Featured Blog Posts (9)

You could rehash your elevator pitch--but maybe you should try the truth. It was a moment most salespeople could appreciate. On April 13, 2004, President George W. Bush held a press conference at which he was asked, "What would you say your biggest mistakes have been and what have you learned from them?" The question left the President a bit tongue-tied and he finally left the question up to historians to decide. I'm confident Bush knew the features and benefits, so to speak, of his presidenc… Continue

If you can master this concept, I can with 100% certainty guarantee your close ratio will skyrocket, your clients will sell themselves, you'll build relationships, your customer retention rate will grow effortlessly, and your quota will seem insignificant. HERE'S WHERE YOUR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE: When cold calling, prospecting, presenting, and selling Focus exclusively on the business issue that needs to be solved. Embrace the "pain." We hear that term all the time but rarely is the meaning of the… Continue

I sat down with Justin to conduct the sales interview. This was the moment of truth - would I be willing to be “stupid” long enough to make the sale? It was 1996 and I was selling a car called a Saturn. In those days, Saturn didn’t have much to offer: 4-cylinders, 100 hp (if you splurged you could get the dual-overhead-camshaft version with an extra 24 hp), and a plastic body. To say the least, it was your basic automobile. What Saturn lacked in a glitzy product it made up in a rock-solid sale… Continue

Pricing: I deliver the same message- EVERY TIME; the sooner the better and if a prospect calls you-I deliver this message in the first call. Bob/Mary- let me get this on the table, because I think it's important information for you to have before we get into this process. I really want to do business with you and I appreciate your considerating "your companies name." I'm going to assume your speaking with or will speak with my competitors if you haven't already. The thing is, I am going to be t… Continue

The late Peter Drucker said “true marketing starts out with the customer, his demographics, his realities, his needs, his values. It does not ask ‘what do we want to sell?’ It asks ‘what does the customer want to buy?’ So, why have so few people figured out how to routinely and systematically uncover this fundamental insight? And why do few senior managers pay more than lip service to encouraging or requiring their s… Continue

If you're like most sellers, silence drives you crazy. When you're talking with a prospective customer and there's a brief lull in the discussion, I bet you jump right in to fill it. Am I right? Research shows that the average salesperson, after asking a question, waits no more than 2-3 seconds before rephrasing the question, answering it themselves or moving on to another topic. And my experience shows that normal sellers have NO idea that they're doing this. Let me ask you a question: What… Continue

Questions help you uncover what you need to know to sell. Without good ones, you're just stumbling in the dark. Make no mistake about it; questions are the key to good selling. Good questions will get you good information. Good information helps you sell and sell more. Here are eight great questions that you simply can't sell without. These are not the only questions you could ask, but they'll serve you well in every selling situation. 1. The Who Question Never, ever assume that the per… Continue

In today’s environment, reaching your target audience and key decision makers is more difficult than ever. Whether you are in a corporate sales position, involved in internet or retail sales or simply just pitching a solution or idea to a colleague, chances are you are making some critical mistakes that are resulting in you not reaching your goal – the sale! There are dozen obstacles in your way – busy schedules, limited budgets, gatekeepers and communication breakdown. So how do you overcome th… Continue

There's a lot riding on the effectiveness of your sales team. Every employee in your organization, and indeed the organization itself, is dependent on how well the sales team performs. You can be sure you have a top performing team if each of your salespeople has these eight attributes. 1. Achievement Drive The best salespeople love good competition and thrive on besting themselves and others. They are never complacent or satisfied with the status quo. They celebrate every win, but only… Continue