It’s no secret that buyer behavior has changed with the ease of information access we all enjoy through the internet. With a click of the mouse, we can get what we need to evaluate new products and services. There’s no doubt that shifting some dollars to digital...
I give a lot of seminars on business development; how to get in the door with prospects, how to get better outcomes from prospect meetings, how to overcome objections, how to increase sales with current clients, you get the idea. Whether I have business owners, VP’s...
A sales message designed for one situation will not necessarily work well in another. For example, you may have perfected your 30-second elevator speech (or “30-second commercial,” as it’s often called). This works great if you are actually in an elevator and have...
While most of us need a second chance now and then in life, there are rarely second chances in business development. You can’t call a busy vice president or CEO a second time and say, “Hey, our first conversation really didn’t go the way that I wanted it to. Can we...
Just because you received the news that you didn’t get the sale doesn’t mean there still isn’t an opportunity for you. By taking the right actions, you could change your prospect's mind this time or set yourself up to win the next time. Here’s how to do it:...
What's another word for a decision maker in a sales situation? It is a prospect, a lead or a potential client, etc. These are all names we use to describe those we want to buy from us. However, something is missing from these words. It’s the human element. We need to...
Many Business Owners and Salespeople express frustration, when they reach prospects on the phone only to find the conversation cut short by the decision maker’s request, “send me some information.” I’ve heard stories of sellers who hang up and never send the...
Networking, whether it is in person, via Linked In or in another manner, can have a lasting effect on future referrals. This is your opportunity to deepen the relationship with Centers of Influence. If done properly and with sincerity, you can have a referral source...
Simply put, 100 percent of the top performers prepare, while imposters are content to improvise. This is not just true in business; you see it in everything from sports to politics and the performing arts. Olympic gymnasts train thousands of hours for four minutes of...
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...
What’s better, consultative or transactional selling? It depends on the situation and the company’s goals. The problem comes when you need one approach and miss sales because you have the other. As an example, a seller can sell one item to one decision maker OR sell...
Who likes to work on the weekends? No one does. Who does work on the weekends? Senior level corporate decision makers do. More and more we’re finding the high level execs plugged in on weekends. It’s not just the teenagers who are glued to their devices. I was...