Sales training ideas – Do you have a sales roadblock?

Okay, you have all your sales training, you have your great product, and your great support system in place. You have everything you need for huge sales numbers… or don’t you? Is there something that’s slowing you down?

Is Accounts Receivable ticking off customers? Is your Installation Department not installing equipment properly, leaving a mess when they leave, or giving the customer attitude? Is service not responding or not fixing the problem until the fifth trip on average? In other words, what areas of your business may be preventing sales?

Here’s an example from my previous life when I was selling bank equipment. One day a Senior VP from my second largest bank called to tell me that he could not get service on one of his ATMs. When he called for service, they told him there was an outstanding invoice for $239 and before they could send someone out to fix the machine, they needed to Fed. Ex. a check overnight, and they needed to call back with the tracking number. There are a few problems here but the first is that the bill was for an OPTIONAL service contract on new equipment they installed but equipment they didn’t typically carry service on, they paid as they went. Second, this bank was doing $500,000+ in business a year with us. Third, the bill was only 32 days old. Forth, they had 42 ATMs, they were paying us over $100,000 in service contracts per year, and this was a multi-billion dollar bank that they were holding hostage for an OPTIONAL $239. By the way, this was 5 years ago, WAY before the current banking crisis just in case anyone is thinking about that.

This was when I found out why God gave me two ears, because that VP only left me with one. Well, the situation got straightened out, but, when something similar happened again, they went to the competition, for service and ATMs. They apologized profusely to me for the move but, said they wouldn’t be continually treated like that by any company.

Where are your weaknesses? Is it in messages that don’t get returned on time or at all? Is it something as seemingly small as a bad receptionist, the first person most people come into contact with from your company?

The bottom line: we all have these issues somewhere that are preventing or slowing sales. Find out where yours are, and find a solution.

John Chapin  www.completeselling.com