Harvard Business Review reports that critical thinking skills (think selling skills that are strategic) are what is needed today for sales. One of the first things you can do is to rank your prospects and existing business. (First, determine criteria for A, B and C accounts) Determine the amounts of time to allocate to your A, B and C accounts. Now use those guidelines to … [Read more...]
What Do You Sell?
You probably get this question many times. What do you do? Maybe you reply by your job title. You are missing an opportunity to sell more. Why you should sell a higher purpose. In a recent Harvard Business Review Article: How an Accounting Firm Convinced Its Employees They Could Change the World, Bruce N. Pfau, Ph.D. KPMG’s Vice Chair of Human Resources and Communications … [Read more...]
What a menu teaches you about persuasion
Who knew that restaurant menu words can impact the price of a dish? And, every letter counts. Author Dan Jurafsky wrote the book The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu. I was fascinated to learn that every increase of one letter in the average length of words describing a dish is associated with an increase of 18 cents in the price of that dish. Who knew? … [Read more...]
Women Experience Subtle Discrimination at Work
Just imagine you were working in an organization and you were being marginalized. Only you didn’t know it. Women are often unaware of the subtle discrimination at work. I was meeting with a prospect. He told me that as a manager his subordinates would often suggest that he golf with them. Not wanting to show any favoritism, he would suggest that the group golf together. In … [Read more...]
Sales Awareness
Recently at a conference, I moderated a panel discussion of successful business professionals. One sets strategy and vision for a $2billion IT company. Two are serial entrepreneurs, one of whom just sold his company for millions. The last is a CIO at a multinational company. What they said will give you insights to be the best sales professional. Do you go to or away from … [Read more...]
Lost Sales: 3 Reasons Why You’re Not Selling Today
Here's a check to avoid lost sales. 1. You have no sales strategy plan. Think about your preparation for your last sales call. Did you plan the questions you would ask your prospect? Maybe you did. Were they strategic in that they helped uncover customer problems, needs or wants that could be solved by buying your products or services? Congratulations if you did. A strategic … [Read more...]
Don’t Run From Customer Problems
Some salespeople are afraid of customer problems. They shouldn’t be. They think a problem demonstrates their failure. That’s not how they should see a problem. It’s a great opportunity to show customers just how good you are. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate your worth. You demonstrate that you honor your commitments when you show your customer that you can and will solve a … [Read more...]
Data Problems in Sales: High Tech Problems, Low Tech Solutions
A recent study by DOMO of sales leaders showed some interesting problems in sales. There were a few findings that especially piqued my interest. It looks like there are some high tech problems that need low-tech solutions for sales professionals to be successful. Here’s what they found. Only 2% of sales leaders rate their relationship with their sales data an A- or better. … [Read more...]
What if your prospect or customer pushes back?
Expect the unexpected could be the slogan for sales. Yet some things are predictable. There will be times when prospects and customers don’t see your point of view. Your response could help you sell or make you miss the sale. Be prepared for push back. A good salesperson prepares for every sales call. One piece of the preparation is to consider how the sales call could get … [Read more...]
How NOT to Sell
I was recently asked to review a product for a business owner I had met through a client. We both did work for the client and this supplier’s credentials and work were good. I offered to help because I thought highly of my client. Don’t argue with a customer I listened to the description of the product and what it could do for my customers. I was intrigued. It was a marketing … [Read more...]