Mike Boyle:

Let’s just start at the top of the sales department with sales managers. What are they getting wrong? Right and wrong?

Diane Helbig:

What are they getting right, some of them what they’re getting right is that they understand that sales is about relationships and that it’s important for their salespeople to be out having conversations with people who may or may not be prospects. The ones that are doing it right also understand that continuing to nurture those relationships is really important. It’s just not hunt and kill. It’s hunt, kill, nurture, because more business comes from those relationships.

I would say the ones who are doing it wrong are the ones who are expecting their salespeople to behave in ways that are unnatural for that salesperson. That they’re saying, “Do it my way. It worked for mem so do this,” and that behavior isn’t right for that salesperson, and so they try. They struggle. They don’t succeed. They leave. And there’s that revolving door thing in the sales department that actually negatively impacts the company on a huge level. I mean, outside of the cost of that, there’s a reputation cost that goes along with it.

Mike Boyle:

Do you have any top-of-mind tips that you could share for struggling companies who are listening to us today to increase their sales productivity and bring those deals to a close?

Diane Helbig:

Sure. I think my biggest tip is listen more than you speak, ask really meaningful questions, and make sure you get answers to them. I think a lot of times the reason why salespeople aren’t able to close is because they might ask a somewhat uncomfortable question like about the budget. And when the prospect doesn’t answer it, they move on instead of really going to that topic and understanding that… The salesperson has to know the answers to all of the questions in order to be able to propose accurately, so make sure that you’re asking the questions.

And if the prospect is uncomfortable answering it, ask them why. This is about a relationship. You’re allowed to say, “Could you help me understand why this is a subject that you don’t feel comfortable talking about or that you don’t feel comfortable sharing with me? Because in order for me to determine whether I can help you or not, I need to know the answer to this.”

Mike Boyle:

I’m sure, Diane, in your role in consulting companies, you’ve probably along the way have helped companies actually hire individual salespeople. Has that changed in the last couple of years in terms of the kind of person that you think fits the bill?

Diane Helbig:

Okay, well, that’s such an interesting question. I don’t think my viewpoint has changed. I think what companies have realized they need has changed. Now what, thank goodness, a lot of companies are looking for are those people who understand it’s not one and done. It’s not churn and burn. That their job is not to be slick and eloquent and persuasive. That their job really is to partner with the prospect to problem solve. And that it is about the relationship and that’s what sets the company in the best possible light.

They are looking for a different kind of salesperson and thank goodness because it’s more effective.

Mike Boyle:

Let’s switch gears here a little bit and go into the retail space. Can you talk a little bit about how people are buying in today’s market and how retailers can better target those consumers?

Diane Helbig:

Because of the pandemic, some buying behaviors have changed. Some have not, but some have. It’s like it was in 2008 when people started saying, “Okay, I’m going to buy what I need, but the things that I want I can hold off on.” Buyers are discriminating between what can they live without and what are the must haves. They’re also in an environment where some things are hard to get, some of the things they need are hard to get. So they’re looking for retail locations that are problem-solving. It’s changed from, you come on in.

If I have it, I have it. I try and have good inventory, whatnot. And if I have it, that’s great. If I don’t, then it’s not something that we sell. That’s changed. And what buyers are looking for is the retail location to help them find that product or help them get that thing or a reasonable replacement for that thing and to really understand what the consumer is going through and helping them meet those needs.

We have things like curbside pickup or free delivery on some things so that the consumer can decide, “Do I want to go in the store, or would I really rather just pull up and have you throw something in my trunk?” We have some retail locations that are connecting with their clients on a more like visual, Let’s have a conversation. What is it you need? Let me show you what we have. So if I don’t want to come in the store, could you show me a video tour of what’s going on in your location so that I can see something.

I can ask you questions about it, and then we can figure out how I’m going to get it. Retailers have a lot of options. I think they need to expand their thinking on how they deliver.

Mike Boyle:

From a technology perspective, what advice would you have for retailers today to create a better personalized journey for their customers? I mean, should there be like a checklist? Mr. Retail, do you need to do this, this, this, this, and this?

Diane Helbig:

I don’t know so much about a checklist, but I think the retailer needs to really think about their customers and who their customers are, how their customers buy, and what their customers want. And because of technology, the retailer really can create a personalized experience. I’ll give you an example of what I’m thinking. If I’m a retailer and I’ve got return customers and I know them, reaching out to them and saying, “Hey, we’ve gotten some new things in the store.

