Sales Leadership with Jim Pancero
Episodes
147 episodes
Are your reps utilizing “2nd Step” selling?
Ever hear of the selling concept called “Second Step Selling?” Step one is satisfying your buyer’s needs so, Step two, they’ll satisfy your needs by giving you their business.The only way we can get what we want is by first maki...
Using “100% Forecasts” to help reps think and plan more moves ahead
Have you noticed most sales reps today do not think or plan enough moves ahead? Most don't even know until the Fall what they still need to do to achieve their annual quota.There's a great exercise you can conduct throughout the year cal...
How often do you need to be talking with your customers?
It used to be how often you contacted a buyer was defined by their sales volumes. But today things are more complex. One of the best things you can do is to just ask customers how often they want you calling and bringing new ideas.We ris...
What can you learn by doing business with your competitors?
Years ago I consulted with a major bank in Cincinnati. I was so impressed with the senior leadership of the bank. They had a rule their senior leadership had to do business with another bank. They wanted to make sure their executive...
Are your reps using their cell phones as effective sales tools?
Though cell phone video capabilities have existed for years, most salespeople are not taking advantage of this technology. The goal is to use your cell phone to capture more images of your products being utilized and satisfied customers talking...
Are your reps successfully utilizing ‘WIIFM’s’ in their selling messaging?
There's an old 1950s selling concept called “WIIFM’s.” It was a simple acronym that stands for “What's in it for me?”A salesperson explains to a buyer their product is so great because it has an extended handle. The buy...
Are any of your reps guilty of “Ready – Fire – Aim?
How many of your reps follow a “Ready – Fire – Aim” selling philosophy? Most are so action oriented they only think one selling move ahead.If you gave any of your reps a new sales lead, how many will go online and Google that cu...
Do your reps understand (and use) the 3 basic structures of asking questions?
Effective questioning skills are the foundation of all persuasive communications. There are three questioning structures your team needs to be utilizing:1st - Ask open-ended questions then moving to more close-ended questions. Open-ended...
Could the “Match Test” exercise help your team deliver a stronger message of value and uniqueness to your customers?
There was an old sales training exercise used for years called the “Match Test.” The test involved a sales rep lighting a match and then, before they burned their fingers, having to deliver their complete message of uniqueness of why a...
Selling using physical comfort zones
How aware are you of the physical comfort zones you have between yourself and your customers? Being too far away from a buyer could be seen as being aloof. But if you stand too close, you could be seen as pushy and aggressive.The first z...
Are you training your team to take advantage of the seasonality of your business?
Is there any seasonality to your team’s selling efforts? What can you do prior to a season’s start to coach, remind and fine-tune your team’s selling skills and messaging?Each industry tends to have a different peak time of year, whether...
Could your reps do a better job presenting to your dealer – distributor - retailer sales meetings?
Do the presentations being given by your sales team to your independent distributor or dealer salespeople have the best information possible so they can do their job more effectively?The problem is most sales presentations given to these...
Do your reps just collapse into “Presentation Mode” when under pressure?
Do your reps automatically go into “Presentation mode” when a buyer says they only have a few minutes to talk?A buyer starts off a call saying “You’ve got 5 minutes… what do you want?” or says “We're very happy with...
How are you helping your reps get value from their lost sales?
Too many reps come back to the office announcing “We lost the Phillips proposal because our price was too high.” A critical responsibility as a sales leader is to understand price is never a reason you lost. Price is only a symptom.&nb...
How are your reps overcoming the reality of today’s self-educated buyers?
How buying decisions are made has changed dramatically in recent years. It used to be if you wanted to buy something, like a hot tub, the first thing you’d do is stop by a hot tub store, talk to a sales rep, pick up some literature and pricing ...
Are your reps functioning as order takers or as trusted advisors?
Where are your sales reps positioned in the eyes of your customers? Too many salespeople are not functioning as trusted advisers in their customers eyes but are just seen as order takers and fulfillers of what their customers need. This is a ke...
Are your customer problem resolution skills as strong as Disney’s?
I was speaking at a conference at a Disney hotel in Orlando. As my cab pulled into the hotel, the hotel valet got into an argument with my driver over who should pull my bags out of the cab.As I checked in at the front desk, I shared the...
Are your reps still using the lessons of “The Challenger Sale?”
Ever read the book “The Challenger Sale” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson? It was one of the hottest sales books twelve or thirteen years ago that had a big impact on a lot of sales teams.The authors did research on the best p...
Are your reps just chasing buyer symptoms…or are they getting to the real problems?
Years ago I noticed my backyard was filled with moles. They were digging tunnels all over my yard making it look terrible.I spent a month working with my local hardware store trying to fix my mole problem. I put poisons down the holes an...
How to motivate unmotivated sales reps
Any low-motivated members of your team? The first challenge is not how we get them motivated but how we discover why they’re unmotivated. They could be unmotivated due to any of four reasons…Are they coasting to retirement? If within a f...
Time to get more proactive with your selling efforts?
In the past, a sales rep with a strong set of existing customers could be successful reactively supporting their buyers by answering their questions and fixing any problems that arose. But today we're selling in a hyper-competitive ...
How to sell when your products aren't working
A customer recently asked what to do when their products or services just aren’t working. It might be because of your service levels, scheduling, delivery delay or performance issues compared to your competitors.How does your company sup...
Are your reps holding onto problems too long?
Are your reps trying to take care of their customer problems themselves, and not asking for help soon enough? This happened to me when I was new to selling. I was trying to fix a problem one of my customers was experiencing. I was w...
Are your interviewing skills helping you select the best candidates for your sales team?
It's tough finding exactly what you want in a new salesperson. A great way to achieve better hiring decisions is to ask better questions. Consider including these four sets of questions to ask sales candidates. FIRST ask about their...
Are your reps getting the best return on their time investments?
Could any of your reps benefit from help improving their efficiency and effectiveness? As sales managers we need to be helping our reps evaluate how much time they’re investing in each of their customers, what they’re doing, and as...