BORED WITH THE USUAL KIND OF TRAINING? FED UP WITH WEIGHTY, DREADFULLY SERIOUS MANUALS? THEN LET ERM AND ASTRA PUT YOU ON THE FAST TRACK TO BEING A BETTER SALESPERSON - WITHOUT SENDING YOU TO SLEEP!

Ask the Sales Doctor

EP, a store manager from Staines, phoned us. "Because we had a really good year, last year, our current sales targets are too high.

As a result the salespeople - and myself have become demotivated. How can we overcome this?"

The Sales Doctor's Prescription

Focus on what is small and obtainable. Try to break down sales performance into small points that are achievable.

Break down your new sales target into what it means, to each salesperson, each day.

Often we're only talking about an extra widescreen sale per salesperson, per week. (with three salespeople, an additional 500 [pounds sterling] a week translates into 78,000 [pounds sterling] of sales a year!).

Then ask your salespeople what sales opportunities are being neglected. For example, ask your salespeople how much time is wasted each day on meaningless tasks that could be turned into sales.

Ask them whether every customer that comes into the store is attended to quickly and with a welcoming smile.

If every salesperson just managed to create a sales encounter with an extra two customers a day, that could go a long way to making those extra sales.

Astra sales training hint

Demonstrate digital satellite!

Without doubt, digital satellite offers the best, most varied source of widescreen programming. Use digital satellite to show off your widescreen products to your customers. Also use widescreen to sell digital satellite. The picture and sound quality is fabulous - and it's available everywhere in the UK. Then it becomes easy to introduce digital satellite into every widescreen sale.

Salesfloor Types: Mr Scruffy

No matter how new the uniform, within a few days Mr Scruffy will have it looking as if he's been sleeping rough for several weeks.

Mind you, it's not just his uniform that needs attention.

Lessons in personal grooming seem to have been sadly absent in

Mr Scruffy's life. Unwashed and uncombed hair, designer stubble, curry, beer and smoke tinted breath, missing name badge, fingernails you could rent out as an allotment are all personal characteristics of Mr Scruffy.

Sadly, attempts to convince him that, as far as customers are concerned, first impressions count, fall on deaf (and usually unwashed) ears.

Is there a female equivalent of Mr Scruffy?? Please let us know.

Sales success

Can successful selling be diluted to a simple formula? Here's our attempt at taking the sales process to its most basic ingredients.

1. Being able to look at the sale from the customer's viewpoint.

2. Showing how the benefits of the product match the customer's needs.

3. Ensuing the customer understands how they will benefit from the product.

If you can improve on that formula, let us know. In the meantime, look at those three small steps. If you are not using them - or something similar - then whatever you're doing it isn't selling!

Thought for the month

Employ optimists as salespeople and put pessimists in charge of rental and credit account authorisation.