Sales is a complicated, never-ending process of building relationships with prospects, building trust, asking probing sales questions, lots of listening and moving the whole procedure through to the commitment stage and ultimately asking for the sale or order. Your […]
A salesperson with a fear of rejection is like a lifeguard with a fear of water. It is a serious problem. Although, faced with a constant flow of rejection, absorbing one “No” after another, it is only understandable to […]
We all love an inspirational sales quote to keep us going. Whether it’s to help us get over a sales slump or to help keep us motivated when on top, I always find them to be very useful. A […]
Sales interviews are often a nerve-wracking prospect, especially if it’s a job you’d really love! Don’t be daunted by the prospect, as a salesperson you’re in the perfect position to smash it – just treat your interview as a […]
What is a sales funnel? In a nutshell a sales funnel are the stages that a prospective new customer needs to progress through in order to become one of your customers. I have seen some very complex funnels over the […]
We often ask salespeople on our Selling Skills Training to discuss the most important aspect of sales, and many consider the sales processes that they follow as the most important aspect that will keep the sales and commissions rolling […]
In sales, a lot can depend on the outcome and results of our efforts. If we succeed or progress with the sale, we tend to increase our motivation, improve our self-esteem and build our credibility. If we lose a sale […]
Emotional Selling Proposition – have you got one? We all know that sales are based mostly on emotion and the decision is backed up with logic. Sales Logic vs Emotion – that’s the law of the salesperson. So, do we […]
What is a belief system? Wiki would have it described as a mental representation of an attitude oriented toward the likelihood of something being true. I like that concept, because it identifies a model that supports the way someone likes […]
One definition of ‘process’ is ‘a systematic series of actions directed to some end: a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner’ A good sales process will give you a good framework and template […]
You know well how customer don’t buy on price alone. The risk that is taken when they buy the cheapest option is sometimes too great and so other components are taken into account when decisions are made. We often say […]
You will be aware of the changing nature of sales, driven by the ever-evolving requirements of businesses and their decision-makers. The old way of selling (cold-call, qualify, present, resolve, close) is being superseded by the consultative and insightful approach of […]
What strikes me as strange and rather puzzling is a piece of research I read this week that said less than 10% of salespeople actually follow up a prospect more than once after they have sent a proposal. I had […]
Let me say something that, on the face of it, may sound puzzling. You learn more when things are going badly than when they are going well. Go on, admit it…that’s an interesting statement (even if you don’t agree with […]
Optimism has been described as a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavour, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favourable, and desirable. It comes from the Latin ‘Optimum’ meaning ‘best’ and is […]
You wouldn’t go on holiday without deciding where you wanted to go, planning the accommodation and deciding on what transportation you would use. So, when you are planning your approach to sales, it makes total sense to determine the strategies […]
You’ll have read lots of information on what you need to do to improve your sales. I have thought about it from a different perspective and come up with things that you shouldn’t do! Keep away from these concepts […]
Brand is often described as ‘a variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic’. Apple’s brand, for instance, is characterised by the statement ‘Think Different’. It creates a label in people’s mind that attracts them and builds trust in the […]
I was talking to a sales manager recently, who was concerned about one of his salespeople. This person was suffering from a negative mind-set, where if he didn’t sell or at least get the appointments he wanted, he felt very […]
We are supposedly exposed to over 5,000 marketing, advertising and other types of messages each day. Personally, I think it’s a lot more, especially when you think of how many emails we get! What does this mean to a hard-working, […]
Whenever salespeople start talking about their products to prospects, the inevitable question about ‘what makes you different?’ will always crop up. Prospects want to know that they are getting a great product at a great price with great back-up. In […]
So, you’ve got to the part of the conversation where the customer asks the £64,000 question, hence indicating they are interested but haven’t yet been persuaded to think seriously about your solution. What do they really want and need when […]
Excellence is a word that is bandied about so much these days that it can often lose its meaning or its differentiation. The dictionary defines it as ‘being exceptional, being superior in some way, achieving extreme merit, pre-eminence or distinction’. […]
Being sales savvy is to have the business acumen, practical knowledge and active ability to carry out your sales job effectively and efficiently. Most salespeople would mark themselves fairly high when asked if they are savvy when it comes to […]
Most salespeople we train know they need to achieve their KPI’s, as this is the key measurement against which their performance is analysed. Normally these performance areas revolve around the number of calls they need to make, the amount of […]
I remember seeing a psychologist on TV talking about how he worked with people on how to change their lives for the better. He succeeded with some people and had not such big success with others. When asked what made […]
I remember years and years ago being on a Sales Training Course where we were learning Sales Coaching skills. The facilitator was coaching someone to use a golf putter when they had never played golf in their life. It was […]
Stephen Covey is, and always will be, one of the most influential figures not only in my life, but in many people’s lives I know. His death tragically cut short an input to humanity that will never be forgotten. […]
There isn’t just one rule of selling, of course. When many salespeople get together to chew the cud, the discussions often get round to comparing their best sales lines, closing techniques and high-profile customers. Ask any of them and they […]
All salespeople are judged on the results they achieve. It’s no good making all the calls, completing all the paperwork, asking for the sale countless times and overcoming sales objections time and time again if the orders aren’t coming […]
