You meet a prospect for the first time, and open the call by asking, “Did you have a nice weekend?” Their response? “What’s the purpose for this meeting?” So much for the small talk. What goes through your mind? Maybe, I’d like to get out of this appointment as soon as I can. And how […]
Differentiating from the Competition
When you’re ready to purchase a new product, how do you decide what to buy? What are the top criteria you consider in evaluating the best solution? I think you would agree most of us are looking for a great price. That’s why when you see car and truck commercials on TV, they are usually […]
Simplicity Supports Clarity
Have you ever researched a new purchase only to find that there were too many options? What did you do? Sometimes people delay the purchase completely. Or they ask a friend for a referral or even let the product reviews help them decide. If you find the right company or product, you might run into another […]
How to Overcome Client Complacency
How many of you have gone out in the last two weeks and purchased the Encyclopedia Britannica? My guess is none of you. And if you did, it’s now only available in the software version. But why buy it at all when you have Google for free? And, how many of you have bought a […]
Objections are Opportunities
Most sales professionals fear getting client objections. They react as if the brain senses danger – fight, flight or freeze. Why? When we have an opportunity to make a sale and an objection arises, we view it as a stumbling block to reaching our goal. But what if we look at the objection from the […]
Procrastinate Your Way to Increased Productivity
Taking the time to brainstorm and let ideas simmer can result in creative approaches with clients. Remember back in college when you knew you had finals lurking just a couple of weeks away and you committed to studying a little bit each night? You promised to be disciplined and not wait to cram everything in at the last minute. And what […]
Using Emotional Intelligence to Maximize Sales Performance
What is selling? I believe the true definition of selling is “the transfer of emotions from one person to the other.” People buy emotionally and back up their decision with logic. If that’s the case, then the second question to consider is what’s more important, EQ or IQ? EQ is the emotional quotient and IQ […]
Three Questions That Position Your Value
The sales person immediately went into their presentation showing the uniqueness of their new software application. The presentation took thirty minutes and as I was about to ask a question, he mentioned that he only had four more slides to get through. Really! Were his slides more important than my question? Did he have any […]
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
You’re on a sales call and the prospect says take a seat. You thank her and immediately ask how her weekend was. Her response; what can I do for you today? You want small talk and she wants to get right down to business. Typically, not the way you like to start a sales call. […]
Building a Great Sales Culture
Todd Cohen is a prominent thought leader on sales culture and is also my great friend and colleague. He states, “sales culture is one where everyone in the organization is in sales.” As Todd emphasizes, learning is selling, and education is selling. He believes, and I wholeheartedly agree, every conversation is a selling moment. I’d […]
