I was a psych major in college which seemed to be the perfect preparation for a sales career. I believe it was. To this day I am still intrigued by the psychology of selling which could truly be described as persuasion. That background helps explain why I found this ManageSmarter.com article completely gripping – Mastering the Psychology of Persuasion. You will have to read the entire article to appreciate the depth of it, but let me pull out a couple of points. First one of the set-up questions: • Are left-handed people more prone to some mental illnesses, accidents, or seeking positions of power? And from later in the article:… Read More
Continue ReadingClandestine Conversation
I have noticed this of late – salespeople are having more discussions on their cell phone while in the office. Maybe they go into a conference room, a hallway, lunch room, etc. Is there a greater clue that they may be looking for a new opportunity? Granted, these calls may be nothing more than a personal call and not an employment opportunity. However, I always become suspicious when I see that behavior inside an office. Just an observation.
Continue ReadingThe Straight-Up Truth
These are skittish times, aren’t they? I have seen this among reps and myself – every little item is scrutinized. Communication, email, reports…I find myself looking for subtle clues in all of them. Is a layoff coming? How bad is it? What is going to happen next? These are not productive thoughts. As a manager, how do you quell these fears? There isn’t one move, tool or approach that will cure it, but a concerted effort will help to minimize your team’s anxiety. Selling Power offers up an article that has some feel-good points that I question. However, there is something in the article that caught my eye: Don’t make… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Incredible Pitch
I’m traveling for business this week (I’m in Tewksbury, MA as I type) and heard a sales discussion in the lobby this morning. One salesperson was working hard to convince 2 others about, well, I’m not sure the exact pitch, but it did involve purchasing produce. Hear is what caught my ear during the salesperson’s pitch: Nobody knows more about tangerines than Jim… Absolutes = unbelievable. Absolutes like always, never, nobody, etc. trigger an effect in prospects to disprove or doubt it especially if they are not familiar with the absolute being stated. Jim may know more than anyone else, but I am skeptical. Instantly I start wondering about who… Read More
Continue ReadingSales 2.0
I read often about web 2.0, recruiting 2.0 and sales 2.0. Math was never my forte so numbers scare me. But I did come across a very informative article in Sales & Marketing Management article titled A Step-By-Step Overview of Sales 2.0. The first pull quote: With instant access to corporate Web sites, search and social networks, your customers have company and product information at their fingertips, which give them much more control over the sales process than they had in the day when brochures and pricing were only available from a sales rep. Many prospective customers postpone talking with a sales rep, believing that they’ll get a better deal… Read More
Continue ReadingFrom Closing To Coaching
Selling Power.com’s Sales Management newsletter provides an excellent article that addresses a common issue in sales management – how do you move from salesperson to sales manager? One important aspect of this move is becoming a coach for your sales team. The suggestions in the article are worth the read, but this one is especially remarkable: Keep questions open. Most managers know they should ask open-ended questions in a coaching situation, but closed questions still crop up far too often. Closed questions can be answered in one or two words – yes, no, good, okay. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, require the responder to think and elaborate and help… Read More
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