APR 1st 2009 / Issue 21

Barriers To success

3 Key challenges in sales Leadership

are You seLLing YourseLf shorT?creating a cV that stands out

feedBacK: The Breakfast of champions

focus on seLLing: The insurance industry

PLus: MP3

interview with web

entrepreneur danny ing

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 2

APRIL 1st / Issue 21

This WeeKs MusT readBarriers To successthree key challenges in sales leadership

feedBacK: The BreaKfasT of chaMPionsHow you can train your mind to aim for the top.

no reTreaT, no surrender!MP3 Interview with web entrepreneur Danny Ing

nZsM caLendar

TWo MinuTe ToP-uPare You seLLing YourseLf shorT?Ann Andrews tells us how to create a CV which stands out amongst hundreds.

focus on seLLingThe insurance indusTrYThe first article in a two-part series, on what it takes to succeed as an insurance sales professional.

saLes Training direcTorY

BooK reVieWThe one MinuTe Manager MeeTs The MonKeYThis book explains in simple-minded if abstract terms how to achieve a balance between supervision and delegation.

The cLose

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NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 3

this week we celebrate our 21st issue, but rather

than bring out the yard glass, we thought it

was a good time to introduce a couple of new

features to NZ sales Manager.

In our first “Focus On Selling” feature, Tom Somerville

gives us an insight into what it’s like in the insurance sales

industry, an industry Tom himself describes as both “brutal and beautiful”. In

Part 1 of his feature entitled “Have You Got What It Takes?” he talks about the

personal foundations for success, and in Part 2 in our next issue, describes the

frustrations of selling a product that truly fits the description of “important but

not urgent” and what to do about it.

We also introduce our first MP3 interview in which I was able to talk to web

entrepreneur Danny Ing, whose business Datum Connect is a finalist in this

years Vero Excellence In Business Awards. While the sound quality is a little

off (my fault!) it’s well worth the download as Danny has some great advice

for all of us, not just about building a best selling business but the personal

qualities required for business success.

For most of us, today also marks the beginning of a new financial year.

Congratulations if you were able to achieve the targets you had set yourself

both in terms of sales and personal income for the previous year. But do not

let yourself fall victim to the “hero to zero” phenomenon! If your year wasn’t

quite as you’d planned, now is the time to put the past behind you and step

boldly into the next twelve months and turn things around. Regardless of

whether you have much say in setting your sales targets for the upcoming

year, only you know what you are truly capable of, and only you will know

if you lived up to your own potential. And at the end of the day (or year!),

mastery of yourself is surely the ultimate goal.

And speaking of new beginnings, a warm welcome to Trudi Caffell who

joins us as Group Editor and whose experience in the magazine industry

will help us ensure NZ Sales Manager just keeps getting better. Don’t

worry Trudi, salespeople are an easily pleased bunch. Yeah right!”

Richard

nZ sales Manager is an espire Media

publication

ABOUT /

Short and sharp, New Zealand

sales Manager is a free fortnightly

e-magazine delivering thought

provoking and enlightening

articles, and industry news and

information to forward-thinking

sales managers, business owners

and sales professionals.

EDITOR / Richard Liew

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

GROUP EDITOR / trudi Caffell

ADVERTISING/CONTENT

eNQuIRIes /

Phone Richard on 09 523 4112 or

email richardl@nzsalesmanager.

co.nz.

ADDRess / NZ sales Manager

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,

Parnell Auckland 1151,

New Zealand

WEBSITE /

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

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NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 5

By Jeff thull

T H I S W E E K ’ S M U S T R E A D

When was the last time you …

Received an account update from a member of your •

sales team full of glaring generalities?

Gave into a salesperson, lowered the price and still lost •

the business?

Counted on the ‘superstar’ to hit a home run and found •

out he struck out?

Most of us have experienced these frustrating situations and

have had to deal with the consequences.

In today’s marketplace of increased complexity, constant

pressure is placed on the sales team to deliver the

numbers, but too often sales managers are expected

to select, shape and coach their team to excellence

with few tools and they often fall short of giving the

quality support that is required to develop a team of top

performing professionals.

there are many challenges in leading a winning sales team.

Our research has identified 3 key challenges that sales

managers most commonly face. How are you currently

approaching these situations and are you getting the results

you are looking for?

