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Training Tuesday:Escaping a Sales Rut

Posted 5 years ago

Do you feel trapped in a “rut” and unable to make any real progress towards your sales milestones? Unsure how to break free from that trapped feeling? There are a million techniques for improving your success in sales, but sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most helpful.

Of course, it is important to remain focused on your goals in order to complete them, however, it is also important to avoid “burnout” that can occur from working all the time and feeling unfulfilled by that work. You must clarify your reasons for working in your field, also make sure that you leave time to relax and de-stress. Sales is a field full of rejection, and hearing “no” after “no” can be extremely disheartening if you aren’t clear with yourself on why you are working in this field. You must be prepared to combat that rejection with techniques for relaxing and re-centering yourself. Being able to accept a rejection, without letting it get to you, is always going to be challenging, but it is important to develop strategies to cope with the overwhelming amount of rejections that you will receive throughout the course of your career as a salesperson.

In addition, you can improve your sales success by remembering that even the most successful and accomplished salesperson can improve somehow. Committing to going back to the basics and refreshing your training in a particular sales area can be extremely helpful. Strengthening your foundational sales skills will allow you to build your more advanced sales skills in a more well-rounded way. Listening is the most important skill you can cultivate as a salesperson, and working on active listening and really absorbing what the prospect is telling you will never hurt your sales success rate.

An attitude adjustment can also be one of your best tools in breaking out of a professional or sales rut. Remember that your thoughts and feelings about yourself and your job can influence your behavior, and therefore, the reactions that others may have to you and your sales techniques. Your attitude is your most important weapon for moving into greater success – you can control how you react and think in various sales situations. Once you learn to control your own thoughts, fears, and beliefs, you can begin to change them to become more productive and helpful patterns.

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LTL 101:Freight Classifications

Posted 6 years ago

It is VERY important you understand freight class. If you incorrectly classify your item to be shipped it can be reclassified by the freight carrier. Disputing this is difficult, time consuming and you will be charged the difference (usually without a discount).

The National Motor Freight Classification® (NMFC®) is a standard that provides a comparison of commodities moving in interstate, intrastate and foreign commerce. Commodities are grouped into one of 18 classes—from a low of class 50 to a high of class 500—based on an evaluation of four transportation characteristics: density, stow-ability, handling, and liability. Together, these characteristics establish a commodity’s “transportability.”
 
By analyzing commodities on the basis of the four transportation characteristics and ONLY on the basis of those characteristics, the NMFC provides both carriers and shippers with a standard NMFC number or code by which to begin negotiations and greatly simplifies the comparative evaluation of the many thousands of products moving in today’s competitive marketplace.

If you don’t have an NMFC number/code listed on your BOL, there is a good possibility that your freight will be reclassified. Some carriers will assign an arbitrary class if there is no code listed on the BOL, often outlined in a carrier’s rules tariff. This, along with the proper code, will greatly reduce the possibility of additional reclass charges.

Don’t forget we are participants of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association which means we have access to multiple ways of obtaining the correct NMFC number/code for your shipments. If you have any questions or doubts regarding your product’s freight class, please reach out to the LTL Team.

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Training Tuesday:Customer Service Tips

Posted 6 years ago

Customer service is an essential part of the sales process, even though it may not seem that way at first. Offering your clients and prospective clients excellent customer service is a great way to distinguish yourself from the competition – and it can help you win customers and keep the ones you already have. Below are some tips for improving your customer service and relationships with customers.

  1. Stop apologizing. Instead, start thanking the customer for their patience in letting you handle their issue and resolve their problem. This puts you in a stronger position to be able to keep the customer happy and let’s them know that you are sincere and going to help them.
  2. Use positive language. Each interaction with your clients and prospects is shaped by the language you use. Similar to the tip above to change the way you frame apologies, using positive language can influence the customer to feeling better about working with you and their experience with your company overall.
  3. Manage time appropriately. This pertains not just to managing your schedule to give clients and prospects the time they need, but also to using the time you spend with them wisely. You want to be respectful of their time and yours.
  4. Structure conversations and interactions. Remember that first impressions are important, but so is knowing when and how to close. Being able to end a conversation or interaction naturally, and without neglecting any important components is crucial to successful sales calls and customer service.
  5. Create a smooth experience for the customer. Don’t just be their contact for the sale and then leave them alone. Be available and in contact with them throughout their time working with your company so you can help ensure they have a positive experience. If you can help smooth pain points and transitions, it will not only showcase the value you and your company add, but it will also make them more likely to continue being a customer and to recommend or refer you to other people in their industry.

