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 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 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
Continue ReadingThe Absence Of Value
We’ve been working on this value topic because it is the single, most important aspect of any sales position. A company that lacks a value proposition is destined to stumble through the market while being commoditized on price. I saw this effect 6 years ago when doing sales calls in the field with a company’s reps. After spending a couple days in a couple different cities, it became clear that they had to value proposition to offer the market. This absence of value led to one consistent outcome – they had to compete on price. Granted, some companies are positioned to compete in this format. The company I was working… Read More
Continue ReadingDon’t Fight Emotions With Logical Facts
In sales we know that prospects and customers make decisions emotionally and then justify them afterwards intellectually. This is why strong salespeople have the ability to build rapport and then engage the prospect’s emotions during the qualifying stage. This truth appears to have been validated in a new book titled Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior as noted in this Inc.com blog. The pull quote: Newsflash: People, even when given a choice of thinking logically and getting beneficial results, will often act emotionally despite the consequences. The effects of this irrational behavior on businesses can be far reaching. There is an intriguing case study referenced in the post that… Read More
Continue ReadingValue Proposition-You Don’t Have To Be Different
MarketingProfs.com has a superb, thought-provoking article regarding value propositions. If you have read The Hire Sense of late, you know this is a topic we are exploring in many facets of sales. I have to confess, this author’s take is completely different (irony there) than the other points I have read on this topic. Here is the gist of his commentary: So be different: Stop listening to the continuous pleas from consultants, marketers, and textbooks to be different… one of a kind.. .a shining beacon of newness in a sea of same-old same-old. Focus instead on actually delivering the value to the market that you say you deliver (which, in… Read More
Continue ReadingDefining Value Today
BusinessWeek.com has an excerpt from a new book from C.K. Prahalad and M.S. Krishnan. They provide an interesting take on a topic we have been studying of late – value. Salespeople have to know their company’s value proposition in the market. That last part, in the market, is the key. We have seen plenty of companies who have an internal perception of their value, but some times it is not based in reality. Salespeople have to sort this problem out, which is an area in which we assist them. At any rate, these opening graphs caught my attention as they elucidate a value trend we are seeing in the marketplace… Read More
Continue ReadingOne Source Value Proposition
I have been noticing a common value proposition from distribution companies – “your one-stop shop for all things _________.” Some of the sales reps for these companies use this value proposition as their main lever. I tell them this is a mistake. Here’s why – the web changes everything about sourcing. I don’t need to limit myself to one vendor for all my _______ needs. In fact, I have a subtle doubt about that approach – am I getting the best deal, product or solution if I go with one company exclusively? The “catalogue mentality” is fading from our society and being replaced with a research mentality. The proverbial old… Read More
Continue ReadingPresentations Are Security Blankets
Salesopedia.com offers an article from Jeff Thull discussing sales presentations. This topic is a tricky one for salespeople and managers – most view presentations as a good thing…a chance to discuss your offering with a prospective customer. But here is the “trap” that can occur in an ill-timed presentation: Look at this from the customer’s perspective. Based on what we said about the customer’s area of comprehension, it is highly likely that two-thirds or more of the information that customers hear falls outside their area of comprehension. Further, what they do hear sounds very much the same. What does the customer understand? Price. As you may already expect, everyone is… Read More
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