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 »

So, you think you need more salespeople? Your current sales staff is not producing enough? According to data from Cirrus Insight, the average salesperson spends less than half of his time engaged in actual selling. Too much time is spent staring into a monitor composing and sending email. According to Dr. Tom Sant, partner at… Read more »

One of the things we continue to impress upon our coaching clients is how to qualify prospects. More succinctly; how do you know when to fire a prospect? Undoubtedly, this is our most difficult decision. When do you walk away from a prospect? Here are some tell-tale signs that will help you make that decision…. Read more »

Too often I am on a call with a salesperson who is convinced the customer wants to hear everything he knows about his product or service. Nelly bar the door! He is going to cover every point! Shortly after pleasantries are exchanged our sales pro starts into his features and benefits. The really inexperienced don’t… Read more »

At some point during sales training sessions, or one on one coaching we hear from a veteran salesperson “I knew that!” Our follow up question is something along the lines of “I’m sure you did, the question is; are doing it?” Eyes go down and there is stillness in the room. Most often this occurs… Read more »