Tom Ninness Believes a Servant-Minded Salesperson is THE Most Successful, Ep #289
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There are actions, tasks, and disciplines that must be accomplished to create a perpetual business. Tom Ninness points out that it\\u2019s important to know what activities drive your business. When Tom first entered the mortgage industry he was assigned to a territory. He knew that to use his time wisely, he needed a plan. So he planned where he would go when. So much so that all of his customers knew which days he was coming to visit. What else does Tom do to support his territory planning? Learn more in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
Outline of This Episode
- [1:11] Why is territory sales planning underrated?\\xa0
- [2:39] How territory sales planning can reduce reactivity
- [4:15] The ingredients of the perfect territory sales plan
- [5:45] Attributes and characteristics that make a salesperson great
- [7:57] Tools, tactics, and strategies to improve sales planning skills
- [10:19] Top 3 territory sales planning dos and don\\u2019ts
- [14:07] Be servant-minded with your approach
The ingredients of the perfect territory sales plan
If you have a plan laid out so you know what you\\u2019re doing hour by hour, you\\u2019ll get a great ROI. Tom has the loan officers he works with complete an exercise to calculate their hourly rate. If they want to make $250,000 and want a week off every quarter. They have to work 40 effective hours a week. That averages $130 an hour. Are the sales folks completing value-based activities that will earn them $130 an hour? When you place a\\xa0value\\xa0on your time it makes the necessity of a plan even more apparent. And, it will help you be more successful.
Attributes and characteristics that make a salesperson great
A salesperson has to be likable and servant-minded. People will want to do business with you. Many salespeople view selling as something they do \\u201cto\\u201d another person instead of something they do \\u201cfor\\u201d another person. Tom firmly believes that he \\u201cgets\\u201d because he gives without expectation of anything in return.
Tim Sanders wrote a book, \\u201cLove Is the Killer App,\\u201d in which he posits that business people are looking for knowledge. Your knowledge is worthless if you don\\u2019t share it. Secondly, you have to have a network to share it with. The larger your network, the greater your opportunities. Lastly, give with no strings attached. That\\u2019s where the law of reciprocity kicks in.\\xa0
Tools, tactics, and strategies to improve sales planning skills\\xa0
Salespeople can do business with friends, family, and coworkers. But there are other people in your network. Tom\\u2019s end customer has friends, families, and coworkers. They can refer business to him. If he does a great job and a happy customer fills out a survey for him, he believes there are at least four more opportunities for him to do additional business.
So how do you get these names? Tom uses a form where he asks happy clients for a list of professionals in their circle of influence. They gladly provide that to him. He can then share the survey they\\u2019ve completed with that list and cultivate appointments. When you delight your customers, they\\u2019ll want to refer you to their friends and colleagues.
Be servant-minded with your approach
Tom represents the financing for a builder. Someone else that represents a builder wanted to buy a unit from Tom\\u2019s builder but wanted to use his own lender. Tom\\u2019s builder flat out told him no\\u2014he had to work with Tom or he wouldn\\u2019t sell the property to him. The builder warned Tom that the customer was upset and to be mindful of that when they spoke.
Tom gave him a call and asked him to call his lender to see what they\\u2019d offer him. He agreed to match it. Tom had Googled him and done some research and really liked this guy. So throughout the next year, he sent him information and resources and gave him ideas. Tom always asks people, \\u201cWhat is the biggest challenge you\\u2019re having in your business?\\u201d The answer is usually something they\\u2019re having problems with. After a year and a half of offering value to this guy, Tom gets a call from him, asking him out to lunch.
After the waiter took their order, he said \\u201cTom, I feel like I\\u2019m having an affair.\\u201d Dumbfounded, Tom said \\u201cWhat?!\\u201d Tom had given him so much value while the lender he had worked with for 20 years wasn\\u2019t motivated to help him. This man landed a new builder with 55 townhomes and made Tom his new lender. Tom emphasizes that just because you hear the word \\u201cno\\u201d doesn\\u2019t mean you give up. You can give someone value with no strings attached. Don\\u2019t be surprised if it comes back to you tenfold.\\xa0
Resources & People Mentioned
- Love Is the Killer App\\xa0by Tim Sanders
Connect with Tom Ninness\\xa0
- Connect on\\xa0LinkedIn
Connect With Paul Watts\\xa0
Audio Production and Show notes by
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