Today, we take particular pride in congratulating two of our client organizations — the military recruiters from the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. We have had the honor of partnering with these organizations since 2000 and 2007, respectively. Both organizations completed their recruiting cycles for Fiscal Year 2008 with record levels of productivity, despite the unique challenges posed by recruiting in a wartime environment.

The Air Force Reserve’s recruiters attained 104.9% of goal, accessing 8,390 Airmen against a target of 8,000. 2008 marks their eighth straight year of surpassing their recruiting requirements.

The Air National Guard recruiters also produced spectacular results. They accessed 11,935 new Guardsmen against a target of 11,243 – an impressive 106.2% of goal.

By achieving their recruiting goals, the recruiters enable their respective branches of the Armed Forces to maintain the highest levels of readiness necessary to ensure the security and safety of all Americans. They also provide tremendous opportunities to the young people of our country who commit to military service.

To all the men and women who recruit for the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, we congratulate you on your remarkable achievements and offer our sincerest thanks for your service to our great nation. Your work is immeasurably important to all of us as Americans. You are indeed ‘America’s finest!’

Best of luck in 2009.

Submitted by:

I believe there is good value — and certainly good discussion material — to be gleaned from most of these findings. Occasionally, I discover data from outside sources which correlates strongly with data collected here at The Brooks Group.

Take, for example, data drawn from the 1500 firms included in CSO Insight’s Sales Performance Optimization – 2008 Survey Results and Analysis. Their reports indicate:

• 64.7% of firms plan to increase the size of their sales team.
• Hiring ‘new’ or ‘raw’ grads pays off with 64% quota attainment vs. 62% prior- quota attainment among prior salespeople.
• Only 61.2% of salespeople make or exceed quota for the year.
• 46.9% of salespeople accrue 40% or more of their compensation in variable pay.
• 63.5% revenue comes from existing business; 36.5% from new business.
• 63% of revenue is earned by the top 20% of reps.
• 55% of sales professionals have closing rates of 50% or less; 26% have closing rates of 50-75%.
• 51.5% find that leads their existing lead-qualification standards need improvement.
• 57.7% have an average deal size less than $50,000.
• The average number of calls required to close in an average sales cycle: (1-5 calls) 56.2%; (6 or more calls) 43.8%.

This data definitely supports the information The Brooks Group has gathered internally for the purposes of developing our existing training programs. How about your sales performance data – what’s your picture look like, and what are you doing to shift your numbers?

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My daughter just turned 17, and my wife just returned from a four-month military deployment. It seemed the right time to get a new car, not for me, but as rewards for my wife’s military service and my daughter for doing so well in school.

In my family a car represents transportation, not a status symbol. We look for safety, dependability and economy. Sure, like just about everyone, we don’t want to pay more than we have to, but we will pay a fair price to get what we want.

Unfortunately, as we did the ‘dance’ at the dealership, the salesperson only seemed interested in trying to prove to me he could sell me a car on his lot with a lower price than I could get elsewhere. When I refused to make any commitment, the dealership changed dance partners, and the manager asked me, “What do we have to do to get you to leave here with a car today?”

My answer was “Stop asking me insulting questions like that one.” The manager was stunned and asked me if I had a problem with the salesperson. I told him the salesperson was friendly and polite, but I’d rather he asked me some questions about the car I wanted to buy instead of the car he wanted to sell me.

The sales manager and salesperson looked confused and asked me what I meant. From there, I recited about ten open-ended questions I believed the salesperson should have asked me before making any recommendations or discussing price. For example, I planned on buying a 2009 version of the same two makes of cars I bought in 2003. How hard would it have been for to ask questions like, “Why did you buy those two cars in 2003? How happy are you with them? What’s important to you in a new car? How familiar are you with the changes between the 2003 and 2009 versions?”

The manager started to see things from my point of view and told me I wasn’t like most other customers who only walk on a car lot looking at price. I told both the salesperson and the manager that I wasn’t going to negotiate a price. Instead, I would use a car buying service that’s offered through my insurance company (USAA) that caters to present and former military personnel. The salesperson tried to backpedal and say I didn’t tell him that up front. Perhaps had he noticed the military base entry sticker on the windshield of my car and really listened to my comments about my wife being deployed, he might have learned something important about my background and asked some questions related to military experiences of both my wife and me. Since the majority of military officers purchase their car insurance through USAA, he would have been smart to bring up the subject on his own. And if he didn’t know that military officers almost always have their insurance through USAA, he isn’t doing his professional homework.

It was here that things really got interesting. The salesperson told me that if I used USAA, he might not get the commission. In fact, he told me about how he lost a commission to another salesperson when the prospect left the dealership and called in an order using the USAA buying service. Talk about focusing on yourself and not the customer!

