The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From the Hit TV Show

Copyright (c) 2010 Gavin Ingham

The final of the Apprentice. Cool, professional Kate versus passionate, entrepreneurial Yasmina. Their brief, design and pitch a new brand of chocolate. Sir Alan said they were his best candidates ever and that it was his hardest decision yet. Either could have won. Yasmina did.

So that done (!), I thought I would sum up some of the core sales training lessons from this year's Sales Apprentice...

On sales motivation and mindset...

Top sales performers perform, they don't talk about performing. Sales is not about what you say you're going to deliver. Sales is all about what you actually do deliver. Sales success is all about action. Success in sales does not come to those who watch the game. Success in sales comes to those who pick up the ball and play their hearts out, right the way to the final whistle. Maintain your focus because sales superstars are focused. They know what they want. They work out how to get it. And they take action to achieve it. Sales success is about taking responsibility - responsibility for yourself, your sales activities and your sales results. Sales success is directly related to effort.

On prospecting...

Know your client, know your client, k-n-o-w your client. Set objectives for all sales activities and prospecting calls. Get proactive and get your prospecting done. Procrastination and lethargy are the enemy of successful new business winners. Get yourself in the right mental state for cold calling. Attitude is your ability to access your skills. Know where to expend your energy. Working smarter is the route to success. Know your product. Know your product. Know your product.

On selling...

Under promise and over deliver. Delivering on your promises is essential in any business. Develop trust and credibility if you want top class client relationships. Always give 100%. Nothing short of 100% if good enough if you want to be a sales superstar. When negotiating, sound like you believe in what you're saying and plan your negotiation tactics and strategies. Sell on value and not price. Maximize the impact and effectiveness of your sales activities. Understand your clients, their markets and their needs. Your sales presentations need to be matched and tailored to suit their wants and needs and not just your own. Ask better questions. Listen harder. Seek to fully understand your clients. Know that people buy on emotion and justify with logic.

On presenting...

To make powerful and persuasive sales presentations you need to know your stuff, you need to know what you're presenting, you need a solid and proven structure. Know your audience. Know your audience. Know your audience. Do your preparation and planning. Have a call to action. People need an incentive and encouragement to buy now. Practise. Practise. Practise. Give 100% and be yourself.

On sales leadership...

Watch out for sales terrorists in your business who focus everyone on the negative and undermine your business. In today's turbulent economy you cannot afford to have negativity like this in your teams. Utilize the skills of your team effectively. Different people have different strengths and different weaknesses and using these to best advantage is key. Be approachable and personable so that your team will communicate with you, confide in and support you. Encourage involvement and participation and create team spirit. Take responsibility and make decisions. Judge the reality of a situation not just what you believe it to be. Learn to delegate. Being a great leader is not about being able to do everything yourself. Get the right salespeople into your business to build high performance sales teams and get great sales results.

So that's it for another year. What did you learn and what are you going to do differently to get the sales results that you want?

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