The trait of a good manager is their ability to delegate tasks to their team or to outsource.  Knowing how to delegate is not difficult and it can make or break a manager.  Many managers are reluctant to delegate because of their own insecurity.  Some of the typical reasons I hear from managers that don’t delegate are:

• It is done quicker if I do it;
• They will just waste my time asking me how to do it anyway;
• I need it done right the first time; and
• We can’t afford to make mistakes.

Working with many different sales organisations, teams and managers I have found that most of the problems that they face on a regular basis are due to the lack of planning by the sales manager.  As the old adage states, “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail”. So why don't sales managers plan?

Well over the years of training, my students have given me many reasons why they don’t plan and these are the most common:
•    I don't know how to plan;
•    I don't have the time to plan, I am way too busy;
•    I prefer to be spontaneous and reactive and planning stops me from doing this;
•    I spend so much time addressing problems, I don’t have time to plan; and
•    It isn't part of my job description so why should I do it.

Many years ago my wife was studying for an exam and she was drawing these colorful diagrams while reading her notes.  At first they didn’t make much sense to me so I dismissed them thinking she was crazy.  Curiousity got the better of me and later I had to find out more about these crazy looking diagrams so I asked her what she was doing.  She told me she was “Mind Mapping” and she quickly explained how it worked.  It intrigued me and I wanted to know more.

Now I am using Mind Maps all the time to help myself and my clients with projects, coaching, sales proposals and nearly anything that needs clearer thinking.  So what is mind mapping?  Well mind mapping is a tool that engages both your left and right sides of your brain and as a result you actually complete activities more effectively and with better quality.  You basically put your thoughts down in a very effective manner on paper or a computer as a diagram that represents the way you think.   They can be used in many different situations and for many different reasons.  Use them during business meetings, when you study, when you plan or to come up with the most innovating ideas.

From my previous article (Effective Proposals), I outlined the main elements of an effective proposal and the five factors required before you should even consider writing one. Once you have decided that the opportunity is worth investing the time to write a proposal you should consider what type to write. There two main types of sales proposals and the one you choose will depend greatly on your relationship with the customer and the opportunity.

In this article I will address the short letter proposal (less than 5 pages) that is especially used when you already have an existing relationship with your customer and the opportunity can be easily covered. Do not consider using a short letter proposal when you are engaging a new customer.

Following on from my "Effective Articles" and "Effective Short Letter Proposal" this article I will address effective formal proposals (greater than 5 pages) that is especially used when you are engaging a new or potential customer or the opportunity can not be easily covered by the short letter proposal.

Formal Proposal (Greater than 5 pages)

A formal proposal is a full proposal that covers the core elements of Problem, Solution and Value (Effective Articles) in greater detail. The framework outlined below is a typical example of a formal proposal. Keep in mind that this is only a general framework and you will need to adapt it to the sales situation. Do not feel compelled to cover each of the categories, especially if the sale doesn't warrant that much detail.

When you are in a sales situation you may need to prove your case to the decision maker. Precisely what you need to prove will depend greatly on what occurred in your discussions. One way of proving your case is through the presentation of a proposal. Effective proposals persuade and are specific. They cannot be generic and they need to speak to the needs and interests of your specific prospect and not those of average, typical or generalised clients.

Many organisations provide their sales people with proposal templates that have been developed over time and have been rehashed by many different people. This causes the resulting proposal to be dysfunctional, difficult to read and ineffective. Sales Managers need to be aware of this and ensure that their salespeople are not blindly following a template that won't results in sales. I recommend that proposal templates be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they remain effective.

On the two year anniversary of the day that I was told I had Bowel cancer I have decided to write this article to let people know what happen and how I used my mind to fight the devastation of the disease to myself, my family and friends.  I hope this article can help others dealing with such events.

From the young age of 10 years old, I was introduced to the disease called “Cancer”.  This introduction was through my Father’s diagnosis, treatment and death from “Lung Cancer”.  As a child, seeing your father fight the disease and worst the treatments, had a very strong impact on me.  He died at 52 when I was only 12 years old.  The doctors claimed that the cancer was the result of his heavy smoking habit, so I vowed never to smoke cigarettes and that I would use my experience to help others quit.   My sister was next with her own battle of bowel cancer at the very young age of 29, then followed by mother with breast and bladder cancer.  As you can see there is a very strong history of cancer in my family.

 

Handling Questions and Objections

Of the many salespeople that I have trained, coached, mentored and managed, nearly all of them failed when handling questions and objections from a decision maker.  This results in salespeople leaving opportunities on the table for their competition to win.  

As this problem was so wide spread, I decided to develop a process that salespeople could easily use to handle questions and objections during a sales call.  This article outlines the process that I have been teaching salespeople for many years and has helped  them unblock and win many sales opportunities.

It is a fact that when selling, most of the time you will hear either “no” or a strong reason why a customer won’t buy when you ask for the order.   But it is also a fact that most of the time, the tough objections or even “no”, are intended to test your capability as a salesperson.

