If you sell on price you will lose business on price. Selling price is a bad way to sell. Instead, you should be selling on value. But, how do you do that? Here are the words to use when you sell based on value. And remember, one of the mistakes too many salespeople make is when they quote price early in their sales process. If that's you, you'll find that you're not very … [Read more...]
Why You Should Bring Bagels to a Sales Call
Did you know that a hungry, tired judge is much less likely to grant a defendant's request than one who has just eaten or taken a break? At least that's the finding of an ingenious new study looking at the rulings made by parole board judges in relation to when they had taken a meal break. Overall, prisoners saw a 65 percent success rate if their cases were heard early in the … [Read more...]
Sales is common sense, but common sense sometimes isn’t common.
What would you think about standing too close to a customer to make him uncomfortable? You would never do that, right? It's just common sense that you don't make a customer uncomfortable if you have any hope of him buying again. Well, sometimes salespeople don't realize that what they're doing is wrong. Just imagine you worked with a salesman for several months. You arrive … [Read more...]
Are you selling or manipulating?
This is why salespeople get a bad name. In a recent study it turns out that when you make a superfluous apology (knowing you didn't cause the problem or it was beyond your control) it has the result of making others trust you. Here's where motives come into play. I have a problem if you are apologizing for inconveniences you know you didn't cause only because you want to get … [Read more...]
Want to be more persuasive?
One of the basic principles of persuasion and influence is that we tend to comply with people we like. Why? We trust people we like. You need trust to influence others. How does this apply to you? The next time you meet someone new at a business function, a Chamber of Commerce meeting, or other business function, do something that gets you to be liked. What would that be? Stop … [Read more...]
Did you forget about your most important customer?
I often marvel how salespeople spend so much time managing their customers. They will prioritize them by size, revenue, profits and all types of criteria to see where they should be spending their time and effort. Of course that's a good idea. What they're forgetting is that they have another very important customer. It's their manager. Even if you're on commission, your … [Read more...]
Do Prospects Hit the Delete Key With Your Voicemail When You Sell?
There are just a few reasons why you're not getting a meeting with a prospect. Are you giving them a compelling reason to meet? Do you sound credible? Do they have a reason to believe you can deliver what you say? If your voicemail is irrelevant to their business get ready for the delete button on their voicemail. If you sound hesitant, too cocky, too meek, or unprofessional … [Read more...]
Sell more by selling to the right prospects
Here's how I know someone is not going to make their sales goals. I ask them to describe an ideal prospect. Their response? Everyone is a prospect! Wrong. Everyone is not your prospect because you can't be all things to all customers. Here's how you can find the customers who you are most likely to sell to. … [Read more...]
Do you want to make your next prospecting call less stressful for you?
I often ask salespeople how they customize their selling. I get nervous when they say that they sell the same way to every prospect. Why? Because customers are different and they prefer you to be like they are, not necessarily how you are most comfortable. That's why the most flexible salespeople are the most successful. Here are some ideas to start with if you don't know how … [Read more...]
Sales tactics for today
I recently got asked a question about selling today. What are the best sales tactics that will work in 2013? Here's my answer. It's the same ones that worked before, except today there's less margin for error. You have to come to the meeting prepared. Do your research. Prepare your selling questions. Demonstrate your expertise. All will help build credibility with your … [Read more...]