The mother of sales excellence

For a sales organization, it is only by meticulously grasping every link in the sales process that it can make a difference in the market. Doing this is no easy task.

Marriott Vacation Club has turned that dream into a reality, winning the "America's Best Sales Organization" award. If you, too, want to build a great sales organization, its experience is worth learning from.

Marriott Ownership Resorts is a small Florida arm of the Marriott hotel empire. It made $50 million in 1990 sales of timeshares, and while that may have been an absolutely massive amount for Marriott in Florida, analysts at Marriott's headquarters saw it as just a spot on the radar That's it, they look forward to better days -- more sales. After sensing the dynamism in a market that was about to take off, Marriott International had a simple command: grow.

The management of Marriott's timeshare resorts implemented this directive from headquarters with unprecedented enthusiasm, changing the resort name to Marriott Vacation Club in 1995, by reengineering the entire resort's business operations, especially the sales force , single-mindedly seeking to meet or exceed headquarters expectations. Their goal: not only to be the best sales organization in the timeshare industry, but, in the words of Alan Cervasio, vice president of global sales strategy and human capital development, "to be the best sales organization in all industries. good sales agency". What an ambition this is!

Today, the achievements of Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) are nothing short of breathtaking. From $50 million in 1990, MVCI sales have skyrocketed, breaking the $1.1 billion mark this year. It is now the largest timeshare company in the world and boasts nearly 230,000 customers under four brands. And in another goal—to be the best sales force in all industries, just this past year, MVCI management proudly named the nation's best sales force in the inaugural American Business Awards. Taking home the institutional award, the company managed to beat nearly 500 candidates from nearly every industry.

One has to ask: How did such a sales company go from being a "big" fish in a small pond to a dominant force in a multi-billion dollar industry? The myth of MVCI rests on one key principle: Perform nearly every critical function of the entire sales process—from customer development to after-sales follow-up and every step in between—at the highest level, with close attention to detail.

At a time when most other sales companies are talking about how to build harmonious relationships with customers, how to create a good team-oriented environment in the company, and how to maintain a high level of passion among salespeople, MVCI's Management decisively gave salespeople all the tools they needed to push the company to greater heights. And all of this comes in a fiercely competitive environment for timeshare sales, where customers are notoriously fickle and sales cycles are measured not in days or weeks but in minutes.

Rigorous Recruitment

MVCI's management team realized early on that even with competent leadership, a good sales process, and a high-quality product, the company's goals lacked the right people to work toward. , is still not possible. Therefore, reorganizing the company's sales staff selection process and introducing the best potential talents has become the most important thing for the company.

In the past, management relied on a shaky system, coupled with emotional interviews, to select new salespeople, said Chris Wachta, vice president of marketing for the central Florida region. As you can imagine, the results were mixed. As a result, MVCI introduced a new and more scientific selection method to replace the subjective method of the past. Wakta said he was once part of a control group tasked with figuring out exactly what kinds of people would be successful sales reps for the company.

"Management turned to the team and asked, 'How do we judge who is our best person in terms of financial and personal performance, customer performance and customer ratings?'" he said. California, Colorado, and South Carolina selected 125 sales managers who they firmly believed were the company's best talent. These 125 were then given in-depth interviews."

In fact, MVCI is a partnership with The Gallup Organization teamed up to determine the unique qualities a salesperson would need in order to successfully sell Marriott's timeshare products based on the selection of the best 125 salespeople. Peter Watzka, who joined the company as vice president of sales and marketing, is now senior vice president of marketing and sales and chief customer officer. He said they are now applying the important quality characteristics the study found to the company's hiring of new employees, requiring new hires to possess these characteristics.

"The intrinsic qualities we're looking for include interpersonal values, motivation, influence, work style, and business thought processes," he said, "and they have to be competitive. We found this to be our company's salespeople. One of the very important characteristics to have. Interpersonal and communication skills are also extremely important, however you would be surprised to find that there are a large number of people who do not have these qualities who want to go into sales. Also, there is integrity and humility to learn attitude: You have to constantly want to be better in the sales process."

