The language "overcoming objections" doesn’t work for me. First, the idea of an objection is often too strong to describe what it is we encounter in sales. Second, the idea of “overcoming” brings with it the idea that by doing so you win and the person “objecting” loses … [Read more...]
The Other Side of Diagnosis: Four Problems That Destroy Your Needs Analysis
May 30, 2010 By 2 Comments
The ability to diagnose your dream client’s needs is a critical skill that is required to succeed in sales. But four common problems destroy the ability to conduct a good needs-analysis and prevent you from making a great diagnosis. Here are the four common problems and some … [Read more...]
Five Questions To Ask As Part of Your Sales Call Planning
May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Is This The Right Call To Make? Now that you have scheduled your sales call, it seems as if it might be too late to ask this question. It’s not. It is still a necessary question to ask, and it often prevents wasting your time and your dream client’s time. It can also keep … [Read more...]
Don’t Mistake Selling for the Hard Sell
May 28, 2010 By 4 Comments
I know the hard sell. I have done the hard sell myself. I have seen it done by others. I have had it done to me. I have had it attempted on me. And I have studied it. The pendulum has swung too far from hard selling, in part because we are really confused about what a hard sell … [Read more...]
Arriving Late For Your Sales Call: What It Says About You and Your Company
May 27, 2010 By 10 Comments
Inevitably, you will be late to a meeting at some point; an important sales call will run over the time you allotted, there will be an unexpected traffic problem, the school will call you about your sick child at the most inopportune time. These things happen. But some … [Read more...]
Seemingly Little Mistakes That Cost You Big Opportunities
May 26, 2010 By 3 Comments
Most of the mistakes we make on sales calls seem to be small mistakes at the time we make them. They are rarely glaringly big, disastrous mistakes, and most of the time salespeople and sales organizations don’t spend enough time analyzing what went wrong and where; they usually … [Read more...]
Written Sales Material and the Sex Life of Bolivian Bullfrogs
May 25, 2010 By 6 Comments
In my senior year of high school, I was required to take a class called Principles of Democracy. The class was an American History class, and it included material on the formation of the United States, as well as the principles and formation of our government. I was seventeen … [Read more...]
Discovering the Ground Truth
May 24, 2010 By 2 Comments
The ground truth is information that is gathered on location, rather than from up above. The military uses this idea to describe the tactical realities on the ground in contrast to what their reports or briefings may have provided. It stands for the idea that there is an … [Read more...]
Write Your Own Success (and Failure) Case Studies
May 23, 2010 By 2 Comments
To provide proof that we can achieve the outcomes that we sell and that we promise, we often use case studies. Case studies also tell the story of how we found our dream client, the dissatisfaction that were struggling with, and how we have worked together to overcome their … [Read more...]
Two Sales 2.0 Offerings That Enable Sales 1.0
May 22, 2010 By 1 Comment
Long time readers here know that as much as I love technology, I don’t believe that it is a substitute for the right sales attributes and behaviors. A couple of my friends from across the web, however, are getting things right by better enabling the fundamentals with some slick … [Read more...]
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