SELLING IN A RECESSION
February 3, 2011 by Skill Selling
Filed under improve selling skills
SELLING IN A RECESSION
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Home Page > Business > Sales > SELLING IN A RECESSION
SELLING IN A RECESSION
Posted: Aug 28, 2009 |Comments: 0
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Over the last year in the media there has been nothing but talk of this recession we are in. Yes it is here! And there is little doubt the whole of the business world (with a few exceptions) are in it, and up to their knees.
The front pages of newspapers are negative and still predict the worst, they have been ever since the run on Northern Rock in the U.K. and the demise of Lehman Brothers in the U.S. We are left wondering if the world ever be the same again, maybe not, and a lot has happened since the exposure of the mega Billions lost by those incompetent Banks and financial institutions.
Serious stuff, but if you are in business and want to know what can be done to ensure you get through the next year or so without losing your business and suffer to much in sales and profits this article might help.
What’s my angle? I’m a writer and developer of training courses and if there was ever a critical time for sales people to be trained and re-motivated this is it…. So the right type of sales and management training could well be one of the answers
Who am I to be writing this and why should you read on?
I am the experienced side of 50, and have seen and worked through times like this before. I started work for Wurth UK. in London during the three day week in the early seventies, not the best time to start a sales job, but we got through that somehow, and nine years later we were hit again with the eighties recession. By then I was in control as National Sales Manager with 80 salespeople, the north was hit worst, but we were strongest in the South-East were we got through it just as if it wasn’t happening, we never stopped growing both in sales and profits. Then another nine years passed before the recession of 1990–92. By which time I was a M.D. and had been in control of the business since 88.
Yes as the one others looked at for help I remember being worried as it was bad, and all I was hearing was complaints and excuses. In the event everybody had to work harder to win the same level of results in sales. 1992 over 1991 was our worst year on year result, but we still managed a 14.8% increase in sales.
But I was not happy, something had changed, the fun had gone out of the business and it was nothing like what it once was. In the five years whilst I was M.D. at Wurth UK. we averaged a 25% year on year growth in sales and made healthy profits. All this is history as they say, I stayed on for a further year then left to start my first training business, and yes many years later we are into another recession, one that is different as its global, one that has caused crashes not seen since before my time.
So what to do?
Firstly it is not a time to be panicking, it is a time when a level head is needed. Then start over by checking your sales activities, it is always possible to sharpen you axe, and in selling that means the peoples selling skills. Ask what if anything has changed in your sales training programme.
Are they still applying the old trusted sales doctrines? If so then I suggest it is time for some changes or additions to be made. The following pages include my top six tips for selling in a recession.
1/ BELIEF: Stay positive, keep a level head and believe in yourself
One of the problems with all of this negative talk about being in a recession is that as soon as people believe they can’t do anything about the recession they won’t and it will only go on longer.
Most will start to feel negative about their prospects in business. The nature of belief is that people only see what they believe, and not believing what they see.
What is worse is the negative thinking that you can’t change anything! It can become a self fulfilling philosophy, because if you think you can’t you are already right!
Any negative beliefs quickly affect ones outlook and the way one feels about business prospects. Stop reading for a moment and think about it…
Please start reading again and ask yourself if my next statement is right?
Only those that know they can make
a difference will win through!
If you agree then this is for you and you should read on, otherwise forget it and go read the newspaper as what follows can’t be of help to you.
Look at these two extremes: -
If you thought 2009/10 was going to be a great year for business, your best year yet; how would you feel?
Conversely, if you thought 2009/10 was going to be worse and the continuation of a major recession that it was going to hit you and your business hard; how would you feel?
Mighty different what? And remember, nothing much has changed here other than your attitude and belief. Having a positive and supportive belief structure is essential if you want to succeed in any market but it is vitally essential if you want to keep on going and selling in a tough one.
Having a winning belief culture does not mean that you need to be deluded however! In the middle of the darkest recession you don’t want to have your eyes shut! Hence the need to keep a level head as mentioned before.
Do you agree with me when I say that in a recession people want to work with the best suppliers? Suppliers that they can rely on, suppliers that support them, suppliers who are going to be around tomorrow. If that’s you then the competitors of yours will struggle, that will then eventually mean more sales, more business for you.
