This real business need to reduce costs has opened a huge opportunity for those in the Energy Saving Sector, take for example Jesper, one of Enigin PLC’s european Distributors lets see how he has seized the opportunity to make profit with integrity, it started back in March 2011 with the forming of IQ Energy.

Jesper comments, “I am an Engineer, a mechanical engineer and have worked with IT and sales all of my life. Last year I came across the Energy Saving Industry and I found it very appealing, and it is this very time I was a managing director of a company but with thinking of starting my own business. I saw that the ‘Green Sector’ and especially energy saving has a lot of potential in the time we are living in now.”

After experiencing Enigin PLC’s EnergyMaps training Jesper returned home full of enthusiasm to make his first sale. “I landed on the tarmac on Thursday and on Friday started making my first sales calls” with what result? “These first calls led to a sale to one of the largest Football Clubs in the country, a great selling point was CUES it has a fantastic return on investment” This was closely followed with a deal in the public sector and one of the local Hospitals, they a have an annual energy bill in the region of 7 million pounds, fitting 5 Eniscopes in phase one of the project and load-side products giving up to 30 or 40% reduction in energy consumption means significant savings and a must have investment for the Hospital.

Its no surprise then that IQ Energy’s motto is More Profit, Less C02, because that is exactly what is on offer, reducing business costs and energy bills effectively raises business profit.

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Trent : Well when we decided we’ll be looking around for a multiple source of income, the first business that we kind of happen to come across was Enigin. Enigin excited us because it allowed us an opportunity to be successful, no matter what the economic climate, that way we’ll be investing in something that is not just for today but for tomorrow. It’s gonna be around for a very long time.

Enigin : What do you think of the energy saving products supplied by Enigin?

Trent : The energy saving product, is really second to none – CUES, LESS, iMEC – I mean, they’re all unique in their own right. You can generate savings on each individual area by about to 50%. These savings are actually guaranteed which gives us a lead above and beyond our competitors. So, I mean, being able to offer a guarantee on their product is second to none. It literally removes all the risk of investing on energy saving and that’s primarily what energy maps is designed to do for a business owner. Firstly, to take control of their energy consumption through Eniscope and the heat sensitive awareness campaigns. You throw your energy order which will identify ways to reduce consumption. But it’s all about getting the business under control of their energy consumption which before energy maps, they never had. There’s plenty of other guys out there in the marketplace but having a cost manager like Eniscope which gives them real-time access to electricity consumption to see immediately any changes that they do make within their organization and can see benefit straight away from day one which is very, very exciting. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s fantastic.

Enigin : What do you think about the support you’re getting from Enigin?

Trent : Oh, the support, Tim and Calvin and all the guys back there over in the U.K., even though that we are 24 hours away last time that we flew over there, the guys are always able to be accessed and be able to talked to. So whether it be via the internet or over the phone, there’s numerous ways we keep in contact and we do. I mean, the guys over there, they give us a feedback on how they’re going and we speak to a number of partners also throughout Australia at the moment and Dominic, we bounce ideas off each other and that’s really fantastic. Having the support of Enigin behind us and verbally, to share war stories, some ideas and we can all be able to work together I guess.

Enigin : That’s right. So, what kind of response are you getting from potential customers.

Trent : Well, really, it’s a no-brainer. The energy maps program, like I said, it allows the businesses to take control of their energy consumption. I mean, over the past, energy saving programs such as energy maps can have the same effect on bottom line profits as a 20% increase in turnover. For most businesses now, it’s really hard for them to increase turnovers, like I said before, they’re able to fix costs and look at things like wages – just the overheads and their running costs and ways to reduce them. So, when a system like this energy maps is presented, I mean, any smart business owner will realize the benefits of energy maps and allowing them to take control of their energy consumption and it really becomes an no-brainer in the end.

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With hindsight I think it was a stroke of genius, while not a glamorous choice it did provide me with a huge amount of information to write about and companies I contacted were very willing to assist in promoting their cause and of course promote thier business in any small way possible. And it did proceed to become a hugely important part of the economy. Today not wasting is life saving to companies and maybe even to our planet. To be fair it was no stroke of genius, but it was a lucky strike into a growing and important market and little did I know it would be come full circle today when I find my self fighting the cause of efficiency here at Enigin PLC. I know its all too easy to take the moral high ground, but finding a business that operated by saving people money and at the same time gives a certain meaning to the hours spent in working life. Enigin don’t throw around phrases such as ‘profit with integrity’ lightly, its about making a business that is ethically sound.

