I’ve been assessing many existing salespeople over the past couple weeks and have seen many different levels of abilities. The ones that stick in my mind are the salespeople who are presently struggling with their revenue production. Sales is one of, if not the most stressful positions within any company. The overt issue with a lack of sales performance is that everyone in the company can see it. The numbers are very visible. One underperforming salesperson I talked to recently has hit a true low point. He’s not certain where to start. I thought about that discussion for quite some time afterwards. The lack of performance becomes a spiraling nose… Read More
Continue ReadingBite-Sized Selling
I have come across many articles recently that promote selling tips in this recession. One common thread runs through all of them – chase smaller deals. Here is an example from Inc.com – 5 Tips for Selling a Service Now: “The big change for us in 2009 is that we are more flexible on minimum amount of an engagement that we’ll pursue,” says Gay Gaddis, the founder and CEO of T3, an Austin-based advertising and marketing agency that specializes in digital media. In years past, her firm only went after client engagements that were worth between $1.5 million and $2 million. Now, “some larger clients are breaking RFPs into smaller… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat Sells In A Recession
Here is an interesting story from abcnews.com – What Do iPhones and Designer Jeans Have in Common? The answer is found in the subheading – They Keep Selling, Even in Recession. Here is a list from the article in regards to hot-selling products during this recession: The iPhone Designer jeans Wal-Mart and Costco McDonald’s Internet access High-definition TV sets An odd list, wouldn’t you say? The low-price options are logical, the other ones not-so-much. The explanation from the article: “Even in down times,” said Michael Gartenberg, vice president for strategy and analysis at Interpret LLC, “people still have some discretionary income. What happens is that they spend it more carefully.”… Read More
Continue Reading“Technology has destroyed time and space boundaries.”
The Wall Street Journal offers up an interesting read about work/life balance from Dr. Henry Cloud. Every time I receive a call from one of our customers at 8:30pm I think of this topic. Here is the full text of the quote referenced in the title: I think the first thing is to be aware that you basically have two things available to you to create your vision — in work and in life. First, you’ve got your time. Second, your energy. The second thing, energy, you might not be aware of because of people and activities getting the best of your energy, or the wrong people and wrong activities… Read More
Continue Reading3 Sales Time Wasters
A good reminder from the JustSell.com newsletter: Top 3 activities that can hobble a sales day… Talking with people who can’t move the sales process along Unnecessary research activities What’s too much? There’s really no definitive answer. It’s particular to your sales world. Many people start to get a gut feel for when they should move on. The key is to act on it and make the call (rather than making sure every little thing is known before the call – fine line, of course). You might be surprised what you can learn by asking a straightforward question of the person who answers the phone or responds to an email.… Read More
Continue Reading