You’re probably sitting there thinking, “Why would I want to be my own worst enemy?” And the answer, of course, is that you certainly don’t want to be. But it happens, and it could happen to you. I’ve seen salespeople with the potential to be top performers fall short because they either didn’t know what…
DetailsProspects today are busy, busy, busy and their voice mailboxes are constantly being filled with messages from people they don’t know, people who they don’t want to know, and people who give no reason to call them back. Don’t be one of those people. Avoiding Voice-mail Hell In the past, salespeople had to find a…
DetailsHere’s one of the great truths of selling — if prospects can’t tell the difference between your product or service and your competitor’s product or service, they’ll make their buying decision on price. Now, this isn’t the only reason for the price objection coming up but it’s a major one. It’s absolutely amazing how many…
DetailsIt’s a shame but a lot of salespeople are losing sales before they even have a chance to get them. That’s right, they’re reaching into their holsters, pulling out their pistols and shooting themselves in the foot before they even have a chance to talk to the prospect. Slow Off the Mark How? By being…
DetailsRemember the old saying, Sell the sizzle, not the steak? Well, it’s still alive and well but not used by many salespeople. Most of them are still trying to only sell the steak. How boring! “Sell the sizzle” is just another way of suggesting you use a bit of showmanship in your selling. Mind you,…
DetailsHow do you measure up? Are you as good as you could be? Do you even know how good you could be? Here’s a way to find out. Research studies on self?monitoring show that people who monitor what they do often become better at it. I don’t know why it works, but research shows that…
DetailsSalespeople consistently perform at a level equal to their belief in their self-worth and self-concept. Salespeople should work daily and diligently to preserve their dignity and self- worth so that they can be emboldened to do the tough tasks that are required of them. There are many elements that take a heavy toll on one’s…
DetailsReferrals are an excellent source of new business but most salespeople don’t deserve to get them! Yes, you heard me right. Why do I feel they don’t deserve them? Because they do nothing to earn them. Too many salespeople are like waiters. You know the ones. They show up at your table to take your…
DetailsThe winds of change are impacting the sales profession. These changes are being brought about, for the most part, by the changes that are occurring in the buying arena. Unlike selling which is a full-contact sport, buying has moved to being a non-contact sport for many things. The Internet and other media have replaced the…
DetailsYou answer the telephone and hear the words, “My boss has asked me to get information and pricing on (whatever it is you sell)” and your heart sinks. It sinks because you know that dealing with information seekers is an even greater challenge than dealing with gatekeepers. You know that whatever price you quote will…
DetailsPrice Price is never the real issue for prospects. The real issue is that they may not believe you are worth the price. The reality is that many times your product and service isn’t worth the price. Not because it doesn’t justify itself, but because your prospect doesn’t value it. So instead of constantly fighting…
DetailsThere is absolutely no doubt that persistence is a key element for sales success. But where does persistence stop and being a pest begin, and when is being persistent just plain dumb? This is not a problem for most salespeople because, as a general rule, they give up far too soon in the selling process.…
DetailsNot every salesperson has a natural gift to quickly bond and develop rapport with prospects. Many try to succeed by ingratiating themselves with frequent contact, entertaining prospects, being responsive, reliable and helpful. However, what if you don’t have the luxury of the preceding and you are faced with a reluctant and guarded prospect who resists…
DetailsWe’ve all had them — the prospect that isn’t going to buy from you no matter what. It might be because he doesn’t need or want whatever it is you’re selling or perhaps you’ve rubbed him the wrong way and he simply doesn’t want to buy from you. The only problem is, he won’t tell…
DetailsIf you’re going to sell anything, you must deal with real prospects. Your challenge as a salesperson is to separate the real prospects from the unreal ones. That’s what qualifying a prospect is all about. Finding real prospects is not difficult but too few salespeople do it and end up wasting their time trying to…
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