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Training Tuesday:Improving Your Sales Pitch

Posted 5 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 5 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 5 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:Leads vs. Opportunities vs. Prospects

Posted 5 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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Training Tuesday:Consistency

Posted 5 years ago

There are a million sales tips and “tricks” out there designed to help you become a better salesperson, but you may find the biggest key to long term success is consistency. You must be consistent – create a routine of practicing your sales presentation, prospecting, maintaining relationships with existing clients, and pitching to potential customers. If you do not do these things regularly, you can’t guarantee that you will have reliable sales numbers.

If you can consistently practice your sales presentation, you can make the presentation itself more consistent based on what works in real sales situations and you can continue to fine tune it. If you don’t practice and instead rely on charisma and “winging it,” you cannot necessarily reproduce an effective sales pitch. Without a dependable sales presentation, the level of success you can expect from a prospect in a sales interaction varies widely.

Having a steady sales pipeline also relies on consistent prospecting and interactions with existing customers. If you don’t spend ample time each day or week prospecting, it doesn’t matter how stellar your sales presentation is, because you won’t have a potential customer to share it with. You must also maintain relationships with your existing customers, both to help prevent them from leaving for the competition and to increase your chances of successful referrals to their contacts who may need your services.

Consistency is key – that may be a cliché, but it certainly applies to sales. It is crucial that you put in reliable work and effort in order to create and maintain a steady rate of sales success.

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LTL 101:Unexpected Charges for LTL Loads

Posted 5 years ago

It is important to educate shippers and consignees so they know what to expect at the time of pick-up and delivery, but it is equally as important to remind them of potential unexpected charges and things to watch out for when shipping an LTL load.

Did you know that many customers get invoiced at a much higher rate due to their shipments being “hit” with Cubic Capacity, Exceeds Linear Feet, or Oversize Dims? All three of these things are different and very expensive so pay close attention to what your customer is shipping.

Cubic Capacity
This is when a shipment is greater than 750 cubic feet and an average density of 6 or less (some carriers are 4 or less).

  • Example of a Cubic Capacity load:
    • 6 Pallets at 2600 lbs., each pallet is 48x48x55, cubic feet is 768, and the density is only 5.91
  • This shipment would get “hit” with cubic capacity without a quote.

Linear Foot Rule
Each carrier has their own version of the linear foot rule. If your shipment equals more than the LTL linear foot rule for that carrier then it will get “hit” with the “exceeds linear feet” fee.

  • Example of Linear Foot load:
    • 5 pallets at 5000 lbs., each pallet is 49x49x50, and because the pallets cannot be placed side by side this shipment takes up a little more than 20’ of space

Oversize
Each carrier has an over dimension rule; most LTL carriers are 12′. The oversize accessorial should be applied to any shipment 12’ or more. You can find the “Linear Foot Rule” for most carriers by looking at their carrier tariff on their websites.

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Community Involvement:Proud Corporate Partner of Truckers Against Trafficking

Posted 5 years ago

SunteckTTS is proud to be a corporate partner of Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), an organization that proactively trains truck drivers to help spot, stop, and prevent human trafficking.

Human trafficking is defined as recruiting, holding or transporting people into a “situation of exploitation through the use of violence, deception, or coercion and forced to work against their will”. Victims of human trafficking include men, women, and children, who are involuntarily used for labor or sex work.

Those who are victims of trafficking are often drugged, coerced, or physically forced to participate in unsafe and illegal activities, which can create a cycle of fear, dependence, and violence that can be almost impossible to escape from without assistance.

We are proud to be a sponsor for an organization that is working to help reduce human trafficking through a national program for education and empowerment of those in a unique position to help those who have been trafficked. Truckers Against Trafficking works to educate members of a group that is often exposed to victims of sex trafficking, and to empower truckers to recognize and report suspicious activity and suspected cases of human trafficking.

