This is from another email to The Sales Blog Mailbag. The question is: “Should I follow my sales trainer’s advice and leave a message with only my name and telephone number. The prospects I am calling on seem angry with me when they call back—which is rarely. I am … [Read more...]

I received a thoughtful email on the post Grasping at Straws (Why You Can’t Get In). In part, the sender wanted to know how you can find out what you dream client’s issues, challenges, and opportunities are so you can use that knowledge to create interest and get in. First, … [Read more...]

Putting together a model sales week requires that you know your priorities, you get the priorities in the right order, and that you block the time to achieve the outcomes you need. Block Time for Prospecting: If you are going to get your prospecting done, you have to … [Read more...]

Getting in with your dream client has never been easy. Lately, a lot of the comments and emails I have received have complained that the old prospecting methods no longer work. These commenters suggest that cold calling is ineffective. They say that email isn’t effective. Some … [Read more...]

Because you can forego the prospecting today, postponing it until some future date, doesn’t mean that you should skip the prospecting today. You should prospect now, knowing that there will always be sexy distractions to test your mettle. Because you can sit down and make your … [Read more...]

In business, the hard stuff is the soft stuff. The soft stuff is the hard stuff. This statement couldn’t be any more true when it comes to relationships and selling effectively. As a salesperson, you are first and foremost a relationships manager. It is through relationships … [Read more...]

As a salesperson, you have many duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Completing all of your necessary tasks and duties is important, but it isn’t all that compelling. Instead of making it your goal to complete all of your required tasks, aim for something surpassingly better … [Read more...]

Salespeople that sell for smaller companies often dread competing against larger, better known, and better-financed competitors. They believe that salespeople for these companies are better trained, better developed, and have a great advantage when it comes to competing for … [Read more...]

First, a disclaimer: I am whole-heartedly for goals, quotas, and their attainment. But my support of goals and quotas doesn’t mean that we don’t have to face the ugly truth about how short term goals can be completely misaligned with our highest values. Short-term goals are … [Read more...]

Holding quarterly business reviews can help you manage your client's changing needs, report on your success, and make the necessary adjustments to help create their future. But if these meetings aren’t handled well, and if you forego the pre-work necessary, you run the risk of … [Read more...]