Motivating and managing key employees can prove to be one of the most difficult tasks required of business owners and managers, and the ultimate success of a company can rely on the ability to understand the most common mistake that sales staff make. It is important to realize that most people consider a job in sales to be very tough and a competent manager or business owner must be prepared to handle the perceptions of their staff. The most common mistake that sales staff make is generating too much of their time to non-revenue generating activities. While the sales force may believe that they are working incredibly hard, the fact of the matter is that most of the “hard work” does not actually accomplish any progress towards quotas or goals. Read the rest of this entry »
Suggestions For Overcoming Sales Comfort Zones
Ah, comfort zones. The bane of the B2B salesperson. I believe that the loss of productivity and sales effectiveness caused by the limitations of comfort zones is so widespread that it could be the number one problem for salespeople.
What’s a comfort zone? Since we are talking about salespeople here, it’s some aspect of the salesperson’s job with which he/she is Read the rest of this entry »
Sales Presentation Tips
The other day I was being pitched by a smooth talking sales VP from a technology company. I couldn’t have been more turned off by the presentation. We were using a online conferencing tool called WebEx. I had signed online and also called in to the conference call. I could see that he already had a power point presentation loaded up and ready today. This company knows very little about my company. After some quick introductions the Sales VP told me that he knows that this power point presentation is kind of irrelevant to our need but say he wants to show us anyway. Read the rest of this entry »
Sales Presentations Over Dinner
Taking a prospect out to lunch can be a great way to get in front of them. This being said it is also a way for a prospect to get a free diner. But like most professional sales people the cost of a dinner is well worth getting the undivided attention of a potential buyer or decision maker. Dinner arrangements can be very crucial to success of the meeting. Try to learn or pre-qualify your prospects needs or desires. If you can impress them by taking them to a themed restaurant or match a restaurant to their food preference it will show that you’ve gone the extra mile to please them. Read the rest of this entry »
Are the days of meetings over?
With new advances in web meeting software and video conferencing abilities I wonder if face to face meeting will survive. I think that there is a profound value to meeting and presenting to someone in person. That being said there is also a profound cost, especially that meeting is located far away. I use trade shows and industry events as an oppertunity to meet with clients and prospects. This way I can kill two birds with one stone and save some money as well. I rarely ever make trips to see clients. I try to either mix it in with some prospecting or other business in the area. Read the rest of this entry »
