Sales Therapy

Are your sales hurting?

Weekly Reinforcement

Weekly Reinforcement Training

Until recently, sales skills were considered something that occurred naturally, and could not be trained. “She’s a natural salesman” is a phrase that all of us have heard at least once or twice.

At Sales Therapy, we believe that to truly learn the proper skills, it requires periodic reinforcement.

Hence, we have a weekly class open to all of our clients, 9am Eastern every Monday morning.

We start each class off with “Wins and Losses”, followed by a discussion topic, and we always close with “Lessons Learned.” Why? Because this is a proven model, with the highest retention of materials.

If you would like to talk to us about joining a class, please start a conversation with us below …
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Next Class Series Beginning Soon

Series II will begin on October 7th, 2019. It will be 20 classes, held on consecutive Monday mornings, from 9 am to 10:30 am (all times Eastern).

Classes will be held on line, using ZOOM. For more information, please register and ZOOM info will be provided.

Please use the form at the bottom of the page to sign up for a free trial class.

Do you or your sales team struggle with:

  • Failure to understand the prospects needs?
  • Being treated like a “salesman” (nuisance)?
  • Being lied to?
  • Long sales cycles?
  • Being “shopped” and then low balled?
  • Spending more time educating then selling?
  • Poor Time Management?

If any of these ring a bell, then maybe this class is for you.

Topics are:

  1. PEO Basics
  2. Determining Fair Pricing
  3. What you need to find out from prospects
  4. Sell Today, Educate Tomorrow
  5. Work with agents
  6. Work with PEO brokers
  7. Work with CPAs
  8. Prospecting
  9. Follow up, not Foul up
  10. Make sure your quotes don’t get “shopped”
  11. Recovering lost clients
  12. Getting referrals from … well anyone!
  13. Networking, and how to avoid Not Working
  14. Personality profiles (DISC)
  15. Bonding and Rapport
  16. Turning Competition in to Strategic Partnerships
  17. Goal Setting and Tracking
  18. Making your “cookbook”
  19. Sales Journaling
  20. Testing / Evaluation

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Flier for class starting on October 7, 2019. Click on image for larger version.

Referrals

referralsHow important are referrals in sales?

Answer? Very.

Why are referrals so valuable? Most sales trainers agree that a referral has the best chance of being a new client than any other prospect.

In fact referrals are so valuable, a lot of time, money and resources are spent trying to get more. Which leads us to the question:

How Do We Get More Referrals?

The goal of this article is article is to determine how to get more referrals.

Kevin Elliot of ITEX Barter

“Close rate from cold calls is usually under 10%. Website inquiry is about 30%. Referrals? Closer to 90%.” ITEX Barter Group area manager Kevin Elliot tells us. “Give me referrals all day long please. Unfortunately you can’t count on them coming in by themselves. At some point, you have to go out and get them.”

Sure sounds easy. But how? When? What do we say? Let’s discuss the five W’s (and H):

  • Who
  • What
  • Where
  • When
  • Why
  • How

Who

Short answer? Everyone. Remember the rule of 250. Every person you meet knows at least 250 people that you don’t know.

Long answer? A referral from an extremely satisfied client will be more valuable than all others. Find your “raving fans” and ask them.

What

What do you ask for? We recommend settling for nothing less than a personal introduction. While in person or on the phone is the best, you can also have great success being referred by email. Here’s an example

To: Bob
From: Sophie
Subject: Introduction to Bill

Bob, I’ve been working with Dave for a while now in the (insert field here) and I am really happy with the way he has treated our company. Not only was the implementation seamless, but the continuing service has been professional and timely. I highly recommend you two get together for at least a cup of coffee. I can see many ways in which you could work together.

Thanks,
Sophie

Where

Where do you ask for a referral? Hopefully when you are in front of your raving fan clients. In Person is the best way hands down.

When

One of the best times to ask for a referral is exactly the point when the prospect becomes a client. It’s at that time that the belief and excitement level is very high, if not the highest. Other times would be right after a success, such as a problem solved.

Why

They may ask why you are asking. This is important. You don’t want to sound “hungry”. Try something like this:

“Darla that’s a great question. It’s true that we are very busy right now, but did you know that our pipeline extends out (insert number) weeks on any new client? We have learned that it’s best to keep the referral chain going at all times. Have you found that to be true also?”

