Salespeople 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…
DetailsHere’s the scene. You want to buy a service from someone but you’re not quite sure if he or she is going to do the job to your satisfaction. What do you do? This isn’t an unusual situation. You’re about to deal with someone or a company you’ve never dealt with before. Maybe it’s time…
DetailsI’m usually not a big fan of asking leading questions of a referee. But when I’m doing reference checks for sales candidates, I’m all for priming the “witness” before conducting the interrogation. Why? Because it helps avoid getting those sometimes ill-deserved, glowing reports during your reference-checking process.
Most companies and their salespeople covet their value add, their features and benefits, and their value proposition as if it were the Holy Grail. The reality is all value propositions are inherently valueless. The feature and benefit style of selling that has served companies so well in the past no longer works. It is tried,…
DetailsDuring our recent TeleSeminar on Handling the (Dreaded) Price Objection, I was asked a really good question by one of the attendees — How do you handle situations where your main competitor is always undercutting you by 20 percent or more? It was a dynamite question and one that might be asked by many salespeople…
DetailsSalespeople are often faced with unresolved deals in their pipeline that they normally give up on or persist beyond any reasonable hope. There is a middle ground that is appropriate when you have reached the point of no return, your prospect is stringing you along in that they are taking you down the primrose path,…
DetailsGetting your new salesperson started off on the right foot is an important part of them having fun and you making even more profit. I recently did another of my gems of wisdom titled The New Hire – Doing It Right where I provided an outline of the sales-related items that a new hire needs…
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…
DetailsWhen you’re actively looking for a new salesperson, not everyone who passes over your electronic threshold is a prime candidate for the job of sales professional. To eliminate obvious misfits from the pile of responses you hope to get from your recruiting efforts, you need to have a filter through which you will pass the…
DetailsI don’t know about you, but I sometimes find it fascinating to listen in on other people’s telephone conversations, at least the half of the conversation I can hear. I was sitting idly in the office recently when my partner took a phone call from a salesperson. I knew it was a salesperson because after…
DetailsMost salespeople don’t know when to quit. They don’t know when to quit talking… when to quit selling… and when to quit trying. They talk too much, sell too long and give up too soon. What’s worse, not only do some salespeople give up too soon, they often don’t even get started! In a survey…
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…
DetailsLet’s face it; everyone likes to get something for nothing, particularly if that something is valuable. What could be more valuable to a salesperson than receiving professional sales training? I mean sales training is something that can impact your wallet for the rest of your selling career. And to get it for free! Does it…
DetailsNo sales candidate is going to tell you that he doesn’t know how to sell, even when he doesn’t know how. That’s because he thinks he does know. So it’s up to you to figure out if he really does. I know that it sounds a bit corny to ask a sales candidate to sell…
DetailsSeasoning is great “on” food and “in” people! One of the things employers often look for in a sales candidate is past sales experience and “seasoning.” However, sometimes when you hire one of these seasoned pros, they come complete with complacency. In sales, like in many things, attitude counts. I don’t ever discount a salesperson’s…
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