Executive decision makers have until year end to make things happen before their reviews. Not only do they need to complete initiatives on their list to get their bonuses and great scores, but also, those looking for promotions must showcase themselves to management....
For many, fourth quarter can be a time to reflect on decisions made over the last year. What worked, what didn’t? What to continue doing to meet your goals and what to stop doing? As you may be embarking on this kind of reflection as well, I thought it would be...
I originally shared this article after Verne Harnish invited me to speak at the Fortune Magazine Scaling Up Conference in Atlanta a few years ago. When Verne called me to the stage, he asked me to share a sales tip with the audience of 1000 growth-focused business...
Did this ever happen to you or someone you know? Great care was taken to hire a seller to land new clients. There was even a plan for spending the surplus cash from the new customers the seller would bring in! Then, the desired results didn’t happen. Finger pointing...
If I had a dime for every business leader who says, “When we are in front of the right prospects we close sales most of the time, we just need to get in front of more prospects!” I would be a VERY wealthy woman. Why hold off making changes or trying something new that...
It was 4pm on a Thursday and I was sitting in my car outside Starbucks. It had been one of those days. You’ve probably had one like this too. Phone call followed by phone call followed by meetings and then more phone calls. I had one more call to go. One call standing...
The "Assume Close" strategy when opening doors has proven exceptionally successful, especially when working on securing meetings with difficult to reach corporate decision makers. Most recently, one of our Door Openers® used it and booked a meeting with a high level...
Have you ever had a great initial prospect meeting, followed up diligently and then despite your best efforts, can’t get the sale to close? It’s a frustrating part of sales and it happens to almost everyone. Here are some tips to help you keep the sale moving. Ask...
It’s frustrating when sales don’t close. If deals don’t close as often as you believe they should, assess why and fix it so you can accelerate results. Ask yourself these 6 questions to help pinpoint why sales may not be closing. 1. Is this prospect the right kind of...
Too often salespeople skip relationship building to try to close deals faster. In doing so they risk losing sales to competitors willing to put in the time to create relationships. Before blaming sellers for sloppy salesmanship, look at management to see if anything...
Next month, my 22 year old daughter will begin her first real job working for the company which initially turned her down. How did she get the job, despite the initial rejection? Here’s her story. A month before graduation from University of Maryland, Jamie went...
I was recently training a client’s sales team. One seller asked me for ideas on keeping in touch with a prospect AFTER he was told “no”. He had competed for an RFP and was not awarded the business despite developing a great relationship with the prospect. I suggested...