14 Things Sales People Should Never Stop DoingSelling for a living is challenging. There are many highs and frequent lows. Constant pressure to reach sales targets, customer and prospects that are more demanding, and changes in the marketplace all make sales a tough career.
14 Signs You are a Sales ZombieA recent editor's note in a sleep products magazine discussed how many people suffer from poor sleep and the editor referred to these individuals as zombies.
Have You Got the Courage to Ask?During the last 16 years I have worked with many great salespeople and they all do one thing more consistently than their colleagues...they ask.
Are Minorities Ruling Your Sales Decisions?Here's how this reaction by a few people affects your sales decisions.
Sales Prospecting Best PracticesProspecting is a key selling skill and a critical skill to develop if you want to increase your sales and achieve long-term success in sales
How to Create and Deliver a Killer Sales PresentationEveryone who sells a product or service is required to deliver a sales presentation from time to time.
6 Fatal Email Mistakes That Cost You MoneyEmail is a widely used prospecting tool but it is seldom used correctly or as effectively as it could be.
How to Increase Your Sales By AskingToo many sales people don't ask for the things they need or that could help them increase their sales and grow their business.
Increase Your Sales By Avoiding These Lame Sales QuestionsDuring a recent sales training workshop I conducted with a client, we were discussing the importance of asking the right questions; high-value, high-impact, penetrating questions. One person spoke up and said, 'When I'm talking to a new prospect I like to ask, 'What do you know about us?'
23 Penetrating Sales Questions You Need to Start AskingA couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called, 11 Lame Questions You Need to Avoid'. It generated some interesting comments and one reader asked, 'What questions should I be asking?'
What ARE the questions sales people should be asking to increase their sales and improve their results?
Certainly this depends on your industry and/or product(s). However, there are many questions that are generic in nature or that can be easily modified to your specific sales environment. Here are 23 high-value, tough, penetrating and powerful sales questions that will help you grow your sales.
17 Best Practices of Top Performing Sales PeopleMany people wonder what separates a top performing sales person from the rest of the pack. In most cases, it's because they apply a number of best practices in their daily routine. Here are 17 best practices of top performing sales people.
11 Things That Irk Decision MakersSelling in today's highly competitive business world requires more effort and energy than ever. However, there are certain things that can work against you, especially when you sell in a B2B environment.
10 Thing Sales People Need to Know About C-Level Decision MakersSelling to high-level decision makers is challenging at the best of times. However, it can be easier if you understand a few business principles.
Sales Lessons Learned From Selling in a RecessionThe past year was definitely interesting. Some sales professionals prospered while others suffered. I spoke to one person who doubled his income-and he works in automotive sales! Yet, another well-established person experienced a decline of more than fifty percent in their sales. There are several key sales lessons that can be learned from selling in a recession. These will help you succeed in the upcoming year.
How to Achieve Your Sales Targets in 2010I'm sure by now that you have established your sales targets for next year. If you haven't I suggest that you get cracking and do it now. Time is slipping past! If you have set your targets, congratulations! Here are 10 things you can do to achieve those goals.
Why Your March Sales SuckIt's a very common problem that far too many sales people encounter. They forget that the action they take-or fail to take-today, will affect their results several months down the road.
3 Sales Lessons I Learned from a RaccoonFrom the outside, selling seems like a fantastic career. Many sales people get to travel, attend trade shows, go to conferences, socialize, and earn a ton of money. However, those of us in the profession know that selling can be intimidating.
Why Sales People Hate Cold CallingCold calling is a fact of life for most people in sales. Sure, the vast majority would prefer to rely on referrals, word-of-mouth, or some other lead source that reduces or eliminates their need to make cold calls. However, unless you deal with an established set of accounts, you will, at some time, be required to cold call in order to generate sufficient leads for your business.
If At First You Don't SucceedI suspect that you have heard the expression 'If at first you don't succeed try, try again.' This adage was created many decades ago and it remains true to this day. And even though many sales people understand it, they make a fatal mistake-they use the same approach although their original approach was not effective.
Cost versus Worth'How much will this cost?'
Many sales people shudder when faced with this question. They stutter, stammer, and hem and haw. This is where the rubber hits the road and when the prospect will either give them the green light to move forward with the sale or say, 'thanks but no thanks'.
Pick at the ScabSales professionals usually ask a few questions in order to gain a better understanding of their prospect's situation. However, most of them don't probe deep enough into the size and scope of the problem. I remember hearing a great phrase from another sales trainer. He suggested that sales people 'pick at the prospect's scab' which referred to the pain or problem that a prospect may be facing.
How to Lose a Prospect's Attention Quickly and EasilyWhen you make contact with a new prospect-either by telephone or in a face-to-face meeting-you have an extremely short window of time to connect with them. If you fail to achieve this they will quickly tune you out.
Running Effective Sales MeetingsSales meetings are a fact of life and business and they are important for a variety of reasons. They allow larger companies to address the entire sales team as a group. They offer opportunities to provide additional training (product, skills, and technical). They help keep your team up-to-date. And, they present a tremendous opportunity for your team to connect and develop stronger relationships with each other.
Don't Be a Communist SalespersonUnfortunately, many sales reps take the same approach and treat all of their customers equally. They spend about the same amount of time with each customer, show them the same products, and make the same recommendations.
The Rules of SellingWe live in a quick-fix society so it's no wonder that many salespeople look for the magic cure or band-aid solution to increase their sales. However, I believe that success in sales follows a basic set of rules.
[1] [2]
