New Year’s resolutions work for some people. For others they are a waste of time. For those of you who want to get different results, but don’t want to waste your time on New Year’s resolutions that you’ll break, why not try some new ideas and sell differently? Here are a few ways to think differently next year. Sell Differently: Be more patient. Patience is a virtue when it … [Read more...]
If Your Company Holiday Party Is This Weekend…
I know that free food and drink releases some strange behavior in some people. Just in case that's you and you are planning on attending your company party this weekend or soon, you might want to read this column by Janice Podsada of the Omaha World-Hearld. Your job may be at stake... … [Read more...]
New Year’s Resolutions (The Ones To Keep!)
It’s that time again. The year is coming to an end and many of you are thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions. It won’t be too long before many of those same resolutions become a distant memory. Instead of wasting your time on resolutions that get broken, why not make some resolutions that you can actually keep? Focus on process not results. You might have some difficult … [Read more...]
It’s Not Too Late to Do More Sales Work This Year
Your turkey leftovers may finally be disappearing. Hopefully, Thanksgiving gave you a few days of relaxation and not too many midnight madness sales. Now it's back to selling and the few days left this year. It's not too late to do more sales work this year. Look back. Schedule a very important appointment. It's not with a customer. The appointment is with you. At this … [Read more...]
Learn from an Engineer and Sell More
When you think of a salesperson, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Is it an introverted, detail oriented, thoughtful individual? Probably not. The biggest myth in sales is that the best salespeople are the best talkers. Great selling requires more than just talking. That's why salespeople can learn a lot from engineers on how to sell more. They're … [Read more...]
Be a Better Negotiator
All too often sales professionals could have created better agreements. How? They forget about improving their negotiation skills and becoming a better negotiator. Come prepared. You are horribly misguide if you think your negotiating partner will be coming to the negotiation ready to give you what you want. This is business, not charity. Prepare by thoroughly investigating … [Read more...]
There’s Still Time To Make Your Sales Goals This Year!
You still have time to reach your sales goals as the year-end approaches. You don’t have a lot of time to close new business, but you certainly can implement a few strategies to increase the probability that more of your business will end up on the books this year instead of next. Sell more to every customer. Review your customer purchases and look for gaps in products they … [Read more...]
Avoid These Sales Mistakes
What do you do? It’s a simple question that you need to answer so that prospects can buy from you and others can recommend you. You will have to answer this question when you make your sales introduction at business meetings, chamber of commerce meetings and other networking events. I see all too often that when salespeople and business professionals introduce themselves they … [Read more...]
Do You Know The Myths of Selling?
What Scott Berkun wrote about in The Myths of Innovation also applies to sales. Don’t believe the myths in innovation or the ones in sales. Innovation is not likely to be promoted by management and you might be selling on your own. You may think that an innovative idea will be promoted by management. That’s not what Berkun found. Few managers recognize that their training and … [Read more...]
Do You Have a Plan B When You Sell? Get a mentor.
What’s your plan B when you sell? You do have one when things don’t turn out how you plan, right? There is another way to sell if you find yourself spending too much time implementing your Plan Bs. Learn from other people’s mistakes. There’s a better way than doing the work and learning from your mistakes. I had said in one of my programs on becoming more productive that you … [Read more...]