Barriers To success

3 Key challenges in sales Leadership

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 6

chaLLenge nuMBer 1

reVersing The 80/20 ruLe

“The sales results of my top performers run significantly

higher than those of my average producers. Our team pretty

much reflects the ‘80/20’ rule.”

It may be a challenge to build a sales force of all ‘20

percenters’ but doubling this group is certainly within reason.

the good news is that the top 20% are not doing anything

superhuman and their behavior patterns that impact their

success can be defined and replicated. Accepting that 20%

of your salespeople bring in 80% of your revenue is like

accepting that 80% of your manufacturing machines are, on

the average, producing one-fourth of your most productive

machines. that output level would never be acceptable; it

would be absurd.

Building a uniform selling system is required to define the quantity

and quality of activities for individuals to produce at top performing

levels. this system will enable managers to monitor and measure

improvements in the team’s performance.

chaLLenge nuMBer 2

seVere Pricing Pressure

”Even though we provide a highly technical and

complex solution, we find that our prospects,

and even our most knowledgeable customers, are

forcing us to compete as a commodity with severe

pricing pressures.”

The more complex the situation becomes, the more

customers and salespeople alike try to simplify things.

To the customer, the simplest differentiator is price,

and in the absence of a quality decision process to

help them understand the value of your products and

services, they will tend to focus on it and use it as the

criterion when making their decision.

Your customers should be looking at their situation

in ways they have not thought through before

and quantifying the consequences of not having

your solution. Your role is to guide them through a

collaborative decision process, much like a doctor

would do as they diagnose a patient.

For example, if you help your customer/patient

come to an understanding of the severity of their

situation, they will be willing to invest in resolving

their problem.

chaLLenge nuMBer 3

resisTance To changing BehaVior

“I realize I’m supposed to be the coach, but even after

repeated coaching sessions, my salespeople keep bringing

issues to my desk that should have been easily handled

without me. They just don’t get it!”

They get it, but if you keep doing it for them, they have no

incentive to change.

Go beyond proactive to inter-active. A proactive manager

gives the salesperson direction and a plan, assumes the

salesperson will execute effectively, and waits for the

results to roll in…management by assumption. By the time

the results are reported, it’s too late to provide productive

guidance. It’s like an athletic coach handing out the game

plan, asking if there are any questions, and then heading

back to their office to work on administrative details as the

team takes the field.

To use an interactive approach, first, reach agreement with

the salesperson on an action plan that defines specific

behaviors, in terms of the quantity and quality of their sales

activity. then interact with the salesperson regularly and

‘course correct’ as you move forward.

sales leaders who can meet these challenges will

replace frustration with confidence and direction for the

individuals on their team and themselves. the results ...

a high performing team producing more profitable and

predictable revenue streams.

Jeff Thull is the author of best selling books

Mastering the complex sale, The Prime solution,

and exceptional selling and is president of Prime

resource group. Visit his website at

www.primeresource.com.

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i read the phrase ‘feedback is the breakfast of champions’ more than ten years ago in a book on

networking and never forgot it.

I have since been reminded constantly that feedback is a

large piece in the success jigsaw, both for businesses and

individuals generally.

hoW To ProsPer froM feedBacK

the obvious and yet still under utilised way to use feedback

as a business tool, is to get glowing testimonials from your

happy, satisfied customers.

Put them on your website, include them in any promotional

material you send out (as long as you have permission from

the author), add a verbal version to your phone line when

your customers are put on hold and get it working for you.

“If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me” is the

thought you are trying to encourage in your prospects mind.

When and how do you ask for a testimonial? The best time

to ask is when your relationship with your client is at its best,

usually immediately after you have delivered your product or

service.

Say “Hi Mrs. Jones. Just a quick follow up call to check that

everything is working as it should? Were you happy with the

service Mrs. Jones?”

NZSM / NOV 12tH 2008 / 8

feedBacK: The BreaKfasT of chaMPionsBy Paul Kernot

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 9

Once you have listened to their positive feedback, say

“Could I ask you to put that in writing Mrs. Jones? It would

really help my business to progress.”

Human nature is such that people like to help other

people, particularly if they like you and you have done

something for them that they appreciate.

An even better way to use feedback is to ask what you did

that didn’t quite match their expectations.

We all know that it costs around ten times as much to get

new clients as it does to keep the one’s we already have

but once again, human nature dictates that the majority

of people are afraid to ask what they are doing wrong or

could do better.

