Jim Pancero

How much time do now spend fighting fires and fixing problems compared to actually coaching…and leading your team? Will you be able to spend more time this year being more of a coach conducting account planning and strategizing with your salespeople?

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 buyer would want to buy from them.

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.

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? 

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? 

What caused your buyer to not see your extra value? It could be you have a weak message when buyers ask “Why do I want to buy from you?” It could be your reps are not proactive in how they work your buyer through the evaluation and proposals offered. What about reps not focusing on the buyer’s challenges and are just pushing their products?

What caused your buyer to not see your extra value? It could be you have a weak message when buyers ask “Why do I want to buy from you?” It could be your reps are not proactive in how they work your buyer through the evaluation and proposals offered. What about reps not focusing on the buyer’s challenges and are just pushing their products?

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 and then go home to talk with your family about your options.

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 key differentiator in selling today between the successful reps selling as trusted advisors and those struggling as order takers and reactive responders.

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 personality styles for a sales rep to have to be successful and win the most business.