But is not integrity more than just actions and words. Even in the business world it starts from within. Who are you when the door’s closed? What kind of decisions are you making when know one’s looking? What drives your moral compass?

In sales and business arenas the issue of integrity comes up most often in the context of honesty and trustworthiness with customers, coworkers and finances. Is one a reputable salesperson or sales leader in their everyday dealings and actions? Do they fudge their reports, their activities, their product claims? Can they be trusted in their responsiveness and professionalism? We certainly want integrity here and demand it in our organizations.

If we’re honest with ourselves, the outside may look good enough but betray an inner hole. Who we are at our core may be more important than if we simply don’t cheat on expense reports or tweak the truth with customers. The true, inner-self knows the score. Stepping up integrity of who we are on the inside can lead to improved alignment of behavior and actions of the outside.

In the sales world this resonates as truth: true selling with integrity springs forth from true personal integrity.

Executives (actually, most professional managers and buyers) don’t have the time or patience to listen to mundane product sales pitches by salespeople who are not sensitive to the pressures and motivations of their world.

What’s a salesperson to do? There’s actually a proven conversation process which can be taught, practiced and effectively learned. It is powerful and nuanced blend of art and science involving 5 steps in a sales conversation that can last 10 to 20 minutes:

1. Intro – position purpose and role (1-2 min.)
2. Now – establish and confirm current environment (2-3 min.)
3. Explore – posit, probe and discover challenges and issues, use Executive Whiteboard^Tool (3-8 min.)
4. Why – uncover reasons, impact and effect of issues discovered (3-5 min.)
5. Summary – review/close-out discussion and set next steps (2-3 min.)

I challenge sales teams to think and “interview” customers like a NEWS reporter. You’ll notice this conversation is not about product. It’s all about the customer and their problems. Key to this conversation is a powerful tactic called the “Executive Whiteboard.” This flexible tool can be developed and practiced for delivery in face-to-face meetings or even on the telephone. This is pre-developed framework for stimulating and facilitating a professional discussion about issues that are on the mind of your professional executive contacts, prospects and customers.

The marketplace demands best-practices for survival. Can your team consistently conduct a consultative executive conversation?

• Psychological Test
• Personality Test
• Behavioral Styles Test
• Aptitude Test
• Salesperson Evaluation Test

Most common, but a big mistake, is to use Personality and Behavioral Styles tests for salespeople. While accurate, the results do not provide answer or actions that management can use for selection/recruitment, coaching and development. An effective assessment tool must answer the following questions:

• What makes a particularly salesperson successful?
• What makes a particular salesperson unsuccessful?
• Can this salesperson improve or not?
• In what specific areas must the improvement take place?
• Which obstacles are preventing sales success?
• How much improvement can we expect?
• What actions must be taken for improvement?
• How do the problems impact their performance in the field?
• What sales competencies are impacted?

If you want to accurately predict which existing salespeople or hiring candidates will succeed in a particular sales position, at your company, selling your products or services, into your target market, against your competition, with your pricing model, performance requirements and compensation package, there is only one assessment tool that will provide this.

Contact us to learn more about a proven and affordable and comprehensive salesperson/team assessment test.

For salespeople perhaps that is reason to be troubled. In the sales arena, it is well established that cold-calling and prospecting are the least favorite of selling activities. But for good reason these actions will never really go out of style. Yes, the calls can (and should) be warmer with appropriate and calculated multiple touch-points, and the contacts can (and should) be better targeted and pin-pointed. But what else is new?

We see this paralleled in sports. For instance, baseball and golf equipment today allow for better play and higher performance, but the game still needs to be played. Good practice, coaching and skill-building produces wins, records and championships.

No, prospecting and cold-calling will not soon go away. They are simply fundamentals in sales that are evolving and can be optimized for the modern era. Accept it and get comfortable with it. Be the ball.

