This is the third in the series of, 7 Disciplines You Need From Your Sales Team. 

Sales Outsourcing requires sales training.

There are certain actions that, if your sales people perform correctly, will bring you the results you want.  Below is the third group in the 7 Disciplines Series.   Make sure your sales reps:

1. Work with Integrity.
   I have always believed you cannot be one kind of person and another kind of sales person.  Make sure the sales people who work for you work with integrity and live their lives with integrity.   Don’t forget, they represent you and your company.  Whatever they tell a prospect or customer will be a reflection of you and everyone who works at your company.
2. Display Punctuality.
   Being on time may seem like a small thing, but it sets the tone for how your company does business.  Consciously or subconsciously, customers will understand you have a team of professionals that show up (on time) every day, for every call and for every meeting.  This goes a long way toward building confidence toward a sale and ongoing account management.
3. Create and Refine a Process.
   If your company has a Sales Playbook, the sales people should be using it and not deviating from it at all.  If you do not have a Sales Playbook, you need to write one or have one written for you.  Having a well-defined process is the key to consistency amongst your reps and being able to on-board new sales reps quickly.
4. Get Testimonials.
   Self-praise is no recommendation.  Your sales people need to get in the habit of requesting customer testimonials.  The best time to get them is soon after a sale is closed and the customer is happily using your product.  Many customers will say they are too busy or are not sure what to say.  Here is a tip for your sales person to tell the customer once they agree to provide a written testimonial:  “I know you are busy <first name>.  I think I know what you told me about our product and service.  How about if I write it for you?  You can edit the document any way you’d like, but that will get you started.”  This approach seems bold, but I have never had anyone turn me down.  If they want to give you a testimonial, they will appreciate you saving them time.
5. Follow Through.
   This discipline really goes hand-in-hand with punctuality.  In sales, and in every other part of life, you are only as good as your word.  Your sales people have to do what they say they are going to do.  Check on an order?  Find someone in support to help their customer?   Whatever it is, no matter how trivial it may seem, it is a BIG deal to your customer.  Customers want…and do repeated business with… someone they can count on.
6. Help customers navigate through your company’s procedures.
   Most of us assume the world understands how we do business.  They don’t.  Your customers have a hard enough time keeping up with their own company’s policies and procedures.  If you have a procedure for customers to contact your support department, access updated software, talk to your Accounts Receivables department, etc., your sales reps need to explain it early in the sales cycle.  And don’t forget to put all these procedures in your Sales Playbook.
7. Understand your customer’s business – Making a value call.
   I might argue this point should be the #1 discipline.  Before one of your sales reps makes a sales call, insist they make it a “value call.”  A value call is one where the customer gets something of value (or perceived value) from a sales call.  Negative value is wasting your prospects time by offering nothing.   Don’t let that happen.  Have your sales reps prepare themselves before they make the value call.  This preparation is much easier these days.  Most everything about your customer’s company (or their background if they are on the management team) can be found on their web site.  This is where your reps should start.  From there, they can use LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., to find out more about your prospects’ business before making the value call.Are you ready to accelerate your sales?
   Click www.sales-getters.com.

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