I am very thank full that memory lane has brought where it has today, but there is one difference worth mentioning. The energy saving industry has become an exciting and dynamic place to work in. Enigin sits at the cutting edge with Eniscope a unique energy management system and load-side products that provide 30 40 even 50% reduction on energy consumption for many appliances such as motors, lighting and air conditioning. Also working with Enigin has, and is, helping me to continue learning what makes business successful, MindShare training for example is not just a technical course on products and how they work but a point by point guide to business success for those willing to work hard at it. I’m sure all here at Enigin would agree that the learning process is continual, regardless of how long we have been in the industry, so I guess in a way its back to school, full circle.

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DEADLY SIN #3: NOSTALGIA

• Definition: Sales teams often look back to the glory days, when their product was selling like hotcakes.
• Why It Happens: Sales professionals always know what worked in the past, but the memory of past success blind the team to changing customer requirements and major shifts in the marketplace.
• What Results: Gradually, your firm becomes unable to develop new accounts, or take advantage of existing ones.  Revenue from your cash-cows take over and you find yourself consistently being outbid and outsold by the competition.
• How to Prevent It: Whenever you lose a deal (or don’t get included in an opportunity), take the time to find out exactly why.  As the market changes, adjust your sales approach so that it better fits the way that the customer wants to buy.

DEADLY SIN #4: OVERWHELM

• Definition: Sales teams keep taking on more work, insisting that they can close more business than the last quarter, quarter after quarter.
• Why It Happens: Sales teams enjoy being successful and so they’re sure that they’ve got the ability to be even more successful in the future.  As such, they commit to more growth without having a strategy to accomplish it.
• What Results: It works for a brief period of time, but then productivity begins to quickly decline.  Top performers become frustrated and leave the team.  The company begins to lose business, creating even more pressure to perform.

Soon for all our Enigin Team readers - sins 5, 6 and 7…..

How to Prevent It: Come up with plans that are achievable given your current resources.  Then figure out how make the team gradually more productive.

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This week the always high quality stuff by Geoffrey James was entitled “The 7 Deadly Sins of Successful Sales Teams” - I would like to share these seven deadly sins with you over the next couple of weeks.

At Enigin we love this sort of information, as knowledge is power, power to perform better for Enigin, our Distributors and the end users of our products,

So enjoy…

Selling is hard work, but it’s even harder when sales teams fall into bad habits. When these deadly sins take hold, the team can end up alienating customers, peers, and co-workers alike.

If your team remains unrepentant and refuses to change, the end result can easily be the failure of your current sales campaign and even the collapse of your entire company’s sales.

Be forewarned. You must, must, must take these 7 deadly sins seriously, and make sure that they don’t take hold, either on you, or on your team-members.

DEADLY SIN #1: STUFFING

• Definition: Pushing more products on the customer or the channel than they want or need.
• Why It Happens: This is often done with the best of intentions, under the “customer is always right” maxim.  Customers and channels are not always on top of their needs and requirements, and thus order (or agree to buy) too much product.
• What Results: When the customer or channel figures out that they’ve been “stuffed” with product, they assume (probably rightly) that you were more interested in making your numbers than in making them successful.
• How to Prevent It: Before closing, always make certain that the customer really needs your offering and that it will assist them in building their own business.  If not, volunteer an adjustment that will put the order in line with their real needs.

DEADLY SIN #2: GRANDIOSITY

• Definition: You’ve got a product that’s so wonderful that you’re convinced that it’s the solution to every customer’s problem.
• Why It Happens: Most of the time, this happens because you’ve let the marketing group convince you that you’ve got a product that can “change the world.”  However, no matter how fabulous you offering might be, it’s not a panacea and there are going to be customers for whom a competitor’s product is a better fit.
• What Results: Grandiosity results in customers who aren’t well served.  They end up with features and functions that they don’t use, can’t use, and don’t want.  Worst case, they begin to see you, the sales rep, as something of a religious fanatic rather than a trusted adviser.
• How to Prevent it: Remember that the point of selling is to help the customer become more successful.  Rather than trying to converting them to your “product” religion, dedicate yourself to making sure that your offering gets into the hands of the people who need it most.

Number 3 and 4 soon….

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Teamwork is a universally acknowledged to be a desirable business attribute, but few organizations have a clear definition of what teamwork actually means or how to achieve it.

This, the previous and the next post provide nine rules defining teamwork, based on a conversation with Phil Geldart, author of the classic In Your Hands: the Behaviors of a World Class Leader.

RULE 8: The team must be introspective. The team must figure out, as a team, where it is falling short. To do this, at every third team meeting, have each member state an area (i.e. one of the principles) where that member thinks the team needs work, and why. That’s two sentences per team member, which means that even a large team should be able to self-diagnose within five to ten minutes. During this process, the team leader should look for patterns and repetitions that indicate a generic problem inside the team, and problems that an individual inside the team is experiencing that other members aren’t experiencing.