Obviously, customer service will always be a complex task that can’t be explained or resolved in 5 tips or even 500. It is always a process, and you can always improve your skills, but having a diverse set of tricks up your sleeve will only increase your ability to work with a diverse customer base.

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Training Tuesday:Improving Your Sales Pitch

Posted 6 years ago

If you’ve done proper prospecting and initial calls, then you’ve finally reached the part of the selling process that means you get to really start selling. It can be exciting, but in addition to being your biggest opportunity for success, it can be your biggest opening for failure as well. If you don’t approach the sales pitch properly, then you risk losing sales and wasting your time. There are tons of tips out there on how to give “the best sales pitch ever” and many of them are great, but the important thing is to find out which tips make your selling process smoother and more successful.

Below are a few of our tips for improving your sales pitch:

  1. Focus your pitch. Before each major sales pitch, you should have had some contact with the prospect to gather details and information to personalize your pitch for the client in question. If you can take the information you discussed with the prospect during the information gathering stage and use it to focus your sales pitch, then you can ensure you discuss topics that are relevant to your prospect. For example, if most of the initial call was spent discussing one particular need, you would likely be most successful if you focused on that issue during your pitch.
  2. Sell solutions. Figure out what challenges or situations your client needs help with, and then find the services you offer that will provide them with a solution. Presenting them with the solution to their challenge will always be more appealing to them than just selling benefits or generic services. Don’t just focus on features, focus on how those features could be the solution to their biggest pain point.
  3. Always have the next step ready. Determine your goal for the pitch, if you want the sale, go for the close, but if not, make sure you are prepared with the next step the prospect will take with you. If it is another meeting, set it up at the end of the first meeting. If you’ve made the sale, set up the next steps for them becoming a full-on customer.
  4. Keep your pitch short and sweet. We all have busy schedules and short attention spans. It is important to keep your pitch short and make your point quickly. If you can make your point succinctly, it will not only be appreciated, but it will allow you to hold your prospect’s full attention throughout your presentation.

Some of these tips may be useful to you, some may not, but figuring out the best combination of these types of tips that will work for you is the key to being successful in sales.

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LTL 101: Restricted Commodities

Posted 6 years ago

Did you know that certain types of commodities cannot be shipped via LTL carriers due to governmental regulations and that LTL carriers can refuse to accept certain items as a matter of company policy? In many cases, the root issue is liability — certain items are too valuable and/or high target items for theft to make them worth the risk to handle and transport.
 
Items of Extraordinary Value:
Carriers have different policies regarding these items and they may be willing to accept certain items if they have the appropriate insurance coverage and specialize in the transport of valuable merchandise.
 
Restricted or Prohibited Items:
Another group of items that LTL carriers may refuse to transport are those excluded by government regulations or due to being extremely hazardous in nature. In addition, carriers that lack the proper storage and stowage equipment to maintain the proper temperature will refuse certain items, such as refrigerated items. Finally, certain items (such as canoes) may be prohibited by certain carriers because of their size, shape, difficulty to stow and difficulty to handle.  
 
Do your homework and research LTL Carriers Carefully!

Restricted Commodities are listed in the Rules Tariffs of each LTL Carrier. To give you an example of how complex some of these Restricted Commodities sections are, please visit FedEx’s “Prohibited and Restricted Articles” section of their rules tariff by clicking the link: http://www.fedex.com/us/freight/rulestariff/prohibited_articles.html

Make sure to address specific questions to the carrier you are considering. Within the world of LTL carriers there is a great deal of specialization. For instance, some carriers specialize in the transport of perishable items or hazardous materials. If you have items to transport that fall into both of these categories, you may be forced to hire two separate LTL carriers. 
 
Whatever company you choose to move your hard-to-handle item(s), make sure to do your homework. Make sure you select a freight company with a solid track record, solid liability coverage, and solid maintenance and quality control processes to ensure top performance.

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Training Tuesday:Tips for Better Sales Calling

Posted 6 years ago

Cold calling is a key part of the prospecting process for many salespeople, and it is also one of the most dreaded parts. Calling someone who has never heard of your company or thought about why they might need what you can offer will always be tricky. Below are some of our best tips to making your cold calling process less stressful and more successful.

