The Sales Blog
There are all kinds of ideas about what works and what doesn't work in sales. Some of it contains a truth, but not the whole truth. Buyers are doing a ton of research. It’s true that buyers are doing research. Maybe some are 57%, 67%, or 117% through their buying process … [Read more...]
Yesterday I wrote about ten things I wish I'd have known before I started selling professionally. Here are ten things that I wish I'd have known before I started managing a sales force. Balance activity and effectiveness. When I first managed salespeople, I was … [Read more...]
It’s about creating value. I resisted selling early in my life because I believed salespeople took advantage of other people. I thought that they were sleazy, self-oriented, and manipulative. Only later did I learn that it was all about helping other people get the results they … [Read more...]
Paying homage to Lefsetz. Then, it was very difficult to acquire information about your prospects. Now, it’s impossibly simple to find information about your dream clients—if you do the work and use the tools. Then, there weren’t a lot of ways to prospect. It was … [Read more...]
Many of your prospects believe you are supposed to be transactional. Especially when it comes to your price. Globalization has made the entire world our competitors, including places with lower labor costs and every bit as much intellectual power. The Internet has … [Read more...]
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I've been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in … [Read more...]
This article titled Salesman in the Surgical Suite is in the Health section of the March 25th New York Times. But it isn’t going to filed under Health here. Instead, it’s going to be filed under ethics. Most of the bad behaviors that salespeople were once guilty of are, … [Read more...]
A ready to buy lead is a unicorn. It’s a fairy tale. If you’re going to succeed in sales, you take your leads where you find them. So what if they’re not yet ready to buy? The question you should be asking yourself is “who is going to help get them ready to buy?” If … [Read more...]
The article is titled “Oracle Blames New Sales People for Missing Targets.” “What we really saw was the lack of urgency we sometimes see in the sales force, as Q3 deals fall into Q4,” Chief Financial officer Safra Catz told analysts on a conference call. “Since … [Read more...]
Leaving A Trail of Negativity Behind You