Thomas Young Philosophy & Core Beliefs

When hiring an outside consultant, or sales trainer, it is very important to understand their values and core beliefs. Here are the key principles, values and guidelines of Thomas Young's Consulting.

Thomas Young Mission Statement:

"Increase client revenues by providing sales and marketing training and consulting services."

To contribute to the personal and professional development of sales and marketing professionals and teams through the use of facilitated, customized learning sessions, meetings and written materials. To utilize talents, experience, abilities and knowledge to add value to organizations through marketing, sales and management consulting, project management, and training services. Results are measured in changed behavior and improved sales.

Values and Core Beliefs

The core business values are built on honesty, integrity, trust, persistence and hard working implementation that leads to results. Action-orientation and a focus on the big-picture analysis are highly valued. The idea of an outside, creative approach to an organization's business is appreciated. The importance of listening, asking questions and clarifying is a key value. Also, communicating with empathy, understanding and a focus on the client and their needs are critical. Helping clients and building solid relationships are highly important attributes.

The Importance of Professional Development

Professional development is absolutely critical in business, and especially in sales. Sales people are rewarded in direct proportion to their service to clients. The best way to increase their value is to develop their abilities and skills. This leads to increased rewards. Today's competitive business environment forces sales organizations to constantly improve, or fail. The "Sales Master" training program meets those needs by providing a comprehensive, effective sales training and motivational program that will stimulate this learning process and self-development. This is important because individuals learn when they want to learn. The training program must stimulate this need to learn and change.

The sales training programs can change one's life. It is designed to build a new foundation in one's professional life and in the appropriate direction. We all have the power to make decisions. This is the starting point of the training program. Individuals learn how to invest their time in the right balance. Success in sales is not handed out on a silver platter; learning and contributing are the paths to the attainment of goals. This program teaches sales people to follow their conscience. They learn how to follow their mind, body, heart and soul. This will give them the direction and wisdom to accomplish great things.

Selling is a Skill to be Learned

In the right environment, strong training sessions, workshops and seminars motivate sales people. However, effective selling and sales management cannot be taught quickly. We are not born to be effective sales people; these traits must be learned. There are no quick fixes, easy tricks or luck, over the long term. They must be learned through experience and the growth of natural talent. Selling effectively means doing the right thing at the right time. There is no one method that will work all the time; the approach needs to change and adapt to the situation. The best approach to selling is a well-balanced, big picture view of the situation and circumstances. A holistic approach to sales and sales training is critical. However, there are wrong and right ways of doing things, and this is true in sales. Sales approaches can range from terrible to excellent.

The Art and Science of Sales

Selling is both science and art, is an analytical and a creative process. Selling is science because there are proven approaches that work. Deduction, observation and analytical skills are very important to selling, as they are in science. In many ways, selling is a numbers game; an exercise in presenting to enough prospects until someone buys. Yet, it is also an art, because creativity and spontaneity are keys to success in sales. The marketplace, business in general, and sales are constantly changing and creativity is needed to adapt to these changes. The sales rep who is centered, balanced and maintains an inner sense of purpose, focus and peace will best adapt in today's chaotic business environment. Dealing with people is a skill of communication and a balance of dealing with emotions, uncertainty and individual uniqueness. Individuals who are creative and think beyond the boundaries (outside of the box) will discover new ways to succeed. These new initiatives will lead to growth, well beyond expectations.

Selling is Service

Selling is based on helping customers and adding value to their already busy and complex life. Selling tactics of the past are outdated and ineffective. The "Sales Master" program takes into account the current trends in business and presents a new model for selling. Sales professionals need to make trust and excellent service part of who they are and how they conduct business. When this is accomplished, the return will be greater than the investment. The paradox of sales is this: give and it will be returned to you many times over. Sales people benefit from helping and giving to others.

Hot Buttons

One of the most basic and essential parts of selling is to sell based to people's emotional hot buttons. This will cause customers to respond to the benefits or features that trigger hot buttons and create enough value that a sale is made. When a hot button is pushed, people buy.

The Role of the Sales Manager

The sales manager's role is changing. Effective sales managers will lead by creating an environment that allows people to reach their full potential. The proper vision, effective values and a strong sense of purpose set the tone for leadership and enable the sales culture to flourish. Direction and control are on the way out, and maintaining a sense of balance and order are in. The best leaders are those who do not seek credit for the success of their employees. They lead without managing and manage without control. Effective leaders give their employees accountability and trust. The wise leader will than leave them alone. The leader recognizes that the employee will succeed or fail and that there is more to gain from failure than accomplishment or success. More importantly, individuals will give more and be rewarded in a more valuable way when given freedom and empowerment.

Team Selling

The sales team is changing as reps work together in synergy to create a strong sales organization. Sales people realize the importance of the entire company being successful and reaching financial objectives. Sales teams use a team-selling approach to maximize each other's strengths and better meet customer's needs. The team shares the rewards and work together to hit the organization's revenue targets. Professional selling is a great career and business. You can control your own destiny and financial rewards can be unlimited. This is not the case in many careers or jobs. Few careers provide such an opportunity to develop yourself, interact with a diverse group of people, learn about rapidly changing technologies, serve customers and understand the specifics of an industry or product line. The successful mix of personal success through service to customers is the key to reaching objectives in sales.

Thomas Young's Consulting Goals and Objectives

1. Develop Win-Win Client Relationships

• Provide clients with valuable information that helps them increase revenues.
• Recommend resources, sources of information and provide solutions to clients.
• Treat clients as partners and develop strong relationships through trust, hard work and results.
• Provide companies with effective and cost efficient project development and implementation.
• Bring new, creative, effective, practical ideas to the client.
• Be flexible and provide a wide range of services to meet client needs and add value.
• Compliment the client, be collaborative with them, focus on ROI and set fees based on the return to the client. Guarantee the work to increase sales, modify or stop.
• Should be low-risk to the client when compared to the potential returns.
• Emphasize results, not tasks, show how tasks will lead to results and revenues.

2. Results Focused Sales Training

Provide comprehensive training services focusing in the areas of motivation and sales training. Other areas can be covered at the request of the client. The training is specifically tailored to each client and results in increased employee performance. The training programs are practical, results-oriented and motivational. The sales training involves high-quality, facilitated training and consulting sessions for sales professionals, including sales managers, phone sales reps, field sales and customer service professionals.

• The goal is to train and educate sales professionals to improve their job performance and increase their work effectiveness.
• The sessions are discussion-oriented and results-based.
• At the conclusion of the training sessions, reps should have a thorough understanding of selling in the present and future along with personal action plans. They should be on their way to becoming "Sales Masters."
• Reps will be coached on self-development, sales fundamentals, and how to develop an action plan to get results.
• Focus is on learning and changes in behavior that will lead to positive results.
• Make use of a comprehensive manual for sales training, personal development, marketing, and management.

3. Provide Effective Marketing Consulting Services

• Offer clients marketing and sales focused consulting services.
• Be prepared to offer additional management consulting services if needed.
• Facilitate meetings and help customers brainstorm to gain new insights that will improve their business and increase revenues.
• Provide an independent viewpoint and expertise in areas of sales and marketing management and offer creative solutions.
• Constantly explore new technologies and marketing programs to support the client.

4. Marketing and Sales Project Management

• Provide project management services that are focused on marketing, sales and management initiatives.
• Include plan development, implementation, evaluation and modification.
• Go one step further than other consultants and trainers by actually seeing the plan through to completion.