Stop Lying About Your Sales Forecast!
I’m going to just come out and say it. 90% of what’s in most sales people’s pipelines is pure junk. Let me explain. When companies bring me in for sales training in Boston, one area we always explore is the existing sales team’s current pipeline. Inevitably, sales people will boast about how many excellent prospects…
See How Easily You Can Know When a Prospect is Qualified
Just the other day, a new sales training client of mine called me to brag about his new ‘awesome’ sales opportunity. “Marc, I just had the greatest sales meeting. I was awesome. The guy loved me and I think it’s going to be a huge sale.” “Sounds great,” I said, “What are his key challenges?”…
Why Sales People are Losing Their Existing Clients
Ever heard the story of Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill every day only to watch it roll back each time? It is a painful story that many sales people relate to deeply. In my extensive travels as a sales conference speaker, I run into sales people all the time who focus so much…
The Secret to Getting a Budget from Prospects in Sales
During my sales training, everyone always wants to know how to get a budget. After I explain how, some nonbelievers will inevitably ask about the most difficult prospect they’ve ever had as a reason why they can’t get budgets from prospects in selling situations. So, let’s lay that out on the table—there are some prospects…
3 Simple Tips to Sales Prospecting with LinkedIn
I can no longer count the number of times I’ve heard someone say that, “Social media is a waste of time in business.” This is just not true. People who don’t want to adapt certainly have that right, but my philosophy is that I want to have the best prospecting tools in my arsenal. LinkedIn…
Why You Should NOT Overcome Objections
Way before I ever became a motivational speaker, a sales trainer in Boston told me that you have to anticipate objections and then overcome them one by one. It sounded so good. “Well, the timing just isn’t right for a new marketing strategy,” a prospect could object. “But just think about how much you could…
Three Ways to Get Tons of Strong Referrals
Great referrals, or as I like to call them with my sales training clients in Boston, introductions, are the single best way to grow a business. They are easy to do, they are effective and they can help business grow exponentially. Nothing hurts sales motivation more than cold calls, but introductions can allow sales people…
Why You Should Never Start a Sales Meeting with a Presentation
Many of us, including myself, were taught to give the most persuasive pitch possible to prospects. It would look something like, “Could I have four minutes of your time to show you the three reasons that you should do business with my company?” Inevitably, those pitches would end with prospects giving some sort of, “Gee,…
How to Motivate Your Sales Team in a Tough Market
As a motivational sales speaker, clients are constantly asking me how they should motivate their sales team in this tough market. Often, they will say how their industry is different and requires a unique solution, yet most motivation challenges are similar across industries. These are difficult times for many companies, yet the top companies thrive…
How-to Upsell Every Sale: What’s your gum, mints or candy?
I was recently walking through the Las Vegas airport on the way to a speech when I realized how thirsty I was after the long flight. I turned into an airport gift shop, grabbed a bottle of water and waited in line. As I waited in line, the cashier kept asking customers if they wanted…
