Shelley Plemons, President and Founder of Strategic Sales Solutions, shares her insights and perspectives on sales, distilled from a distinguished career as a successful sales person, sales consultant, and coach. Q: If you were on an elevator with a vice president of sales or the president of a company and were asked what Strategic Sales Solutions could do for their organization, what would you say in the 30 seconds it takes to get from the first to the twentieth floor? A: I’d simply say that we work with organizations that want to increase revenue quickly and steadily…then wait two seconds for them to indicate I’m speaking to the right person. I’d continue by asking them when is the earliest I could come in to show their management team how we can help develop effective sales processes and provide their sales force with the tools to be productive and successful—immediately and well into the future. I would also mention the companies that would be happy to share their success stories…and in the remaining five seconds, I’d thank them for their card and promise to make an appointment at the first opportunity. Q: To what would you attribute your success as a salesperson? As a consultant? A: Having held just about every position there is to hold in sales—sales rep, sales manager, vice president of sales, and sales trainer—has given me an appreciation of everything that goes into being successful…from paying attention to the small, but often decisive details to a first-hand understanding that I’m only as strong as the weakest link in my organization. Regardless of all the awards that you garner or sales revenue that you generate, long-term, consistent success is dictated by the strengths of the company for which you work—and the support they provide. If a company has a true sales culture, and an infrastructure that promotes and supports sales, it’s easy to succeed. Understanding this motivated me to develop and perfect a system that incorporates the tools, techniques, and protocols needed to help organizations build that sales culture. This actually leads to the second part of the question…when a company is open to introducing our approach and it results in more sales, more revenue, and a stronger ROI—that is how I define my success as a consultant. Q: What, in your view, separates a good salesperson from a great salesperson? A: All of the usual attributes go into making a good salesperson—informed, engaging, and responsive. However, what separates an average performer from a truly exceptional salesperson is the latter’s reliance—and proactive use—of their support infrastructure. Think of great athletes…they have a coach and, in most cases, an entire team of specialists and trainers, behind them. A salesperson, indeed an entire sales team, becomes great when they learn to leverage an organization’s “institutional” talent, intellectual capital, and resources. Natural talent and persistence certainly play their roles, but salespeople need the right tools, techniques, and people in place to support their efforts. Q: What are some of the key sales challenges/problems that you've been asked to help solve? A: Every client has a unique set of challenges. It’s our job to identify them and customize an approach to fit each one. While there are core tools and techniques that apply to all organizations and almost any situation, building a sales culture requires a deep understanding of an organization’s internal dynamics. Every company—much like a family—has its own way of doing things, its own way of communicating, and its own identity. Moreover, not all companies have equal or similar resources at their disposal. For example, we have worked with small and not-for-profit organizations that do not have a devoted full-time sales staff. Our objective is to teach them how to increase revenue through a team selling process. In another case, a client developed a new product but hadn’t identified a target market. We helped identify the target audience and developed a unique sales strategy specifically aimed at that market. In other instances, companies feel that they have the tools and the resources (i.e., salespeople) but they don’t know whom to sell to. So, we developed a qualified lead list specifically for them. There have been other times when we’ve been brought in to conduct field coaching. We actually will ride along with the sales rep in the field and accompany the person on appointments. This is very revealing and will help us pinpoint what skills need work. It can sometimes be a simple matter of getting the rep to talk less and listen more! The number one sales challenge for most companies is that they have poor ROI from their sales reps. Spending more money on salaries, training, and traveling with little to no revenue in return is poor business. That’s where we can help turn things around. Q: Are sales challenges more daunting/different today than they were in the past? A: Absolutely! Competition is fiercer and sometimes the company with the most bells and whistles gets the attention. The purchasing process has also changed. Decision makers want to build relationships with their vendors and they expect the vendor to understand what is happening within their organization and, as a result, come up with a long-term resolution—not just a quick fix. Therefore, a more sophisticated sales consultant and sales approach is required. Q: Tell us about your team...what skills/expertise do they bring to the table? A: Most important, we all have field experience. Many consultants are prone to tell you what to do. And, I’ll admit, they are typically very effective communicators. Which to them is indispensable since they usually have little or no sales experience to support their advice or theories. Everyone at Strategic Sales Solutions has, to borrow a phrase, been there and done that! Our tools and programs are the distillation of experience—it’s what works. We want our clients to reap the benefits of our experience and success. Q: What's the most valuable lesson you've learned about sales? A: There was a time sales was associated with theatrics and the dark arts of verbal persuasion. But, our view—again, based on years of experience and results—is that effective salesmanship is based on dialogue. Many salespeople are so concerned about not following a particular sales methodology they come across as scripted or too “salesy.” If your goal is to help your client make an intelligent buying decision, the process must become more interactive. It is a process of discovery and of locating the exact place where their needs intersect with your solution.  Click here for more company information.
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