Applied Synergistics, Inc., Organizational Development Consulting, Professional Development, Performance Management, Speaking, Seminars

WORKSHOP EXAMPLES

Applied Synergistics International

8100 East Camelback Road

Suite 43

Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

(480) 607-6850

Sales College
Introduction

Today, more than ever, sales professionals find themselves challenged in new and different ways. Today’s clients and customers are attracted more and more by those who can not only “add value” but who are skilled at “creating value”. With the knowledge that we have of our clients’ and customers' business, no one is better positioned to “create value”.

You’ll Learn About:

Enhancing your competitive position

Growing your profitability

Consultative selling techniques

Creating value for clients and customers

Gaining client and customer commitment

The Program

Sales College is about sales… is about relationships… and a lot more! We graduate sales professionals who are positioned to produce increased business results for their organizations, their clients and customers, and for themselves. This is done by “creating value” for the organizations they serve. The strategy we use to accomplish this is a relationship-based, needs-identification driven sales model that is designed to leverage current business relationships, client and customer knowledge, and personal skills. There are three objectives associated with creating value for clients and customers:

1. Identify and understand the clients’ or customers' business objective and priorities… their overall strategic objectives, how those objectives are measured and how those objectives relate to overall business success.

2. Identify the critical professional services or products that enable clients and customers to more fully achieve their strategic objectives.

3. Gain client and customer commitment by presenting the professional service solutions in a manner that allows the client or customer to recognize the full value of the proposed services… and the full value of your organization.

Sales College is designed to deliver the strategies, tools and skills to enable sales professionals at all levels of experience to more effectively achieve the above objectives. We begin by showing participants how to accurately identify qualified prospects. We then focus on the use of a strategy called the “Client/Customer Engagement Process.” This is a proven method of developing a strategic sales plan leading to commitment. Other components of Sales College include the use of structured processes for sales calls and presentations, as well as for skills development. The skills development component focus on interpersonal skills and strategies that help the sales professional more effectively identify client/customer needs, present recommendations, manage objections and close business. Program content is fully supported by practice guides, case studies and interactive role-play situations. This highly structured, sophisticated approach is effective at facilitating the behavioral change leading to increased sales volumes.

The Audience

Sales College is intended to help both individuals and businesses who desire to build or further the business relationships they have with their clients and customers. The program content applies specifically to sales professionals. The program provides an overall framework for identifying qualified clients/customers, structuring relationships with clients/customers, working with clients/customers to identify specific needs and interests, building solutions, gaining client and customer commitments to go forward with the proposed services and implementation of the new services.

Those who are new to sales will find this a very logical approach to help them engage with clients/customers in a very meaningful and productive way. Those who are experienced will find that they will learn new approaches and techniques to further their effectiveness with clients/customers. Additionally, experienced sales professionals will learn why many of their current practices are effective. With this in mind, strengths can be leveraged even higher to produce additional business results. Also, experienced sales professionals will find that they can use this material very effectively with more junior members of their team to help them develop significant client/customer expertise.

Program Goals

We provide a big picture overview to help you put selling products, professional services and virtually any other form of business advisory services into context with the relationships you currently have with your clients and customers. We provide you with:

» A sales and consulting approach that begins by helping you to identify clients/customers with high potential;

» A structured methodology for planning a specific sales activity in a logical manner;

» Strategies and tools for helping you successfully execute your plan and gain your clients’/customers' commitment to go forward; and

» High-level insight into what is required for successful implementation.

Additionally you will learn why a consultative relationship with a client/customer, as opposed to an “expert” relationship, is most consistent with placing you in the best possible position to help clients/customers achieve their overall business objectives. The strategies, methodologies and skills addressed in this program will further enable you to build and maintain stronger relationships with your clients/customers that lead to increased sales by creating additional value for clients/customers.

Many sales professionals today may already be using some of the skills, techniques and processes that we cover. Through the models we introduce, they will better understand which of their existing practices are most successful and why. Regardless of their experience level, we know they will find some very useful tools and techniques in this program. If you are looking for a way to better select high payback projects, create value for clients/customers and present recommendations in a way that enables clients/customers to fully understand the true value of professional services, this program is for you.

We introduce a relationship-based, needs-identification driven sales model that focuses on identification of client/customer needs, effectively communicating the benefits of the potential solution to the client/customer and specifically identifying the results that the clients/customers can reasonably expect. When you more fully understand how client/customer problems specifically relate to business objectives, you can position yourself to make contributions that are more meaningful to the clients/customers you serve.

Further, we help you capitalize on Howell’s concept of “unconscious competence” by turning it into “conscious competence.” Howell’s research shows that when learning a new skill, we start out as “unconsciously incompetent;” we don’t necessarily know what we don’t know. Through the learning process, we become “consciously incompetent.” At this stage, we realize what we don’t know and what we need to begin learning to acquire the skill. After some practice, we move to “conscious competence.” We begin to know what is required and we consciously apply what we learned in building our skills. During this time, we must pay attention to what we do. At some point, we get good enough at the skill that we do it more or less automatically, without thinking about it. This is what we refer to as “unconscious competence.”

There are things that we all do virtually automatically every day at work, and we do many of these things very, very well. We help participants become more fully aware of their strengths in a very conscious kind of way so that they are able to further leverage strengths to achieve additional business results. Many organizations feel that one of the big challenges they face today is bringing junior members up in the organization. How do you train someone to replace you? You are who you are because of your cumulative experience in business, the things you say and do, and frequently it is difficult to teach others this set of skills and behaviors.

Many have expert skills in selling professional services, but they may not look at them in a consistent framework to allow them to teach someone else how to perform in the same way. What we do is to look at many of the behaviors that are associated with success in today’s marketplace and put those together in terms of a process that is definable, repeatable and can be used to bring others along in the business. You may look at many of the things here and say, “Oh I do that already”. We view that as a good starting point because what we do is reinforce the things that are already being done well. When you understands why what you are doing is working, then you tend to do those things even better. We take a detailed look at a way to identify and qualify opportunities, establish relationships with clients/customers and put plans in place to implement high impact solutions. The solutions we refer to create value and build on the relationships you currently have with existing clients/customers, as well as enabling you to establish more profitable relationships with new clients/customers.

The bottom line positively impacts profitability, both clients’/customers' profitability and your organization's profitability. When we engage in activities that assist clients/customers to achieve their overall business objectives, we provide higher value to those clients/customers. It’s all about providing value. You may have heard of the book titled Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow. We prefer to think of it as “Always create value and everyone will prosper.” With value comes additional profitability for clients/customers, as well as increased profitability for us.