MY INTERPRETATION OF WHAT SOLUTION SELLING IS?

On a regular basis sales people seek me out for advice for an upcoming interview in high end sales. The role is typically a Key Accounts position with a high degree of business development. The sales cycle lasts for several months and the process of getting there is never straight forward. On the upside it offers an excellent salary and the commission plan is set up to exceed €100k per annum for on target earnings. Making a real success of this opportunity means continued career growth and greater earning potential; while failure can mean a roadblock placed on your career path.

In this section I want to explain why solution selling is so highly desired by employers and the challenges involved becoming adept at solution selling.

LARGE ORGANISATION TRAITS

First one must realise, that large organisations are large, multi-layered, bureaucratic organisations, sometimes interconnected with sister companies. Divisional Managers run their Departments autonomously. Or the Procurement Manager controls all expenditures. Either way there are no hard and fast rules as every organisation’s culture is different. As a sales person, your initial step is to find out how best to approach your targeted organisations.

DIFFERENT BUYER TYPES

Secondly, company staff should be approached differently. For example, an END USER can assist with all information gathering audits and can advise on internal politics. INFLUENCERS, on the other hand, are Middle Management and if they buy into your “Big Picture” proposal; can escalate it to senior level for further examination. The ball game really starts when the MAN gets their hands on your proposal. This is an acronym for Senior Management who has money, authority and need for the problem you can solve. The buck stops with them. Their concern lies with a due diligence of your project, the financing, logistics and ongoing account maintenance.

WHAT SOLUTION SELLING IS NOT

I will point out, that just because a sales person has sold into a National Account, does not necessarily make them a Solution Salesperson. Perhaps they have sold to individual departments in these organisations. No, what we are really talking about here is starting with a concept that slowly gathers momentum and ultimately over a period of months gets final approval and is rolled out across the entire organisation. It is a “Big Picture Focus” with a long term perspective in mind.

FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS

It helps greatly if the sales person is formally trained to sell in this fashion. The sales person is trained to listen more and to ask intelligent open ended questions that uncover problem areas that require the attention of management. They resist the urge to start selling and instead focus on been a TRUSTED ADVISER. This type of selling requires a flexible approach that is always pre-planned. It requires investigative work, uncovering real issues, discussing possible outcomes, power-point presentations, financial analysis and negotiation skills. There is a lot at stake for both sides as failure at any stage goes unrewarded.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

The ideal sales person is analytical, an investigator, process driven, a skilled presenter and a problem solver. They are patient, curious, organised, with an attention to detail. To reach this level demands continual learning, networking and a temperament suited to long term sales cycles.

Right now we are offering a unique package to sales candidates looking for the next opportunity. Our approach is a three point plan designed to get results fast.

1. Complete rewrite of your CV so it stands out and sells your accomplishments.

2. Professional interview coaching services so you never again rue a missed career opportunity.

3. Candidate marketing to 20 carefully selected companies that require  your expertise, experience and skills.

This proactive approach works! I should know as I’ve been doing this for 10 years as a recuiter, cv writer and interview coach. Companies are starting to considier good candidates that come along that can add immediate value.

Your new CV will present you in the best possible light and the fact you have prepared well in advance of an upcoming interview means you will give yourself the best possible chance of securing a role. I’m satisfied to work closely with such a candidate because clients will recognise I work only with high calibre candidates.

For details on this service, please give me a call on 087 2867692 or alternatively email me on mark@cvcoach.ie.

Fewer opportunities

Now more than ever we realise that there will be fewer career opportunities available over the foreseeable future. We therefore have an increased pressure on us to “nail down” whatever comes our way. Doing the same things over and over again in the hope of getting a different result just does not work. Everybody is doing the same thing.

Hard work and discipline

To get really good at interviews requires a lot of hard graft and some self discipline. A lot of people realise the value now of getting some coaching done to prepare them for an upcoming interview but really unless you have given yourself at least a week to work on things, it really is too late.

Start now – don’t wait till it’s too late

You can’t expect to change your whole approach and expect to somehow glide through an interview on semi automatic mode, if you decide to cram the night before.