Would love to get on a video call with you so I can show you them, talk to you about what you’ve got going on, what you’re looking for, what you need. If it’s not something we have, I’m happy to go look for it.” It’s sort of more of a one-on-one conversation that the retailer is seeking, not waiting for the customer to say, “I have a need,” but reaching out to the customer and saying, “Based on your previous history of buying, we just got these in. Thought you might be interested in them.” And between that verbal conversation and video, there can be a real connectivity.

Mike Boyle:

I guess, along the personalized journeys, we could also insert social media as part of that journey. How do you advise especially retail clients what to do with social media, how often to do it, the kinds of posting that you should do? I mean, should you be blatantly out there selling your product? Should you be more community focused? How do you attack that?

Diane Helbig:

No, you should not be out there selling your product. I think what you should be doing is using social media to do like Facebook Lives, where you show people how to do something, or you bring in an expert and have them share some sort of a tip, where you give information that is valuable to your customers, it means you have to know them, but information that they can then take. So for example, this is a silly example, but you sell scarves.

You know what? Do a Facebook Live and show people how to repurpose their scarves or how to tie their scarves or whatever it is. Get involved in the community. If you’re already involved in the community, share information about that. Share pictures. I don’t think people have to be posting a lot. I think that’s a misunderstanding of social media. I think they need to be posting consistently and their content has to be relevant to their audience. They want to think about what information would be valuable to them.

And believe me, it is not whatever you have in your shop that you’re hoping to sell. It’s what’s attached to that. It’s what do they do with that. Do you have a tip? Do you have a suggestion? Do you have do’s and don’ts?

Mike Boyle:

Diane, in your role as a consultant, I’m sure you’ve replaced a consultant or two at a company along the way. So just stepping down from our sales and retail discussion here a little bit, I just wanted to ask you if you could share with us some reasons that companies decided to change their consultant.

Diane Helbig:

Sure. From the experiences I’ve had, there are a couple of reasons. One is that the consultant sold them what sounded like a really great package, but sort of dumped it at their doorstep and weren’t… There’s this old thing about consultants. We tell you what to do and then we go away. But that’s not really what people are looking for, and it’s not what they’re being told that they’re going to get. They spend all this money and then it’s do it yourself. And they still don’t know how to do whatever it is that they hired the consultant for.

They feel like they were sold a bill of goods. Another reason that I have had people come to me after a previous client experience is because they didn’t really feel like the client was helping them get where they needed to go. The consultant wasn’t asking the right kinds of questions that were really getting to the root of whatever the problem was, wasn’t providing really tangible, relevant suggestions on what the client could do.

They were doing the more telling them what they wanted to hear instead of telling them what they needed to hear, kind of thing, and wasn’t holding them accountable. Accountability is a huge thing with a consultant these days. Most of the people come to me want their feet held to the fire. What they will say to me is, “I may not do what I promised I would do up until an hour before I know we’re going to meet. And then I know I have to do it because I’m going to be talking to you and you’re going to ask me about it. And I want to be able to say that I did it.”

There’s this partnership that needs to exist that some people find they just don’t have.

Mike Boyle:

Last question I have for you, Diane, today is kind of a wrap up on what you see on the horizon. What’s the next big thing in the world of sales? What are you talking to your clients about? What are you getting them ready for or opening their eyes for?

Diane Helbig:

Well, this may sound a little strange, but my opinion is, and from everything I’m seeing, the trend is going toward getting very individually connected with clients, whether you sell B2B or B2C, really getting in there and learning as much as you can about them, about what they need as it relates to what you do, but also what they need as it doesn’t relate to what you do, and being that partner with their client.

Not expecting it the other way, but really being a problem solver for their client on a greater scale, so that that relationship is deeper, is more sustainable, is longer term, and opens up a lot more opportunity than the way sales has been in the past with getting the business and then moving on.

Mike Boyle:

Well, Diane, this has been fun and informative. I really want to thank you for joining us today.

Diane Helbig:

Oh, thank you. Thanks for having me. I enjoyed it. Good questions.

Mike Boyle:

Can you tell me where people can find some more information about you and perhaps even contact you for any personalized guidance?

Diane Helbig:

Sure. Thank you for asking that. The best thing to do is to go to my website, helbigenterprises.com. They can schedule a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation. They can sign up for my newsletter. They can see what I’ve got on and where I’m going to be next and learn more about what I do.

Mike Boyle:

Wonderful. Thanks again. And to the audience, I will add some of that contact information here in the show’s episodes notes. Thanks again, Diane. Really appreciate it.

Diane Helbig:

Thank you.

Mike Boyle:

I’m Mike Boyle from Ad Victoriam Solutions, and thanks again for joining us today. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Ad Victoriam Salesforce Simplified Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. We’re on them all. And as always, our next episode is just around the corner.