A temporarily damaged ego is far better than a permanently

damaged public image, not to mention your bank balance.

There are seVeraL WaYs To generaTe This Kind of

BriLLianT feedBacK:

1. Design a feedback form for people to fill in after your

work is done. Offer them the opportunity to go in the draw

to win a prize if they return it. If you do this, just be aware

that your strike rate is likely to be quite low i.e. you won’t

get many of them returned. And of those you do get, some

will tell you what they think you want to hear rather than

upset you. Therefore, a good idea is to:

2. Assign the responsibility of following up on the phone

to a third party. Hire an independent person on a part

time basis to conduct a quick survey of

your customers. they will need to tell the

customer that they are independent and

encourage them to be completely honest.

this way you are more likely to get the real

oil from them which you can then use to

improve your service.

founder of PK sales Training, Paul Kernot is a highly respected new Zealand motivational speaker and corporate trainer. You can visit his website at www.paulkernot.com.

3. Join a business mentoring group. A guy I once

worked with now runs a business facilitating meetings

between business owners and key personnel around

New Zealand.

His company hand picks individuals in groups of 8 - 10 so

that they work together well. During the year they meet in

various locations around the country and as well as sharing

general business ideas, the whole team focuses on one of

the group’s business or particular challenge they are having

per meeting.

Human nature is such that people like to help other people, particularly if they like you and you have done something for them that they appreciate.

4. Join a mastermind group. A client

of mine last week told me of a coach/

mentor he is working with who has an

interesting addition to his programme.

each new client he takes on is introduced to his

last ten clients and joins their mastermind group.

this is a more localised version of the groups I

mentioned above. they meet regularly for a business

breakfast to share ideas and to gain inspiration and

encouragement from each other.

there are many other feedback ideas that businesses and

individuals can use.

The key is communication. You can’t get to where you

want to go without knowing where you currently are!

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 10

T H E I N T E R V I E W

since starting off in 2002 in a dingy flat

in south Auckland, Datum Connect

has built over 900 websites for

businesses throughout New Zealand and

Australia, and as far away as the UK and the

Netherlands.

From small beginnings, Datum Connect

is a finalist in this years prestigious BDO

Spicers under-$5million category of the Vero

excellence in Business support awards in

May.

Download the MP3 of NZ sales Manager’s

interview with hard working business

founder Danny Ing for some interesting and

humorous insights about building a best

selling business from scratch.

DOWNLOAD THE INTERVIEW HERE:

Danny Ing - Part 1.mp3 (9mb)

Danny Ing - Part 2.mp3 (9mb)

No Retreat, No surrender!danny ing, 34 year old founder of website design company datum connect shares his hard learned lessons on customers, staff, pain, and what it takes to build a successful business with no money, experience or management skills!

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 11

FRI 1 MAYtHu 30 APRLWED 29 APRILtue 28 APRIL

MON 27 APRILtHu 23 APRILWED 22 APRIL

tue 21 APRILMON 20 APRIL

WED 15 APRILtue 14 APRILMON 13 APRILFRI 10 APRIL

tHu 9 APRILWED 8 APRILtue 7 APRILMON 6 APRIL

FRI 24 APRIL

SUN 26 APRIL

sAt 25 APRIL

suN 19 APRIL

sAt 18 APRILFRI 17 APRILTHU 16 APRIL

suN 12 APRIL

sAt 11 APRIL

suN 5 APRIL

sAt 4 APRIL

FRI 3 APRWED 1 APRIL tHu 2 APRIL

SUN 3 MAY

SAT 2 MAY

NZsMCALeNDAR

Managing Difficult CustomersZealmark GroupAuckland

sales Prospecting seminareMA NorthernAuckland

“Creative or Just Competitive?”Rev sales NetworkAucklandCold Calling Workshoptop Achievers sales trainingAuckland - Eastsales Basics seminarGeewizChristchurch

Key Account ManagementDavid FormanWellington

Key Account ManagementDavid FormanWellingtonsales skills 1Zealmark GroupAucklandHit the Road Running sales seminartop Achievers sales trainingAuckland

Hit the Road Running sales seminartop Achievers sales trainingHamilton

sales ManagementGeewizWellington

sales skills 2Zealmark GroupAuckland

Networking Workshoptop Achievers sales trainingAuckland - West

Introduction to supervisionZealmark GroupAuckland

Professional sales NegotiationsAchieveGlobalAuckland (April 22-23)sales Development David FormanAuckland (April 22-23)Workplace Coaching & MentoringZealmark GroupAuckland

