Question from a B2B Software Sales professional: “How should I split my time between calling new customers (or writing cold emails) and making follow up calls (or follow up emails)? How much time should I dedicate for each activity each week?” My answer: Firstly, my approach to Sales & Marketing differs from traditional Sales & […]
I’ve been trying to help answer business questions lately especially during these trying times, here’s another one: In my experience, inconsistency with your salespeople may be signs of: Spending too much time on unqualified leads This is probably the most common reason for poor sales results. Not only that but it creates a vicious cycle
Are there ways to instill consistency for my salespeople? Read More »
I recently was asked this question and wanted to share my answer here with you too (with some minor edits): Great question on one of my favourite topics! I’ll share some of the common mistakes I see in the proposal process: First, proposals take time and resources to prepare – so there is a “cost”
When in the B2B sales process, should I send a proposal to a client? Read More »
I recently received this question: “If you had to start from scratch all over again, how would you build up your list from zero?” This is a question I see a lot of, and it’s actually something that I think weighs on a lot of people’s minds. I know I think about it as well.
How I would get clients/build a list fast, if I had to start from zero Read More »
People tend to mistakenly think Introverts can’t be good sales people. In fact, I’d argue it could be quite the opposite. Here’s some great tips if you’re an Introverted sales person. [Read more]
Are you an Introverted Sales person? Read More »
I’m a confessed Introvert. I make no bones about it and I’m proud of it. In fact, part of my mission these days is to bring the great qualities of introverted people to light and to make it a strength. I’ve been in sales and marketing. Even as an introvert, I didn’t feel it was
Tips for introverted sales people Read More »
I’ve been a telemarketer, done sales over the phone back in the day and have done a lot of cold-calling in the past. Nobody really likes cold-calling, I didn’t mind doing it. But never saw it as highly effective (the way it was implemented). These days people are very protective of their time and most
Why You Should Stop Cold-Calling and Do More Of This… Read More »
“How to Get Occasional Customers Hooked” examines how some companies who specialize in a certain product are able to keep their customers engaged when they are not in the market for what the company is selling. Through always providing new content and building a sense of community with their customers, companies can continue to hook
How to Get Occasional Customers Hooked ChiefExecutive.net | Chief Executive magazine Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } When it comes to being a salesperson there are many questions that you can ask in the process for closing and making a deal. However sometimes knowing what to ask during this can
5 Closing Questions Every Salesperson Must Ask Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Sales can be a very tough department to make it big in. Sometimes not having the natural talent or edge can stop you at the door. But, if you’ve worked hard enough and
The Sales Hunter Sales Prospecting Negotiating Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Selling is hard work. No matter how hard you try, you won’t succeed all the time. It’s useful to understand why you may not be succeeding. For example, you should know your product
5 Reasons Why Prospects Don’t Buy From You Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } There are several things that one should watch for when hiring a sales representative. In particular, vagueness on details, lack of knowledge about your company and inability to accept constructive criticism are big
Hiring a Sales Rep? 6 Interview Red Flags Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Aja Frost describes in his article, The Crazy Simple Trick That Will Make You a Better Listener, how to ‘mute’ yourself to become a better listener. Frost suggests that while on the phone
The Crazy Simple Trick That Will Make You a Better Listener Read More »
Professionals who are pursuing sales need to make sure that they communicate clearly and don’t misspeak. There are seemingly harmless phrases that sales people say that you need to kick from your vocabulary. These phrases can communicate that you truly aren’t listening or interested in the client that you are trying to sell. 6 Seemingly
6 Seemingly Harmless (But Secretly Deadly) Sales Phrases Read More »
I have never been a big fan of labeling generations and then plugging training into a category based on when someone is born. I think the better way to train a person is to learn the best way for them to grow. Not everyone likes to be micro managed but some people do need a
