ccording to Penny Kriel, spa director at
Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg,
Virginia, a sales champion must be confident and enthusiastic in product
knowledge, able to encourage guest
retention, exceptional in upselling
services and products as well as in
exceeding sales targets. Jon
McDaniel, vice president of business operations at GlyMed Plus, based in Provo, Utah, adds
that a true sales champion must also have the ability to forge
a relationship between a company and a client.
“A sales ‘champion’ is someone whose efforts exceed the
sales numbers,” McDaniel says. “Sure, he or she may make or
exceed quotas, but a sales champion also loves what he or
she does, even on the hardest of days. Sales champions have
a level of self-reflection and never make themselves higher
than the clients. They will always be a resource for valuable
information, and thus the client feels as though he or she has
a support system in the industry.”
Identifying Your Sales Champions
At Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, Illinois,
exceptional salespeople are those who have the ability to
consistently guide guests in booking the best services for their
specific needs while having the understanding of the spa’s
goals of the spa are. It is equally as important that they are
able to assist with any take-home products since the spa at
Trump International wants to encourage guests to continue
their spa experience at home. Sales champions should have
knowledge to speak confidently about the services and products while gaining the trust of guests to encourage repeat
visits.
“It’s one thing to be a salesperson,” McDaniel says.
“That’s something most people can work at.” An exceptional
sales person, says McDaniel, is someone who makes a commitment and is fully invested in the clients.
To go above and beyond, McDaniel says GlyMed Plus
“recruits relationship-driven people whose primary focus is to
make clients the best at what they do with our support.” To
this end, he asks himself one primary question when considering whom to hire and train for a client-facing role: “Is this
person client-driven?”
Promising salespeople demonstrate an eagerness to listen
to the client’s issues and collaborate on solutions for success.
Once this person has been identified within the company or
during the hiring process, he or she undergoes significant
training at GlyMed Plus. Sales training begins with three days
of intensive training under McDaniel, who has 15 years of
sales experience as well as teaching experience as an adjunct
professor at a local state university.
“We then get in front of clients and non-clients to hear
their take on what is important to them,” he says. “We do
continuing training with webinars, activities and seminars.
Training staff on long-term relationships is an extensive duration training goal we focus on every day.”
Kriel, on the other hand, looks at key qualities to determine whether a sales team member deserves a promotion or
requires additional training. Team members who know and
understand key product selling points, consistently reach
PENNY KRIEL
Spa Director
Salamander Resort & Spa
Middleburg, Virginia
March/April 2015
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