It’s great to celebrate the hard work of sales professionals. Great to hear about how some organizations are recognizing the hard work of sales professionals. Hope you’re planning on celebrating, too! … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2014
How are Your Listening Skills?You can increase sales with them.
I was recently asked at a presentation for quality professionals “What are the characteristics of a successful salesperson?” There were some people who thought being successful in sales meant that you had to have the gift of gab. I sad, “That’s the biggest misconception about selling.” The most successful salespeople (by far) have the skill of being a good listener. … [Read more...]
Sales training should include what to wear
All people have a physiological, unconscious response to color. They’re responding to it whether they’re thinking about it or not. What are some of these responses? It could be an unconscious thought remembering some of the points in your sales presentation. Why would that happen? Perhaps you were wearing red, the color of blood. Wearing red raises your blood pressure and … [Read more...]
Answer to the Interview question. Sell me this pen.
I’m not a fan of questions during interviews (sales or otherwise) that try to stump the interviewee. Why? Because the purpose of an interview is to get to know someone, not try to make them look bad. Sure you may say, “But how do I know how they’ll operate under stress?” You don’t have to ask an irrelevant gotcha question to do that. Instead you can ask about stressful … [Read more...]
You can’t sell if you’re desperate
Are you desperate to make the sale? Did you see the Harvard Business Review report that half of Americans surveyed in 2009 reported that they “probably” would be unable to come up with $2000, and one-quarter of the total were “certain” they couldn’t. Yikes. How well do you think those people are doing if they are in sales? Probably not well. (Maybe that’s why they … [Read more...]
What do entrepreneurs and salespeople have in common?
Do you ever wonder about what makes a salesperson successful? I do. Here’s a very clever infographic on successful entrepreneurs thatBiztraffic.com developed. Here’s where I see the similarities between entrepreneurs and successful salespeople. Drive. You had better want to do better in sales. You’re already in trouble if you’re comfortable with where you are now. I can … [Read more...]
10 Words to Increase Your Sales
I was talking with a banker yesterday. He told me something alarming about bankers and why they don’t sell more. I was kind of surprised at what he told me. Why do you think bankers don’t sell? He said, “90% of the bankers don’t ask for the business. They present their deal and then they wait for the customer to figure out that he should buy. It doesn’t happen.” Is that … [Read more...]
Think about your boss as a customer.
Who do you think is your most important customer? Whether you work on straight commission or not, your most important customer is your manager. This tip from Harvard Business Review is a good one to help you build a stronger relationship with your most important customer. These are the questions the article suggests you ask your manager if you want a productive working … [Read more...]
What do salespeople and UX designers have in common? A lot.
Let me tell you what UX designers are if you are a salesperson and don’t know what they do. UX designers are the people you love when your software and hardware give you a great user experience. When screens load quickly that’s when you love your UX designer. You can thank a UX designer when the buttons are located on a device just where they should be so it makes your user … [Read more...]
Make better sales decisions.
There are going to be times when you sell when you have to make quick decisions. Of course you have two ways to decide. You could very carefully analyze the information you have and make a thorough, logical decision. That might take you time. It also might not be the best way to decide. You could also pay attention to your gut and make a gut decision. How do you know … [Read more...]