PPB February 2018

another, and leaving the third open for necessary activity.” He also keeps a pen and paper handy for immediate thoughts. “That’s how I remember the next course of action,” he says. Proforma’s Haar and her business partner keep private offices on the opposite ends of their office space, and in between are a series of semi-private cubicles for their sales reps. One of the cubes is dedicated to catalogs and reference materials. On the other side of the space is what she calls a bullpen—a series of U-shaped work surfaces for fulfillment projects and displaying supplier samples during a lunch-and-learn. “We have a cloud-based network server that holds our files so that the team can have access to art and marketing materials at any time without asking for it or emailing it,” she says. “I love having a second screen at my workstation so that I can toggle easily between orders and information. I also love our VoIP phone system that rings the entire office if someone does not answer their phone. It can also be used seamlessly on a laptop if someone wants to work from another location.” Another tool she favors is her Pantone color book. “I religiously put it back in its sleeve so that the colors don’t fade.” Ask The Right Questions. The questions these top salespeople ask their clients is as important as what they say during a presentation or sales call. SAGE’s Sparkman says it’s all about listening to the customer. She opens the conversation by making sure she understands what their business entails and how they are currently using the tools they have in place. “By having an open dialogue, I can usually identify any pain points, must-haves and wish-list features,” she says. “After they have shared with me, I try to relate to them and provide solutions to make their day just a little easier by streamling their current processes using our products.” Haar positions her distributor company as a solutions provider, so her questions routinely revolve around the client’s intentions for each order and understanding their pain points. She asks about target audience, quantities, messaging and themes, and expected actions and reactions related to the item. She also asks clients for their brand standards. Owner Bosworth says she learned how to ask questions from a sales trainer years ago. The presentation that stuck with her uses the acronym DICTATE: • D etail: Why are we here? What do you want to accomplish? • I nterval: How long do you have to solve the problem? • C ost: What is it currently costing to fix the problem now? What is your budget to fix the problem? • T ry and Fix: What have you already done to fix this? • A ction or Inaction: What actions have you done or are willing to do? • T alk Less: Remember not to start selling yet; get to the emotion of the real problem. • E motion: Listen for the reason they want to do business with you. Distributor Mealor says that if you go into a call and try to shotgun-sell them everything you have, you may get an order, but you’ll miss the big picture. “Sit back and listen to where their challenges are. Think through the tools, services and products, and try to craft the right solution. This approach allows you to ask strategic questions.” Tina Berres Filipski is editor of PPB. 8 Terri Sparkman Senior lead account executive SAGE Sparkman says it’s all about listening to the customer. She opens the conversation by making sure she understands what their business entails and how they are currently using the tools they have in place. Tips and Techniques of Top Sellers | FEATURE | FEBRUARY 2018 | 51