How

How do you ask? How many do you ask for?

We recommend you try something like this:
“Steve, have we treated you well so far in this process? We haven’t put pressure on you, or made you feel like you were being ‘sold’, have we?”

The answer should be “You’ve treated me great, with no sales pressure” or words to that effect.

“Can I ask you two things? One: do you trust me to treat your friends and strategic partners the same way? Two: Have I earned the right to ask you for three or four personal introductions?”

You may not always get three or four, but if you don’t ask for that many, you will rarely get more than one.

I Got The Referral. What Now

We recommend you follow these three guidelines:

1: Pursue that referral immediately, with no delay! You want more referrals from that person. Don’t put them on the shelf.
2: Keep your referrer in the loop. Let them know periodically how it’s going. Include them as much as they want to be included.
3: Do the best job you possibly can for that referral. Referrals are made of Gold. Treat them appropriately.

Finally …

Thanks for reading. Have we treated you well during this article? Have we made you feel comfortable, not like you were being sold? Yes? That’s great! How about three or four referrals for us? Call us at 407-490-2468. Or, to set up a ZOOM conference, you can use the form below 🙂
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Clay Kelley to be Guest Trainer

Clay Kelley to be Guest Trainer

PEO Sales Training is honored to announce that on July 1st and 15th, 2019, acclaimed PEO Sales trainer Clay Kelley will be our Guest Trainer for our Monday morning virtual class.

This will be two half hour sessions, on consecutive Mondays. Clay will be presenting on his unique approach to selling PEO Services. Clay has been a PEO broker as well as a sales trainer for many years and his experience and success in our industry is extensive.

July 1st will be “Effective Meetings with CPAs”
July 15th will be ” Open Forum/Q&A Session”

If you or someone you know would be interested in attending this class, please contact us using the form below. Remember, your first class is free.
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sales therapy guy

Why Weekly Training?

We get asked this frequently. “Why weekly training? Why can’t you just come in and give us a seminar?”

We are part of the Sandler Training System, so here is a famous David Sandler quote: “You can’t teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar.”

How much can you learn from a seminar? Oh yeah, you can pick up a point or two. You might even become “familiar” with some parts of a system.

Seminars Aren’t Bad, but Are They Complete?

Can you master a totally new system in one sitting?

Our experience (which is over 30 years combined) shows us that this is not possible. Only by repeated lessons, encouragement, and correction can our system be mastered. Our instructors still go to class, and none of them have less than 10 years individual experience with the system.

If you would like to pick up a trick or two, sure. Attend a seminar.

But if you want to master the system, form it, mold it, and make it you own, you need periodic constructive reinforcement.

But What Goes On Week to Week?

Our weekly class typically runs 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The agenda looks something like this:

  • 0:00-0:15 Wins and Losses this past week
  • 0:15-0:45 Coaching for those mistakes
  • 0:45-1:15 Today’s lesson
  • 1:15-1:45 Exercises, class practice
  • 1:45-2:00 Lessons learned, goals for week, takeaways

This is a rough framework. There have been classes when the lessons from the other class members wins or losses are so great we extend well in to the first hour.

Can I Take Classes On Line?

Yes. We use The Zoom system. You can Zoom in to any class and participate. We have students in NY, CA, SC, and GA among others.

Can I Take A Look?

Sure you can. We have a “crash a class” program, where you can come see for yourself how it works. To date, no one has come to a class and said “I didn’t get anything out of it.” Not all of them enroll in class, but then not all of them are a good fit.

Is it Expensive?

Is there anything cheap that’s worth it?

Yes, it’s expensive. You are getting personalized and group instruction from our staff. Their time is worth money. They are drawing on years of experience.

Is There a Guarantee?

There is! There is a money back guarantee if you don’t gain anything by learning the system … as long as you are using it.

How Can I Find Out More?

Please use the form below, or call us at 407-490-2468

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Ethical Sales

Can Sales be Ethical?

We at PEO Sales Training believe that all sales must abide by certain rules of ethics. We teach Ethical Selling. PEO business, like many others, requires long term thinking. The best clients are those that stay with you for many, many years. Some reports indicate that the cost of the sale for a typical client is not recuperated until the client is with the PEO for at least a year.

