Thanksgiving is over. What’s next for many salespeople? Holiday parties. You have a sales opportunity whether you attend your company’s party or another hosted holiday event. Think of the event as another sales call and this time, you are the product. Whether you realize it or not, you had better pay attention to what happens at your holiday … [Read more...]
A Sales Manager’s Guide to Hold Productive Sales Meetings
I’ve been consulting at many sales meetings where sales professionals report the status of their prospects. What I hear too many times is, “This deal is going to close. Soon.” Instead of a discussion of what “soon” means and why, the sales manager accepts this report as an indication of future success. Nothing could be further from … [Read more...]
Listen With Your Eyes & Ears to Sell More
Which of the sales professional’s skills do you think is the most important? I think it’s the skill of listening. This underrated skill often gets overlooked since too many people, salespeople included, think that talking is far more important. What you say is important in sales. You can do a much better job of saying something … [Read more...]
How to Raise Prices and Keep Your Customers
It will happen at some point in your selling career that you will have to raise prices. Your customers are not looking forward to this conversation. Most likely neither are you. You are vulnerable to competition when you raise your prices. After all, who doesn’t think that when prices go up, and especially if too much, it might be time to find another supplier? You … [Read more...]
Hire A Low Maintenance Salesperson
You are in trouble if you hire a salesperson and his first day is his best day. You have been sold. Don’t be surprised. Selling is what salespeople are supposed to do! Here’s how to avoid being sold a low performing salesperson when what you want to buy is a successful sales professional. Learn from the references. The best indication of … [Read more...]
Red Flags in Selling
You know what red flags do. They give you advance warning of a dangerous situation. It’s at your peril if you ignore the danger. You may be missing a few red flags for customers and other people you work with. Here are some red flags that I advise my clients to pay attention to so they can get better sales results. Too much “I” and not enough “We.” Listen … [Read more...]
Failure Is Not An Option. Until It Is In Sales
You’ve probably heard some leaders say, “Failure is not an option” thinking they are motivating others. They’re wrong. Failure is an option and it certainly is a possibility in sales. Sales professionals know that customers sometimes have other purchasing ideas even if failure is not the option sales professionals would choose. What can sales professionals … [Read more...]
There’s Still Time to Increase Your Sales and Make Your Sales goals
It’s summer time and the living is easy. Maybe it is if you are on track to make your sales goals this year. What if you’re not? Here are some actions to take to get more sales and make your sales goals this year. Focus on smaller accounts. I don’t normally recommend focusing on smaller accounts. Why? Because you work … [Read more...]
Don’t Make Yourself Crazy When You Sell
You may have noticed that sales can be a stressful occupation. You don’t know what mood a customer might be in before you present. You might have to deal with an unfair situation. It’s unfair when the brother-in-law of the buyer sells what you sell. Yet salespeople often make their own stressful situations. Here’s what you can do to avoid making yourself crazy when you … [Read more...]
Are you making presentations, but not making sales?
What can you do when you are making presentations, but not making sales? I recently worked with a financial advisor who was making far too many presentations and making far too few sales. We looked at a few areas to determine what was not working. Here are the areas that you can examine if you are not making sales. Do they believe … [Read more...]