FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES
IMPROVEMENT IN THE 5 CRITICAL SALES SKILL #5: GAINING COMMITMENT
GAINING COMMITMENT is the ability to complete sales calls with a commitment that moves the sales process forward. The Application data shows that prior to training, 64% of sales calls end without the salesperson asking for a commitment. Since the ability to gain commitment is key criteria for hiring salespeople, it appears that nearly two-thirds of salespeople are not doing their job. Training remedied this with a whopping 120% improvement in salespeople Asking for Commitment.
REMARKABLE FINDINGS ABOUT QUESTIONING/LISTENING SKILLS IN FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES
- The Fortune 500 showed lower Pre-Sales Training scores in both Knowledge and Application. It appears that Fortune 500 had little or no prior training in how to effectively Gain Commitment.
- With an incredible improvement in Application, Fortune 500 salespeople showed that there was significant opportunity to improve their ability to Ask for Commitment.
The Fortune 500 started with selling skills that were generally below the Universe. It appeared that Fortune 500 salespeople were not being trained in sales skills. Perhaps it is due to the perception that products and services from large companies do not require salespeople to add value to the sales equation…Fortune 500 products sell themselves rather than the salespeople.
About Duane Sparks
Duane Sparks is founder and chairman of The Sales Board, the authoritative source of practical and leading-edge information about the art and science of selling. He has created Action Selling sales training products and learning systems that transform sales organizations. Duane is author of these best-selling books: Action Selling, Selling Your Price, Questions (the Answer to Sales), Masters of Loyalty (How to turn your sales force into a loyalty force), and Sales Strategy from the Inside Out (How complex selling really works).
Discover how the best sales training process can make spectacular improvements in sales skills. Action Selling: How to Sell Like a Professional (Even If You Think You are One).