So many companies these days get their leads from website inquiries, trade shows, Internet advertising, media advertising, etc, and they ask me over and over again: “What's the best way to deal with these kinds of leads?" Good question. You would think that getting back to a “warm lead" would be easy, but you'd be surprised how many sales reps (80% ...

In light of the downward move of our economy most of the sales organizations in this country are scared spit less. I hate living in fear. Bet you don't like it much either. What if you could earn lots more, in considerably less time and feel mightily successful when your competitors are so scared they're spazing out (haven’t used that phrase ...

According to Merrill and Reid there are four personality types or social styles – Analyticals, Drivers, Expressives and Amiables – and all four have their own unique approach to business, their own language and thought processes etc. As a consequence, the very best sales professionals have become adept at recognizing which personality they are dealing with and adapt their approach and ...

A conference is a huge opportunity to build relationships with extraordinary people -- people who might have a significant impact on your professional or personal success. To make sure you maximize the return on your (or your organization's) investment of time and money to attend, you can't afford to be a conference commoner. You have to be a conference commando. Here ...

It's a common misconception that prospecting for new customers means contacting as many people as possible. The reality is that more calls do not necessarily generate more sales. Sales reps rarely get lists of potential customers that have been boiled down to real prospects. Tom Roth, coauthor of the classic management book, Creating the High Performance Team, explains in Selling Power ...

There is a nine-step appointment-getting system in my book, The Accidental Salesperson. The system includes seeding a prospect with articles and then sending a letter. The letter introduces you and tells the prospect you are going to call. Finally, you dial the phone and call the prospect. It takes about 10 business days to work this appointment-getting system. A reader recently ...

Despite your desperate hopes and prayers, business isn't just going to wander into your business. You need to get out there and hustle, and we've got the tips to help you do it. The Basics 1. Create quality marketing tools. This doesn't mean you need to allot 75 percent of your budget to printing costs, presentation slides and a Web site. ...

Never approach a customer unprepared. According to a survey by Purchasing magazine, lack of preparation is the number one dislike buyers have about sellers, with a lack of interest or purpose following close behind. "Hello, your account has just been assigned to me," is blatant behavioral evidence that the salesperson is going through the motions. A better opening would be, "In ...

I’m tired of reading and hearing about how to get past the gatekeeper. Emails, articles, news flashes, blasts, webinars, podcasts—they make my blood boil. These “gatekeeper” tactics are insincere, duplicitous, unprofessional, offensive, and a waste of sales time. A waste of your time. And, really, who has time to waste? The gatekeepers—receptionists, administrative assistants, and executive admins—field calls for the decision-maker. ...

"So, what do you do?" This question usually surfaces at some point during an initial conversation with a new acquaintance. Surprisingly, few people know how to respond or introduce their product or service in a way that builds their business or network, without appearing overly aggressive or desperate. You have probably been asked this question dozens of times. Often enough, the ...

You might be wondering whether your marketing efforts should adapt to the economic downturn. Should they address or ignore consumer fear? Worries and superstitions (which have been proved to decrease sales) get an extra push this month with Friday the 13th and the Ides of March, so we've asked George Belch, professor of marketing at San Diego State University, to ...

Emerging salespeople typically believe that all business is good business and to an extent, I can understand this viewpoint. If you are trying to make a name for yourself, being put under pressure by your sales manager to get “runs on the board” and earn the respect of the more experienced and successful members of the team, it is difficult to ...

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 ...

Nobody seems to remember who first coined the term elevator pitch, or elevator speech, but I know it’s been around a long time, and I am often asked to help design such speeches for clients. An elevator pitch is a short presentation that you could deliver to someone in an elevator as it travels from top to bottom, or vice versa. ...

If you are involved in prospecting then you will already know the challenges of persuading a prospect to give you the business. Ultimately there is a four-step process involved in buying that all of us follow; Step 1. We have to feel motivated to make a purchase, irrespective of its type or size. Step 2. At some point after we’ve become ...

You'd be surprised at how often I hear, “My salespeople can't close.” I flinch when I hear sales executives tell me their salespeople can't close, and that they want a training program about closing the sale. Save your money. It's never about closing. Never. That's the symptom. The problem is the neglect the salesperson showed to all the activities needed during ...

Have you ever had hot prospects who suddenly stopped returning your call? Then you know how disconcerting it can be - especially when they'd expressed so much interest in your product or service only days before. At first, you assume their lack of responsiveness is an isolated situation that will quickly self-correct. But after repeated failed attempts to connect, you start ...

If you’re in a selling situation where you get to call back leads that have expressed an interest in your product or service, then consider yourself lucky. Whether they come from traditional advertising sources or from the internet, inbound leads save you the time, effort (and often the terror!) of cold calling. While these leads are great to get, they also ...

Think about the intention or the end result of your prospecting efforts. It's probably not what you think. Lets refer back to the definition of prospecting. "Prospecting is defined as any activity or conversation you engage in to position yourself in front of a prospect with the intention to inquire, assess, discover, and educate so that you can determine whether there's ...

As I have highlighted in a number of articles dealing with opportunity assessment, having a tilt at every windmill that presents itself, is neither practical nor profitable. Qualification, is a core competency that every professional salesperson should take on board as quickly as possible. Working to the maxim that “All business is good business” is unrealistic and totally erroneous. It takes ...