How a Professional Motivational Speaker Helped Increase Sales by 10%

standing out of the crowd

“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”

~ John Buchan ~

Do you head a corporation that’s struggling with its brand image? Do you need a sure-fire solution to increase sales now?

Here’s a story about how one company invested in a professional leadership motivational speaker and increased sales by 10 percent in just six months.

Ginny Benson was the HR manager of a software company that employed around 200 people. Software sales were below expectations for the first and second quarter and the company was looking to downsize.

Ginny knew that the first job cuts would be in the sales department, which employed smart, young, dynamic individuals with never-ending enthusiasm but not much experience. The company had invested a lot in building their brand identity, and Ginny, with over 15 years experience, felt that many of the new sales team members didn’t have a solid understanding of the corporate vision and brand to reflect in their sales meetings with clients, which resulted in their low sales figures.

She urged top leaders to invest in a speaker and give the sales team another chance. Management agreed, and a seasoned speaker was hired.

After conducting in-depth research and interviews, the speaker came up with a 6-month plan that included leadership training, improving brand perception, and sales training.

Here are the top 3 reasons why hiring a professional motivational speaker helped increase sales by 10%:

  1. Helped bridge the gap. Every corporation has a vision, but trickling that vision down to all levels of the organization is critical. After consulting with top executives, management, and the sales team, the speaker discovered that there was a huge disconnect between what top leaders thought the company’s brand identity and vision was and what the sales team perceived it to be. The leadership training sessions focused on bridging the gap so that everyone was on the same page.
  2. Provided necessary tools. The speaker not only helped the sales team gain a clearer understanding of the corporate brand but also provided leadership development tools and resources on how to convey that brand identity to clients. Aligning the corporate brand identity with what clients wanted to hear helped to improve the clients’ perception of the brand image, opened up communication, and left less room for doubts.
  3. Got the team to clinch the sale. Quiet confidence speaks volumes. Any body language expert knows that what you don’t say matters most. Top management noticed that with newfound knowledge and tools the company’s sales team exhibited increased levels of confidence in not only clinching the deal but also gaining valuable customer feedback to fine-tune the brand image according to client expectations.

Ginny knew that experienced motivational speakers are professionals who are worth their weight in gold. Although the year-end bonus and the accolades she received from top leaders for her smart thinking mattered, Ginny’s biggest source of satisfaction came from the fact that she had played a part in saving quite a few jobs.

Does your sales team need help communicating your brand identity to clients? Hire a professional corporate speaker to help them out.

Talkback: For your company’s brand identity to be effective, it must be understood by every employee. How do you communicate your corporate brand identity across all levels of your organization? Leave a comment and let us know what has worked for you! 

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

June 21, 2012 Leave a comment

5 Ways to Empower Your Employees to Reach their Full Potential

Empowerment
“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

~ General George Smith Patton, Jr. ~

Employees are a valuable resource that is frequently overlooked. Managers need to work with employees in order to maximize their skills and productivity. By doing so, they will help increase each employee’s value to the company. Motivational speakers and authors can help managers learn the most effective ways to empower their employees to perform at their greatest potential. But if you are a manager, you don’t have to wait until your company brings in an inspirational, motivational keynote speaker to start making an effort to empower your employees. Here are a few things you can do now:

  1. Listen to Your Employees
    No one knows their jobs better than they do. If they come to you with suggestions to make their jobs easier, hear them out. Employees often come up with great ideas to increase their productivity, but if their managers don’t listen, they give up trying to make things better.
  2. Don’t Feel Threatened
    Some of your employees probably have skills that you don’t have. That’s why they are doing their jobs and you are doing yours. Just as you are good at what you do, they have the skill set that is required to perform well at their jobs. That doesn’t mean they are well-suited to do your job, so don’t allow yourself to feel threatened. Instead, try to encourage those employees to continue improving upon their skills.
  3. Provide Needed Support
    If your employees need new equipment, software, training, or anything else to get their jobs done in an efficient manner, it is up to you as their manager to fight for the funding, if necessary, to get your employees what they need.
  4. Let Them Know How Important They Are
    Knowing that your job is important can make a huge difference in both self-esteem and job satisfaction. Employees who feel like they are making an important contribution are happier employees, and they are more likely to do their best work for their employers.
  5. Let Them Know How They Are Doing
    Too often, managers take employees for granted and fail to express their appreciation for a job well done. An employee who receives frequent praise when deserved is more likely to continue doing great work to please his or her boss, so try to find ways to provide feedback regularly. At the same time, it is sometimes necessary to give negative feedback. Try to frame negative feedback in a positive light when possible. For example, you might say, “I really like the graphs you used to illustrate this report, but I’d like to see more information about the profit margins on individual products.”

Try implementing some of these strategies with your employees and see how they react. You are certain to see some positive results. And remember that motivational speakers and authors provide a lot of information that managers can use to help their employees succeed. Try to attend seminars by motivational speakers or look for books by authors who can help you motivate and empower your employees.

Schedule a motivational seminar for your employees today! See how motivational professional public speaker Joel Garfinkle can help you.

August 3, 2011 2 Comments