Sometimes the best advice is simply stated which is true of this Inc.com post titled The Fallacy of an Open-Door Policy. This topic catches my attention in that some of the worst managers I worked for claimed profusely that they had an open-door policy. They stated it, but we sales reps all knew it was a ruse. I think the author strikes a perfect chord with this: You need to create an environment where people can speak up in any venue. I’ve had some of my most important communications with employees driving in the car, standing in the lunchroom, or walking through the shop floor. How true…and difficult to put… Read More
Continue ReadingAwesome And Awful Email Subject Lines
What emails do you open? The “From” field and subject line are the first draw for most people and a determinant for gaining a higher open rate. MarketingProfs.com has an informative article that breaks down examples of awesome and awful email subject lines. The article is a good read and worth your time. I’ll skip to the end where the author, Josh Nason, provides a handful of tips for writing effective subject lines: Don’t discount the importance of the From name. Keep it your company name and not an individual’s name or drawn-out term. In addition, keep your company name out of the subject line: It’s redundant—a waste of valuable… Read More
Continue ReadingManaging Remote Relationships
The management landscape is changing drastically as more salespeople move to remote/home offices within their territory. Yet, many aspects of sales seems to be moving more towards relationship-based sales. Yes, relationships have always been a key part of selling, but it seems to be the greater piece today. Information flows freely on the Internet so the differentiation between companies is being pushed onto their salespeople. So we have arrived at the place where relationship-driven salespeople work remotely instead of at the corporate office. The strain of this new arrangement falls squarely on the sales manager. The modern-days sales manager has to work with limitations that were less common just 10… Read More
Continue ReadingThe 9 Second Window
That is how long you have to hook a person on a cold voicemail message according to this article on Salesopedia (my bold): 6 Interesting Sales Prospecting Statistics 1. In a recent survey 95% of salespeople said they can sell – they just need to get in front of more prospects. 2. Effective prospecting blends both marketing & selling. 3. Most salespeople HATE to prospect. 4. The best prospectors often close more business than the best salespeople. 5. Nearly 60% of high performing prospectors consider the phone ESSENTIAL to their prospecting success. 6. Decision makers listen to only 9 seconds of a “cold” voicemail before deciding to press delete? Good… Read More
Continue ReadingA Quick Questioning Tip
This tip comes from the Selling Power archives: Never ask a question without first explaining why you’re asking. Nirenberg says, “Just asking a question puts the listener on the spot. However, if you let him know why you’re asking, it makes him a partner,” Nirenberg goes on to explain, “People with sales backgrounds often avoid asking questions because they think that the talker controls the conversation. That’s not true because the listener can always tune you out. In fact, you’d be surprised how often you’re talking to yourself during a sales call.” That is a good tip. Asking good qualifying questions is crucial for successful selling. However, most people have… Read More
Continue ReadingTrap The Fat Words
The Northwest-Delta airlines merger is the talk of this town as you might expect. There has been much posturing up here as people and politicians realize that Northwest will probably leave this town as Atlanta becomes the new company’s headquarters. I was reading an article on the merger in our local St. Paul Pioneer Press when I came across this quote (my highlighting): As for the covenants Northwest signed with the state in 1991 on maintaining a certain number of jobs, the airport hub and Northwest’s Eagan headquarters, Anderson said “we think we can get to the spirit of the original covenants that were struck.” That is a fat-worded, or… Read More
Continue ReadingWinning At Office Politics
I abhor office politics which hasn’t really helped me in my work career. This Wall Street Journal article starts out supporting this fact: Some people prefer not to get involved in politics at work, but most career experts argue that playing the game is crucial to your career success. By avoiding it, you may find your talents ignored and your success limited, and you may feel left out of the loop, says Louellen Essex, co-author of “Manager’s Desktop Consultant: Just-in-Time Solutions to the Top People Problems That Keep You Up at Night.” I agree – I have experienced that fact first-hand. So, you have to play the game at some… 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
Continue ReadingManaging The Rant
Bob Rosner has a unique perspective on managing employees in his latest Working Wounded post – Stop Workplace Whining. The setup: A study by In Touch asked employees, “Why don’t you speak up at work?” More than 1 in 4 said they remain quiet because “there isn’t a good way to speak up” or “management doesn’t care.” I’ve outlined below three dos to reduce pressure at work and have everyone engaged in the problem-solving process. For more, check out Rant, Repair, Rave on workplace911.com. I’ll leave the whale example at the beginning of his post for you to read on your own (it is funny and disgusting all at once).… Read More
Continue ReadingReturn To Thoughtful Communication
Here is an interesting article from Selling Power regarding predicting trends of the future. Specifically, this one caught my eye: We’ll return to real, thoughtful communications. In this era of text messaging, blogging, and email, we’ve become lazy in our communications. We tend to dash off notes without proofreading them. We tend to use generic catch phrases like “seamless solution” and “superior service” that sound good but don’t really mean anything. Why do we do it? Because it’s easier and quicker than taking the time to think, write, edit, and edit again until our message is clear, compelling, and precise. There’s going to be a backlash against today’s generic, rushed… Read More
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