Historically, we have considered two ways to increase sales: add more salespeople, or improve the effectiveness of those we have. Equally important is spending time on the right stuff. We often hear “my sales team is not spending enough time pursuing new prospects.” Salespeople, like most of us, tend to take the path of least… Read more »

I just can’t figure out why so many salespeople have a hard time getting to NO. We see well-meaning sales pros spend inordinate amounts of time and energy avoiding what should be obvious; that prospect is not going to buy what you are selling. Period, get over it! One thing that stands out with top… Read more »

First and foremost; negotiating is a necessity in life (not just business life; all life). Learn how to negotiate or think about becoming a hermit. Set an anchor. Adam D. Galinsky, in a Harvard Business Review article, talks about being first to set an anchor in a negotiation. Almost always both parties have an understanding… Read more »

First and foremost; negotiating is a necessity in life (not just business life; all life). Learn how to negotiate or think about becoming a hermit. 1. Set an anchor. Adam D. Galinsky, in a Harvard Business Review article, talks about being first to set an anchor in a negotiation. Almost always both parties have an… Read more »

Not long ago I was coaching a young salesman and we made a joint call on strong prospect. He did a good job starting the call, asking great questions and listening. Then, he told a story that so mirrored what this new prospect was looking for I just sat in awe. Finally, as my young… Read more »

If you haven’t done so already, you are about to come up with a sales forecast for next year. Then, you will likely do quarterly adjustments. So, how come your forecasts are always so inaccurate? The biggest single reason for this problem is lack of a well-defined sales process. If you do not have a… Read more »

At some point during your sales process you will get to some level of negotiation. It is often price, but can also be delivery, terms, accessories, or even items unrelated to this sale. Understanding there are no guarantees in anything we do, here are a few simple tips that will help you reach a positive… Read more »

You’ve been promoted to Sales Manager, but you want to keep some accounts. Or, your boss says you need to keep some accounts. Either way; it’s a bad idea. Here are a just a couple of really bad situations you can find yourself in: You’ve been with the company forever. You know all the accounts…. Read more »

Finding a salesperson that combines specific technical skills along with strong sales skills is rare. It usually boils down to an either/or, rather than, a both/and choice. On the one hand, do you need someone who can converse comfortably with a customer engineer, or do you really need someone who can find new business and… Read more »

As a sales team leader, how often have you heard one of your star performers describe the same opportunity over and over again? Meeting after meeting you hear about how this project or that order will close “very soon.” You continually press for an order date but face disappointment month after month. The agony drags… Read more »