This article from Selling Power offers suggestions for salespeople when questioning prospects. The author makes some excellent points with one that stands out – number 9. I have edited the content for length. 1. Qualify prospects You can quickly establish if this “suspect” is a qualified prospect with a few questions. Many salespeople waste valuable sales time chasing the wrong company or talking to someone without decision-making power. Develop a profile of your ideal prospect. What criteria must a “suspect” meet to qualify as a bona fide prospect for your product or service? 2. Uncover needs By asking questions and understanding the client’s needs you can determine which benefits the… Read More
Continue ReadingShortening The Sales Cycle
Salesopedia.com offers a good article this week on a timely topic – How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle. The author cuts to the quick on an issue we encounter frequently: To begin with, many sales people just don’t know how long their sales cycle is, we ask and we hear things like “depends” (sometime it fits), “it changes” (it always seems longer during Daylight Savings Time), and the all time favorite, “well you know it’s different in our business”. Well it’s not really. Underlying this is the fact that many reps and organizations do not know what their sale looks like, they have not deconstructing their sale, identified the basic… Read More
Continue ReadingWomen Sell Better
That isn’t my commentary, it is from the author of the Inc.com blog Sold!. His reasoning: And there are some very good reasons why I believe woman are better suited for selling. Among them: o In their personal lives and in business they tend to create relationships better. o They tend to sell based on personal input and business input rather than just business. o They listen. o They don’t have a sales history that they are tied to, so “new” works for them. o In many areas, women who are good in sales are still enough of a rarity to create a buzz. Ok, it pays to be provocative… Read More
Continue ReadingReasons You Are Not Selling
This article is from the Salesopedia website. The article is excellent and rather amusing to read (probably since I am guilty of many of the author’s items). For instance: If you’re a professional salesperson and you’re not selling, it could be because: • You are boring. Do customers cut you off in mid-sentence, or jump in when you pause for breath? Chances are, you’re boring them. Paint a vivid picture and put them in it; use an example or interesting case history to illustrate your point. Whip out some visuals to show them how much they will save. I love it. When is the last time your read something that… Read More
Continue ReadingResults Orientation In Sales
One of the most important aptitudes in sales is a proper results orientation. The key word is “results.” Oftentimes we encounter sales managers who place their focus on activity orientation instead of results. An example would be a salesperson who has a furiousness to their work…almost like their hair is on fire. But no significant deals seem to close despite their frantic pace. I used to work for a sales manager who would describe those salespeople as a horse-drawn wagon. There would always be a cloud of dust around them, but at the end of the day, the wagon hadn’t moved. Salespeople who lack a strong results orientation are often… Read More
Continue ReadingUse Anti-Bonding When Hiring Salespeople
Here is an interesting article from Columbia Business Times titled The Mysteries Of Hiring Salespeople Unlocked. Good title. The short article has some excellent advice and some marginal suggestions. From the excellent column (emphasis mine): 3. Unlearn your present interviewing system. First, throw away the hiring profile assessment you are using now (are you using one?), and instead find one that measures sales skills, adversity, toughness and, most important, whether this applicant will sell for you in your industry. Second, remember this applicant was someone else’s salesperson. Salespeople who “turn over” get good at giving you answers you like to hear. Third, instead of using your natural bonding skills, try… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Subtle Requirements For Successful Sales Hiring
ManageSmarter.com offers up an interesting article titled Do You Have the Right Talent? First off, I love the fact that they advocating the pursuit of talent – that is the key to a successful sales hire (read: not experience). Second, the author strikes a chord that resonates with us: There is no one-size-fits-all salesperson. The right approach is to look at a salesperson’s abilities and see how well they fit into your sales model. This approach is talent/skill-based, not experience-based. Here is an excellent example of this principle in action (emphasis mine): A client of ours is a partner in a construction company specializing in commercial ventilation systems. They have a… Read More
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