OEM Dealer Sales Training focuses on developing product knowledge. OEMs routinely pass on responsibility for selling skills training to their Machinery Dealers. The Dealer Principal then passes selling skills training responsibility to their Sales Manager, if they have one. And, finally, the Sales Manager often expects their machinery Sales Reps to develop selling skills on their own with minimal or no coaching: sink or swim.
As an inevitable consequence, the unfortunate Sales Rep is forced to fall back on their “best” sales tool: LOWEST PRICE!
“Give me the lowest price and I’ll really show you some salesmanship!”
So, according to Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary,
“Stop the Madness!”
How to Deliver Dynamite Sales Training
After personally leading three sales organizations and conducting hundreds of sales training workshops, I know what works! There are three steps to developing and delivering highly-effective selling skills training for machinery Sales Representatives:
1. Performance and Skills Assessment
2. Deficiency Cause Analysis—Problem Diagnostics
3. Remedial Recovery Actions
This is what you need to know:
- Performance and Skills Assessment
What are the very best industry Sales Professional doing that your sales reps are either not doing or not doing well?
Here’s the list of the six magnificent, essential selling skills areas:- Market Segmentation and Account Identification—Determine which customer segments or vocations (e.g., demolition, underground utilities, landscaping, etc.), offer highest potential for your primary lines. Then, identify and profile each account in those high potential segments.
- Execute 5-5-5 Daily Call Plan, 220 Customer Touches per Month. Achieve an average 5 face calls, 5 phone calls and 5 text or email contacts every day. Every month at least 220 customer touches optimizes coverage of the high potential accounts.
This level of field sales effort should be supported by a first-rate dealer website with pop-up “Can I Help You” feature.
Combined with a strong referral program, the sales rep should achieve a “deal visibility” or “awareness” level of 80%. The rep should be in on at least 80% of the deals in the territory. - Execute Key account Program
Expand contacts to include all influencers in the most important current dealer accounts. Profile the needs and concerns of their organization. Solicit cooperation with dealer parts and service to assist in monitoring account activities. Refine contact frequency based on number of influencers, level of competition and sales potential.
A personal sales call is the dealer’s Big Gun at Big Cost that must get Big Results. The secret of Territory Management is Segmentation, Account Identification and Prioritization and Proper Call Frequency. This is the only way to achieve a strong “Deal Visibility Rate” score. - Diagnostic Questioning and Listening
Don’t be an alligator: Small Eyes, Little Ears and a Big Mouth! (Edward R. Del Gaizo, The Alligator Trap) The most effective tool to increase “Deal Closure Rate” is diagnostic questioning. These are carefully structured open-ended questions: Define the current situation, identify problems, determine cost of problems to financially justify proposed solution. - Skillful Demonstrations and Presentations
Sales Managers should require a live “features-function-benefit” walk-around product demonstration from each sales rep at least once every two weeks. Nothing builds sales confidence more than learning how to deliver a well-structured product demonstration. - Market Dealer Product Support Capabilities
Customers don’t buy hardware, they buy a production tool that must be supported and maintained by the selling dealership. An essential element of a skillful product demonstration is the inclusion of two or three feature-function-benefit statements about parts, and then, about service. Example, “We stock over $1 million in spare parts and achieve over 95% off-shelf fill rate on maintenance items for our primary line. This means we will most likely have the part and be able to service your equipment when you need it.”
- Deficiency Cause Analysis – Problem Diagnostics
Which of the six essential selling skills above must be improved by your machinery sales rep? What are the priorities?
It’s important to know if poor performance is the result of a skill deficiency or an attitude/ motivation problem. I like to ask this question:
Could he/she do it if their life depended on it?
For example, you want me to hit a fast ball out of the infield. The pitcher is Boston Red Sox legend Aroldis Chapman who can throw a fast ball at 105.8 mph. Whoops! I don’t have anything near the hitting skill required. So, the next question is,
Can he/she be trained to do it?
My answer is, “of course not!” So, in this case I should be “de-hired” as a hitter.
Give your deficient sales rep adequate time to make required improvements. But, don’t be fearful of terminating for lack of progress. By the way, I would outline these six job performance requirements in the job interviewing phase for new sales reps. Ask your candidate if he/she is willing and able to meet these performance requirements. - Remedial Recovery Actions
Can you work on one area every five-six weeks until you see results?
Remember and Follow this Sales Axiom and All Your Training Problems Will be Solved:
The Sales Rep Doesn’t know it Until He/She Can Present It.
The Sales Rep Can’t Do It Until He/She Can Demonstrate it.
This is the secret of all sales training. If you would like to have a pair of highly useful textbooks that detail each of these job performance areas, check out these two on my website. www.mcdonaldgroupinc.com Included in these two texts is much of the content of my popular Executive Sales and Sales Management Workshop.
Good luck and please contact me to discuss any aspect of this work: walt@mcdonaldgroupinc.com. Let me know if you would like recommended study assignments for your sales rep in these two texts. I’ll be happy to put something together for you at no cost.