“The Specialist” Sales and Management Training Blog

Hi everybody,

I have a good one for you tonight.

Terminating someone is usually never pleasant. However, it is a necessary evil in all professions. Personally I would rather develop someone than terminate them. Anyone can fire someone…Not everyone can develop someone. Regardless if someone quits or is terminated, there will always be spin control.

For example, An employer can be kinda hoping someone quits so they don’t have to fire them. On the other hand, there are employees that know they are about to be fired so they quit just to save face. The point of tonight’s post is, regardless of your viewpoint, as the employer you are being graded by your existing employees on how gracefully you handle the situation, regardless of the spin.

Under no circumstances does it benefit you as the employer to bash the employee that is no longer there. In fact it can cause you great harm to talk bad about the departed employee regardless of what they have to say about you. All eyes are watching how you handle the situation. If you bad-mouth the departed employee all other employees know when they leave you will probably say something bad about them. Not good for your image as a fair employer.

Learn to romance the termination.

What I try and do is not discuss the subject at all. If I am backed into a corner I usually try and say something nice about the person even if we departed on not so good terms. Future employees will know at least you will give them a fair shake if they leave. By saying nothing or at least something nice about the departed employee when the ex-employee bad-mouths you people will put two and two together and realize that whenever you point your finger at someone else 3 more fingers are pointed directly at yourself.

Sometimes it’s hard, but well worth it and really nothing is gained by speaking ill of someone that is no longer around.

“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

It’s me again! I have something very special for you tonight. “The Surprise Close”.

You see, most people are taught to do everything to close the person right on the spot. Never let them leave without closing them. I completely disagree with that philosophy. If you do statistical research on this you will find long term two things happen with this philosophy. First, the rate of cancellations are much much higher. Secondly, the amount of charge backs increase dramatically. I have never used a close in my entire career other than an assumptive close, or automatic close.

I have never had a problem letting the consumer digest everything and letting them think it over. In fact I have found that it is so unusual to approach the consumer that way that it has the same effect as reverse psychology. The customer is just not expecting that and consequently they appreciate you, your product, and your company that much more. I have legions of people that I have trained and they are amazed how it works.

Remember, opposites attract, and when you do the opposite what the consumer is expecting, they are attracted to you and your product much more. That is why I call it the “Surprise Close”. Not only is the consumer surprised, but the salesperson trying it for the 1st time is also surprised! Try it, ease up on the pressure and back off. Watch how fast they come back. Also remember, if the client cancels or doesn’t end up paying for the product, were they really CLOSED?

“The Specialist”

Hello gracious readers,

Tonight I would like to talk about the TERMINOLOGY that we use in our relationships with our customers.

So often I see young inexperienced salespersons destroy a sale by using terminology that the customer doesn’t understand. When a young sales person does that it’s usually because they want to impress the customer or his or her co-workers. When an experienced sales person does this it is usually done with complete disdain for the prospect or the outcome of the sale.

The young person can be taught the importance of learning to talk on the level of the prospect. It is imperative to realize you must fight the urge to try and impress your prospect by talking OVER their heads. The prospect will be a lot more impressed with your sincerity…Oh, by the way in case you missed an earlier post SINCERITY is one of the 8 Basics of Success!

Try and relate this to a subject you know little or nothing about and having someone using professional terms to discuss this subject with you. Just because you know a tremendous amount about a particular product or subject I assure you the prospect really isn’t interested. Remember the most important thing in a sale is relationships not facts!

“The Specialist”

Hello again Kind Readers,

Tonight we are going to talk about something everyone has heard of but of course from a different angle. “Persistence Beats Resistance”.

Most times when you hear that quote one thinks about never giving up on a sales call, or not taking NO for an answer. I want to talk about that phrase from the angle of your work ethics! So many people in our great profession quit or give up if the day is not going according to plan. I usually work on the basis of a regular work day opposed to working for a sale. This unique way of working in the sales profession has enabled me to learn to discipline myself and use persistence to resist the temptations that are out there to impede me from reaching my goals.

What I am trying to convey is that developing tremendous work habits takes tremendous persistence! It works the opposite way as well…Lets say your day exceeded your expectations in the first hour, again the path of least resistance is to say, oh, I’ve had a great day and go play golf. Again you have to remember that “Persistence Beats Resistance”! In the long run if you will focus on this you will develop tremendous work ethics and your sales will skyrocket! Every minute you spend in the field whether you realize it or not you are sharping your skills in one way or the other.

Who is the benefactor? You are! Remember “Persistence Beats Resistance”

“The Specialist”

Hello kind readers,

Tonight I have a post that is designed especially for advanced managers.

This subject pertains to the traveling team that invades offices or businesses that are not living up to expectations. The dreaded moment when corporate sends in their team of so called experts to FIX the problems. I have repeatedly seen these so called teams of experts come into locations only to leave it worse then it was when they arrived.

I was visiting with the leader of one of these so called teams recently and was appalled by his planned course of action. After quite a bit of discussion the leader asked “The Specialist” for some tips. First let me tell you his opening strategy. He proudly went on to inform me that since no one knew his appearance he was going to hide and hang around and find out all the mistakes they were making and then inform them it was going to be his way or the highway. He spoke very confidently.