2/ BE PROACTIVE:
So 2009/10 is going to be tough, to combat this you need for everybody in the business to be more proactive, yes that means everybody has to be in sales, even non customer facing staff must become proactive and do what they can to help… We all remember that old saying:
‘When the going gets tough the tough get going’
A worn out saying maybe but true, the fact is that you must increase your sales activities, maybe even dramatically so. What and how? I hear you saying…
Become much more proactive, and act on the need to do more marketing and then more following up and more selling. That pipeline needs to expand, the sales hopper must be filled to over flowing, everybody must attend more events, do more networking, attend more exhibitions, more canvassing. The sales team must organise proactive telesales team work every day for three hours a time (I call these Blitz sessions) The fact is when salespeople have to compete they will always do better. Their ego and pride comes into it, they don’t like to let themselves down.
In a recession many companies cut back and pull activities back to save money! They read all the negative media stories and think they had better save their money and pull up the Draw Bridge, close the door, batten down the hatches and start being careful. Surprise, surprise these negative measures will only have one effect – because again that is a self fulfilling prophecy – and the result is less business because that’s what you expect, and that’s just what you will get!
Negative activities = Negative results.
Half-hearted activities = half usual results.
Positive and enthusiastic activities = Positive results.
Take a lesson from the fishermen whose families don’t eat if they don’t catch fish, they don’t even rest until they have a catch. Of course as in sales it’s not possible to have a good harvest every day. But when they fail as they do, they keep trying, they go out on to the high seas again.
They stay out longer, they try new fields, new tricks, but mostly they work harder every time to win a better catch.
Just like in sales if you see less business then you need to do more sales and marketing, not less otherwise you will drown. That’s common sense, believe me fishing for a living is much harder than selling, if you don’t agree try it, no on second thoughts don’t, you might then really drown.
3/ SHAPE UP – TIME TO SHARPEN THOSE SALES SKILLS:
Unfortunately, most salespeople don’t spend enough time working on and improving their sales skills and selling techniques. In my experience I have found that the successful companies always do more sales training than the unsuccessful that really need it but never invest.
Things will always change when the market tightens up. Now is the right time, the best time if there ever was one to invest time and money into sales skills training.
Sales success will go to the salesperson who really understands why people buy and can help people make the right business decisions. Salespeople at this level benefit from any changes ahead because there will always be more business for them if their competition falls by the wayside. I hope the following quotation is correct:
“If I had nine hours to cut down a tree,
I would spend six sharpening my axe”
Abraham Lincoln
The SAS is one of the most elite divisions in the British Army. If they are not actually fighting in a war they spend all their time practicing and training for the next time they are at war! This is the way they stay ahead and why they are respected world wide as amongst the very best of the world’s special armed forces.
Salespeople only need to beat the competition not kill them. Sharpening sales skills can be done over only 100 hours a year. This is approximately three times what most companies invest in for their sales teams, 32 hrs or 4 days. Interestingly the leading companies invest more on average some 96 hrs or 12 days per year on training, which speaks for itself.
Hopefully you are closer the second example. What ever you do invest in time and money, it has to be more or better than that competitor of yours is doing. Doing nothing is no longer an option, not if you want to survive the next year. On an individual basis doing something every week, even reading for an hour, is better than doing nothing towards shaping up!
If you are on your own and don’t have a company that trains you, ask yourself the following two questions: -
1/ When did you last read a book on selling?
2/ How many hours do you invest in sales training every month?
For 80% of salespeople reading this, the answer is zero to 1 hour!
Less than 20% can say 5 to 10 hours as I would recommend.
If you’re in the 20% category, great you’re on track. Keep it up to make sure you stay ahead of the game.
If you’re in the 80% who haven’t had any such investment, don’t panic! You are still keeping that level head right! You still have some time, but it might be running out. Start now by putting together your own sales and development plan to sharpen up on your sales skills and to polish your selling techniques.
Salespeople who can sell in any market will always be in demand. Effort now will reward you whatever the future brings.
