SalesHQ

I don’t know about you, but I can always tell when a telemarketer is cold calling me. From the moment they begin speaking, “Hi is that Mr. Brooks?” to the way they fumble through their scripts, I have them pegged before they get past their first sentence. And like I’m sure it is with you too, I am immediately not interested. ...

In the old way of making cold calls, we offer a sales pitch to a perfect stranger, cross our fingers, and hope for the best... isn't that right? This really doesn't work very well in building a business relationship (or any other relationship, for that matter). This is done best by stepping into the world of the other person and finding ...

I’m a salesman. I sell sales training, management consulting, coaching and speaking presentations. My clients are companies, individual salespeople, business owners, and business and industry associations. I prospect. I have to if I want to stay in business. I, like every other salesperson, am constantly looking for potential new business. I also market my services and myself. I have to invest ...

I have seen many articles, blogs, and books professing to help sales people never cold call again. I like the idea myself. In fact, I wish people would give me business without ever writing a proposal or having another meeting again. Unfortunately as the old cliché goes: “Sales is a contact sport.” Networking, publicity, great websites etc. are all great tools ...

"I always hear people talking about how e-mail is today's 'killer app,'" my coaching client Janice told me when we were discussing ways of making contact with prospects. "But I'm afraid that people will think I'm spamming them if I try to e-mail them when we haven't met yet. I know I hate spam with a vengeance!" "You're not the only ...

Here's a great list of questions that every salesperson should consider before making a sales call: 1. What do I believe prospect will find most attractive or beneficial about my product or service? 2. What might they find least attractive or beneficial? 3. What questions are they likely to ask me? 4. What are the most essential questions I need to ...

Wouldn’t you like to make cold calling pleasant for both you and the other person? The best way to achieve this is to completely eliminate sales pressure. Whenever potential clients feel sales pressure, they almost always respond with defense and resistance. Hidden sales pressure takes many forms. If we can avoid the ways we bring sales pressure into our cold calling, ...

Early in my sales training career, I used to do about an hour on how to work with gatekeepers. Today, you no longer talk to live gatekeepers. Instead, you go straight into the prospect's voicemail system. Polite, patient executives who would never think of hanging up on you feel nothing when they delete your voicemail after one sentence. The typical businessperson ...

Most of us dread our days of making cold calls. We take a deep breath, pump ourselves up, and prepare to talk with a perfect stranger. Is there any wonder a gray cloud sometimes hangs over our desk? It really doesn't have to be this way. Cold calling can be an interesting, intriguing, fulfilling adventure. How do you do it? You ...

Have you noticed that the old "tried and true" cold calling techniques which were once successful have completely lost their effectiveness over the years? They just don't work anymore. Nevertheless, many salespeople are still use them because that's all they know. They're working from that old, ineffective cold calling mindset. And they're making the same mistakes over and over again. These ...

There it sits on your desk—the telephone. You hold ambivalent feelings about using this device. On the one hand, you hear high-income professionals testify that they “dialed for dollars”—almost fanatically—on their way to the top. On your more successful days, you agree with them. Yet at other times, when you struggle with gatekeepers, voice mail connections instead of live respondents, unreturned ...

1. Who Needs What You Have? Don't say everyone. This attitude makes cold calling overwhelming, and you'll get lots of rejections. You must establish a list of criteria, and here's where your boss and other successful salespeople can help you. Ask them, "What are the characteristics of our/your 3 best customers?" Get them to think deeply about the specifics -- the ...

Cold calling is dead, but still kicking. It's not to say that cold calling doesn't work, but everyone will agree, it's highly inefficient and very demotivating. Therefore, cold calling should go away, but it won’t. I stopped at my Starbucks today and saw a vitamin or similar sales rep recruiting a new employee. I overheard some words such as "pitch" and ...

The time-honored story around the Midwest is “The Wizard of Oz.” Can you imagine what a shock it would be to go to sleep in the Midwestern United States and wake up in the Land of Oz! The splendor and excitement of arriving in a new land, full of new possibilities you never even dreamed possible …seems to be a kindred ...

Frustrated with rejection at the top? Wondering who’s greasing whose palm to get access to the million-dollar decision-makers? Working at convincing yourself that the CEO/President isn’t really THE Top Dog for your particular product/service? All you’ve gotta do to change this frustration and rejection to outrageous success is this. Learn to think like a girl … You’ll be relieved to know ...

For the past 26 years I’ve worked on the phones as a qualifier, broker, sales associate, sales manager, director of sales, V.P. of sales, owner of various inside sales companies, consultant – you get the idea. I’ve worked with, monitored and heard thousands of sales reps over the years, and I’ve heard it all – the good, the bad, and the ...

Tips for dealing with sales rejection and how to turn it around to your advantage.

“I’m confused. I’ve had great meetings with the right people in the organization. They said that our product looks terrific…but that was 8 months ago. I’ve continued to call…followed-up by email…still no decision. I know that the competitor hasn’t gotten the business. If they love the product, why aren’t they buying?”

My last post was on the benefit statement for sales presentations. Now on this sales call we move to our next step which is indentifying needs. This is a critical step and even more so in a difficult economy. It is natural for most situations from single people, to families, large corporations and governments, to be more careful with spending. I ...

Let’s say you’ve had a great conversation with a prospect. They’ve shared their problems and seem genuinely interested in what you are offering. You’re excited about following up with them – but your calls aren’t returned. What’s happening? Well, the only way to find out the truth of the situation is to ask them. However, before you do, let’s stop and ...