Adopting a new habit takes some time to acquire and eventually own. Just because you have excellent client facing skills does not mean you necessarily make a great interviewee. Strangely, I have found over the years, that we Irish find it very difficult to sell ourselves and talk about our accomplishments. A reluctance to stand out from the crowd does not win you interviews.

Benefits – newly acquired life skill

Don’t leave it till it’s too late. Acquire the knowledge now to become good at interviews. Get practicising and become a confident and capable interviewee. This way you are prepared for any opportunities that come your way or unforeseen redundancies you were half expecting.

There are no guarantees in life but there is a great satisfaction and peace of mind knowing that we have gone through our checklist and ticked all boxes in sequence.

Interview coaching is straight forward convenient and affordable. For just €100 you get 60 minutes personalised coaching by phone accompanied by a ten page booklet of the best ideas and practical steps to take before, during and after an interview

Times are tough as everyone knows out there and the old rules for securing employment no longer apply. Employers for the first time in ten years now have a say in all hiring matters. They decide the  salary and they can choose from a candidate base that in better times were considered over qualified. A candidate leaving a box unticked now means you’ve missed out on one of the few opportunites out there.

As each day passes, more and more candidates are realising that it’s time to get the basics right again and that means starting with the CV. Think about it for a moment; your CV is the most important document that you will ever posses as it determines the interviews you will attend, which in turns detemines the job offers that come your way and the end result – the salary you will earn.

Why then do most people do a DIY on this important document? An investment of €150 can secure you a CV that will straight away put you in the top 5% fom an aesthetics viewpoint and if you have the accomplishments and achievements ; you will be in the top 2% of CVs that get noticed.

This is not an exaggeration, believe me I should know as I am a recruiter of 10 years who reviews hundreds of cvs weekly. Very rarely does one stand out and say “get me an interview – I am instantly employable”.

We all need help and guidance from capable professionals to help us achieve our goals in life. Take a small step in this direction and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Mark

Just to elaborate a little on the type of people I work with, let me take you through yesterdays activities:

1. A young lady is planning to leave for Australia on a 1 year working visa. She requires three different CVs focusing on the Beauty, Hospitality and Telemarketing Industries. She also needs all her certificates and written references scanned and saved online.

2. An experienced candidate requires my assistance with an upcoming power point presentation and some Interview Coaching.

3. A Dublin high flyer in Media has moved down to Limerick and wants her CV to stand out as she is considering a complete career change. She also requests interview coaching.

4. A self employed gentleman in the Electrical Sector is tired of been considered for roles offering E30k salaries. On reflection he realises his CV is not portraying him as a candidate on E45k.

5. Late night I check my inbox and a senior bank official is seeking a “sprucing up” of their current CV.

Day over!

As a recruiter I scan CVs into my database from well known job sites. Yesterday I decided to take account of mistakes found in 179 CVs. My findings were as follows:

• 22 candidates omitted their mobile number.

• 67 CVs did not include an email address.

• 2 candidates misspelled their name.

• 4 candidates misspelled their email address.

• 1 candidate registered a cover letter but no CV.

• Only 5 CVs contained a Career Objective.

Guys, it’s worth stating here that if you do the basics well, the results will follow. A professional CV that is visible to a wide audience will land interviews.

Hi all, and welcome to my blog. We aim to update this blog with lots of helpful career tips and advice on getting ahead on all career matters.

To those who don’t know me, I am a CV writer and sales recruiter with  Sales Appointments.

I assist sales people with their job search strategies. Because, I have access to viewpoints from HR professionals, Senior Managers and Company Directors; I know what makes a cv work.

Take for example, a candidate who found me on LinkedIn recently. Armed with their revised CV and a different approach to sales interviews , he accepted a job offer with a Multinational . His salary increased by E15k to E55k, his commission plan improved and he is now driving a nicer car. Talking to him afterwards, that when he lost his business he lkost everything. Thankfully that gremlin was removed from his shoulder as this new job presented him with fresh opportunities.  I felt privileged to help him out, as we all want to do some good.  (This type of success story is what gets me buzzing!)

So if you are interested in career and profesional development and the odd story from time to time, check in from time to time.

Mark