Malcolm Dawes, Managing Director at dta WORLDWIDE has been working with a number of co - contributors on a brand new book entitled ‘Emerging Trends in Professional Selling’.  If you sell for a living, you manage a sales team, or are responsible for the growth of your business and you want the best outcomes for your sales efforts – this book is for you.

Some of the world’s leading trainers, consultants and coaches in the world of professional selling bring you detailed ideas on how you can improve your personal performance, and the performance of your sales team. Inside this volume you’ll find 12 chapters to ensure you are informed about the latest trends, research and best practice in professional selling and sales management.

For your copy at a special rate -  contact us at info@dtaworldwide.com - and quote ‘dta book promo’.

dta has been busy delivering workhops on a number of topics over the past few weeks.  One of these has been on the subject of Emotional Intelligence (EI).  Most of those participating have been in sales and consulting roles.  We know that EI and our positive attitude is vitally important in the area of selling.  How much do you use emotional intelligence attributes required for high performance in selling?  How optimistic and resilient are you?  How often do you use empathy in the sales environment?  If you want to know more about how EI can improve your sales performance, contact dta now at info@dtaworldwide.com

1. Ask the right questions - do you really understand what your customer needs - which may be different from what they want!
2. Be reliable - if you say you will do something or get back with some information - DO IT!
3. Keep your customer informed.  If circumstances change - let your customer know.  Better they are informed about changes than thinking all is happening when it may not be.

How are you selling?  Is it using brochures and an approach which means building successful customer relationships depend only on a sale?  Or do you try and understand your customers from a more holistic perspective?  Don’t just flog your product - know your customer - connect with them help them and add some value.  Use your interpersonal skills to engage and with them.   After all, they can learn about your product on the web!  Q: What is your job as a sales person?  A: To know your customer.  Do that and you will find success.

dta WORLDWIDE are pleased to be a partner of the Sales Effectiveness Australasia Breakfast Event Series.  Join us at the following event in Sydney on June 18th.  If you are not in Sydney, you can register for the virtual event and still receive the DVD and ‘Book of the Month’.  For more information and to register

click here

The future of effective sales leadership by Malcolm Dawes

• Understand the importance of 10 core competencies for sales managers
• Know the essential qualities to allow you move from sales management to sales leadership
• Be able to focus on your own strengths to develop the effectiveness of your personal leadership style

Overcoming fear to create great sales results by Suzanne Mercier.

 What is fear, and why is it a natural part of the human condition?

Can I really overcome fear in a competitive sales environment?

How can I build more sustained resilience in my sales prospecting and negotiations?

Selling is one of the most critical activities in the work environment.   Without the ability to sell, ideas would be nipped in the bud, products could “rot” on the shelves and services would remain unused potential.

Extensive research has proven that even the best of sales people will, at some point, miss opportunities and underachieve because of fear. It can be fear of rejection, call reluctance, fear of failure – or one of the many other ways fear can be manifested.  But fear is also natural.  Anyone who needs to sell – from a sales professional to a business development person to a non-sales employee – knows and feels fear when it comes to selling.  Picking up the telephone to make a prospecting call can feel traumatic.  Closing the sale can be equally daunting.  Yet, both those activities are critical to the sales process and to the business.

Research has identified that the interaction through selling accounts for 53% of the influence on a purchase decision. Building on that, what increase in sales and bottom line could you achieve if you could transform fear into energy that propels you forward to action and success?

By improving your sales skills, you can overcome the reluctance that many people experience around selling, but this is not the only solution.  By addressing the fear that makes it so challenging to put yourself on the line, your selling skills can be put to great use.

Over the last 10 years, Suzanne Mercier has become an expert on the limiting nature of fear.  In this session, Suzanne will lift the veil from fear and share how – by understanding our fears – we can overcome them to achieve better sales results.

During this compelling session, you will:

• Understand the nature of fear and how it inhibits our actions
• Receive tools to transform fear into more productive energy
• Recognise the triggers of fear and address them before they hit
• Feel more willing and able to increase prospecting activity
• Increase your ability to close the sale

In some interesting conversations recently, leadership and management have been hot topics.  It is fascinating that leadership and management are seen as the same thing in many peoples’ mind.  They are totally different.  There has been so much written on the difference, yet it still amazes me that management persists as the way forward.  For sure, we need management skills and good managers to implement and achieve business outcomes.

