SellingPower.com offers an excellent article titled End Those Last-Minute Negotiations. The article quotes one of our favorite trainer/authors – Jeff Thull. Thull rightly ties together two critical pieces of closing a sale – value proposition and money. Many salespeople are clumsy with putting the right value proposition in play. If the salesperson is not asking the right questions, he or she will not know whether the value they offer through their solution is valuable to the prospect. To make matters worse, many salespeople struggle with the need to discuss budgets (money) with the prospect. Combine these two weaknesses and you have trouble. Thull€™s team conducted informal research of about 10,000… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Success Is In The Questions
A common myth – the best salespeople are great talkers first and foremost. Most people have heard that one yet it is simply not true. The ability to communicate effectively involves speaking and listening – it is difficult to find strength in both of these abilities. ManageSmarter.com offers The Power of Questions which is on topic for this discussion with a good analogy: The most effective way to control the sale is to ask more questions. Selling is like driving a car: The person who asks the questions sits in the driver’s seat and controls the direction of the sale, while the passenger€”the person who answers the questions€”goes along for the… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Respect For Policies
This week we focus on a thorn in many sales manager’s sides but this trait is one where strength may not actually be beneficial to success in sales. Respect For Policies The ability of a salesperson to see and appreciate the value of conducting business affairs according to the defined intent of company policies and standards. A salesperson with strength in this trait generally understands the philosophies of the corporate structure and will strive to conduct business according to those standards. They will honor the concept of doing things according to the rules and regulations of the company. A weakness in this area indicates a salesperson who does not have… Read More
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