Eventually, through the help of USAA and further discussions with the dealership to buy the car I wanted and not the one they wanted to sell me, we found the car we were looking for and agreed to purchase it. Before we took delivery, the salesperson explained to my wife and me how he gets paid by commissions and bonuses. His bonuses are tied to the customer satisfaction ratings he gets, and he implored us to give him a perfect rating because two previous customers had downgraded him, and he wasn’t qualifying for any bonuses right now. But wait, there’s more… He told us the options we wanted would be installed and the car ready for pickup on Thursday. I looked him right in the eye and told him I didn’t see any way he could have the car ready until Friday. He insisted it would be Thursday. As you might have guessed, he had to call us back to tell us the car wouldn’t be ready until Friday evening. Surprise, surprise!

And to think, he’s expecting – begging – for a perfect customer satisfaction score. I don’t think so.

Submitted by:

Sure, you probably don’t like it either, but are you guilty of doing the same thing with your new prospects? Now, I’m not talking about using a sales process or system —there are multiple sales models out there, and depending on what you’re selling, some might be more appropriate than others. Every sales professional should have a process that begins with personal positioning and lead prospecting and takes you all the way to finalizing the transaction.

What I’m talking about is using canned phrases and buzzwords to ‘pitch’ your product or service. Those rehearsed statements simply don’t sound sincere. Even worse, scripted presentations move forward at one speed, and that speed is being set by the salesperson, not the prospect. Additionally, scripted approaches limit the number of questions you will ask – because you’re too busy ‘telling’ – and they restrict the amount of viable solutions you can offer, since without asking enough questions you cannot gather enough information to offer alternative choices.

Before getting face-to-face with any prospect or customer stop and ask yourself this question: “If I were the prospect, how would I want the salesperson to work with me?”

Submitted by:

This was coming from a manager with whom I had often traveled, and whose pure sales ability I had often marveled at. He has that rare blend of style and grassroots humor that effectively builds trust and rapport with virtually every customer and prospect. I asked him why he felt he needed to “sharpen his skills.” After all, this man has what I call pure sales moxie! He looked me in the eye and said, “Because my people need to see the best determined to get better. Just think about what message this sends my team!”

This particular selling manager is at 150% of goal – again, and with high margins (just like he has been for the past 12 years)! And still, he can’t wait to go through training again. He’s my greatest advocate and champion – the perfect example of how a genuine top performer thinks and behaves.

Any of your salespeople fit the bill?

Submitted by:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Laura Hamilton’s contributions to the success of the company are indelibly felt, and greatly appreciated by all who had the pleasure of working with her. She returns to a highly lauded professional speaking career with the sincere best wishes and admiration of all at The Brooks Group.

The transition in leadership was scheduled as part of a four-phase, tiered program of strategic development set underway shortly before Brooks’ passing in October of 2007. The Brooks Group enters Phase II with long-time corporate lawyer and Brooks Group affiliate Richard Gabriel continuing in the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer.

“It is with immeasurable satisfaction and pride that we announce our shift into Phase II. We have the added pleasure of knowing that we do so considerably ahead of the goals we’d projected,” Gabriel noted. “By every creative, performance and financial benchmark, the Brooks Group is performing at its peak.”

This new stage of the company’s development includes several adjustments planned in order to accommodate its recent, unprecedented growth. Among those maneuvers outlined by the Board of Directors’ growth plan is a scheduled, permanent appointment to the COO position once filled by Hamilton.

CEO Gabriel stated, “After our rigorous and detailed search for our new chief of operations, we are pleased to announce that former Director of Military Affairs Kevin Reinert will assume the position of Chief Operating Officer. We are thrilled that the most qualified candidate comes to us from internally, and move forward with every confidence that Kevin is the best fit for the company, its associates, and ultimately its clients. The Brooks Group is blazing a trail for its brightest days, and the appointment of Kevin Reinert to this integral position will do everything to fuel our continued success.

Kevin Reinert joined The Brooks Group in 2005, following a highly distinguished 28-year career with the United States Air Force. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Adelphi University, Kevin also graduated with honors from the Department of Defense Information School and the Air War College. He retired with the rank of Colonel after most recently serving as Director of Public Affairs for the Air Force Reserve. Reinert also earned his expertise in professional selling first-hand, while on the job as an Air Force Recruiting Officer for 14 years.

Although he will be taking on the role of COO immediately, Kevin Reinert will remain the primary point of contact for The Brooks Group’s government-sector and military clientele — a role that currently includes the ongoing training of more than 1,000 military recruiters and retention specialists for the US Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.

Director of Information Technology, Jared Miles summed up the enthusiasm and optimism prevalent within the company by stating, “We are all incredibly excited, both by our recent progress, and the revolutionary advancements we have in store for our existing training programs.”

Phases III and IV of the strategic growth agenda include the addition of several new sales and support staff positions, new training program offerings, and the addition of cutting-edge options for the delivery of existing training curriculum.

