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 »
Less talking More selling
The other day I was taking to a sales rep who was trying to sell me. I could tell that he was pretty good at his craft and has obviously sold well during his career. After taking with him and listening how he transitioned through his sales cycle I noticed something. When ever I would start to talk about my needs as a customer or my “pain” as a customer he would stop me and start taking about himself. This is a common pitfall among sales people, especially when selling over the phone. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Sales Tips for Selling over the phone
Selling over the phone has been a constant focus on my sales blog. Unless your a door to door salesman (and even then) you better become familiar with selling using the phone. Phone sales are very difficult and can be intimidating. Often times the prospect on the other line can be very forward and often times rude. Expect a couple prospects to get nasty with you. Read the rest of this entry »
Quick sales tips: Selling over the phone
okay guys no sales training can ever prepare you for selling over the phone. It can be a totally different animal than your face to face sales process. Many people call this process “telemarketing”, but there is a difference between standard telemarketing and professional telesales. The actual sales process of selling high end goods or services over the phone utilizes the very same sales techniques as if one where selling in front of somebody. The main difference between the two is that when your are selling over the phone, people tend to have their guard up and can tend to be less polite. Read the rest of this entry »
