There are just a few reasons why you're not getting a meeting with a prospect. Are you giving them a compelling reason to meet? Do you sound credible? Do they have a reason to believe you can deliver what you say? If your voicemail is irrelevant to their business get ready for the delete button on their voicemail. If you sound hesitant, too cocky, too meek, or unprofessional … [Read more...]
Sell more by selling to the right prospects
Here's how I know someone is not going to make their sales goals. I ask them to describe an ideal prospect. Their response? Everyone is a prospect! Wrong. Everyone is not your prospect because you can't be all things to all customers. Here's how you can find the customers who you are most likely to sell to. … [Read more...]
Do you want to make your next prospecting call less stressful for you?
I often ask salespeople how they customize their selling. I get nervous when they say that they sell the same way to every prospect. Why? Because customers are different and they prefer you to be like they are, not necessarily how you are most comfortable. That's why the most flexible salespeople are the most successful. Here are some ideas to start with if you don't know how … [Read more...]
Are you making a sales mistake?
I see this over and over again with salespeople. They make the mistake of presenting too soon. How do I know? I ask them if their clients are saying, "I need to think about it" to make a buying decision. What's to think about it your customer truly needs what you are selling? It's your job to ask the questions that guide a customer to understand there is a need, it's an … [Read more...]
Are you thinking like an engineer when you sell?
Did you see Purdue University President Mitch Daniels quote in a recent Wall Street Journal Notable & Quotable? He talks about the problem-solving can–do attitude of engineers. That same attitude is what great salespeople have. The look at their customers and try to solve their problems and of course sell their products while they solve the problem. What’s wrong with … [Read more...]
Are you getting ripped off?
Does your sales process include submitting proposals? Does the proposal include a road map of the solution to your prospect's problem? That's dangerous. Your prospect could take your expertise and shop it to the lowest bidder. That has to stop. I understand that you want to demonstrate your expertise in the proposal. You can do this without giving your knowledge away. In … [Read more...]
Where do you negotiate?
Do you think about where you're going to negotiate your sale as part of your sales strategy? You should. A recent article in Money magazine cited some interesting findings. People act differently on their own turf. They're more assertive and less willing to make concessions. Is that what you want in your next sale? Try to get the "home field advantage" and negotiate in your … [Read more...]
Sell More By How You Sound.
How do you think you sound when you sell great products that you believe in? Confident, right? Now think about those salespeople who push products on customers. It’s hard to build the enthusiasm to mislead customers. Those people sound flat and unenthusiastic. Which do you think sells, confidence or lacking it? The research says it’s confidence. Dr. Alex Pentland, is a … [Read more...]
Losing a sale. Now what?
At some point you’re going to lose a piece of business. That loss immobilizes some salespeople. They ruminate about the deal that went bad, what caused it and blame themselves. The reality is that all successful salespeople sometimes lose deals. They analyze what went wrong and resolve to avoid doing that again. They do this analysis once. Then they move on. If you find … [Read more...]