Sales Pitches Don’t Work! Why You Should Never Pitch Yourself
We have all been told by the old school sales trainers (and our old bosses!) that we need to pitch our product or service to prospects with enthusiasm and passion. There was a time when this was great advice; however, that time is long gone. Sales people have been pitching with enthusiasm to prospects for…
Three Tips to Developing a Great Prospect List
Just the other month, I conducted a sales assessment for a company with a sales team of 15 people only to discover that they were calling on a second-rate list of prospects. Just think about that—we’re talking 15 salaries, costing the company in excess of $1.5M per year in labor cost, and the company hadn’t…
Not All Questions Are Created Equal
At this point, every sales trainer and his mom tells you to ask questions of prospects in order to qualify that prospect, but just ‘asking questions’ is only part of the story. The types of questions you ask are more important than just asking any questions. Not all questions are created equal. Here are three…
3 Small Tweaks to Double Your Sales
Would you like to double sales at your organization the easy way? When I help companies increase revenues, my clients always first focus on increasing the number of customers as the exclusive way to increase sales. The only way to double sales by increasing the number of customers is to double your customer-base. That is…
The Most Common Sales Traps That Scare Away Prospects
Have you ever met a sales person who was his own worst enemy? Of course you have, but those are the extreme situations. However, many of us are also doing things that scare away prospects without even knowing about it. Here are the three most common sales traps that scare away prospects: Pitching: When you…
How to Diffuse an Angry Client
“You screwed up.” Those are three words that we all hate to hear from a client. But, it is inevitably going to happen. The question is, how will you handle it? Often, an angry client is an amazing opportunity to look like a hero. Here are three ways to diffuse and angry client: Never Defend…
How to Make a Great Cold Call
In the days of latest technologies distracting most of your competitors, there is an opportunity to re-discover strategies that you may not have used in a while. One of those strategies is cold calling. Prospects simply are not receiving as many phone calls as they used to, so getting through can be easier than before.…
Your Prices Are Too Low—Start Selling on Value!
Have you said the following? “I had to lower my price in order to close the deal.” Or: “If we raise our prices, people will go somewhere else.” I hear this blasphemy all the time. Worst of all, these comments are simply untrue. Now, are there some prospects out there that only care about price?…
Why You are Selling on Price and How to Avoid It
Selling on Price – One of the most common challenges I hear from sales people is that they are forced to sell on price, thereby tightening their margins. A phenomenal mentor of mine, Steve Lishansky, always says, “Price is never an issue unless the value isn’t clear.” If you are struggling with selling on price,…
The Secret to Making B-Players Into A-Players on Your Sales Team
Every sales team inevitably has some B-players. These are the sales people who aren’t exceeding sales goals but often have the potential to do so. However, some key factors are usually holding them back. We of course don’t seek to hire B-players, but every team inevitably has a few. Given this fact, how do we…