Advanced serious sellingGeewizAuckland

Cold Calling & Prospectingtop Achievers sales trainingAuckland - South

sales PlanningDavid FormanWellington (April 20-21)

sales Development David FormanAuckland (April 20-21)

Hit The Ground Running Sales seminartop Achievers sales trainingChristchurchManaging through LeadershipZealmark GroupAucklandsales Basics seminarGeewizAuckland

sales skills Level 2eMAHamilton

sales skills Level 1eMAAuckland

sales Development David FormanChristchurch

sales Development David FormanChristchurch

sales Development David FormanChristchurch

sales Development David FormanChristchurch

Professional Prospecting skillsAchieveGlobalAuckland

Professional Prospecting skillsAchieveGlobalAuckland

Prospecting & New Business DevelopmentDavid FormanChristchurch

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 12

T W O M I N U T E T O P - U P

Are You Selling Yourself Short?

By Ann Andrews

creating a cV that stands out

Ihave just read of a caretaker position being advertised.

700 people applied for the job!

Imagine the poor person who had the enormous task of

wading through 700 CVs. Do you think he/she would

have read every CV? I think not. I’m sure they would have

found ways to weed out the vast majority – at best, they

would have gone through 30 or 40 and the rest would have

probably gone into the recycling bin.

so how do you get your CV to stand out if there are

hundreds of people chasing the same job? Not so long ago,

if a job was advertised, most owners or employers would

probably have received two or three enquiries. Suddenly,

the jobmarket has changed beyond recognition. Now

managers will be receiving more CVs than they will be

able to cope with and they will find ways to ditch anything

that doesn’t stand out in some way, shape or form.

In this article I want to share some tips for preparing your

CV so that it will get noticed. And please remember, your

CV isn’t designed to get you the job, it is designed to get

you the interview.

PREPARING A CV

In readiness for creating a CV – write a story about every

job you have ever had; the skills you learned and your

achievements along the way. then…..

1. Condense that info into a really short and sharp synopsis

– no more than 3 – 5 pages. And even those pages need

lots of white space. use bullet points rather than sentences.

Busy managers do not have time to go through 55 pages

of everything you have ever done in your life. the aim of

this preliminary exercise is to write the story for yourself; to

remind you of all the amazing things you have achieved in

your working life.

2. Put a photo in your CV. Two schools of thought here –

some think “Yes” put a photo in your CV to make you more

memorable. Others think “No” – particularly if you are not

photogenic (and some of us aren’t). If you don’t photograph

well, then leave it out! If you do decide to put one in the CV,

then make sure it is a corporate looking photo – no cleavage

(women) …no shirt open to the waist (men – or women!).

3. Abbreviate your qualifications – most people know

what a BCom or an MBA is – you don’t need to go into

masses of detail.

4. Make sure you mention any recent training –

organizations do like to know that you are a life-long

learner. But make sure it is recent training, no-one is

interested in something you did 20 years ago.

In particular highlight any training that is relevant to the job

being advertised.

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 13

ann andrews csP is a consultant on human resource issues, a professional speaker, and Md of The corporate Tool-box. Visit her website at www.thecorporatetoolbox.com.

5. Have some very strong testimonials – include contact

details so references can be checked. Don’t ask relatives for

testimonials.

6. Make sure you mention ways you can add value to the

organization in particular mention skills and results you

have achieved. But don’t lie. You will be found out.

7. If you are not good at writing – pay a professional to do

it for you – after all this is a document which is designed to

‘sell’ you. What are you worth?

8. If applying on-line – keep it short and simple

but ‘bold’ your achievements – they will stand out.

DON’T USE CAPS – IT FEELS AS THOUGH YOU ARE

SHOUTING!

9. use a coloured cover and put your CV into a

coloured envelope or sleek, slim, black box – it will

stand out.

10. Hand deliver your CV if possible – and make

sure you impress the receptionist – in my own case,

I used to ask our receptionist to put a smiley or a

not smiley on the application depending on how

well the applicant had treated the receptionist! First

impressions count.

11. Include a link to a 2 minute video of yourself

12. Get one of your referees to make a 3 minute audio about

how great you are and what you did for their company.

13. Have a generic CV for highlighting the key points of

your career to date, but make sure you tailor your CV to suit

each job you apply for – different jobs will need to draw on

different parts of your skills, talents and experience.

