One of the most debilitating myths about the sales profession is this: Sales people can learn on their own, on the job, and eventually become good at their jobs. They’ll…
A Creative Way to Make Prospecting Appointments
Here's a situation. You have created a list of 20 highly qualified prospects. You've researched them, and you know that these 20 people hold your prosperity in their hands. But…
Think…A Lot
It’s a difficult year for a lot of sales people. The world is changing rapidly, and every new headline contains information that seems to impact business in a significant way.…
Two Principles for Closing the Sale
Whenever I ask sales people to rate themselves on their competence at all the different parts of the sales process, they invariably rate themselves low at closing the sale. Unfortunately,…
Fact: Attentive Listening Increases Sales
I just came across some research that confirmed what many of us in the profession of educating salespeople have known for years: That purchasers would be "much more likely" to…
7 Ways to Build Rapport With Anyone
Building rapport with customers is like squirting oil into gears. Imagine some gears grinding together. When you squirt lubricating oil into the gears, you reduce the friction and make everything…
Good Questions & The Basics of Selling
Sales is, at its most basic level, a relatively simple process. I recall one of my clients showing me the flow-chart of his sales process. Twenty six steps. That level…
Collect Competitor’s Information to Gain Advantage
Sales people love to complain about the competition. Unfortunately, complaining doesn’t do us any good. A better approach is to create a system to learn about the competition. Knowledge of…
It’s Not the Price – It’s the Risk!
"Low price, low price, low price." It’s the mantra that sales people in every industry segment are hearing more these days than ever before. Customers, looking for ways to contain…
Two Rules to Follow That Add Value to Every Sales Call
Are you wasting your customers’ time? In this pressurised, multi-tasking world, where your customers are expected to produce more in less time, they may be growing less eager to meet…