Newsletter Sales Training by Karen Tomlinson

Newsletter

J ul y t o S e p t e m be r, 2020

Sales Training by Karen Tomlinson 1st Edition

SALES TRAINING Training Workshops Offered - Objectives

ABOUT KAREN •

I am a Sales Performance Consultant with over 30 years of experience in the Leadership & Growth of People, Sales Training, Sales & Service Management, Sales Support, Retail Banking, Program & Product Development, and Project Management.

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I help company leaders to develop a high performing sales and service culture in their organizations; I develop, train, motivate, and reward sales professionals to add value to their clients and help them achieve their goals; and I train sales leaders on how to monitor and sustain performance, including how to coach effectively.

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This creates an incredible sales and service environment that team members live and breathe, and your clients experience, hence a win-win-win for clients, sales teams, and organizations.

Professional Selling Skills:

To help Sales Professionals develop and sustain key activities and behaviours that will enhance needsbased collaborative selling skills and relationship building, focusing on the proactive activities and practices that nurture client satisfaction and loyalty, and provide mutually beneficial solutions.

Sales Management Strategy:

Focuses on the skills and tools that Sales Leaders need in order to lead, manage, coach, drive, support, and motivate their retail sales teams to become high performing team members.

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purpose of a networking event is to connect with people in the future, and this will make following up with them much, much easier.

After the Event

9 Tips for Navigating your First Networking Event

By Laura Katen

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s you’ve probably gathered, networking is much more than showing up, grabbing some free snacks, and passing out business cards. It’s about meeting people, sharing who you are and what you do, and gaining some valuable contacts and information that you can use in your job search or at work in the future. And to make the most of it, all it takes is a little preparation and practice. Here’s what you need to know before you grab your purse and go.

Before You Go 1. Have a Goal Before you get to the event, ask yourself, “why am I going?” Come up with two outcomes you hope to get out of the event—say, meeting three new people or getting one new lead. Knowing ahead of time what you’re hoping to accomplish will help you stay focused—not aimlessly wandering around.

2. Dress to Impress When you’re planning your outfit, pick something professional—you won’t make an impression (at least, not a good one) if you look dishevelled, disorganized, or overly casual. But also pick something that makes you feel good—a great dress or those new shoes you’ve been wanting to wear will help you exude confidence in what can be an uncomfortable setting.

3. Bring Business Cards This one seems basic, but I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen forget their cards or say “I just gave away my last one!” Bring more business cards than you think you’ll need, and keep a stack of them in a card case. This way, they won’t get dirty or crumpled in your purse, and you can grab them quickly— it’s much more professional to pull your card out of a case then go searching through your bag.

While You’re There 4. Make an Effective Introduction When you meet someone new, introduce yourself by making eye contact, smiling, stating your first and last name, and giving a firm but brief handshake. Then, listen for the other person’s name, then use it two times while you’re speaking. This will not only help you remember her name, but also appear sincere and interested in the conversation.

5. Listen First, then Speak Here’s a networking secret: Let the other person speak first! Most people don’t realize this, but the person who talks about herself first is only being half listened to. If your counterpart is preoccupied with what she’s going to say when it’s her turn to speak, she’ll only be partially tuning in to what you’re saying.

But by asking the other person questions first, she will be much more relaxed and focused when the conversation turns to you.

6. Show Sincerity and Interest Have a few good questions in your back pocket. Asking the other person about her background and work will show her that you’re interested in more than just your own opportunities. The best questions are ones that can’t be answered by just “yes” or “no,” such as: • What’s your primary role at your company?

• What projects are you working on right now?

• How did you get involved in your field?

7. Get to the Point When it’s your turn to share what you do, state it in just 2-3 sentences. You can delve into greater detail later on, but people will lose interest very quickly if you can’t cut to the chase. Similarly, avoid using industry jargon. The key to effectively networking is to build rapport, so if someone can’t understand what you’re talking about, a connection won’t happen.

8. Take Notes You probably won’t remember the important details of every conversation, so it can be helpful to write them down. After mingling with a few people, find a corner of the room to subtly make notes on the back of each person’s business card about who she is, what you talked about, and any follow-up you want to do. Remember, the

9. Follow Up A few days after the event, send follow-up emails to anyone you met that you’d like to continue networking with. Make sure to personalize each email, letting each person know you enjoyed meeting them and mentioning something that you talked about. A tip: One of the quickest ways to stop a connection is to send someone a generic LinkedIn invite.

This is also the time to suggest any follow-up, for example, to ask your new contact to meet up for an informational interview.

Networking is one of the greatest tools you have in building connections, and by being prepared for the event, being professional once you get there, and being proactive with your follow-up, you can make sure you get the most out of it.

Beyond that, just try to relax and have some fun!

* How to Network Effectively is one of the Topics covered in the Professional Selling Skills Workshop

All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.

– Bob Burg

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S ales Tr ai ni ng by Kar en Tom l in s on

J ul y t o S e p t e m be r, 2020

to helping others be successful 4. Empathy and ability to understand customer viewpoint and customer service 5. Ability to unite a team under a shared vision and know what motivates each member 6. Analytical skills: They use datadriven reports to spur sales coaching sessions and empower Sales Representatives to take ownership of their opportunity pipelines.

7. The ability to prioritize and effectively manage time.

Characteristics of a Great Sales Leader

By Keith Johnstone (Excerpts from the Ultimate Guide)

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successful Sales Manager’s characteristics, skills, and aptitudes are different from those of a successful Sales Representative. In fact, most Sales Representatives make bad Managers.

The key characteristics of a Sales Manager focus less on selling ability and more about the interpersonal skills that enable leadership. Rather than “doing it themselves,” they teach and coach others how to do it, enabling the sales efforts of others. They develop their own leadership, hiring, and training skills while ensuring their team is using the correct selling behaviors and activities to meet their revenue objectives.

Typical characteristics, skills, and traits of a Sales Manager include: 1. Communication skills: they listen first and speak second. They don’t chastise in public or private. They are aware of the message they transmit to their team, how it’s delivered, and how it’s perceived 2. Integrity and trust: they never ask their Sales Representatives to do something immoral, illegal, or something that goes against a company’s core values 3. Ability to build relationships with peers, cross-functional counterparts, and upper management: They are committed

13 Inspiring Traits of Exceptional Leaders 1. They trust you to do the job you’ve been hired to do.

2. They seek your advice and input.

3. They find opportunties to let you shine.

4. They recognize your contributions.

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What makes a good Sales Manager great?

Research shows that the best sales managers exhibit slightly different characteristics than average ones.

Top Sales Managers are more likely than average Sales Managers to be: • High achieving, ambitious, and results-oriented • Innovative, generating original solutions and lots of ideas • Decisive and comfortable making decisions quickly.

*Attend the Sales Management Strategy Workshop to learn how to become a great Sales Leader

G len n Leibowitz

5. They have your back during tough times.

6. They are master storytellers.

7. They challenge you to do bigger and better things.

8. They epress appreciation.

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They are responsive They know when to apologize They give credit where credit is due.

They treat others with dignity and respect.

13. They care.

“A Leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.”

John Maxwell S a l es Tra in ing b y Kare n To mlins o n

w w w. k t s a l e s t r a i n i n g . c o m J ul y t o Se p t e m be r, 2020

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