14. Google yourself. See what is on Youtube, Facebook

and MySpace, and any of the other social networks – this

process is used more frequently than most would be

employees realize – if you are presenting a professional

image in your CV and you have a Youtube clip of yourself

half naked at a drunken party, which image is going to

make the biggest impression? I don’t know how you get

such photos removed, but I would move heaven and earth

to remove them.

15. Be enthusiastic when you write your CV and letter

to the company – that may sound very strange, but

enthusiasm comes across, even in a written document. If

you don’t get enthusiastic about what you have to offer –

who will?

16 Believe in yourself. If you have recently been made

redundant, you are probably feeling pretty battered.

17. try and do things that keep you busy and

motivated, use the time to go to the library and find

out what is happening in the world; in the market; in

your industry. I know a number of people who have

been made redundant; found another job and then

wished they had used the time to paint the kitchen,

or clear up the garden. But most of all, do things that

make you feel good about yourself, because when you

get that interview, you want to present that wonderful,

cheerful and energetic you!

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 15

Tom somerville is a co-founder and director of Brokers independent group. Visit his website at www.biggroup.co.nz.

F O C U S O N S E L L I N G : I N S U R A N C E

I started my insurance career with Prudential 11 years

ago. At that time the recruitment process seemed to be

one of mass recruitment and self selection. since then

I’ve seen many come and go in our industry and have tried

to nail that X-factor that would identify a broker as a sure

bet. trouble is it isn’t that easy to pick when recruiting.

Here are some of my observations.

Sometime in the first 12 months each new entrant who

succeeds at above average levels will get to what I call the

“Caesar point”. This is where they burn the ships behind

them and make a full commitment to becoming the best

they can at this chosen profession.

these people have the ability to make powerful

commitments and keep to them. I remember making such

a decision myself. I decided that if I couldn’t succeed at

this, I would never succeed at anything. That decision was

the making of me both professionally and personally.

Another example of this is we have a recent recruit in our

team at the moment. All the

profile testing said don’t touch

him, not teachable. Yet this guy

was given the chance because

he promised he would not let us

down. He is currently the most

Have You Got What It Takes?Ever thought about selling insurance? In the first article in a two-part series, insurance expert tom somerville offers some insights into what it takes to succeed as an insurance sales professional.

successful consistent new team member amongst a group

of six new brokers.

the insurance industry is both beautiful and brutal. It was

described to me once as the easiest “hard job” and the

hardest “easy job”.

I say “brutal” because your effectiveness gets measured in

dollars every month. There is no hiding from it. Whether

you are succeeding or failing comes right down to an

indisputable number. This causes some to try and hide,

some to quit and others to strive for improvement.

It’s ‘beautiful’ because the factors that determine everyone’s

success are found between their ears. It’s a journey in

personal challenge and self development. A complete

mind game. It is human nature to progress to the next

personal barrier that keeps a lid on us. We stay where it is

comfortable until we are ready to confront and grow again.

For those who make that commitment to face up and grow,

who are coach-able and disciplined, financial rewards can

come relatively quickly. It is normal for a new broker to earn

in excess of their pre-insurance income within the first year.

Jim Rohn said, “If you want to get to the top, stay in line.” I

like this because with most industries the longer you stay and

keep growing, the better it is. People usually leave because

they get to a barrier and blame the business not themselves.

To succeed in professional insurance sales, the key is a

willingness to commit to your own personal growth, and

taking full personal responsibility for your own success.

the insurance industry is both beautiful and brutal

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 16

NZsM / APR 1st 2009 / 17

R E S O U R C E C O R N E R

How management

can effectively

rid themselves of

‘monkeys’ - other people’s

responsibilities that cling

to them and prevent them

managing efficiently.

This book explains in simple-minded if abstract

terms how to achieve a balance between supervision

and delegation for reduced tension and improved

productivity in the work-place.

“There is a high correlation between self-reliance

and morale,” stress the authors. With humor and

logic they describe the delicate business of assigning

monkeys to the right masters and keeping them

healthy, ie, fed, and cared for, “...If monkeys are

managed properly, you don’t have to manage people

so much.”

If you’re a fan of The One

Minute Manager series this

installation is a must have.

The one MinuTe Manager MeeTs The MonKeYBy Ken Blanchard Published by HarperCollins Business

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