Ever gotten to the end of a sales call and don’t see the next step? Can’t seem to get the information you need to qualify a prospect? When was the last time you lost control of the sales call? Great salespeople know how to ask effective questions and are skilled in active listening. They are…
Have you ever found yourself trying to relate to a decision maker who is anxiously awaiting your direct answer? Or being regaled by tales of adventures when you needed to get qualifying information? Maybe you didn’t realize the prospects communication style was different from yours. All of us enjoy conversations matching our style of communicating….
Summer is over. The kids are back in school. Big yellow school busses with flashing red lights slow your commute. But that’s OK. You as a great salesperson believe in life long learning and are listening to a CD or a podcast to improve your selling skills. Take A Selling Skills Inventory All of us…
Today’s blog topic, the sales thermometer, is from my friend and mentor, Jim Wilson. Jim is a dynamic and accomplished champion salesperson. Watching and learning from Jim, I recognized the three qualities which made him a great salesperson. He has the courage to ask the necessary questions and the patience to wait for the answer….
“Nobody wants to answer the phone!” “I can’t get anyone to talk to me!” “All I get is voicemail and no one calls back!” Any of these sound familiar. The challenge of setting good appointments for sales meetings is not new. Getting the opportunity to meet with prospects has been the professional sales person’s dilemma…
As a sales manger I used to hear: “Bill sure is lucky. He always seems to land the big ones!” Maybe luck played a part but when you look closely you will see Bill’s “luck” happened where his preparedness met a selling opportunity. Bill understands professional selling is all about applying sales skills. Salespeople Have…
There is an old saying where I come from: “Things aren’t like they used to be and they never were.” As Millennials and Gen Z enter the workforce, I’m seeing lots written about how companies need to change their culture to accommodate the “younger” generation. That may be true, but over many generations the sales…
Scrabble is a board game where players make words from a selection of random letters. Each player builds a new word using a letter or letters off of one previously played. Every letter has a point value and certain spots on the board have point multipliers. A player’s score is figured by adding the total…
Of course it is. A period of poor economic times always follows a good one. But one lesson I learned from my father is his belief that “just because there is a recession, you don’t have to participate.” So what do great salespeople do to get ready for the inevitable? Listen To Your Best Customers…
This was first posted in July 2019; in the summertime, when the living is easy. Where we are bombarded by distractions from selling. Maybe we are planning a vacation or just returned from one. Or the garden is full of fresh vegetables needing to be picked and processed. Kids are out of school and demand…