The obvious problem that “The Specialist” has with this right off the bat is that I prefer to catch people doing things RIGHT! What I recommended to him was perhaps he should take another approach…for example, why not positively introduce himself, let everyone know there was a clean slate and establish a great relationship with everyone. I suggested that after everyone trusted him and realized that he was not a hatchet man, they would feel more comfortable. Then as the first few days progressed he could gradually slide in his changes. Instead of being afraid of massive change, the employees would be much more receptive to change.

I have done this countless times, in fact I even take it further and meet with the individual employees and let them know that I was there to advance their career and if there was anything I could do to help them I would be glad to. This approach works wonders, and the results are staggering! Instead of blowing everybody out and having to build from scratch, you have done what was expected of you and that was FIX the problems.

You in fact have endeared people to you and dispelled the notion of being an INVADER!

“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

I am sure everyone that has started in sales and was trained by someone will relate to this scenario…It is your first sale and you need help with the final details and your manager gladly helps you out. I think you all know where I am going with this. The next thing the new rep discovers is that the manager signs the order and TAKES the order! The amazing thing about this story is not only did this happen to me but as of last month I have witnessed this exact event THREE times!

Talk about lacking ethics, the manager or senior person that participates in this kind of behavior is not only destroying HIS or HER own credibility, but is also shamefully destroying the natural HIGH one gets from writing their FIRST SALE! Remember, there is only one FIRST SALE! The long term objective should be getting the young sales person to enjoy this experience! The motivation for such behavior ranges from things like I’m in a contest, I need the money, my manager did that to me and so on. It is clearly indefensible.

Whether you realize it or not, the rep will forever hold deep rooted resentment towards you and NEVER forget it! The right thing to do is help this young person complete their first sale. By these actions not only will the young sales person look up to you, but they might even write many more sales motivated by their new found ability. In this scenario everybody wins.

Who knows that new rep might even end up being your next TOP PRODUCER, all because you used Ethics and Morality in your profession!

“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

It is 3 o’clock in the morning and I am fuming!

It drives me crazy when someone takes the knowledge I pass on to them and then tells me…You know that trick you told me about…It really works!

When a Doctor discovers a new way to cure cancer is it a trick? No! This is a profession! Those people that say those kinds of things are the exact people that I have spent 40 years trying to drive out of our great industry.

The things that I am passing on to you are techniques. Only if used in a bad way with bad intent do they become tricks! Anyone that has read this blog should know by now that I will not associate myself with people that want to try and taint our great industry with this kind of “con man” mentality.

Once again..”So a man Thinketh, he Becometh”. Take pride in our industry and be caretakers for the future!

“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

In a past post I was discussing Nurturing young managers. Today I want to relate closing a sale to closing an employee.

People have often asked me how I retain employees for so long? One important way is to KEEP CLOSING. How many of you breathe a sigh of relief when someone becomes a manager? You know the feeling of relief when you don’t have to be around so much. I am always trying to find a way to build the confidence and self esteem of my employees and do not hesitate to give a compliment. Too many employers try to sneak away from the business and the only real quality time they spend with their employees is when they are doing something wrong.

Just as you are continually closing the sales prospect you MUST also continually close the employee!

You are probably curious as to how ? Sell them on the opportunity of your company! The growth of your company certainly is a great selling point. You may also close them on the increased pay that awaits them for a great performance. If you want longevity with your employees, KEEP CLOSING!! Remember you are aspiring to become a true professional salesperson/manager. A real professional manager always has his hand on his employee’s pulse. If you don’t compliment them, or help build their self-esteem, if you don’t recognize your employees and give them tons of positive reinforcement, SOMEONE ELSE will!

That short time you got a breather from doing everything will turn out to be exactly that…a SHORT TIME BREATHER, and you will be back doing everything yourself!

“The Specialist”

Guess what, it’s me again!

I had the great opportunity to observe a young salesperson today for about an hour. You probably wonder if I ever work, I’m always telling you about people I get to watch, or share time with or even meet with and exchange ideas. The truth is people invite me to observe their performances “live”, hoping for some nuggets of information I can share with them. I am happy to report “The Specialist” never disappoints!

As I was watching this young lady I saw someone that was nothing like the person I knew! She transformed herself from this pretty self-assured giant ray of sunshine into “A DREADED SALESPERSON” Stop it! All of your friends and family members liked and loved you for who you ARE! Just because you become a sales person doesn’t mean you put on a cape and a mask and become someone you are not!

The great thing about being a true sales professional is the ability to BE YOURSELF!!! I have seen countless men and women transform right before my very eyes as they think they have to assume the persona of a salesperson. By the way what actually is that persona? After witnessing countless makeovers it apparently isn’t a very good one.

Think of it this way…If you have gone through life with family, friends and most strangers liking you, why would you change for a job? The greatest thing I enjoy about the sales profession is that I CAN be MYSELF and meet a lot of nice people. What a great profession! Believe me when I say this, your prospect will be able to see and feel right through you when you are not BEING YOURSELF!!!

“The Specialist”

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