RULE 9: The team must be capable of self-correction. For problems that are generic to the team, the team leader must either work with the team or with the surrounding environment to improve that principle. For problems that are specific to an individual, the team leader must work privately with that individual to make it possible for that individual to integrate better into the team and to perform the assigned role. Example: During several meetings an individual sales rep expresses intense dislike of the CRM system. The team leader meets with that individual privately to explain why the CRM system is essential to the team’s performance and obtains a commitment from the complaining rep to do what’s necessary to support the team.

NOTE: In Phil’s system the first 7 rules are called “principles” and the 8th and 9th are “how to” methods to implement the 7 principles.  For the purposes of clarity, I’ve made them into 9 rules, which I think makes the concepts easier to understand.

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Teamwork is a universally acknowledged to be a desirable business attribute, but few organizations have a clear definition of what teamwork actually means or how to achieve it.

This, the previous and the next post provide nine rules defining teamwork, based on a conversation with Phil Geldart, author of the classic In Your Hands: the Behaviors of a World Class Leader.

RULE 6. The team must have consistent, united and enthusiastic effort. A team cannot function effectively if everyone on the team isn’t 100 percent committed to achieving the goals of the team. This kind of commitment expresses itself through consistency in behavior and doing what needs to be done in order to achieve the team’s goals. Please note that this does not mean that team members should be sacrificing their private lives for the team. On the contrary, it’s impossible for a team member to remain consistently enthusiastic while experiencing a life that’s out of balance.

RULE 7. Team members must periodically suppress their own egos. A strong ego is a good thing, especially for sales professionals. However, for the team to function effectively, individuals on the team must hold their own egos in check and make the team, and the achieving of the team’s goals, more important than the individual contributions of any one member. If the team members don’t do this, grandstanding and prima-donna attitudes will frustrate the ability of the team to achieve its goals.

See next post for the final two points.

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Teamwork is a universally acknowledged to be a desirable business attribute, but few organizations have a clear definition of what teamwork actually means or how to achieve it.

This, the previous and future posts provide nine rules defining teamwork, based on a conversation with Phil Geldart, author of the classic In Your Hands: the Behaviors of a World Class Leader.

RULE 4. The team must be willing to share its resources. Team members must be willing to share whatever resources they control that are required for the team to achieve its goal. These resources come in two varieties. The first are physical resources: money, materials, office space, computers, and so forth. The second are mental and emotional resources: ideas, suggestions, encouragement, and enthusiasm. If team members hoard either variety of resources, it detracts from the ability of team members to work together.

RULE 5. The team must have frequent, effective communication. The easy part of this principle is the frequency. Depending upon the goals and time frame, teams should meet at least once a week, more often if necessary. Effectiveness is more difficult. A communication is effective if and only if it is meaningful to the recipient. If the communication is taking place in such a way that even a single team member isn’t “getting it” the team must keep retooling the communication until everybody is on board.

See next post for the next points.

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Teamwork is a universally acknowledged to be a desirable business attribute, but few organizations have a clear definition of what teamwork actually means or how to achieve it.

This, the previous and future posts provide nine rules defining teamwork, based on a conversation with Phil Geldart, author of the classic In Your Hands: the Behaviors of a World Class Leader.

RULE 2. The team must have unanimous focus on a quantifiable goal. Teamwork is impossible if team members do not have a very clear idea of what they’re trying to achieve. Teamwork requires that every member of the team understand exactly what the team is tasked with achieving. That sense of exactness is only possible when the team’s goal can be measured in an objective way. Goals must therefore be quantifiable rather than vague and amorphous. Example: “Build better customer relationships” is unquantifiable and thus meaningless; “Convert 50 percent of qualified prospects to customers” is precise and measurable.

RULE 3. The team must have clearly defined roles. Every member of the team needs to know exactly what he or she must do, on a day-to-day basis to make sure that the team achieves its goals. Without that clarity, team-member will work at cross-purpose and trip over each other. Note that large teams may be broken up into small sub-teams, which must also have clearly defined roles. All of this must be thought through carefully and continually refined as the team moves forward.

See next post for the next points.

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Teamwork is a universally acknowledged to be a desirable business attribute, but few organizations have a clear definition of what teamwork actually means or how to achieve it.

This and following posts provide nine rules defining teamwork, based on a conversation with Phil Geldart, author of the classic In Your Hands: the Behaviors of a World Class Leader.

RULE 1. A team must have a leader. In most sales groups the leader is the sale manager and the team members are that manager’s direct reports. However, there are many cases when teams consist of people from different organizations, in which case, there still needs to be a team leader. The team leader is responsible for delivering the outcome that the team is expected to achieve, even though the leader will need to depend upon the team to deliver the result.

See next post for the next points.

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