Smart Selling #1: Stop Cold Calling!
Three critical success factors to get in the door faster.
In this episode of Smart Selling, I answer the most frequently asked question: “What’s the best way to get in front of a brand new prospect?” [pb_vidembed title=” ” caption=” ”...
It’s Not Just About Experience
I was recently asked by a colleague to share my top three insights to help younger, less experienced sellers be successful in their careers. I love working with young new sales pros because they are eager to “get producing” as quickly as possible, they usually have...
Want more time? Forget time management.
It’s a fact of life. The expectations of our customers, our bosses and our families require us to do more, and do it faster. Juggling existing customers and incoming leads, negotiating with price conscious buyers, squeezing in new business development activity,...
Your “Stop Doing” List
Everyone has a “To Do” list. I was introduced to the concept of the “Stop Doing” list in one of my favorite books, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. Over the years I have witnessed some frightening selling practices. And I’ve...
The 80% Your Customers Don’t Tell You
I still have vivid memories of a time I was making an important purchase for my company. A vendor raked me over the coals when she found out that I had shared a piece of information with her competitor and not with her. She lost the bid, and held my unfair act...
Are You Stuck On Auto-Pilot?
The other day I had to pick up something at my local mall. I dislike malls. And so I was ecstatic to find a parking spot “spitting distance” from the main door. Ten minutes later, mission accomplished, I clicked my car’s remote door opener and jumped...
Date Your Way to Sales Success
I’ve been married to the same man since Noah built the ark so you’d expect me to be the least qualified person to write about the current dating scene. The reality is… I feel like a modern day “Dear Abby.” Many of my friends and clients...
Is Your Sales Management Stunting Your Growth?
An unanticipated response from one of my clients recently got me thinking. He’s a sales leader responsible for his company’s sales optimization project and when I asked him how things were going he replied, “We’ve seen pockets of real progress...
10 Tips to Increase Your Close Ratio
Forget worn out manipulative closing techniques. If you sell B2B, seek long-term customer relationships and ongoing growth opportunity, then shift your thinking about closing the sale. 1. Broaden your definition of the close Many of us still think of the close as the...