A common misconception amongst many of today’s companies is, “We hire seasoned salespeople and pay them well. We shouldn’t have to invest in additional sales training.” Or to put it another way, “Salespeople should work perfectly right out of the box.” Just as if they were some sort of new electronic gadget.

The truth is the average 16 year old probably has more classroom and hands on training learning to drive an automobile, than the average salesperson has had sales training. Ask yourself, would you let a surgeon operate on you if they hadn’t learned anything new since they graduated medical school? What about the 155 passengers of Flight 1549? Would the captain have been able to flawlessly ditch his airplane in the Hudson River if he had not had countless hours learning how to do just that in a flight simulator?

We know what the answer is. So, why place your entire revenue generation engine in the hands of people who were hired because they looked good, spoke well and had industry experience? It just doesn’t make sense.

Selling is much more difficult today than it has ever been. Today’s buyers are smarter, and because of the internet, more knowledgeable about what they’re buying and who they’re buying from. Often they know more about a salesperson’s products, services and competitors then the salesperson them self. They don’t want to know about features and benefits. They want to know if what they buy from you can solve their problems, or as we call it, their PAIN.

Buyers can no longer differentiate one company from another. They see them all the same, as a commodity. And when your company is viewed this way it will always come down to one thing and one thing only, who has the lowest price.

So what must happen for your company to compete successfully in this new environment? The answer is your salespeople must sell differently. They must undergo a complete paradigm shift in how they approach new opportunities. They must ...

1. Call at the top. No more starting at the lowest rung on the ladder and working their way up.

2. No more features and benefits information dump. They must instead understand, from the buyer’s perspective, what PAINs the buyer is living with that their product or service can eliminate.

3. No more sticker shock over price. They must discuss early in the process, what the buyer would be willing and able to invest if they brought them the perfect solution.

4. No more guessing how their prospect makes a buying decision. They must eliminate presenting a solution to the buyer only to find out they must now bring it to their boss, their partner, their spouse, the board of directors, etc. for final approval.

If you don’t have a formal sales system in place like the one I outlined above, you are not alone. 85% of U.S. companies don’t have one. Now what does this mean for you? It means opportunity. Because 85% of your competitors don’t have a system. But what if your salespeople did? What would it mean for your top line if your salespeople stood out from the crowd? If the buyer saw your people as “trusted advisors” rather than “vendors?” For many of our clients it has meant sales increases of 100% to 400% even in the toughest of times.

Now is the time to invest in the engine that drives the train, SALES!

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