First let’s start with some guidelines. In an ethical sales transaction there is:

  • Transparency
  • Integrity
  • Accuracy
  • Reliability
  • Accountability
  • Open Communication
  • Full Disclosure

What’s not in an ethical sale:

  • Deception
  • Hidden Charges
  • Hidden Defects
  • Unnecessary Up-Selling
  • Denigrating the Competition
  • Pressure Tactics
  • Traps, Baits or Hooks

Two Way Street

Of course, the ethics need to be followed on both sides. We know that prospects have a tendency to lie to salespeople. Well they can’t be blamed for that. They believe if they tell the truth it will be used against them by an unethical sales person.

Therefore, the goal is to develop an open, trusting relationship as soon as possible. If the prospect believes you are really interested in the problem, and not just trying to make a sale, they will begin to open up to you and tell you the real story.

John Will Tenney - Trainer

Ethical Sales is more of being a travel agent than a salesman. You help people go from point A to point B. Which do you think they have the most trouble describing? Not point B. Most people know, and have no trouble sharing, where they want to be. It’s only after trust is developed that they share where they really are, and what problems they really have.” Sales Trainer John Will Tenney

Tips To Avoid Ethical Traps

You Can’t Handle 100% of the Market

If you suddenly got 100% of your market, what would you do with it? Would you have the capabilities to handle it? Do you know anyone who could answer “yes” to that question?

You won’t get them all. Accept that now and also realize that you are not the best match for everyone either. In a sales meeting both sides should be qualifying the other, and disqualifying as well. It is perfectly acceptable to tell a prospect: “What I’m hearing is that we are not a good fit for you. May I suggest you contact (put in alternate source here.)”

Don’t “Bad Mouth” the Competition

While it’s true there are companies in our (indeed every) field that don’t do a good job, aren’t completely honest, or are very risky to work with. It’s not your job to tell people that. You are tasked with finding out if you are a match. Of course, you can ask questions. When presented with a low ball quote from one of those companies, for example, you might ask: “That’s a great quote. There must be some reason you haven’t taken it. May I ask your thinking on that?”

Failure is an Option

As previously stated, you will not win them all. However even the worst failure can be an educational experience. There are four acceptable outcomes to a sales meeting: Yes, No, Clear Future, and Lesson Learned. More is learned from failures than successes. Do not be afraid to fail.

Avoid Commission Breath

Few things make a prospect more uncomfortable than a hungry salesperson. It helps to remember that in this industry, closing a bad one has no long term gain. If it isn’t the right fit, the client will leave and the commission ends. Even worse, the reputation of the firm is in jeopardy, for taking the wrong client. Sure, they might leave in a friendly manner but are the chances of a good reference better, or worse?

Under Promise and Over Deliver

How often do you see the opposite? Don’t make promises you can’t keep. It will hurt you in the long run, and sometimes in the short run. So many firms have bad reputations in the industry for breaking this rule. Don’t be part of that.

Communicate

Pick up the phone. Write the email. Let the prospect or client know what is going on. Encourage the same from them. Lack of communication leads to lack of understanding, which can lead to all kinds of ugly situations.

Don’t Upsell Products They Don’t Need

Remember that as a PEO salesperson your job is to build a long term, profitable relationship on both sides. Selling products or services they don’t need is not going to help. There is always a lot of pressure to do this, but think of the ramifications of overloading a client with extra expenses for unused products or services. It can lead to loss of the residual income, which is why you got in this business in the first place.

Keeping It All Together

It’s important to audit yourself now and then and make sure you are following your own set of ethics. It helps to have it written down. Most CRM systems allow you to make notes on each client. Journal it. Score yourself on a scale of some sort, even if it’s 1 to 10. How ethical are you? Do the prospects and clients trust you? Are they comfortable referring you? Have you asked them?

If you would like more information on this article, please use the following form:
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John Will Tenney teaching sales therapy class

Welcome

Will Tenney has been teaching PEO Sales Training since 2004.

He founded the Tenncom Group, PEO Pros and EmployerNomics. EmployerNomics was franchised nationally in 2016.

In addition to doing most of the sales training for EmployerNomics, Will is also hired by partner PEOs to train their internal sales staff. is recognized as a leading salesman and sales trainer in the industry.

He has attended several Sales Training courses, including Sandler Training, Sales Growth Group and Dale Carnegie Institute