From JustSell.com: Have you ever wondered why hot dogs typically come 10 to the package, while the buns come in batches of eight? While some suspect that the disparity is a marketing tool meant to increase sales, hot dog historians point to a time when customers purchased meat from a butcher and buns from a baker. Meat was sold by the pound, with the typical frank weighing one–tenth of a pound; 10 franks came in the pound package. But pan sizes dictated that buns be baked in multiples of four. (The eight–bun pan is still the most common pan size.) Enjoy the Fourth and eat a dog or two!
Continue ReadingHappy Independence Day 2008!
232 years! Have a happy and safe holiday weekend from all of us at Select Metrix.
Continue ReadingPowerPoint Singalong
That is a new phrase for me and a humorous one to start the long, holiday weekend. From JustSell.com’s daily newsletter: Familiar with the term “PowerPoint singalong”? According to buzzwhack.com, a PowerPoint singalong is a presentation read from the slides without comments or asides of any kind. (Monotone optional, but not required.) There’s no telling whether this buzzword has staying power, but it does raise an important point… When making your next sales presentation, make sure you engage with your audience. Prepare so that you don’t have to read off of your slides and you’re comfortable answering questions and comments. Have a wonderful Independence Day!
Continue ReadingWhen Selling To Executives…
Executives are a tough sell and it takes the right sales skills to match them. One of the toughest skills for me has always been the money topic. I personally like to buy not negotiate and it shows in my sales role. But there are ways to handle the negotiation as you will learn in this ManageSmarter.com article – Back to Basics: Think Before You Offer Discounts. The pull quote (emphasis mine): However, professional buyers and key decision-makers know that many sellers will drop their price at the first sign of resistance, so they ask everyone for a discount and can be aggressive in their approach. Plus, experienced negotiators lose… Read More
Continue ReadingDrucker On Mistakes
Peter Drucker is always an interesting read and clearly was way before his time. BusinessWeek.com provides an article titled Drucker’s Take on Making Mistakes. The article is filled with many great points so it is difficult to highlight just a handful. Here is the gist of the article (emphasis mine): A batting-average mentality, he added, allows for companies to accommodate different kinds of talent. “One man will consistently do well, rarely falling far below a respectable standard, but also rarely excel through brilliance or virtuosity,” Drucker wrote. “Another man will perform only adequately under normal circumstances but will rise to the demands of a crisis or a major challenge and… Read More
Continue ReadingGen Xodus
BusinessWeek.com has an article titled Today’s Top 10 Talent-Management Challenges that provides some interesting tidbits from 3 different talent managers. One topic leaped off the screen: 6. Stemming the exodus of Gen X’ers from corporate life. A big threat in many firms today is the exodus of mid-career talent—people in whom the organization has invested heavily and in whom it has pinned it hopes for future leadership. For example, developing talent management practices and programs calibrated to leverage technology and create greater work/life balance has been a priority for Mercer over recent years. The sheer smallness of my generation creates pockets of problems with the marketplace. This particular problem is… Read More
Continue ReadingWriting Clear Ads
Another odd line from a sales ad: make direct fact-to-face sales calls I did a double-take on that one, “fact-to-face”…is that some new business lingo with which I am not familiar? I think it is a typing error, but even if it isn’t, ads are better served with common language (i.e. no buzzwords/phrases).
Continue ReadingBelieve In Your Price
G.L. has a great post over at What Would Dad Say where he references a sales book from 1922 titled Modern Salesmanship. Here is the pull quote: Believe in Your Price When a man ask the price, you’ve got him interested. But the attitude of your answer largely depends the sale. Too many salesmen quote their price in fear and trembling—in their own inmost heart they feel it is too high. And the commonest remark in a buyer’s mouth is, “Price is too high. I can buy the same thing for less money.” Pity the salesman who feels that the buyer is right. He’s going to lose the sale or… Read More
Continue ReadingAccountability Is The Key
In recent weeks we have been dealing with a handful of sales managers who all have a different approach to the position. They are all in different industries, but their sales all have many similarities. One of the sales managers has progressed the best so far with his new salesperson during the onramping time. One sales manager has had to fire his salesperson (yes, one we placed) due to many reasons – many of which were the salesperson’s fault. The third sales manager has been tentative with his salesperson, but she is progressing well. The one variable that has had the biggest impact on success has been accountability. The sales… Read More
Continue ReadingClosing The Customer
SellingPower.com released an article from their archives that discusses 4 factors to consider when closing a prospect. Now, I am not one to believe in “closing moves.” Sales are won or lost during the qualifying stage. Qualified deals close themselves. However, I think the author hits on the exact problem during the closing stage: Most salespeople focus so intently on their own performance that they fail to notice when the customer is ripe for the close… Presenting is a pressure-filled activity and most salespeople spend their mental resources ensuring that they do not falter. I understand this approach because I used to do it also. One quick fix to this… Read More
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