Mark Zokle

Mark Zokle | The Devil is in the Details

When a person sets out to make a large purchase, such as a vehicle, home, or recreational equipment, he or she has many decisions to consider and they often feel intense pressure to wait, says Mark Zokle. However, their wavering minds can be gently nudged along in a technique known as the minor points close.

Details, details

According to Mark Zokle, the minor points close is a sales strategy that involves talking about features and accessories the purchaser might choose if he or she were to make a selection right then and there. Depending on the industry, this could be a visible component, such as color, or luxury feature that would affect the overall purchase price.

Mark Zokle Is in a Hurry

Why is he in a hurry? Because Zokle wants to close.

Rushing through closing a deal, asserts Mark Zokle, is one of the best ways to close quickly and efficiently. Sometimes, it is necessary for a salesperson to expedite the buying process for his or her customer by speeding things up a little bit. Zokle offers the following example:

Yes, this is a fantastic engagement ring. I’ve had four other people look at it today and I think I just saw one of them pull into the parking lot. Shall we grab it and run to the back so you don’t lose this deal?

Mark Zokle | Never Better, Always Now

Mark Zokle defines procrastination as the enemy of sales. The most effective antidote to procrastination is a salesperson who knows how to skillfully employ the never-the-best-time closing technique.

Now, not never

According to Mark Zokle, sales is one area where tomorrow almost always means never. The most successful sales teams master the art of showing their customers the disadvantages of waiting. Mark Zokle uses the following example:

If you don’t buy the boat at the beginning of summer and wait until it goes on clearance, you will have three fewer months to enjoy it. Is a $500 price drop really worth 12 glorious weekends on the water? No, it’s not! And because this is a very popular model, there is a good chance it will be sold out before our end-of-season clearance sale.

Mark Zokle Discusses Sales Management Obstacles

There is consistent evidence that demonstrate sales team transformation starts with the sales manager, says Mark Zokle. Sales managers are in a unique position to influence and empower their sales reps to higher levels of achievement. Here, Zokle touches on a few of the issues that sales managers must overcome in order to effectively coach their teams.

Q: How much emphasis should be put on deadlines and metrics?

Mark Zokle: An effective manager understands the importance of time restraints and quotas. However, these are not the only performance drivers. The most successful sales managers place an emphasis on encouraging staff to perform at their best and don’t stress the numbers. A well-trained and motivated sales team will naturally achieve its goals without the added stress of worrying over charts and graphs.

Mark Zokle | Leadership is Dead; Coaching is the New Motivation

Sales managers pay attention: Mark Zokle, a respected and experienced sales manager and motivational speaker, says if you’re leading, you should be coaching. Here, Zokle elaborates on a few key points that explain the difference.

Leading implies that you are making the decisions – you are not.

According to Mark Zokle, by the time you accept your sales management position, all of the vital decisions have already been made. Your company executives have already outlined their vision, established a corporate mission, and determined specific markets to approach. There’s not a lot of room left for true leadership in the sales management role. Instead, you are a coach, a guide, and a sounding board for new ideas.

Mark Zokle | Managing Employees According to Individual Traits

Not all sales representatives are alike, says Mark Zokle, a nationally-recognized motivational speaker and sales training coach. Zokle recently sat down and explained several management techniques based on individual salesperson traits.

Q: When is coaching most effective?

Mark Zokle: Coaching, a management tactic that emphasizes guidance and leadership, is perhaps most effective at developing skills of the average salesperson. Coaching helps establish a baseline performance level and is an exceptional tool for helping these employees fine-tune their skills. Most salespeople are coachable and have the ability to go from average to exceptional.

Q: Which employee might best benefit from performance counseling?

Mark Zokle: Performance counseling is often called for when a salesperson has previously exhibited exceptional sales skills but has recently lost his or her motivation. The goals of performance counseling are to investigate, intervene, and address issues that negatively impact a person’s job performance.

Mark Zokle: Coaching as Important as Managing, Training

Do you know what happens when you don’t take the time to coach your sales representatives? According to Mark Zokle, the most likely outcome is that they won’t gain new skills and will continue to make the same mistakes because they don’t know any better. Sales performance suffers and your reps can’t grow in their careers.

Mark Zokle explains that many managers confuse managing, training, and coaching. Training, he says, is easy. This is simply teaching an employee how to go through the motions of a particular task. This could be the required verbiage of a sales presentation or some similarly required marketing tactic. Coaching and managing are a bit more complex.

Managing, as defined by Mark Zokle, is the art of putting out fires and working as an authority figure. Unfortunately, it is very easy to micromanage and consequently damage your team’s effectiveness.

Mark Zokle on Coaching Teams

Mark Zokle is one of the nation’s leading motivational speakers and sales management experts. In today’s brief question-and-answer session, Zokle illuminates the differences between coaching and leading and offers insight as to why the latter renders better results.

Q: What is the difference between coaching and leading a sales team?

Mark Zokle: A coach is one who sits on the sidelines, barking out orders at his team. A leader, by contrast, acts as a quarterback. He serves as a role model and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. An effective leader is one that can help the individuals he mentors become better salespeople instead of simply telling them what to do.

Q: How important are sales goals?

Mark Zokle: Sales goals are established in order for the company to plan a budget. It’s important to make sure that your team meets or exceeds these goals. However, I have found that focusing on the numbers often does more harm than good. It’s far better to be an example of how persistence and integrity can lead to sales and new customer relationships as opposed to micromanaging your employees.

Mark Zokle on Making Work “Work” from Anywhere

Mark Zokle is a nationally respected sales trainer and director. He spends much of his time on-the-go and has learned a few important things over the years about how to manage professional duties when you’re not in the office. Here, Mark Zokle answers a few questions about working remotely and explains his tried-and-true methods for success.

Q: Is it really possible to operate my business from anywhere?

Mark Zokle: Absolutely, yes! It’s difficult but definitely doable if you’re willing to put in a little extra work.

Q: Like what?

Mark Zokle: Well, first of all you have to really focus on making sure that you and your employees are accountable for your “on-the-clock” activities.

Q: How do we do that?

Mark Zokle: I like to hold weekly accountability meetings.

Mark Zokle | Leaders Create Markets

Home improvement is a forward-driven industry that requires “go-getters” at every level. Leadership at the top will generate the revenue a business needs to succeed, says Mark Zokle. Here, Zokle outlines three ways solid management is the key to a company’s success.

Leaders inspire

Mark Zokle claims that a good leader will inspire his or her staff to perform at their best. The leader will serve as an example of how to sell in an ethical and responsible way and forge relationships with customers. According to Mark Zokle, the best sales trainers teach their trainees how to help target customers see value in their services and then recommend them to friends and family…even when they don’t make the immediate sale.