How is the pandemic impacting your business? Think of how many people are not leaving their office because of the pandemic. Where are they? They’re by their telephone. You may think that email is your best bet to reach prospects. I think the telephone is better even with caller ID. Barriers should not make you afraid to use the telephone to sell. Be prepared when someone does … [Read more...]
Make Quick, Good Sales Decisions
The Covid pandemic may have taught you how quickly things can change. One week we’re thinking that the pandemic is under control. The next we’re seeing the variant and how dangerous it is. Acting quickly can make the difference between long term success or failure. Here’s how you can learn to make good, fast decisions for sales. Recognize who you are. You may be the type who … [Read more...]
How to Survive a Bad Boss
You have Covid fears. The economy is weird. You’ve got sales goals to meet. On top of that you work for a bad boss. I’ve worked for great managers and some very, very terrible ones. I’ve survived them all. Here’s how you can survive if you have to work for a bad boss. Set expectations early and meet them. The best strategy to survive working for a bad boss is to avoid … [Read more...]
Sales Efficient Strategies: Shortcuts to Sales Success
Are you looking for ways to make your sales strategy more effective and efficient? You can get better sales results when you practice more of these strategies. See which ones you can implement and notice the results you get. Sales Efficient Strategy #1. Good enough is good enough.Be aware the next time you are planning your sales strategy and it seems to go on and on. What are … [Read more...]
Use Sales Checklists to Sell
Do you use sales checklists? These are lists of to-do items depending on where you are in your sales process. Think you don’t need a sales checklist to sell? Think again. All kinds of professionals from airline pilots to surgeons use checklists. While sales might not be a life or death situation, getting the sale is often more likely with a sales checklist. Why do you … [Read more...]
When is it time to stop selling?
Picture this. You’re a senior executive looking for your next job. You’ve been interviewing with several excellent companies. Then one of them offers you a job. The money looks good. The company has the right pedigree. The job is interesting. What’s the problem? You’re wondering if you should say “yes” to this particular offer. Should you continue to interview? Would a better … [Read more...]
Sales Surprises To Avoid If You Want to Make a Sale
I’m not a fan of surprises. I like them even less in sales. What is worse is when the unexpected sales surprises can be prevented. Competition is tough enough. You don’t need to cause your own frustration with sales surprises. Here’s what you can do if you want to sell without getting any unnecessary sales surprises. What happened to cause the sales surprise? A … [Read more...]
Buyer Training Influences How You Sell
You’ve probably attended sales training at some point in your selling career. Hopefully most of it delivered valuable insights that led you to become a more effective sales professional. Now think about your buyer and buyer training. What do you think he’s done to improve his buying and get the best sale for his company? Consider his preparation and buyer training for your … [Read more...]
Don’t Write Another Sales Proposal Unless…
You might gladly write a sales proposal if you were guaranteed a sale. Salespeople, all too often, work very hard prospecting, then writing and presenting proposals. What happens after? They hear crickets (no response from email or phone) from prospects a week or weeks later. How can you avoid crickets? Don’t write another sales proposal unless … [Read more...]
Sales Mistakes to Become an Expert in Sales
The physicist Niels Bohr once defined an expert as “a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” Here are some of the sales mistakes I’ve made over the years. You can either make them yourself, or learn from me and try to avoid them so you can start to become an expert in sales. I worked with multiple distributors and commission … [Read more...]