  1. Plan, Prepare, Practice. Being prepared for each call will make the call smoother, increase your confidence and ensure that you aren’t wasting your or the prospect’s time. Research who the decision maker is, what their pain points are, who their competitors are, and what value you may be able to add that will convince them to give you a shot. Also, just as you have a prepared and practiced sales presentation for an in-person meeting, you should practice and prepare to run a smooth phone call that will ultimately encourage your prospect to meet with you in person or through further phone calls.
  2. Schedule your calls. It is important to schedule your calls for you schedule, but also around what will hopefully suit your prospects schedules. Try a variety of times – mid-morning, early afternoon, etc. – to see what gets you the greatest number of answered calls and best responses and interactions during the calls. If you notice that prospects are most receptive in the mid-afternoon, plan your day around being able to make calls at that time, don’t waste your time calling when people aren’t willing to answer.
  3. Perfect your talking-to-listening ratio. Start the call with a good opening, make sure you connect with the prospect and humanize yourself, but don’t waste too much time on small talk or introductions. Get started by getting the qualifying information you need and then listen to what the prospect is telling you. If you don’t listen, you can’t find places to add value and answer questions in a way best tailored to the prospect and their needs.
  4. Remember, the initial call is only selling them on additional calls – not on purchasing or using your services. The initial call is the time to gather information and start building the prospect’s trust. You want to make sure they feel comfortable with you and are willing to listen when you start an actual full sales pitch. Use the first call to get their attention, qualify them as a client, and prepare the information you need in order to really sell them the products or services they need.

Cold calling will never be the best part of the job, but with a little patience and practice, you’ll begin to develop an approach that works for you and your prospective client base. Having a plan for calls, and lots of practice through real calls and role-played situations, will increase your confidence and make your cold calling process much more successful.

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Training Tuesday:Controlling the Sales Call

Posted 6 years ago

Take control of the sales call, especially on the subject of price. If you can change the customer’s preconceived notions in the first five or ten minutes, then you’ve won the biggest sales battle of all. Right up front, make it clear to the prospect that the sale won’t come down to a wrestling match over price. Quickly and firmly set up an alternative framework for making the deal. If price isn’t going to be the issue, then what is? You must sell value-added. That can be selling your exceptional service and customer support, or even the strength of your personal commitment to your customers and the quality of service provided by your company.

Never concede that your company’s service and offerings are just like your competitors. Once you do, you give away your competitive edge and ability to differentiate your services. Your job is to know how and why your service is different, why that difference is important to the customer, and how to effectively communicate the importance of those differences. You can acknowledge that your competitors do something well, but never say that you do exactly the same thing. Always make sure you can prove that your services are better and will suit the needs of the customer more successfully. Once you’ve added that value, price diminishes in importance.

Of course, a customer will always tell you that they buy based on price, but they don’t. They may believe that they do, but they really buy based on the services and successes you and your company offer them. It is your job to illustrate the differences in the services you offer and why they are important. Any salesperson can offer the customer the lowest price, but it’s your job to convince them they need YOUR services, even if that comes at a higher price.

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Training Tuesday:Leads vs. Opportunities vs. Prospects

Posted 6 years ago

Keeping your “sales pipeline” full is essential to making sales and meeting your goals. It is always challenging to manage your time – between prospecting, selling, and maintaining existing relationships, it can be a lot to keep straight. One of the most important, and often overlooked, stages of the sales process is prospecting. It doesn’t matter how much you practice your sales presentation and refine your selling skills if you don’t have anyone new to meet with. If you’re not consistently seeking new potential clients, you are doing yourself a disservice.

The “prospecting” stage can be a bit daunting as there are a variety of categories that your contacts can fall into. How do you know if a contact has become a “lead” an “opportunity” or a “prospect” when in the early stages of interactions? This can be even more challenging when the terms are used differently by different companies and business units. Creating a consistent system for defining and categorizing each of the terms with your team (and hopefully your company as a whole) will be extremely helpful for increasing the efficiency of the prospecting process.

The biggest difference between the three is the nature of the interaction and if you have researched and qualified them as a viable client. As such, the following definitions can be helpful in categorizing and planning during the prospecting phase.

A “lead” is contact information for an individual that is related to a sales opportunity. The lead can be the eventual purchaser, an advisor, a friend, or a referral. Typically, a lead is not as fully qualified as a prospect, though this can vary by company or industry. A lead is usually categorized by primarily one-way communication, as in, the lead has contacted the company in some way – by a contact form on a website or some other message.

A “prospect” is typically a lead that has been qualified and is receptive to being sold what you offer. Generally, a prospect would be a “sales receptive” lead and you could convert the contact with a prospect into a sales opportunity. A prospect is generally categorized by two-way communication – that is, you or someone on your team has connected with the prospect and has sent them information as well as receiving an initial query.

A sales “opportunity” is then the time and space to take advantage of the receptive attitude of the prospect and meet with them to give your sales presentation. When you’ve reached the “sales opportunity” phase, that typically means the prospect has engaged with you multiple times and has been receptive to setting up a meeting or has actually scheduled a meeting with you.

