Qualities of the Best Teammates

I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity yesterday. The keynote speaker at one of our customer's corporate events was Jim Abbott, who pitched in the Olympics and the Major Leagues despite being born without a right hand. The stories he told about overcoming obstacles on his way to success are downright inspiring -- and well-documented.

Our customer granted me access to Abbott after his speech, so I asked him who his best teammates were and what made them so great. Here's what he had to say:

* Don Mattingly, Yankees: "He led by example. He had his place secure in the starting lineup yet he still came to practice early and gave to his teammates to make them better. He could come to spring training at the last second and still be the starter at first base, but instead he came the first day that pitchers and catchers reported. We had a back field that was about a quarter-mile from the clubhouse. He'd walk that far to participate in fielding drills with the pitchers to get a feel for how they covered the bag. There was zero requirement for him to be there, but he was. He had incredible preparation and work ethic. And this was deep into his career. He had already won his Gold Gloves."

* Bert Blyleven, Angels: "He was a fun-loving prankster -- nothing was safe around him. He taught me to not take myself too seriously. At the same time, he was a fierce competitor. He was always working out, running, getting prepared, and was ready to pitch when it was his turn."

* "The guys in the Major League clubhouse were all incredibly hard-working guys. And they were very different people, different background, different personalities. It took great leadership, not just by management but by the people on the team. Everybody was insecure about their job, and nobody let up one bit."

Would your boss describe you the way Jim Abbott talked about his teammates? Would your co-workers describe you that way? If you're a manager, would the people you supervise detail your outstanding qualities in this manner? Finally, would your customers describe you as hard-working, prepared, and fun-loving? To be a success in sales and sales management, you have to be a good partner for the people you work with. -- Jim Roddy, Jameson Publishing

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of three leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and VertMarkets.

Important Acronym: QACF

No, QACF is not the sound a duck makes when it's trying to quack and eat at the same time. QACF is an acronym that represents the pattern your sales call should follow: Question, Answer, Comment, Feedback.
* Q & A is the process where you ask the contact a probing question and they answer it (information gathering). When you ask questions, they should be clear and succinct. Speak plainly. Avoid cliches such as "hot button" and "pain point," as the contact may feel as though they are being sold.
* C is when you comment in response to their answer. The comment validates your understanding of the answer. You can present a Value Proposition to address one of their needs.
* F is when the contact provides feedback. Did you understand the information provided in their answer?

When gathering feedback, you will uncover the contact's attitude. It will fit into one of four categories (1) Acceptance: "I agree. I like that." (2) Skepticism: "I don't believe you." (3) Indifference: "I don't care." (4) Objection: "I won't."

7 Tips For Effective Use of QACF to Advance an Account
1. Listen to the contact's answers and react to their cues naturally.
2. Don't assume anything.
3. Let them fully answer your questions. Don't interrupt. Use live note-taking to capture pertinent points that you want to come back to later in the conversation.
4. Engage the client. Talk about what's important to them.
5. It helps to have a good understanding of your products/services. While you listen to the contact's answers to your questions, there may be a point in time where your internal alarm should go off to tell you, "Hey! There's a match. We can help them with that."
6. Listen! You should be succinct with your Q and C. The contact should be more verbose with A and F.
7. If you talk too much, the contact may:
- Feel as though you are not trying to understand them
- Not have the time or opportunity to fully answer your questions
- Begin to ignore you
- Think as though you are serving your own agenda, not theirs

I could go on-and-on about the topic of QACF ... but I don't want you to begin to ignore me or think I'm serving my own agenda and not yours.

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of three leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and VertMarkets.

Tell Us: What Topics Interest You?

We've noted on ErieSalesClub.com that the best salespeople ask excellent questions. Well, here's your chance to do that. Let us know what topics you want us to cover both here on the website and at our quarterly Erie Sales Club meeting. Pose a question, and our panel of sales experts will answer it. Leave a comment below or send your question to Newsletter@ErieSalesClub.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of three leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and VertMarkets.

The Best Salespeople Ask Excellent Questions

The only way to determine if your contact is a good fit for your products/services is to begin asking questions understand their goals and other vital information. You are doing them, your company, and yourself in injustice if you do not get a complete understanding of their needs. The person must feel a bit of comfort with you before you can begin asking those key questions. If you are too aggressive (or not aggressive enough, depending on the contact's personality), you may have your conversation cut short before you get any information on the client's Value Opportunities. If done properly, you will get an explosion of information, and they'll do most of the talking.

Two Types Of Questions
Surface-level questions are used early in the conversation to determine if the contact could be a good fit for your products/services:
* Does your product/service match what they do? (You can't sell a jitney to a doctor.)
* Can they afford what you're selling? (Good luck selling enterprise-level software to a mom-and-pop operation.)
* Is the contact part of the decision making process?

In-depth questions are asked after you determine the client could be a fit for your products/services. Because that list of questions is almost endless, we'll just list the category headers here:
* Identify and fully understand their Value Opportunities and business processes
* Identify and present the specific value that will build acceptance from them
* Better understand and respond to their objection
* Better understand and respond to skepticism if necessary

If you're hit with a smokescreen, stall, or objection early in your conversation, that should be your cue to begin asking questions. Then you can understand, isolate, and eliminate the objection to continue the conversation or to acknowledge it, put them at ease, and keep going.

Here's the mindset you should have: Ask questions as though you have $50,000 to invest with them and you need to determine who you will invest in.

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of three leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and VertMarkets.

Welcome to the Erie Sales Club!

The Erie Sales Club is designed to be an educational and networking resource for sales reps and sales managers in Northwestern PA. It's created by Erie sales professionals for Erie sales professionals. And it's completely free of charge. In addition to this website, we will hold meetings locally and produce a newsletter that highlights what's new on this site and features an exclusive Sales Tip. To subscribe to the newsletter, send an email to Newsletter@ErieSalesClub.com.

Please take a few minutes to browse our website. It's pretty straightforward: at least once a week we'll post a sales or sales management tip for you. There's a comment function so you can share your thoughts and experiences on the topic. If you have a subject you'd like us to talk about, just shoot us a note at Newsletter@ErieSalesClub.com. The Erie Sales Club is your resource. Enjoy!

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of three leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and VertMarkets.

The Essence of Managing

Here's a good quote that captures the essence of the job of a manager and why it's so difficult:

"We (humans) are an astonishing blend of chemical and electrical impulses, histories, drives, conflicts, intentions, biases, hopes, joys, frustrations and fears -- and when you put us together in teams or organizations that interact with a complex environment over time, the dazzling array of behaviors, attitudes, and relationships is nothing short of stunning.

"Our brains have evolved from a primitive reptilian core to three pounds of an extraordinarily rich effusion of neurons that permit higher-level cognition as well as consciousness, the capacity for creativity and art, and a genius for discerning the truths of nature. Yet we have difficulty mastering our emotions and often act irrationally, particularly towards one another."

I couldn't have said it better myself. My primitive reptilian brain hasn't evolved that far. Kudos to all the managers and team members who are working hard -- and working together -- to make their organization the best it can be.

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of three leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and VertMarkets.