do this? He sent a greeting card every month to every person he ever sold a car to. "Towards the end of my career, I was sending out 14,000 cards a month. I was spending more on stamps than the average car salesman makes in a year." he was quoted as saying. • www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 025
THECLOSE
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams
Subscribe at www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
IT’S FREE!
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
| 026