It is important to remember that there are different categories in the sales prospecting process and that each level should be treated differently to be sure you have the most successful and efficient interactions.

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LTL 101:Clean and Presise BOLs

Posted 6 years ago

In addition to being careful of unexpected charges to watch out for when shipping an LTL load, it is important to keep your BOLs clean and precise so that you are not confusing carriers or being charged incorrectly.

When shipping LTL freight, make sure your BOLs are clean and precise prior to sending them to your shippers. Extra language in the special instructions section of BOLs only causes billing issues. Take a look at the below examples where the BOLs are very busy and not easily readable:

Let’s stop putting so much traffic in the special instructions!

  • PU# is fine, but not 3 times
  • PU instructions FCFS is not needed and does not protect you or the customer from charges
    • If the carrier is delayed due to the shipper you will be charged regardless
    • If they can’t get in timely or for another reason they will skip the pick-up
  • “No APT needed for LTL shipments” –  This is unnecessary information because if the consignee states appointment is needed it will be assessed
    • The carrier already assumes appointment is not needed.
    • This includes daily routines between consignee and carrier
      • If a consignee isn’t always open during regular business hours, some LTL carriers will have that particular address flagged for appointments no matter what we have on the BOL
  • Headings: “BOL SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:” “PICKUP DIRECTIONS” “PICKUP NOTES” “PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS” “DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS”  should be consolidated or removed all together
  • Again, “FCFS DELIVERY” is not needed and does not protect you or the customer from charges
  • “1000-1600” – By putting hours on the BOL, some carriers may flag the shipment for an appointment because standard LTL operating hours will always be assumed
    • If the carrier’s cut time from the terminal is 8am and this consignee is close to the terminal then this should be flagged because they would have to wait 2 hours prior to attempting delivery
  • “MUST CALL” – This verbiage may be mistaken for notify or an appointment because some LTL billing clerks may not catch the remaining portion due to the busyness of the BOL
  • “No additional accessorial will be approved without prior authorization” – This wording is irrelevant because the carrier will always charge based on their rules tariff and/or contract with the paying party

Now that you have cleaned up your BOL, you can’t stress enough to your customer:
“Make sure this BOL is handed to the carrier so that no additional charges occur!”

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Training Tuesday:Sales and Closing Techniques

Posted 6 years ago

It doesn’t matter how good your selling skills are – if you can’t get a “Yes!” at the end of the sales call, you won’t find success as a salesperson. However, it’s no secret that closing a sale can be a challenge. The best “closes” are actually part of larger sales techniques that support the final push at the end of the meeting. With that in mind, below are some closing techniques that are helpful to have in your arsenal.

1. Emotional Appeal

Humans are emotional creatures. If we feel connected to a person, company, or cause, we are more likely to support them. Complementing the “facts and figures” of your sales presentation with some sort of “feeling” element can lead to a better connection, and therefore make a prospect more apt to say “yes” when you ask for their business. The emotional connection can be established through a variety of techniques, which even if they feel forced initially, can have an equally beneficial effect as organic connections. Things like mentioning shared interests or other commonalities, interjecting humor, or thoughtful things like sending an article appealing to their interests. All of these gradual connections can help increase the likeliness of a prospect doing business with you and your company.

2. Alternatives Close – “This or That”

Decision making can be frustrating, challenging, and even a little scary. A prospect that is talking to you is in the “hot seat” to make a decision and could already be feeling the pressure from others to make the right call about who to work with. If you give them some “alternatives” you can make their decision easier, and encourage them towards the decision you want, which is for them to work with you and your company. A “this or that” question can help ease some of the pressure of the seemingly unlimited choices available. These types of closes are best used over the course of an interaction with a prospective client. They are especially useful for setting up appointments and demos. You can offer two dates or times for a future call, visit, or demo of your products, services, or platforms. Simplifying the process can encourage the prospect to make the decision you ultimately want.

3. Similarity Close

If you can demonstrate that you’ve helped a customer in a similar situation and role, then you can inspire confidence in your prospect. Find out as many details about the prospect as possible and then compare their situation to those of your other clients. Then, in your sales meeting, you can showcase the benefits that those other clients got from working with you, and the prospect is better able to visualize how you could help them and their company. This close works well with the emotional appeal to create a connection with the other prospects that you have helped successfully.

You can pick and choose situations in which these closes may be helpful. They may be helpful as full processes, or you may want to apply elements of a variety of techniques to different sales interactions. Successful selling requires applying the right tool for the situation, at the right time.

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