Interview with Troy Scott: New sales reps up to speed, Align with your clients, Moving into sales leadership
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Troy and I were brought together, in a round about way, by Mike Weinberg and his phenomenal book, New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development
How do coach new business development reps to get in the game? What kind of expectations should they have?
- Understand sales story: Why do customers do business with you.
- Sales / call reluctance is based on fear of their knowledge (or lack of).
- They must get in front of the customer.
- Continuously refine the sales story. In a new position you must improve your mastery and delivery of the story.
- As a sales leader, it’s important to make sales calls with them so you know where they need the help.
- You don’t need to focus on activity in general. However, when you’re new it’s hard to look at just results. He looks at ‘meaningful conversations’ and ‘new opportunities open’.
- Understand their sales process. Set realistic expectations about pace.
Sales these days has more to do with aligning with your clients needs / goals than ever before. How do you put your business in a position to understand their goals and deliver solutions to them?
- Ask the right questions. You’re not there to sell something at a first meeting. You’re there to understand their situation, their business issues. Once we understand what’s driving a request, then you can start selling.
- Sales people don’t know their own products well enough. Don’t understand their own story well enough.
- Biggest compliment is when your client starts asking you about their own products or business.
What advise do you have when making a transition from individual contributor to sales leader?
- Surround yourself with talented sales mentors as an individual contributor.
- Success at selling doesn’t necessarily make you the best sales leader.
- You cannot expect your sales people to work the way you did. That’s not how people operate. you need to give them their enough room to find their way.
- Personality tests are good in so far as they help you understand how to work with your people.
- Key to set clear expectations and lay out a plan to meet those goals. Seems very simple but if you’re not doing it…
Please reach out to Scott and let him know what you’ve learned from this podcast that you’ll put into action immediately… My guests love getting that feedback from you.
Contact Troy Scott
tscott588@gmail.com
@tscott588
Look him up on www.Linkedin.com
As always, let me know what you’ve learned from this cast. Let me know what what you’d like to hear about next. Shoot me a note at jthomas1027@gmail.com or @jasonrthomas.