SALES RESOURCES - SELLING TECHNIQUES, SALES TOOLS, SALES TIPS ...

Have An Excellent Relationship With Customer Service, Purchasing And All The Support Staff Inside His/her Organization.

This is such an important practice that I have named it one of my top ten time management strategies. If you have the book, Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople, youll see that it is secret number nine. I had to learn this the hard way. I was a heavy-hitting, driven sales person. Id stop into the office, drop off work for everyone, and head out; just assuming that everyone would do the jobs that I had deposited on them. My task-oriented style put a number of people off, and my operations manager warned me that I was creating ill-will among the office staff. It took a while, but I finally decided that I needed them to be on my side. So, I apologized, bought everyone a gift, and tried to re-start the relationship on a more positive basis. As people gradually came over to my side, I found that I was able to be far more productive. Instead of doing a project myself, I could confidently ask someone inside to do it for me. Since they liked me, they didnt mind. I

Are You Really Listening?

On every sales call, make sure you bring up at least one item the customer shared with you on the previous call. This demonstrates that you listen closely. Salespeople are already struggling anytime theyre talking to a customer or a prospect because of all the preconceived notions that so many people have regarding salespeople. Too many people believe salespeople dont listen and that the only thing theyre into is their own personal desire to sell something. The best way to overcome this is by showing the customer youre different and you listen. Problem is too many salespeople dont start listening to the customer until after theyve either already bought something or on the verge of buying something. The time to start listening is truly at the beginning. You do this by using each and every comment the customer makes to you as a potential follow-up question. This really comes into play if youre involved in a long sales cycle, where there are a number of sales calls eit

If You Could Sell One Thing...

If you could sell one thing, what would it be? I like asking salespeople this question in my keynotes and training sessions. Its amazing how people respond and the wide variety of responses. The mix of responses between things they currently sell and things they wish they could sell is pretty normal. What I am disappointed in is the low number of salespeople who respond with something like "myself " or "helping the customer succeed" or something similar that refers to the desire to impact positively the customers to whom they sell. To me this question is a barometer of the thinking of salespeople. After I ask this question, I like to ask salespeople where they believe their own level of sales motivation is. This is where I begin to see significant differences in the sales motivation levels of salespeople. Those who are motivated believe their job is to help others and in so doing, theyll be rewarded also. Those with low sales motivation believe their objective is to re

Make Decisions Easier For Your Prospects

Crazy-busy prospects cant handle complexity. They hate it when things are difficult to decode, decide or decipher. It grinds them to a screeching halt - which is the normal human reaction to being overwhelmed and stressed out. Because of the chaotic business environments we work in, simplicity has recently emerged as a key factor in sales success. As a seller, your job is to make things easier and minimize the effort for your frazzled prospects. This is especially true when youre dealing with people who seldom make decisions like the one youre proposing. Here are some strategies you can use to make things easier for your frazzled prospects. Augment, Dont Replace Your prospects already use something or someone to address their needs. You can make it a whole lot easier for them to get buy-in for your product or service by positioning it as an "add on" to an existing program, process, or technology. For example, when I talk to VPs of Sales, I always stress that my wo

What Three Things Do Top Sales Performers Have In Common?

A few weeks ago I received an email from a sales director for a company that is an ESR client. I hadnt met this person in the past: Hi Dave, I have read your book, "How Winners Sell" and have found it to be one of the best sales mentoring books available. I have also followed you blogs and tweets over the years. The best business books are those that you read and then review over time by going to the yellow highlight sections. My copy of "Winners" has served as a reference source for about 7 years. I am a 20 plus year software sales veteran who spends the last 2 weeks of every July at a house in Katama with my family. As a result, I would love to meet you and perhaps get a cup of coffee or an early evening drink in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs (or just coffee in Vineyard Haven). I will be on the island from July 18th to August 1st and would be pleased to meet you, should schedules permit. BTW - loved the aerial shot of Tisbury Pond. [Hes referring to the photo in the