If someone has the ear of an important and powerful person, that person is willing to listen to her / his ideas. Sales Team : Sales Manager (even in a meeting)

"As a manager of a team of 7 sales representatives, I hold training sessions regularly and almost every time I go out white hairs during these meetings. Not always argue when my team does not want to understand the rules, company procedures, how must act to achieve their sales goals. But often I feel like I let the nerves when I hear again and again the same problems but said in another form. So lift up my voice and it makes silence in the hall. At the moment, it seems that everything is clear to everyone. But in the coming days, I realize that there was nothing caught in everything we discussed.

What should I do, to make it not happen again?" We received two days ago from a sales manager within a multinational company.

The above looks familiar to you? Then we invite you to discover the recommendations in this article written from our sales manager experience for almost 7 years.

1. Learning does not occur when the "teacher" raise the tone and "learners" listen "in benches quietly with their hands behind their back."

And for this, it's enough to think about how you liked in school (high school, college, faculty) the subjects shown by a teacher who did not know to approach students. And how much you learned those subjects. And how hard you wanted to choose a career in the field. Nobody likes to hear someone yelling at people and, hence, among other negative consequences, lack of knowledge or skills transfer from the "master" the disciples.

2. Start the meeting ready for anything.

It might happening that the training will not last as you have proposed. You might hear in the course things that you would not ever occur. Might even at the outset, to confront well-documented accusations against you, to the customers, the company, other departments within the company.

Come prepared for anything and behave yourself at first as if you are a leaf in the wind, insecure and disoriented. Meanwhile analyse what is happening in the room, while encourage recalcitrant to shed quiver with complaints: who are all "revolutionaries", how much they are supported by others present, the arguments in question, as reasonable and realistic are their statements etc. Read "Why Robots Can't Hurt Salespeople"
if you want to see more arguments.

3. Encourage your sales representatives to say their complaints.

By far the most difficult and ineffective training sessions in which students are silent and seem - in reality are totally different mind in part - be present at what is happening. For a manager dedicated to his profession, feeling that talking alone is terrible in such moments.

Just as sales customer who does not object is rarely a customer to whom you sell, the same in meetings there are participants who silently ignore you and who do not care about you or your message.

Because you get involved only when you care. Otherwise, when you are no matter the subject, sit quietly on the sidelines with his arms crossed and wait for lunch to come ... :).

The simplest form of incentive are the questions asked in a tone warm, friendly:

"Before bringing into question the things we'd like to know, what are your grievances related to ...?"

"What you want to solve together today?"

Note, however, two categories of problems should be eliminated: those that can not be resolved by those in the room and those who do not have the gusset sleeve with any topic. Unless you want to wake up to the end of the session / day as discussed more and pathos to not reach any conclusion.

4. Smile much, from the very beginning.

Smiling helps you keep your cool. And you maintain a high level of confidence in yourself. Of course you should not smile at all, neither natural nor false or ironic when participants exhibit their problems.

But every time you catch a break in "shooting" of problems reported, smile more, smile wholeheartedly. There is always at least one solution. Just at the moment, it's hard to see.

5. Listen carefully and take notes.

Do not interrupt, do not ignore, do not treat lightly or with superiority a problem or a sales representative that does you a favour when he say what is on his mind. Often what is uttered by one of them is what others do not dare to say.

6. Clarify essential issues on the spot, not "postpone" for breaks or for moments after the end of the meeting.

In sales, it is a great mistake you start to dismantle an objection immediately after a hearing. Before anything, you have to clarify it and check how real it is.

Likewise, in the training sessions it is a great mistake to rush to answer the issues raised by participants before you understand them very, very, very good (yes, take time, but the alternative does not exist!) and before you provide the problems are real and not (sometimes intentionally) imagined.

Again, two categories of problems always have to be removed: those that can not be resolved by those in the room and those who do not have the gusset sleeve with any topic.

7. Demonstrates the viability of available solutions, do not confine to present the solutions.

This is by far the most difficult part. Because you need to find solutions to the problems exposed in place and then show them valid. Participants will see this and want to see someone able to solve what they can not; now you build in front of they as a most powerful authority trainer / teacher / instructor / manager.

We do not know what problems you are facing when you instruct your sales team, but these two always are on table (there are, of course, much more): "my clients have no patience to answer so many questions" and "all customers are looking for the lowest price possible, otherwise, they are not interested in anything ".

Well, every time in such situations you should propose some participants to do role plays in which you are the sales representative and they are their clients. And thus live, without theory, you prove that what they say does not stand and that there are practical solutions to their problems that seemed unsolvable to them.

Remeber: Yes, sales people (some of them) will remain in the company, will still go to customers, will have results, but will never excel if they do not believe in what they do and in the company they represent. They make the job mechanical,  reluctantly.

And beyond financial motivation, people (including sales representatives) must believe in what they are doing and join with all their being to what their company and products represent. And how could that happen if they hear frequently when they have a problem only answers like "You do not agree? We live in a free world!"...