TEAM CALLS – WHO’S ON FIRST

From Linda Richardson

A salesperson (the generalist who owned the relationship) and a specialist agreed before an important team call that the salesperson would “lead” and the specialist would be in a support role.

When the salesperson “sat back” after opening and left the specialist to handle the call, the specialist felt aggrieved and vowed (without giving feedback) not to support this salesperson again. The salesperson thought the call went well and as planned, and because he got no feedback, he could not understand why the specialist wasn't available for future calls

Team call situations are ripe for confusion and frustration unless the team members agree on a clear call plan.

In the example above, the salesperson agreed who would lead — BUT the word “lead” leaves room for misunderstanding. Leading the call could mean anything from setting the call up, opening, being the MC, and wrapping up at the end to being the one with primary responsibility for the discussion.

Team calling demands a much more specific definition of roles. To ensure that you and your teammate are on the same page, create an agenda. Clearly designate roles, agenda items, times, and transitions.

Let's look at what an agenda might look like:

• Preparation — What is the objective? What are our roles? What parts of the agenda will each lead?
• Opening — Who will open, build rapport (be sure to include team member), and set the stage?
• Need Dialogue(s) — Who will probe for needs?
• Solution Dialogue(s) — Who will position the solution?
• Resolving Objections — Who will deal with which objections?
• Closing — Who will ask for the next step? Who will summarize and wrap up?
• Transition — What and where will the transitions be

For your next team call, decide who's on first as a strategy so your team comes out first!

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Letting the Customer Talk

During a recent roleplaying exercise, the participant playing the salesperson was attempting to sell a product to another participant playing a prospective customer. There was only one problem with how the participant was handling the interaction though—the customer rarely got to speak. And when the customer tried to tell the salesperson what his needs were, he was cut off with a lengthy dissertation of product information and features.

The interesting thing about this particular roleplay was that the salesperson was actually recommending the right product for the customer, but the customer could not see that because:

 He did not have a chance to speak
 He was not being listened to
 He felt that the salesperson did not truly understand his needs because the salesperson resorted to a standard sales pitch about the product instead of a fully customized one.

The main learning point was obvious: in the absence of being listened to and/or understood, customers are much less likely to buy, even when the product is the right fit for them. Customers need to believe that you understand their situation and how the product will help them fulfill a need. It does not matter to the customer if the salesperson has heard this need before—the salesperson has not heard it from THIS customer—and what matters to the customer is an opportunity to talk and share to ensure the salesperson “gets it.” Salespeople need to improve their listening skills and show that they understand what the customer is talking about before earning the right to talk about the product themselves.

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Compelling Openings

By Dennis Grieco

Opening a client meeting can be a very stressful few minutes, both for the salesperson and the clients. At the same time, it sets the tone for the entire meeting so it is crucial that those first few minutes are compelling and allow the salesperson to establish credibility. Some quick DOs and DON’Ts to think about:

• DON’T immediately begin each meeting with a round of introductions—it is both predictable and boring.


• DO begin with a relevant story or question that will not only resonate with the client, but get them involved.


• DON’T give your life and work history when introducing yourself—no one really cares and few clients are truly listening.


• DO keep your introductions short and focused. Highlight key facts about your life and/or work history that reflect the clients’ situation, company or industry.


• DON’T read the agenda to client. This often wastes several minutes and adds no real value to the opening.


• DO highlight the key topics that will be covered during the meeting, pointing out the benefits of focusing on these topics. Check in with the client to ensure the agenda is on track and to see if anything needs to be added or changed.
  
  A strong, memorable opening tells clients that the meeting is not going to be your typical, run-of-the-mill meeting, but rather a valuable and interesting experience for all.
  
  

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Making Pre-Work Impactful

By Dennis Grieco

Pre-work can be a critical component of a training program when done well. There are a few key things to ensure its successful use in the classroom:

• Internal communication to all participants as to what the pre-work is and how it will be used in class. It is also important to give participants sufficient time to complete the pre-work—at least a week would be ideal.
  
• Having managers check in with participants prior to the training session to ensure the pre-work was completed and to answer any questions about the pre-work or the program.
  
• Ensuring the agenda for the training day incorporates the pre-work into critical components of the program. History shows that not using pre-work in prior training sessions is the leading cause of why participants don’t fill it out in the first place.
  
• Since a lot of pre-work asks participants to focus on one of their own, real sales situations, it is important to ensure that the completed pre-work reflects that and not situations that are either already done or made up for practice purposes.
  
• Having managers follow up with the participants after the training has been completed. This not only shows interest in the participants’ experience, but can provide a developmental opportunity for the manager to coach the participant and help him/her implement the action plan that derived from completing the pre-work in the first place.

 

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