Take the recent story of a well-known fast food restaurant whose employee was video-recorded taking a bubble bath in a sink that’s supposed to be used to clean uncooked food. Health officials were shocked, and company officials quickly moved to dismiss the employee – a no-brainer decision. The corporate giant also said they would remind all managers that this type of behavior on the part of their employees cannot be allowed in the future. I’d like to think it wasn’t supposed to be allowed in the past. And I also wonder if some store managers, and not just those at this restaurant chain, will find themselves putting up signs like, “This sink is for washing food. Do not bathe in this sink.”

My question is this: How did an employee taking a bath in a sink happen in the first place? Who was minding the store that evening? Sure, the fast food industry hires lots of young people, and some of these people are relatively immature. However, that’s all the more reason for managers to keep their eyes on their employees. That’s not micromanagement; it’s smart business management.

It takes a whole team of people to build up the reputation of your products, services or your organization. Unfortunately, it only takes one person to tear it down. When you’re not around, who answers your phone? Who ships the products you sell to your customers? How are they treating and servicing your customers? How do they behave when no one else is around? That’s something to think about, especially the next time one of your customers has a complaint.

By the way, it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten at one of the chain restaurants I described above – I think it’s going to be even longer.

Submitted by:

It isn’t as difficult as it sounds. It just takes a system that efficiently and effectively communicates with every prospect – not just the hot ones – the importance you place on earning their trust as well as their business.

Let’s face it; even the most seasoned sales professional can underestimate a prospect’s potential. Why take the chance that the “cold” prospect you left hanging for a week was the one who could have made your quota?

To make the best first impression, set a time limit on responding to messages; taking longer than 24 hours, in my opinion, is unacceptable. Prepare a list of questions to ask during every initial call that will help you learn about the prospect’s business and needs so you can identify the best solutions for their situation.

Immediately follow up every call (within the hour, ideally) with an email reiterating the key discussion points and outlining next steps. Finally, by the next day, send a card with a hand-written note thanking them for their time and interest.

I implemented this system following a sales seminar that focused on processes to increase sales and profits. It had an immediate impact on my business. Not only am I in better control of my prospects and the entire sales process, but the quality of deals I’ve been closing has increased exponentially. (Email me at SalesJournal@navigaservices.com to find out more about that sales seminar.)

Copy my system, or develop your own. What’s important is that you use whatever system you create every day, for every call. It will ensure that you never miss a career-making follow up because you were distracted or mistakenly decided a prospect wasn’t a priority.

Submitted by Guest Blogger:
Kathleen Steffey - Naviga Business Services, LLC

(No Ratings Yet)

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Positive Things to Consider During Economic Down Times:

1. People like to buy from people they know and trust. Go back to exiting customers and get to know them again.
   a. Take them small customer loyalty gifts.
   b. Show them new products you may have never shared with them.
   c. Engage them again in a strong customer relationship.
2. People don’t want to take risks when money is tight. Show prospects the safest way to complete a sale with the most effective delivery of products or services.
   a. Demonstrate ways you save them money.
   b. Show them ways other customers have benefited from using your products or services.
   c. Assure them of the ease of the sales process.
3. People always want to feel they have made a good investment when they have to be monetarily accountable.
   a. Apply their specific needs to the long term savings in their investment with you.
   b. Introduce them to employees, in your company, that can assist them in each part of the delivery process.
   c. Make sure you allow them easy access to you should questions
   or issues arise.

Positive Ways to Consider The Prospects’ Position:

1. People like to know their company and you, the sales person, have a good working relationship.
2. People like to feel important all the time.
3. People want to be surrounded by the familiar.

Positive Ways to Consider Yourself:

1. People want to buy from experts. Position yourself as a consultant sales person
   in your field of expertise.
2. People want to buy from the trustworthy. Position yourself as one who follows through on your promises.
3. People want to buy from those who care. Position yourself as the one who cares the most and they will remember you, first, when it is time to buy.

The secret is to re-think your selling habits. Let’s face it, your tired routine may need a gasp of fresh air. So, get rid of negative thoughts, go after your existing customers, continue to build new prospect relationships, and ask for the sale once you’re in front of the buyer. Remember, it could be YOU that is making this slower buying trend seem dismal.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Most people, including non-sales people, have some concept of “selling.” Undoubtedly, each of us knows what works for us and especially what doesn’t work for us. It’s a fundamental truism that we feel more comfortable buying and selling to and from people most like ourselves. Sales emphasis has shifted throughout the past thirty years from salesperson-focused to customer-focused methodologies. However, in my opinion, asking for commitment should not be perceived as “pushy,” “old” selling methods. It is truly still customer focused.

Asking for commitment assures the customer that you are:

• Reflecting your confidence in your recommendation/solution
• Validating your own belief in your selling process
• Allowing the buyer to decide (their decision, not yours)
• Maintaining trust
• Strengthening dialogue
• Reducing buyer anxiety

You’ve done well to reach this point in the sale. Don’t sabotage your efforts, or your sales career, by not asking for commitment. It’s why you’re there!

Richard Dickerson

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(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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