How to Tailor Sales Training to Your Millennial Workforce Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Everyone loves the idea of incentives. Extra effort, extra work, extra reward, everyone’s happy right? If you’ve ever had a sales team that started to fall behind or can’t quite seem to pick
Improve Sales Performance 44% With This One Change [Infographic] Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } People who work in sales need to prioritize their most valuable asset; their time. Keeping track of exactly what you’ll be doing the next day, deciding what needs to be done personally and
The Sales Hunter Sales Prospecting Negotiating Read More »
Nowadays there is an app for everything. Some of these apps can greatly improve your quality of life and you a more successful person at your profession. Listed in the article is 23 apps that can help improve your sales and give you a competitive advantage. Some examples are time management, goal setting and productivity
23 Totally Genius, Little-Known Apps for Work All Salespeople Should Use Read More »
Youtube has long been more than a resource for listening to your favorite band or watching funny videos. You can pretty much learn anything at this point. Pete Caputa recently took time on his blog to point us in the right direction with his list of his top 33 Best Sales Training Video Channels to
The 33 Best Sales Training Video Channels on YouTube Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Customer service is a very important aspect of society and keeping a customer happy after a complaint is important for a business’s reputation and to keep customers returning. Customer complaints should be embraced
The Sales Hunter Sales Prospecting Negotiating Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Are you in sales and want to learn how to close more sales? If you have been in sales for any amount of time you realize your customers don’t always buy out of
7 Powerful Emotions Salespeople Should Leverage to Close More Deals Read More »
In business, having a properly staffed and motivated sales force can mean the difference between an okay year and a year where profits are thru the roof. Is your business scaring away sales talent during the interview process? Learn the common mistakes many employers make when screening sales reps and how to avoid them. 5
5 Ways You’re Scaring Off Great Sales Reps in Interviews Read More »
Steve Jobs was notorious for ending his sales presentations on a high note. With a few tips, anyone can capture the attention of the audience and leave a good last impression. Depending on the product and the audience, methods can include creating a personal connection, offering something for free, or stating a shocking but relevant
How to End a Sales Presentation Like Steve Jobs Read More »
Effective sales and leadership tactics are discussed, along with management of other salespeople. A balance must be struck in sales, between thinking tactically and thinking strategically. Some questions to ask yourself when considering this are, what will the long term effects of a business decision be, and can tasks be delegated to others to develop
The Sales Hunter Sales Prospecting Negotiating Read More »
In his article Chad Albrecht debunks the idea that financial sales incentives should be eliminated. It was suggested that using such incentives, up to 40% of a sales worker’s pay, actually decreased performance. However, as advice to CEOs, Chad provides evidence from meta-analysis that financial incentives actually improve worker’s effort and results, without compromising work
Why CEOs Shouldn’t Discard Their Sales Incentives ChiefExecutive.net Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } Research has shown sales people that use social media achieve sixty six percent higher sales quota attainment. Knowing that’s sales people have the ultimate goal of reaching or exceeding their sales goals, some
Ready For a Shock? Only 15% of Salespeople Are Doing This [Research] Read More »
To remain on top of our sales game during the summer, it’s important to read books. Reading actual books, rather than web sites full of distracting hyperlinks, lets us remain focused and involved in the narrative on the page. To get better at making the sale, consider reading any of the following eight books. 8
8 Sales Books to Read in Summer 2016 Read More »
Being average is more common than not. The blog writer provides tips and ideas on how to be better than average and thus how to become a top performing salesperson. Actually, he offers ten things you could do right now to “accelerate” your move from being average to being great. And yes, one of the
The Sales Hunter Sales Prospecting Negotiating Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } In The Sales Hunter’s article regarding prospecting and how to make it a good process, they speak about the widespread problem with salespeople and that in order to make money one must overcome
The Sales Hunter Sales Prospecting Negotiating Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } In Tamara Schenk’s article regarding steps performers take to get to where they are, they speak of the challenging and new task that marketing and sales alignment pertains. In addition, she mentions that
