Pete's Pillars of Success

Here’s how your sales team can win the ‘coach of the year’ award using BSU Coach Chris Petersen’s four pillars of success as road map.
If this sounds like a sales pitch for you, it is. And I’m imploring you to implement the Bronco football coach’s success plan because it has not only landed him an incredible winning record, more importantly it has won him the respect of football coaches and business owners alike.
I heard Coach Pete’s “Big Four” during a banquet honoring him as National College Football Coach of the Year recently. Most people are amazed at how simple the principals sound. But remember, they only work if you actually do them:

1. Respect and honor the past. Do you know the history of your company and industry and who put you and your team in the place they are? Coach Peterson reminds us of the Bronco Football history and godfather of the grid iron Former Coach Lyle Smith. “During the Korean War, in mid season Coach Smith left the team to participate in active duty, that’s amazing,” according to Pete. Respect and honor your past.
2. Uncompromising Standards. The BSU Coach puts it best when he says “Be honest and ethical always.” In other words do the right thing when no one is looking.
3. Memorable moments. Coach is quick to remind us it’s not just how you respond to the two point conversion in the Fiesta Bowl, but how you bounce back from a missed field goal against Nevada that counts.
4. Leave a legacy. Don’t leave a mess behind, whether it’s building a new stadium or creating a sales system that is second to none, build something and set the bar for others to follow and improve upon.

It’s a simple formula that only three percent of you will write down and implement. However if you follow the plan you’ll be coach of the year in your business venture guaranteed.

FLASH CARD: HOW TO ADD VALUE

I recently spoke to the Nampa Young Professionals group about defining and adding value to your prospect and customer base. In case you’ve forgotten, my definition of value is: your prospect or customer should be better off after meeting with you, than before. If your prospect isn’t returning phone calls, you’re not adding value.
Now, let’s go to work in terms of adding value or finding an easy way to remember what value means to a prospect or customer
V = Validating your solution. What are three touch points that solidify what you are selling. I give them information in the form of white papers: “Why Advertise?” check list, “The Five Fatal Flaws of Marketing” and “The Marketing Makeover.” How do you validate?
A= Add an artifact. Framing stores prove that adding an artifact to a piece of art, such as an arrow head to a Native American painting, can increase the sale of that piece up to 50%. Other examples: a hot towel at a golf course, chocolate chip cookies at a hotel, popcorn at the gas station, a to-go cup or newspaper. All of course are complementary.
U= Unexpected Surprise. Cracker Jacks are a great example. For your business, the best surprise is a handwritten thank you card or a copy of your book (more on this in a later column). Only three percent of Americans write thank you notes.
L= Losing customers if they don’t perceive you to be adding value. Follow up, follow up and always survey and ask the questions: “What do you like best about my service?” and “What can I do better?”
E= Expectation. Today’s value-added is tomorrow’s expectation. What you do for your client today, is expected tomorrow. Manage expectations, over deliver and under promise.
And finally—here’s a handful of quick ideas to add value to someone’s LIFE. Help three people that can’t afford your service, offer a free seminar for your prospects and clients, repackage or bundle your product and triangulate your service with your client to help one another create a new need for a prospect.
Make sure you add V A L U E to every sales call and understand what it means. The best way to learn is to study this flash card everyday.

Who’s Interviewing Whom?

By Dave Tester


The state's unemployment rate nearing double digits actually means good news for employers. I'm in the process of recruiting a new sales team right now. I must tell you the talent pool is as good as I've ever encountered in the region. Good people are either out of work or working at jobs that are below their skill set. That has many top-notch folks interested in new opportunities in the sales field.

Here our some tips whether you are hiring a sales professional or interviewing for a sales position yourself.

Make sure you dress the part. I have always believes a business suit is standard operating procedure. However, during my latest round of interviews, I encountered candidates dressed more casual. Even if the job may not required higher end business attire, the interview does. If I need to tell you what to wear you shouldn't be interviewing for a sales job. (Check out one of my archived columns in the IBR, "Who Waived the Dress Code.")

I always ask candidates the question "how did you prepare for the interview today?" This is a favorite because most don't even take the time to Google the company name or my name. If candidates haven’t taken time to do their homework on you and your company, they probably aren’t real motivated.

Another great question is "what are you reading ?" If you are in sales and not reading sales books or motivational tools don't bother showing up for the interview. Remember this, over 70 percent of Americans never pick up a book after graduating either in High School or College. (Sad, huh?) If you’re going to work in sales, you need to be a constant reader.

Most of the people I interview come without a list of questions to ask me. That's not a good sign either. I enjoy it when a job seeker takes over the interview. It shows you have initiative, are detail oriented. Most importantly, it shows you’re prepared to sell yourself!

Here's are five more fantastic tips for getting the right sales job:

1. Is the “director of first impressions” helpful and enthusiastic? If the receptionist is not, that might not be a good place to work

2. Ask the question: "do you focus on time and effort or results?"

3. Ask: "can I be innovative and create new systems here?"

4. "Do you consider me an investment or a cost of sales ?"

5 Make sure you’ll get all the support you need for achieving success with: "do you educate, train and market here and can I see those programs ?"



Be prepared to ask the right questions at your next job interview, it might be the difference between getting a job and continuing to look for a job.