The training provided by TAT covers how to recognize possible instances of human trafficking, what action to take, and to whom and how they should report the situations and people they encounter. This training empowers truck drivers to take immediate and concrete action that has, in many situations, led to investigations and convictions of traffickers and the rescue of their victims or intended victims.

About Truckers Against Trafficking

Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is a 501(c)3 non-profit that exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking and busing industries to combat human trafficking. You can read more about the TAT mission at www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org

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LTL 101:Pick-Up and Delivery Tips

Posted 5 years ago

Pick-Ups:

  • Any pick-up (P/U) entered after 2:30 PM local time should be called into the carrier to insure availability, otherwise the request will roll over to the next day
  • Lift Gate P/Us must be called into the carriers because Lift Gates are not readily available at every terminal
  • All Container Freight Stations and Airline P/Us require Delivery Order and Entry paperwork (3416 document), these need to be sent 24 hours in advance because drivers will need these documents in hand prior to P/U
  • P/Us are not Guaranteed
  • All carriers require a 2 hour window for P/Us
  • P/Us are done in the afternoon because drivers have to deliver freight before they can start pickups
    • If your shipper needs an AM P/U it is best practice to call the carrier to set something up which will most likely incur additional charges
  • The shipper must have our system generated BOL to provide to the driver at the time of P/U or our rates will not apply
    • This is not something the carrier will have via our P/U requests in BTMS
  • If an LTL driver needs to reference a P/U number, it is best practice to put that number on the first line of the shipper name. Please see the example below:

           ABC Distribution Co > Ref # 123456

           4567 Main Street

           Anywhere, NY 10014

Deliveries: 

  • Transit times and delivery dates are estimations and can be delayed for many reasons
    • Add an additional day if a shipment is interlined
    • Add 2-3 days if a shipment is traveling by rail
  • Stress to your customers, if the shipment must be delivered by a certain date and time, spend the extra money and have a the shipment guaranteed
    • If “Guaranteed” is not on the BOL at time of P/U no adjustments can be made to the invoice
  • Volume Shipments cannot be Expedited or Guaranteed
  •  Re-delivery Rates are based on weight and can get very pricey

It is imperative to make sure the consignee is ready to accept the freight so that additional charges are not incurred

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Training Tuesday:Problem Solving

Posted 5 years ago

Being able to solve problems for your customers is one of the most important skills you can have as a sales person. Solving problems will require time, thought, and individual attention, but once you have a set of skills in place, you can begin to handle problems quickly, easily, and consistently.

The first step should always be to actively listen to what they’re saying. If you don’t understand the question the customer is asking, how can you expect to provide a helpful solution or answer? You should make every effort to clarify their question, problem, or objection before you even start to formulate a solution. In the clarification process, hopefully your prospect or customer will give you additional details that can help you solve their problem.

After you have defined the problem, you can begin to brainstorm solutions and identify options. Once you have a list of options, you’re better equipped to determine what will actually work for a particular customer and situation.

After you’ve come up with a viable solution, you should answer the question head on, honestly, simply, and succinctly. Present the solution and then, if accepted, implement it efficiently.

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Training Tuesday:Motivational Questions

Posted 5 years ago

It can be challenging to maintain momentum in sales without being thoughtful about maintaining your motivation.

There are some questions that can make you (and your team) more successful salespeople. These questions can help you create more productive thoughts, habits, and attitudes.

  • If I try, can I be successful?
  • If I am successful, will there be a payoff?
  • Is the payoff worth it to me?

Beyond those questions, here are some other questions to ask yourself to increase your success:

  • What is your purpose for selling?
    • Who are you targeting and why?
    • What are you going to tell them or ask them? Why?
  • Are you selling what your customer needs? How can you convince them that you are?
  • What goals do you have for each sales situation or visit? For more on goals, check out our earlier blog post of setting SMART goals.

Taking time to focus on what motivates you, and on how to increase that motivation, is important to improving your success overall as a salesperson.

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