Sales & Marketing Alignment: What World-Class Performers Do Differently Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } In Art Sobczak’s article relating to business deals, they speak of some of the rookie mistakes that are often made when you’re attempting to close off a deal and it ends up backfiring
The Rookie Sales Closing Mistake That Kills Done Deals Read More »
div#keypoints { margin-left: 2em; margin-top: 0.5em; } li#takeaway1, li#takeaway2, li#takeaway3 { } p#quote { background-color: #AFEEEE; padding: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; font-style:italic; } In Lisa Pearnes’ article relating to lessons that made her a better salesperson, she talks about her early adult life and the struggle of not knowing what exactly she was going to do
3 Hard-Won Lessons I Learned in My 20s That Made Me a Better Salesperson Read More »
In Jill Konrath’s article relating to the loss of trees that she is noticing, she writes about recent experiences where she has notice the abrupt disappearance of trees around her. She speaks about one night; she was woken up by a tree that had fallen. She then relates this to salespeople having accounts that suffer
Dead Trees, Sales Pipelines & Loss Aversion [Research] Read More »
Although it might sound counterintuitive first, one of the best things you can do for your company is to ask your clients for help. By engaging your customers in in-depth conversations in which you try to gain insight into why they like doing business with your company, what you can do to make it
How Asking for Help Can Improve Your Client Relationships Read More »
First, let me tell you about my first sales job. I was twenty-two, fresh out of University when I started my first sales job with a computer hardware distributor in Western Canada. I had zero experience in selling and apparently I didn’t have enough computer hardware knowledge according to the Sales Manager who interviewed me.
61.54% of Companies Don’t Do This for Their Sales… Read More »
Learn the keys to growing your sales in 5 (and a half) easy steps
5 (and a half) steps to greater sales Read More »
Learn to support your sales teams with an infrastructure that leads them to success.
The Relationship Between Sales and Marketing Read More »
One of the best ways you can work to support your sales team is by developing your social marketing team. How does this work? Well, the two go hand in hand. With so many people on social media these days, it’s easy to see the influence of it in their purchases. So build a robust
Take a look at some of the best sales advice and guidance to get you going in the right direction for the rest of the year.
Sales Advice for the Century Read More »
Take a look inside the mind of a sales manager. Learn how to motivate, spur on and energize.
The word “no” can be so harsh and demoralizing to the people on the receiving end of it. Learning how to soften that negative response may be the difference between a productive and inspired employee, and one who’s ready to give up. See how you can soften things up to the benefit of all.
Take the Bite out of “No” Read More »
Take a look at these 5 tweaks you can use to get the sales team selling.
5 Tweaks to ensure Greater Sales Read More »
See how powerful our words are to drive sales and business as you grow and nurture your employees.
Take a look at this article that will outline the importance of reputation management for all that you do.
Control Your Conversation Read More »
We have established that networking is one of the most important things you can do for your business. It’s not always the most fun, but it is important. Another aspect that comes into play in all of this is listening to others; the things that are whispered and rumored. Why? Because it is an important
Whispers and Networking Read More »
Networking is of great importance for your business endeavors. There is no way around it. We may not like it very much, but it is something that we have to do. Now, with that simple truth comes the begrudging notion that perhaps it doesn’t really work. Well, today we have a great article showing you
Science Backed Networking and Its Worth Read More »
There is much for us to learn today from a coffee company that is as ubiquitous as Starbucks. See how they seek to meet the needs of a public community, and ask yourself as the CEO how you can do the same in 2015.
Presentation Is Everything: Meeting the Publics Needs Read More »
Sometimes a client’s taste is just, well…in poor taste. Today we have a helpful article that will give you some guidance in how to politely let them know and how to deal with those stubborn clients.
You Have Bad Taste Read More »
How do you take that conversation, you know the one…the one with the potential client; how do you take that conversation from a general introduction to a sealed deal? We have a great article for you today that might just help with that. It gives 4 ways to go from just talking to working together.
Winning the Conversation Read More »