Value Adding or Value Subtracting?
Adding value to a sales call – even a brief telephone call – is not difficult. It doesn’t cost a penny. It does require a deliberate focus on caring about what would be of interest to this particular...
View ArticleSee a Need, Meet a Need
I heard about a family once who had only one house rule. The rule was “see a need, meet a need.” No one in the family had any assigned chores, there weren’t any “you better or else” conversations, and...
View ArticleEveryone Sells
Everyone sells. Everyone leads. Everyone connects. These are inevitable truths, but we try to dodge them. People deny that they need to know how to sell, that they lead others whether they like it or...
View ArticleImmune to Sales Techniques
I’ve been a salesperson all my life. I’ve managed and trained sales teams in every state in the U.S. and nearly every province in Canada. I’ve read just about every sales book there is and written one...
View ArticleYou Can’t Playact in Selling
You can dress the part. You can perform the steps of the sales process prescribed to you in training. You can create proposals with all the bells and whistles. You can lay out all the features,...
View ArticleThe Hunter and the Hunted
Selling is an extreme sport. It’s aggressive, highly competitive and intense. You can tell just by the language used to describe our selling activities.Sellers who develop new business are called...
View ArticleYour Product Won’t Sell Itself
What you sell matters. Sellers who are looking for a new job take into account whether or not they’ll be able to sell the product(s) required and apply to companies with products they feel they can...
View ArticleWhat To Do When You Get Tongue-Tied
Let’s start by setting aside the fallacy about how all sellers are gregarious, think-on-their-feet types who have a snappy comeback and a witty repartee for every social situation. It’s simply not...
View ArticleIs It Appropriate?
If you have to ask, maybe it’s not appropriate. As I’m writing this, it’s mid-summer. In the past two weeks, three sales rep, one sales manager and two HR professionals have asked my opinion about...
View ArticleGo Ahead – Ask!
Are you any good? As a selling professional, do you have satisfied customers? Have you helped your buyers to reach their goals? Have you saved anyone time and money? Do you deliver on time every time?...
View ArticleWhere’s Your Sense of Urgency?
This isn’t an article about creating a sense of urgency. Most sellers do a pretty good job of setting deadlines, dangling special incentive carrots or offering price discounts for a limited time only....
View ArticleSonoma-Style Service
I recently had the most relaxing getaway of my life. It was that good. A big part of it was the chance to spend time with friends on a girls-only getaway. Another part of it was our chosen activities....
View ArticleYou Might as Well Make the Best of It
Here you are in sales training. You’re not in the field, and you won’t be able to step out and do business as usual. Hopefully, someone else is picking up your calls and handling any crises that...
View ArticleMove from What and How to Why
Any seller who lasts longer than a day in the job can explain what their product does. Any seller who makes it through a few commission checks can explain (or bring in experts to explain) how their...
View ArticleShow and Tell
There are two times when a sales pitch doesn’t seem like a sales pitch. In both examples, the buyer is so engaged in the experience that the pitch itself is a part of something more. It works like...
View ArticleThe First Date
You’ve been watching and wondering about her. She has all the “right stuff,” and you’d like to get to know her better. Despite a few butterflies in your stomach (she might say “no” and then what?), you...
View ArticleUnless You’ve Been In Sales, you May Not Understand…
1. Yes, there is a lot of money to be made… But there are major challenges with budgeting and planning when your pay fluctuates. 2. It isn’t always client lunches, awards ceremonies, rah rah meetings...
View ArticleThe Sales Autopsy
It’s not nearly as morbid as it sounds. The word autopsy simply refers to an analysis of something after it has been done. How often do you take the time to autopsy a sales call? As a routine, you...
View ArticleAre You Really a Partner? Should You Be?
Many people use the word partner to describe the role they play as a sales person to their accounts. But I don’t know if the word partner is accurate. The dictionary defines a partner as a person who...
View ArticleIs It Time for Service Check?
In last week’s Expedition Blog post, we talked about what can happen if you stay in sales mode all the time. It’s very important to check in with your customers occasionally, to make sure that they...
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