One of the biggest challenges salespeople face today is the commoditization of their offers. The market is emphasizing low price and convenience. But salespeople that are selling large solutions can’t afford to fall into this trap. Their goal is to meet the customer’s needs and differentiate their solution. When you need advice from experienced professionals, […]
How Accurate is your Pipeline Forecast?
It’s the end of the quarter and what do sales managers want? Easy answers. Which sales that their people promised will close this week? And if not, why not and when will they happen? I believe a robust pipeline is the key to success 99% of the time. It is the lifeline of the company. […]
What about Training for the Manager?
I talked last month about the importance of coaching, but I’d like to go further. I believe one of the areas of sales training that doesn’t get as much attention as needed is training for sales managers. It is very common in the sales profession to reward those people that do well by promoting them […]
How Effective is Your Coaching?
As a sales leader, the most important responsibility you have to your salespeople is to support and encourage their growth and success. If they’re not successful and hitting their goals, neither will you, and I’m guessing that as a leader, you are keenly interested in both. To have the most impact on your team’s success, […]
Are you a Born Sales Leader?
Are sales leaders born or made? I believe it’s a little bit of both. Credible research shows that about 1/3 are born and 2/3 are made. Leadership is critical to the success of every sales team. Unfortunately, sometimes a company will promote the best salesperson into leadership when they are better suited to their sales […]
How Using Personality Styles Helps you Succeed
The most important skills in business today are “people skills and emotional intelligence.” These are sometimes, and erroneously in my opinion, called soft skills. First, let’s look at exactly what is emotional intelligence? According to Daniel Goleman in his book “Emotional Intelligence”, it’s the ability to recognize and regulate the emotions in ourselves and others. […]
How to Build Relationships When Selling
My definition is “it’s the development of a business relationship that is built on trust for the long-term.” Relationship based selling goes way beyond your product or service. You become a trusted advisor because you put the customer’s business above your own interests. This leads to longevity which can lead to repeat business and it […]
How to be a Successful Sales Consultant
What is the role of a sales consultant? There are two types. Later we’ll talk about when and why you should hire a sales consultant to help you improve your sales operation. But today we’ll talk about the salesperson, sales representative or sales consultant. Let me give you an example of a great sales consultant. […]
Building a Sales Team
Building a high performing sales team is one of the most important responsibilities of every sales leader. When your team is filled with great salespeople, they’re usually committed for the long run. And that translates into reduced turnover and inconsistencies with your customers and prospects and increased sales. You understand the thrill you get when […]
Using Dialogue to Build Relationships
Building a relationship with a prospect or customer is a prerequisite to successful selling. I believe that creating a genuine dialogue at the beginning of the sales call is critical to making that happen because it’s all about making a genuine connection. It’s focusing on their needs and interests not yours. At this point you […]
