Do you set the stage for the next meeting before you end the sales call? For sales processes with long sales cycles and multiple calls to close, do you have a mutually agreed upon action plan at the end of each sales call? Plan For The Long Run Selling expensive, complex products are a particular…
How To Win A Sales Argument is the title of a book my father gave to me when I first started selling. The book was written by Richard Borden and Alvin Busse and published in 1926, almost 100 years ago. Why Use The Term “Sales Argument”? “Argument” comes from the Latin word “arguere” which meant…
In my experience the well-executed sales conversation is the best technique for developing mutually beneficial long-term relationships. That may be because the products and services I have sold are complex with long sales cycles. That said, even my successful friends who work in one-call-close businesses use sales conversations. What’s A Sales Presentation? One of the…
Sales cycle is the process salespeople use to close a sale. The sales cycle must be managed for a positive outcome. Buying Cycle While there are sales cycles the purchaser also has a preferred method of buying. There are different types of purchases: one time buy, new buy, recurring purchase, straight rebuy, modified rebuy. For…
What are you afraid of? We all have fears. This is a sales blog let’s address some of the common salesperson fears. Fear of Failure Yep, that’s a big one for me. What if I don’t meet goal? What happens if I lose the order. Perhaps it is years of experience having these salesperson fears…
Think about it. How do you want to be sold to? Are you comfortable when the selling style doesn’t fit your buying style? A True Story My wife and I were shopping for a used car for one of our kids. We needed to buy her something functional with a few years life left in…
All sales people have a finite amount of time to invest in their work. Should they use the time retaining or acquiring good customers? It’s a simple question worth evaluating. What’s A Good Customer? My best customers have integrity, place all the business they can with me, pay on time and refer me to other…
Here is the first post of 2019. Like others I’m sure, I made New Years Resolutions. That was the easy part. Keeping those resolutions is the challenge. Typical Resolutions Most years when Lois asks me about the New Years Resolutions, I mention living a more healthful life, having more intentional leisure time or working harder…
As we close the book on sales plan 2018 and look forward to the New Year, check out seven ideas to make 2019 a great sales year. Your company has a sales plan to reach their goals. Each salesperson needs to have a personal sales plan too. Review this year’s sales plan What worked? What…
I write this blog post during the holiday season in 2018. I was doing some of the odd jobs associated with life and thinking as I worked about how gratitude works. Family and Gratitude This year we again gathered with family and friends to celebrate gratitude around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Our tradition has been…