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 ...

As sellers, we're continually told to sell value and to let our prospects know about all of our value-added services. After all, that's how we're going to win the sales. Right? Not necessarily. Value is relative. It's in the eye of the beholder. So much depends on how the decision makers you're dealing with perceive "value." And even then, selling "value" ...

Establishing a business relationship with a new prospect is a lot like walking on a balance beam. Every single move you make has consequences. When you execute it flawlessly, you're in a perfect position for your next move. However, any misstep on your part sends you into recovery mode. Sometimes you're able to bounce back, but other times you fall off ...

You go to a sales seminar to learn how to sell; you read Sales Horror Stories to learn how not to sell. Heed the warning and avoid the mistakes our brave contributors made. Read, learn, make your own mistakes, and then deposit them into the Sales Horror Crypt. h4. Lingerie Sales Monster.com member kristysg reveals this tale: I was in the ...

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 ...

Are you a member of a sales department or a sales force? There's a big difference. Members of a sales department don't make much of an impression on the prospect and, as a result, make the next person look better. Members of a sales force are tough acts to follow. Consider figure skating. There are certain figure skaters - Peggy Fleming, ...

It’s a different market out there today from the one that many of us have known for the last several years. There’s no disputing that this new economy presents plenty of challenges, and yet by adopting the right approach, it’s also an opportunity for sales professionals to actually thrive...even in a tough market. The secret to success in sales today isn’t ...

“How are you today?" Nothing defines you as a telemarketer or salesperson more than that opening delivered in an obligatory, insincere way (the way 80% of your competition delivers it). If you want to separate yourself from your competition and actually connect to your prospect, then please use any of the following after you give your name and company name: *1. ...

No more recession talk. Economies go up. Economies go down. That’s how things work. So pull up our bootstraps and commit to thriving in any economic climate. Accelerate your sales, retain your loyal customers, and attract new business without increasing your cost of sales. Successful sales pros, business owners, and companies that take charge and compete will win. Traditional indicators have ...

Edification is what they refer to it as in the direct sales industry. When selling in a team, edification or promotion of our team mates ensures that the whole team can contribute to closing the deal and servicing the client. Every team has a rainmaker, or star and they ’re often the senior sales rep, sales manager, or even the CEO. ...

Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients. A few weeks ago, I had a phone conversation with Julie, who has been struggling with the old-style selling methods that her manager insists are the only way to sell their company’s technology solution. Regardless of what product ...

Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of a sudden, a fight breaks out between two men who’ve had too much to drink. You happen to be a few steps away, and the next thing you know, one of the men turns to you and looks as if he’s going to take a swing at you. What's your first ...

To permanently eliminate any confusion, lets draw a distinction between what it means to pre-qualify and pre-judge someone such as a prospect. If you read my cold calling book, you know that I’m a strong advocate of pre-qualifying anyone before you invest your very limited and precious time in meeting with or speaking with them. Conversely, pre-judging someone is something ...

One sector that often comprises both intangible and complex sales is the high-tech sector. Many of the solutions are literally invisible—they run in the background and the majority of people are oblivious that they even exist. Saying that someone is in the high-tech sector or industry is somewhat ambiguous in this era, as most organizations harness technology to make their businesses ...

Dave Wedzina detests pushy salespeople. Like many of today's shoppers, the Lackawanna man likes to do his own research and make his own purchasing choices. Sure, he wants a sales associate to be around if he has questions, but he doesn't like feeling "sold to." "I want them to say, 'If you need any assistance, my name is Fred,' not 'I've ...

Here’s the visual. You’re in prospecting mode. Whether you’re about to walk into a place of business looking for new clients or pick up the phone to make a cold call or even a follow up call to a potentially ‘warm’ prospect, you are focused on making each effort count. You know you have a great product and service. After several ...

So, the title pulled you in because you think that someone has found a new formula for water…that there are two words that you can say that will skyrocket your revenue and commissions. The title referred to these words as "powerful" so they must be new, since you haven't heard them before. Perhaps, these words are a deceptive trick that hypnotizes ...

Companies, when they interview, focus their attention on learning about the candidate. However, equal importance should be placed on the candidate interviewing them so that both sides can make a solid decision on the relationship. My wife Sharon and I dated for exactly two years before I proposed to her. Over our two year courtship, I got to know her likes ...

Recent exhaustive surveys suggest that only 5% of professional salespeople reach and remain at the highest level, which we call Level 3. A further 15% attain Level 2 status, but the majority, i.e. a massive 80% remain at Level 1 in terms of potential achievement. Level One salespeople sell products and depend on having the right technical solution for the ...