Now, the selection process that emerged from this initial survey has become an integral part of MVCI's recruiting strategy, although Wozca Emphasize that this is just one of the tools they use to recruit new salespeople.

He said: "There is no tool that is absolutely effective. This selection criteria does not guarantee that you will get the right people. It is a process, it is only a step. We use it to determine what is going on in a hiring interview. .We also look at the successful history and experience of the candidate, so it is not just based on the applicant's score on the quality characteristics to decide whether to hire or not. Even so, this tool often strengthens our ability to apply for a candidate ideas."

Sales Training

MVCI found that there is a direct correlation between time and effort spent on recruiting and employee retention. "The best people are able to do the job, perform better than everyone else, and stay with the company longer," says Alan Salvasio. "However, the difference between keeping the good people who have already hired them is very different." Just as important is top-notch training for new hires and ongoing training for salespeople throughout their careers.

"New hires go through classroom training for the first three or four weeks on the company's product knowledge, Marriott's culture and history, presentation skills -- all of that," he said. "Once they've done this process, they have to pass an exam to present to a manager. Then we watch them closely over a few weeks. If they don't make a sale within the given time, we'll help one-on-one They recognize their potential and make sure they're on track."

During the first six months, new hires take the title of "Sales Associate", upon which they graduate as "Sales Managers." To be sure, some sales traditionalists with a "let it run its course" training philosophy may feel that MVCI devotes too much time and effort to new employee training, especially when compared to other salespeople in the industry. more so than training. Salvasio defended the company's training efforts, noting that not only is Marriott's higher expectations for a professional salesperson, but also that the actual process of selling timeshares is incredibly difficult.

"Timeshare is a product where people don't necessarily walk in, open their checkbook and say 'I'm going to buy it'". "Usually, they come in and say, 'We're not buying anything,' and you spend two hours building a relationship and a value proposition before they spend $20,000 before they leave," he explained. It's an 'unavailable' luxury. It's harder than selling consumer products, where people come in and buy because they need it, like a computer or a car. That's a different sales process. However, with timeshares, You need a high level of sales skills to make effective sales. We also believe that the sales process offers people the opportunity to become truly great salespeople."

Consultant Presentation

MVCI Most All sales skills training revolves around the "demonstration" - during that important hour and one and a half to two hour window of opportunity, the sales rep must develop rapport and connections with the customer in order to resonate with the customer way to explain the benefits of Marriott's timeshare products to customers, and then make a sale. Wozka emphasizes that all of this happens to customers the sales manager has never met, and who often walks in with the determination not to be deceived.

"It's pure sales," Wozka said. "During a ninety-minute to two-hour presentation, you have that urge to stimulate, and then it's gone. Then the next urge comes. It's Tough selling."

MVCI salespeople use a so-called "consultative sales process," which emphasizes a relaxed, soft-selling atmosphere, where mutual trust is the cornerstone, allowing customers to go through the entire presentation process Then make a purchase decision.

According to Servasio, the key word for this process is trust. He said: "Building trust with our customers is critical to our demos. We have to continually improve our awareness and understanding of this. You can't find what customers value most until you build trust. Building trust starts early. The warm-up before the demo begins, for example, the salesperson greets the guest. It can take 15 minutes or an hour, but the salesperson will not take the next step until they feel they have earned the right to start the demo and understand A 90-minute demo is a challenge, and even if you get to the 90th minute, it's useless if you haven't built trust."

In fact, despite careful scouting for sales talent, With high-quality products, intensive training, and an effort to build trust and use a consultative sales process, only 20% of the demos given by MVCI salespeople typically result in a deal. Because salespeople are doing 15 presentations a week, they get a lot of rejections every day and every week. Sustaining disappointment becomes the key to staying focused.

"After you've put your heart and soul into a two-hour sales presentation, of course you're psychologically frustrated if the customer doesn't buy," says Wozka. "It's hard not to show this at work. It's a disappointment, and, if you're not careful, it can affect your next presentation, which is why we say these things to salespeople: 'Do your job as the Each of your customers is 100% informed and 110% enthusiastic, and strives to do so day in and day out.'"

