When I was an adolescent, I went fly fishing with my father, a master of the sport. We were wading in a stream in upstate New York, the elegance of a wonderful autumn day enveloping us, when he advised me that we'd be seeing his most important client once we left the stream. He said he wanted me to sit in ...

In this tale, an experienced sales pro, Tim, learns a lesson about the value of asking questions before blindly making assumptions. He pays a steep price for the lesson, since it costs him 85 customers. Here's Tim's story: Cecil was an older man about to retire. As president of his company, he was determined to see that his insurance needs, as ...

Denise and I were getting ready to wrap up our weekly coaching call. She’s been a salesperson for about 18 years and recently took a new position in media sales. I sensed there was something going on with Denise that was getting in her way; some limiting or dangerous thinking that was sabotaging her selling efforts without her even knowing it. ...

Two things are on my mind this month. The first is surviving in a tough market. The second is an unexpected sales reminder that I experienced on my recent trip to South Africa. Surviving in a Tough Market What goes up must inevitably come down, although none of us likes to believe that truism when we're up in the clouds. But ...

Have you ever head of the “puppy dog close”? This phrase is from the old pet-store strategy of sending a dog home with prospective buyers to help them decide whether or not to keep it. In this tale, tools salesman Barry uses this technique to sell his product to an ideal buyer: A big-company decision maker who would also be a ...

How sophisticated are your sales-call presentation skills and etiquette? Sales rep Tim was selling a software package when he couldn't help his buyer make a decision. Here's Tim's story: While on a sales call at a large New York-based insurance company, my prospect became very defensive. We were pitching a $12 million outsourcing program, and Tony, the buyer, couldn't seem to ...

Practicing what you preach is not merely a mark of good morals, but a mark of good salesmanship, too. One salesman ignored this principle when he tried to impress Kelly, a training manager. The salesman failed miserably. Here's Kelly's story: I'm the manager of training for a Canadian retailer and am often contacted to see if I would like to purchase ...

When Tom got a call from a woman working at the one of the largest advertisement agencies in the world, he thought his low-income days of selling party-planning services were over. A big client like that could keep him fed for years. Here's Tom's story: The woman calling wanted to hear about our offerings on the phone, but I insisted that ...

Jack was a true sales pro, pushing software worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But his lack of attention to a seemingly minor detail ruined his shot at a big sale with a big company. Here's Jack's story: While selling specialty software, I had arranged a presentation in front of a group of facilities managers for a former computer giant. The ...

How savvy are you as a salesperson? Do you act and talk like every other rep out there, or have you found ways to distinguish yourself? Insurance salesperson Carol recalls blindly using an old technique that resulted in her failure. Here's her story: The sales call started out smoothly. I had generated a good lead and called on the company to ...

You're taught to plan for success, but how well do you plan for failure? Bill is now a highly successful sales trainer whose clients fly him around the US to coach their reps. But he wasn't always so competent. Here's his story about dressing for an interview: As a rookie rep, I was extremely proud to land an appointment with an ...

We are living in a time when honest discussion is often drowned out by the noise of partisan cheerleading. More and more, cable TV shows, blogs, radio stations, Web sites and magazines exist to openly advocate a political agenda, ideology, candidate or product. Journalistic institutions are in decline, and many professional reporters are looking for new careers. As an old reporter ...

How skilled are you in handling candid conversations with strangers? This is something sales professionals need to master. With a decade's worth of experience in insurance sales, Ken describes himself as witty, engaging and proficient in building relationships with prospects. But there was a time when Ken wasn't as savvy. Here's his story. It was my first sales call without my ...

Salespeople are a misunderstood bunch. Quiet, reserved and unfalteringly modest, most just want to 'touch base and kick a few ideas around' before rolling out some 'bespoke 360-degree solutions' to help you 'maximise your ROI'. Cliches aside, creativity, strategic thinking and business acumen are becoming the key characteristics of a decent salesperson. When it comes to digital, these attributes are even ...

Dick Clinton had wanted to be a professional trumpet player, but that didn't work out. But after 50 years of selling life insurance for MassMutual Financial Group, he wouldn't have it any other way. "I love what I am doing," said Mr. Clinton, 72. "I'm in this business because I enjoy it, and I truly enjoy my clients." He said the ...

It's not long past the season of completing business planning and it would be remiss of me not to provide a few helpful definitions of business planning nomenclature. Bottom up planning: planning completed from the absolute building blocks of the business so that the targets are in complete synchronisation with the resource requirements in terms of capital and operating expenditure, human ...

We lost several notable celebrities in the latter days of June: "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett, broadcaster Ed McMahon and, probably most notably, prolific musician Michael Jackson. But I've noticed that within the teen community, the most upsetting news was the death of that brusque, burly, bearded TV pitchman Billy Mays. Mays, 50, was found dead in his Tampa, Fla., home ...

Don't look behind you. Your clients' blazers may be covered with pet hair or your skirt may be caught in your panty hose. Real salespeople share these stories and others in this installment of sales horror stories. Read, learn and avoid these mistakes. h4. Dog Days Monster member Mauracous writes: I was taking three clients to lunch. With this in mind, ...

At SalesHQ our favorite part of the job is getting to know our users and hear what they're up to. SalesHQ members are some of the toughest, scrappiest, and resourceful individuals you will meet, and at the same time have big hearts for their clients and the people around them. So we want to hear our members stories, and we are ...

The right to do business has to be earned and never assumed. Rather than doggedly asking for business, the very best salespeople work to keep the relationship moving toward a sale. They realize the need to identify how to turn their company’s products into real solutions, which must meet specific needs. Unfortunately, our surveys confirm that the average salesperson drags the ...