Last spring I was at a client location doing side-by-side coaching with a Customer Service Representative (CSR) and observed the CSR offer a service up-sell. She used incorrect language when it came time to present the cost and the customer promptly said “no.” After the customer left, we discussed in detail the proper dialogue for explaining price during a service up-sell.

A few minutes later, another customer walked into the location. The CSR offered an up-sell and when the customer asked the two magic words, “how much?” the CSR explained the price using perfect dialogue and technique. The customer said “yes” without any hesitation. The CSR completed the transaction and escorted the customer out of the store. When the CSR came back through the front door, she did not say a word. She simply looked at me and took a long, deep, theatrical bow.

Salespeople are not born, they are made. It is human nature to want to learn and grow both personally and professionally. Investing in the professional development of employees does more than allow organizational leaders to capitalize on their newly refined skills; it creates a positive environment that leads to stellar employee performance.

Don Anderson - Senior Speaker, Frontline Performance Group

It happens all the time. We work with a salesperson hitting home runs on every swing when they turn to us and say, “Just stay right where you are, you’re my good luck charm!” or “I’m going to put a cardboard cutout of you right here because whenever you’re around, my  numbers go through the roof!”

Here’s the good news: the sales spikes are real and they do happen when we work with sales staff and their leadership teams. Here’s the eye opener: it can happen any time. In fact, it can happen every time. A frontline employee is “on a roll” when we work with them because when we are present, they use the skills and techniques we teach and model. The fact that a client has a good day when we are on-site is a testament to the power of the program. It works if you work it.

You have to consider the difference between correlation and causality in a case like this. Simply being there does not move the dial. It will not motivate your frontline over the long haul. Good intentions alone do not create results. It’s consistency in presenting every product to every customer every time that leads to results.

Consider the individual who lost over 200 pounds by eating at a certain fast food restaurant for a year. True, he ate at the restaurant almost exclusively. True, he lost the weight. End of the story? Not by a long shot. Did you know that he often walked to and from the restaurant up to 3 times a day? There was a correlation (read “co-relation”) between the food and the weight loss, but was fast food the cause?

What about this famous scenario: in the summer more ice cream trucks drive around the neighborhood. Is there something about the presence of rocket pops that brings on the summer heat? There’s about as much chance of that happening as having a lucky charm on the sales floor.

The product that you sell might not be complicated, but getting your sales team to serve your customers consistently can be. So the next time you hear something like, “It’s got to be the shoes!” look a little closer. Its got to be hard work. It’s got to be dedication. It’s got to be belief. And above all, it’s got to be consistent.

Tom Diaz - Senior Performance Manager, Frontline Performance Group

When does employee loyalty cross the line and become management irresponsibility? We are fortunate in that the overwhelming majority of our clients have a deep desire to support and care for their frontline teams. They do this for many reasons; some altruistic, some not. Some care for their teams because they are genuinely concerned for their well being. Others, while not driven by a deep compassion for their employees, demonstrate care because it is in the best interest of the business. Regardless, these employers have a common understanding that taking care of their employees helps them take care of their customers. They recognize it is just good business.

We frequently run across organizations who under the banner of loyalty retain employees for extended periods of time that have no business working in a frontline capacity due to their poor attitude, inability to engage or influence customers, or both. It is in these situations that many well-intended leaders fall. What they fail to recognize is while employers have an obligation to provide all of the communication, tools, training, support, compensation, recognition and other resources necessary for the employee to achieve an expected level of performance, the employee has a reciprocal obligation to at least “attempt” to achieve that level of performance by using the resources the company has provided. Notice I did not say obligation to immediately achieve the expected level of performance, as someone could be improving month-to-month and still be below the target.

There are many reasons why someone may underperform. It could be a learning difficulty, an inability to acclimate quickly to new technology, an illness or a traumatic life event that is inhibiting their effort short-term. These things can be forgiven if the underperformer is earnest in attempting to improve. Not attempting, however, is inexcusable and usually a sign of a deeper problem. If an employee is unwilling to try and improve when their employer has invested in their skills development, what they are really saying is “The company goals and needs are not important to me. I am going to do my own thing.” This mindset can become not only damaging, but viral and contaminating, as the renegade performer’s interests may not be aligned with the company’s interests. An employer who allows this to happen repeatedly is not being loyal; they are using the banner of loyalty to mask a weak-kneed unwillingness to make tough decisions – one of the true hallmarks of great leadership.

Chris Brown - Senior Vice President, Frontline Performance Group

One of my more memorable client experiences occurred a few years ago while I was working with a company to improve customer service and ancillary sales. After conducting the initial discovery visits and leading the frontline team through our core seminars, the company experienced an almost immediate and very significant improvement in both service and sales.

The general manger was so delighted with the positive results of the program launch – the changes in employee attitude, happiness, and the positive bottom-line impact – he literally cried out, “Thank God for Frontline Performance Group!”

In that moment he understood the power behind our principles, program, and the reason for our unwavering commitment to creating service-based sales cultures: happy employees = great customer experiences = improved bottom-line results.

This, of course, is no secret. However, what most business owners and managers do not realize is that changing a workplace culture requires much more than just wishful thinking; it requires the implementation of a hyper-efficient, impactful business system. This takes time, commitment, persistence, and diligence. But as this client realized, those willing to transform their business culture into one that supports employees and a service-based sales environment will reap the benefits a peak performing sales organization has to offer.

Andy Racz - Senior Account Manager, Frontline Performance Group

In the 10 years I have been with FPG, I have conducted monthly goal setting sessions with thousands of salespeople across numerous industries. One of the key insights I have gained from these sessions is the importance of seeing the potential fruits of your labor before you move forward with achieving your goals.

What do I mean by this? Salespeople need something tangible, something they can visualize, to help them achieve their goals. As a result, when setting goals it is critical that sales leaders ask their frontline employees what they would like to do with the extra incentive money earned when (not if) their sales goals are met. When salespeople are asked this question their answer is often a halfhearted “put it in the bank.” While putting it in the bank sounds and is noble, I have learned that saving more money is simply not compelling enough for the average employee to push through the additional efforts and rejection required to achieve the highest levels of sales performance.

This is because saving more does not elicit emotion. Having an extra $100 in your bank account is nice, but it doesn’t drive behavior consistently – it does not cause acute pain when it isn’t achieved. Conversely, when you are staring at a picture of a sunset on Waikiki Beach, a cherry red Ford Mustang, a pair of deep blue Gucci jeans, or a new home with a swing set and a photo of your children alongside, it hurts when you fail. It sears and it disappoints. But best of all, it angers. This type of pain is a good pain, a valuable pain because it focuses your energies, resolve and concentration to achieve something of worth…and of difficulty.

Salespeople should be encouraged to choose tangible personal rewards as part of the goal setting process, and to use pictures to remind them of their goals. However, as I always tell our clients, make sure the images placed on your refrigerator or in your work space are a true representation of what you desire most – because what you constantly think about, you become.

Albert Einstein said it best, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

What are you imagining?

Chris Brown - Senior Vice President, Frontline Performance Group