4/ ACE FACTORS
I wrote the ‘A to Z of Selling’. A is for Attitude, already touched on under Belief above, C stands for Confidence and E for Enthusiasm. Get these factors right in your mind and like a fist full of ace’s in a card game you will win over anybody.
ATTITUDE
Everything starts with and depends on Attitude, no matter what you do. It is particularly the case in sales, the correct mental attitude is essential before anyone can do well when selling. Ones personal attitude will always dictate how one gets on in life generally.
Here are five basic truths about Attitude:
Your attitude toward customers influences your behaviour. You cannot fake it or always camouflage how you feel. Your attitude determines the level of your job commitment and ultimately job satisfaction. Your attitude affects everyone who comes in contact with you in person or on the telephone. Your attitude is reflected by your tone of voice and also in your non-verbal body language, i.e. in the way you stand or sit, your facial expression and in other ways. Your attitude is not fixed, the attitude you choose to display is entirely up to you.
CONFIDENCE
Real confidence comes when other things are in place. For example we must be happy with our mindset and Attitude first, this must be in place before we can be confident enough to win through.
Also our Confidence is not secure even transparently so if we don’t have sufficient ‘Domain Knowledge’. That is a sound comprehension of our company, sector, service and products.
This often makes the difference that wins the business, knowing and using real examples using ones service or products special Benefits and USP’s.
Attitude & Knowledge = Confidence
ENTHUSIASM
One of my favourite two words in selling, the other is Passion. I can’t think of two more important traits in a sales person, one goes hand in hand with the other.
In sales we are often faced with finding a way to close and cross that chasm or ‘Gap’ between the client’s Interest and Desire to sign up and commit.
We have to bridge the Gap and then walk the prospect across every step of the way until they reach the other side. What gets them moving is our enthusiasm for what we are doing, our total conviction in our product and/or service. Providing proof and excellent value are two of the other steps over the Bridge of Sales.
5/ FOCUS – ON INDIVIDUAL RELATIONSHIPS:
As you read this many companies will be working out how to cut corners. They will try to save money by tinkering with their business offerings.
They will try squeeze out extra profits out of customers by cutting some bells and whistles from their offerings. This is not always a good idea, and if you look at a Swiss cow with no bells, it is just a cow and no one would take pictures and send postcards of them home!
When business is tight you should be pleasing your clients with better service and products, better than what they have ever had, from you or from any of your competitors, so more bells not less.
In a recession we all need to add value and be seen to go that extra mile. When it bites them many companies will try and discount to survive. However many won’t survive if they do this as they are eroding their profits, but of course you still don’t want your clients going to them to take advantage because they just might as they are trying to cut costs.
To avoid this you must secure your existing business by locking in your clients now, so that they don’t even consider going anywhere else, look to: -
Spend more time with your clients. Build stronger individual relationships with those that matter in the business, in the PowerBase in your customers. Make sure you truly understand them, their issues and concerns. Know how their business works, because knowing more about your customers than your competitor will always prove beneficial. Remember that when you win that piece of business the next sale has just started.
6/ ACTIVITY – WORK SMART – MAXIMISE EFFORT
Always ask for referrals. Referrals are great business but most salespeople do not ask for them or forget as they are only focused on getting the order or might fear rejection as some clients will say no.
Learn how to ask for a referral, get into the habit and include it as just another part of the sales process.
Pipeline more, sell-up, sell sideways. It is five times easier to sell to an old customer than to convert a prospect.
Extending your business with existing clients will not only make you more money, it will also strengthen your relationships with and value to them and their business.
Contact dormant accounts. Most companies have hundreds if not thousands of “dormant” accounts. There may be multiple reasons for this from changing business practises to fall-outs with the client. Dormant clients may well be redeemable and may have been “lost” purely because someone left or forgot to call them, maybe a competitors salesperson moved on.
Call them all again, again and again, get to see them.
You have got to the end of this piece so get in touch with them now… What are you waiting for… Then come back and look at the training in your business.
So there you have it my 6 tips to help you and your people sell in a recession. The next twelve months may well prove to be an interesting year for some businesses and individuals. Some will be down to the market itself. But most of it will be down to you and how you react and respond to the challenge, thank you for reading my work, good selling.
JOHNNY HERBERT
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