We see signs of boom and bust. Can’t beat the combination of selling excellence with a product or service that has retained high market value and necessity. Deals are getting done but they’re taking longer, requiring more calls and tougher negotiations for lower average sized deals. Many however are dealing in “nice to have” products and finding pipelines stagnating and reps struggling.

As one deftly put it – how do you overcome a problem of asymmetrical need – where the vendor’s need to sell is much higher than the customers’ need to buy?

What to do? Time to raise the game at all levels to find the deals that are out there. It’s not about “closing” – it’s about up-leveling Strategic Sales Execution which involves the complete selling effort in finding, addressing, and consummating all opportunities: salesperson mentality, process refinement, account/territory prioritization, maximizing selling activities, crisp sales messaging, enhanced probing and questioning, decision-cycle management, and disciplined pipeline/forecast management.

It’s not rocket science; it is about intelligent, optimized performance of a well-turned sales machine.

Contestants were tasked to sell a popular SaaS-based solution to real executives from major organizations. Each were evaluated on their approach and rapport,needs identification, presentation, handling of objections, closing and communication skills. Each student had to win school level competition to advance to the national event.

Wow. I never saw this type of formalized academic sales training and development when I was in school. Nothing like starting ‘em young. Good for the students; good for the recruiters.

My son made it to the quarter finals. In his final sales call he said he was uncovering needs so well that he hit the time limit before closing. Hmmm. Proud Pops nevertheless.

So what exactly is a sales mentality? It can be reduced to 3 key elements of perspective, discipline and prowess:

1. A Balanced Sales Perspective - a healthy view of self, product and customer 
2. A Strict Personal Discipline - a daily regimen of managed time, inputs and prioritized activities
3. A Hunting-Farmer Prowess - a new business and account growth sales skill and mindset

With a strong sales mentality, a salesperson is well-reasoned, self-managed, and multi-faceted. Can a person or team be trained in this? You bet.

Wouldn’t it be great to have an entire sales organization like this?

1. Sales Competency Training – Month 1
2. Sales Activity Inventory – Month 2
3. Sales Forecast Process Review – Month 3

Many executives and sales leaders come to us seeking help in improving sales revenues through sales training and consulting. They say “Help our team Close better” or “Our team needs Negotiation training” or “Our team needs to improve Probing skills” or “Our sales pitch is all over the map.” These are all legitimate concerns and competency areas that can be improved, however it’s not the full story. It’s like trying to improve a car’s performance by installing leather upholstery, a new sound system and higher grade gasoline. It’s better, yes, but there are other areas that need a check-up and potential overhaul.

It’s a new year. How’s your team going to perform in Q1? What are you doing today that will ensure your team is the ultimate selling machine by Q2 and the rest of 2010?

Yes, there are 3 keys to finishing strong:

1. Set Your Sight on the Prize
Never lose sight of your goal and objectives (even if they were reset). Your sales goal/quota/target should be clearly etched in your brain/whiteboard/forecast.

2. Sprint to the Finish
Winners give it an extra kick at the end to outrun competitors. If you know your sales activity patterns (read Rule #15), you ratchet it up these final weeks and don’t let up the pace until year end.

3. Never Give Up
Famous words by Winston Churchill, and other winners who didn’t quit. Even in the face of tough circumstances, sales pros don’t cave, they suck it up, make no excuses and find a way to get it done.

You’ve run the good race but now’s the time to press onward to the goal set before you. Have a great and strong finish.

But then comes next week. It’ll be December and a short sales month. For some of you, the year’s number is a given and either way short or looking good. For others, it’s a stretch but conceivable. At the same time management must keep an eye toward 2010 and all that has to happen, change and be redirected. Time for the final push. No excuses. Remember your customers need to wrap up the year too.

So while a challenging year, ’tis the season to be thankful for all you do have and the opportunity to finish strong, be at your best and give it another go in January. Do enjoy the holidays, your family and count your blessings. Have a healthy and balanced work perspective through the holidays.