Executive Support

At MVCI, management's commitment to salespeople is There's a lot more to support than simply boosting morale. Even after a sales associate has passed the first six months of being promoted to a sales manager, management continues to observe their performance and mental state in order to provide all the tools and cooperation to keep the salesperson focused on selling at their best. .

Ongoing training is one such important tool. In addition to holding regular morning meetings to review the previous day's work, MVCI managers train employees on a weekly basis. The training covers the different components of a sales presentation, and there are roundtable discussions held twice a week for salespeople to share best practices. Because MVCI management recognizes the importance of updating the basics, every member of the sales team is also regularly sent to a training program called "back to basics". "We're constantly trying to improve in this area, maximizing our potential," Servasio said. "We're not perfect, and that's one of the areas where we're going to focus on improving."

" If the sales people feel they can get the attention and attention of the managers or mentors when they come to work, it will bring great benefits to the company." He said, "The managers here will take the time to ask the sales people what to do. How about it, or say to them 'Let's sit down and talk, I know you've had a tough week.' I really believe it's like recharging a battery to reinvigorate their passion. It's not just for 'Marriott' 'The brand is a contribution and a contribution to the company because they know it's a caring company."

One of the most important things for the company is to have a reward and recognition mechanism, To motivate every sales associate. The company has developed sales contests, incentives, and rewards, among other programs, so that salespeople don't leave the company even if they don't earn performance points. It is because of the success of this incentive mechanism that the company's sales force has grown significantly over the past few years. Performance points are important for career advancement. To become a senior sales manager, a salesperson must accumulate 30,000 points, which often takes three years. The easiest way to earn Performance Points is through sales transactions, where each transaction is worth 100 points.

At the same time, additional points can be obtained by passing other criteria. Servasio pointed out that many award programs can give winners extra points, because the award itself shows that they are recognized by their colleagues. "If you find your sales associate is doing the right thing, you can refer him, and the company's quarterly executive review meetings evaluate all the nominees," he explained. "It's not a competition to steal the show." , because the referrer must provide concrete evidence that the referred sales associate excels in his own development or in serving the customer."

Changed by the customer

In addition to training and motivation , support from MVCI management also includes keeping up with the latest customer developments and trends.

"Our job is to identify seasonal changes in the factors that influence customer demand, adjust policies that motivate customers to buy, and adjust training content to prepare for changes in advance," said Wozka. , California, or anywhere else in the next six months to forecast changes in customer types and circumstances. Based on that, we get ahead of customer changes and train salespeople appropriately to prepare them to fight. "

In the global Marriott empire, the most frequently quoted phrase comes from the company's founder, J. Willard Marriott, who likes to say "success has no end." In MVCI, this view has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. When talking to MVCI's salespeople and managers, you can't help but be impressed by their love for the company's products and their dedication to selling to those they sell to—whether they end up buying it or not— Provide a first-class experience. They are so eager to continuously improve their abilities in order to achieve greater success. Everything is in tune, Salvasio said, because the company is always focused on making sure all the elements are in place and ready to go.

He said, "Our sales managers are convinced that the products they are selling provide customers with an opportunity to improve their lives. They believe that if they become their customers, their lives will be improved."

In addition, management Layer also strives to make sales fun and maintain a competitive environment within the company. The company runs a variety of competitions, offers weekly home-cooked lunches, and rewards high-performing employees. These will definitely make employees thrive.

"It's also thanks to our selection process," says Servasio. "We hire the best 'horses' - we just have to give them tracks to run and focus on doing well. The work in hand. The main theme of our work is to provide customers with beneficial products. Our dynamic culture generates excellent employee performance, and through mutual learning, talent is endless. How can we not grow and continue to make people benefit from it? ?"

Original text used with permission from publisher Personal Selling Power Inc., copyright 2003. Translated by Zhang Ping.