Have you had your sales people blowing smoke at you as to how well they're working their current accounts?
They say they have multiple contacts, but they have a case of OCD? I have OCD. But many sales people have another form of it.
One Contact Disorder.
They have one person that they know very well. But if that person leaves, the entire account is in jeopardy.
Or salespeople who are managing a relationship, but they're not really growing it.
They're not creating value.
What they're doing is making the "Hey, just checking in" call.
"Hey, just wanted to check in to see how things are going."
And we're at the point of the evolution of the world where an intern can make the "just checking in" call.
Sales people are about creating value.
There's a tool we use called the Relationship Builder (Download Here).
The question today is, are you using it?
Is it something you're using on a regular basis to better ensure your sales people are really working accounts like they should? That they’re using it, but you're using it as a management tool also?
Every account plan should have Relationship Builder in it, or multiple Relationship Builders for large accounts. On the form, which is included in this blog theres the obvious stuff like the clients contact and role.
But also:
Are we connected with LinkedIn?
What's their DISC profile?
What's our existing relationship?
Are we an enemy where they don't want us there?
Are they neutral?
Are they a friend, where they're like a raving fan?
That's the obvious stuff.
It's like anything. It's obvious, but a lot of sales people won’t have ONLY that.
This tool helps make sure it’s all there. That's why, as a manager, I want you to be a part of the account review.
‘Let me see the relationship Builders’ is the question I would start asking.
The bottom part of the document is based on value creation, which is basically how we are creating value. How can I create value as a salesperson for these four different contacts I'm going to write in here.
How can I create value now and how am I creating value in the future?
When making the "just checking in" call do you think they’ll WANT to pick up?
When their phone rings and they see caller ID, they can have one of two reactions.
You have the same thing.
You get a call on the weekend even, and it's your cell phone.
There’s those people that are calling that drain you of energy that you send to voice mail, and there's other people that immediately when you see their name, you know there's something in that call that will be valuable to you. You WANT to answer that call.
Your salespeople should be the ones that bring your clients that value call.
When the caller ID shows up for your client or prospect, they WANT to take that call because they know every-time there's a conversation, there's some value that's created.
It's not just the "Hey, just checking in" call.
What can you be doing to create value?
Is it creating an educational series of lunches?
Is it white papers you can create?
Is it creating just a regular cadence of sharing trends or data from the industry?
There's all kinds of things you can do but this is the first step.
Using the Relationship Builder as a tool (not just a one time tool) every 90 days. Because the cast of characters change, the needs change, and the values change.
How are you going to change your relationship building with your people and better track it using Relationship Builder?
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