Equally, it seems that the ability of managers to use leadership skills is limited.  We need to be innovative & creative, demonstrate high levels of interpersonal flexibility, involve people and give them opportunity to excel by giving them support.  When we make mistakes, accept them and learn from them.  Leaders allow this through continuous learning both for themselves and encouraging others to do the same.

In a recent example of management gone mad - I heard that the sales of a particular company had not been so good.  They had implemented a ‘new’ selling skills process and involved the managers to implement it.  Several indicators have since shown that sales are low and customers not happy.  The solution put forward……… more management time to get the sales people doing more of what they have done so far!  Surely, that will give them more of what they got before - low sales!  What really is needed is a look at leadership (as well as the selling process) and how to learn from the mistakes that have been made.  Innovate some new ways of doing the task and improve the performance and outcomes.

In the past few weeks there have been some interesting discussions around selling.  We work quite a bit in the Pharmaceutical Industry, where for example selling is rather different than in other industries.  For example, as a medical sales person, there normally isn’t an order taken.  Usually its a matter of gaining agreement from the customer - usually a doctor - to prescribe your product when they see the right patient.  Regardless of the industry or the customer, one thing is true of all sales situations.  People buy from people.  The product or service is important.  It has to be good.  It has to perform what it says "on the box". 

If the relationship isn’t managed well between sales person and customer - it matters not how good the product or service is.  It is equally true of post sales service and follow up.  Many industries don’t even think to follow up with a customer once they have been sold something.  There is a lot of evidence that by having good customer service and follow up that repeat business will follow.  That is also true of complaints.  The more you are able to manage complaints and have strong customer relationships, the more likely the repeat business.  Think about it.  When you have been dissatisfied with a service or product what happens when you complain?

If you are given a replacement or a refund or have the broken thing fixed - you are happy and likely to tell others of your satisfaction in things being put right.  If you are not given what you want - you will tell even more people never to use that company’s product or service.

Ensure your sales people develop the skills to manage relationships before, during and certainly after the sale.  That way you might just increase your returning customers.

See more about customer service here.

Emotional Intelligence is often looked upon as being one of those topics which is a bit abstract - a bit "Out There!"  However, if we look past the aspects of the subject which are academic and perhaps put us off, we may have a different view.  Emotional Intelligence is a phrase which was popularised in the 1995 book of the same title.  However, it has been researched over many years and is still in most cases on the fringe of people development.

Many studies exist which prove that having high levels of Emotional Intelligence enhances productivity and can actually reduce stress in the workplace.

Lisa Gardner of Swinburne University’s Centre for Neuropsychology surveyed 133 employees from a range of industries including marketing, information technology and engineering.  She said those with higher levels of Emotional Intelligence tended to be healthier mentally and physically. They were less likely to suffer sleeplessness, headaches, muscle pains and other physical symptoms associated with stress.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise and express emotions in yourself and the ability to understand the emotions of colleagues. In a recent presentation from ihatemypc who maintain dta WORLDWIDE computer systems, this humorous video reminded us how much emotion does effect us at work.

Selling today is a sophisticated business.  Not because products are more high spec., or improved versions of their former selves.  Although this may well be the case.  Selling has moved into a new realm.  One of focussing on the emotion of the sale and the relationship between customer and sales person.  Sales people require high levels of integrity, the ability to demonstrate empathy and trust with their customer or client.

Features and benefits are still important, yet they are not the critical factor which determines which product or service a customer might buy.  They buy on emotion and because they "like" the sales person.  Perhaps put another way, they trust them.  It is vital that sales people use the traditional skills of selling coupled with additional skills.  Those of emotional intelligence, adapting or flexing their interpersonal behaviours and managing the post sales service.

These ideas may not be new although they are certyainly not implemented in many sales focussed companies.  The tradition of beating the competition with "better" products prevails in many.  Whilst product development is critical to stay ahead, the key differentiator is who sells it - and how!  Sales people need the skills of behaviour flexibility, self management to overcome the knockbacks and a big dose of integrity and realism.  After all, deep down, most sales people know you will not win a sale in one call or interaction.  Often not after two or three attempts.  After all, when developing any relationship it usually requires a bit of time and effort to get it right.  In the world of sales this same effort will pay off in increased sales.

To find out more about taking a relationship focussed approach to selling take a look at our STARS programme.