By Walter J. McDonald
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:
1. 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:
a. 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.
b. 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.
c. 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.
d. 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.