A Decision Maker may be thinking that it is easier to say “no” so not to change the status quo or take a risk.  Additionally, if the salesperson accepts the “no” then they can’t believe very strongly in the product or service they are selling.  If the salesperson is not enthusiastic enough to be willing to fight for the sale then they why should the decision maker buy from them.  

Common objections such as “We can’t afford it” or “We already deal with someone else” may sound like a “no”, but in fact it may be a question in disguise, intended to test you out and see how you can handle it.  Even a determined “NO” may be a subtle way of asking you to provide more reasons to support your offering.  

Some questions and objections can be easily handled especially when they relate to a strong feature of your product or service.  However when handling more difficult questions and objections I train salespeople to use the “SCORE” process.   

“SCORE” is a process consists of:
•    Search
•    Confirm
•    Observe
•    React
•    Exit

So what do each of these mean?

Before you can take the steps towards improving yourself you need to do a bit of self analysis. Get an understanding of what really makes you tick. Only by understanding yourself can you truly make positive transitions in your life.

I often meet people who tell me they are really content with their life and the way things are. This is often the fact because most people find it hard to think of anything else. However, when they have to answer these questions they often find the real issues at hand that has been holding them back from achieving what they believe to be success.

Here are 10 questions you should ask yourself and honestly answer. Write them down on a piece of paper or in a pad so you can reflect on them at a later date. Not only will this help you understand if your transformation is really occurring but it will serve as a reminder why you decided to undertake such a journey.

So what are these questions you should ask yourself before undertaking any self improvement:

1. What do I really want? - You probably have many things you want but what do you want to do with your life? Write it down no matter what it is or how important it is. Look at the things you are good at as this may help you realize what you really want to do with your life. Consider them as small steps toward your ultimate goal.
2. Should I really change? - Take the time to think if you really want to change. If you don't really want to change you will be your own enemy toward your success. Write down the reasons why you want to change as they will reaffirm you desire. These will be very powerful if you digress or lapse in your self-improvement plans.
3. What are the positives of improving yourself? - Identify the positive outcomes of improving yourself. It can be difficult during your journey of self-improvement if you don't know what to expect when you have achieved them. These positives will only help you reenforce your needs and desires to improve yourself.
4. Am I comfortable with what I'm doing? - Be honest with yourself. If you are comfortable with what you are doing it may be difficult to change. Self-improvement is not easy and will require dedication. Falling into old habits will be easy and your commitment to your goals will be essential for your success.
5. What have I done for myself? - Look at your past and record when you have done something for yourself. Mark them as successful or unsuccessful and then write down the reasons why. Is there a trend of success or failure? Analyse your responses and identify if your current aspirations to improve yourself is destined for success or failure. It may highlight areas to avoid or techniques to reuse.
6. Am I happy at where I am today? - Look at yourself and where you are in life. Are you where you wanted to be when you where a child? Has your aspirations changed? If you are happy can you still be even better? Imagine what you could be as it is what you can be.
7. Am I happy socially? - Review your social life and would you like to change it? How would you like to change it and do you firmly believe it to be possible? This will help you identify what you will need to do should you want to change in this area.
8. How much could I have? - Consider what you could have and how much you want. This could be money, friends, success or anything else. Now consider the work involved in getting this and are you ready to invest yourself towards these aspirations. You may need to change the amount you want.
9. What truly motivates me? - The key to any self-improvement goal is motivation. It could be money, food, friendship, love or something else. Pick the one that truly motivates you. Whatever it is, it will help you define your self-improvement goals to ensure your success. Use it as a reward for achieving your goals.
10. What makes me tick? - From the other nine questions you should be able to easily describe yourself and what makes you tick as an individual. Write this down as your personal statement. A description of your true self.

Now, you can be anything you want to be and through this self analysis you should have identified if you are ready and really want to change. Self-improvement is never easy but if you understand yourself it can certainly be easier. Consider self-improvement to be like climbing a mountain but when you get to the top you know you have achieved something worthwhile. You must remember that self-improvement is more than just changing yourself but something that you really want.

A DISC Profiling System could benefit your business in the following ways:

• Clear identification of learning and working styles.
• To avoid the placement of 2 dominant people working together all the time as they would both want to be leaders.
• You can place people in roles which are more suitable to their behaviours.
• To get the right mixture of different people in a team when their roles and behaviours are varied and suitable for them.
• To know where your team members fit into the above categories and ensure their roles reflect their natural abilities.
• Most people will be a blend of several different behaviour types, they will generally have a dominant behaviour type and may be heading towards trying to be another behaviour type.
• Have the whole team assessed for their behaviour types and when recruiting, find someone that "blends" into the mix as well as having the relevant skills and experience.
• Behavioural identification is not something that can not be found out just from a job interview, but usually takes time in getting to know the person. In a job interview, it is common for a person to sell themselves into a role without addressing behaviour, as you are addressing other characteristics such as relevant experience and presentation.
• Some candidates many not present very well in a job interview but may have more of the behaviour characteristics to fit into your team and could possibly have the relevant skills and experience.

If you would like further information about Extended Disc or would like to see a sample report, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further information.