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Sales 2012: What Will You Choose?

Its that time of the year when people set New Years resolutions and goals. Setting goals really boils down to making new and better choices. Its as much about what you are going to start doing as it is about what you are going to stop doing. This tradition has been going on for years and most of the time it is just rhetoric and hope which eventually leads back to old comfortable behaviors and attitudes. Heres three things to consider choosing if you are serious about making 2012 your best year in sales. #1: Choose your "why." Many people get caught up in setting goals that are based on other peoples expectations, not their own. The conversation around the new goal is one of excitement and motivation, however, often lacks the real reason for changing or improving. Business owners say they want to grow their businesses. Why? Salespeople claim they want to make more money. Why? Heres a quick reality check. If your why isnt big enough, you will no

Turn The Year-end Slowdown Into Surprising Sales

In sales its easy to write off the end of the year as unproductive, in effect turning a 12-month selling year into a 10 or 11-month year. People are in "holiday mode" and many businesses are in a holding pattern, waiting for budgets to be released in the New Year. Ill admit, it can be challenging to engage new prospects under these circumstances, but that doesnt mean you have to write-off two months of the year. On the contrary, we believe this is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for a fast start in 2012. Heres how... Focus on your customers! Yes, you read that right. After all the writing I do about prospecting; now Im telling you to focus on your customers. This will accomplish two things for you. First, it will create goodwill, which leads to referrals and repeat business. In the holiday spirit, you can send cards, emails, or pick up the phone to express your appreciation and wish your clients happy holidays. Youll generally find them light

The 20 Worst Prospecting Voicemail Mistakes Salespeople Make

Among salespeople who make sales prospecting calls, theres a hot debate about whether or not you should leave a voicemail message.

Im of the opinion that you definitely should - but only once every three days.

For a voicemail to have any impact, however, you have to avoid the common blunders... and many of them are easy to make.

During one of these hot debates, I asked our followers which are the worst voicemail mistakes you can make in prospecting.

Here are their top 20.

1. Not leaving

   Why You Dont Want Sales Prospects To Save Your Emails

   Youve taken the time to develop a great email prospecting list, crafted a brief, interesting note to send off to potential clients, and then excitedly hit "send."

   Hours later, somewhere across town, your prospect opens the message and is so impressed by what you sent that she decides to save the email and follow up with you shortly.

   Congratulations! Youve got a new lead... right?

   Unfortunately, no.

   Even with their best intentions, the chances that a prospect will actually respond to your email, if they werent compelled to do it right away, are slim.

   Why? Because in as little as a day or two, your message will have dropped down several screens in their in-box.

   How To Put More Prospects In A Buying Mood

   A reader got in touch with me recently about an issue that lots of us have run into from time to time: Her email prospecting campaign was attracting attention and responses, but most of her prospects werent interested in buying right now. While getting some response should be better than none at all, your success in sales is dependent on making something happen. Besides, theres no guarantee that prospects will remember you later, so its your job to create immediate interest.

   In other words, to become the top salesperson, you have to learn how to put more prospects in a buying mood.

   In my experience, there is one surefire way to grab a buyers attention: Focus your prospecting activities on a specific trigger event. In other words, dont try to interest