We all know it is hard out there right now. I have spent the past few weeks taking calls from salespeople who are more than a little discouraged, wondering what is going on. Everyone seems to be looking for answers as to why they aren’t making their numbers. Some of them blame China, some blame […]
11 More Ideas For Selling In Tough Times
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about what to do if sales are slow or down. Since then, things have not gotten much better. I have to agree with what people are saying. Yes, as far as I can see, things have slowed down in terms of PCB sales. Not only here, but […]
Business The Elon Musk Way
I’m reading Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Elon Musk and I have to say it is great! It really gives an in-depth description of what the richest man in the world is really like. I strongly recommend that everyone read it. It is worth the time. Believe me. I’ll be doing a review on the […]
Stop Your Love Affair With Certainty
Sometimes standing still, doing nothing, is the most dangerous tactic you can take. I have found that most of the companies I work with who have got themselves in a jam have done so by not doing anything. They had seen their impending doom, but were too frozen in their fear of uncertainty to do […]
Don’t Sell The Product. Sell The Company
For a great long-term synergistic relationship – actually partnership – with your customers, it is much better to sell the company than just the product. Selling your company’s culture, getting your customers in love with doing business with you, is the very best way to develop relationships. We have all heard about companies that have […]
Leaving Those Voicemail Messages
Sales greatest secret, a great salesperson’s greatest challenge. Whenever I am working with salespeople, especially new salespeople, helping them with their cold calling to generate leads, one of the things that always comes up is the question, “What is the best voicemail message I can leave to make sure the customer calls me back?” Honestly, […]
Twelve Things You Can Do To Get Your Sales Moving Again
It seems that all of a sudden the salespeople I work with can’t do anything. The calls and meetings I have with them are filled with negative statements like: “I can’t get appointments.” “No one answers the phone.” “Everyone I used to know and work with is gone.” “Nobody wants to see suppliers.” Some companies […]
Getting Creative With Your Sales Tactics
The best salespeople use techniques they have learned over the years. Some of them are original, some of them have been learned, some have been handed down over the years from one generation to another. Some are interesting, some are a bit hokey, to say the least. When I was a very young sales manager […]
Going Deep With Your Customers
The key to successful salespeople is that they go deep. They go beyond the transactional, the normal steps that salespeople tend to do. Great salespeople have that certain something that regular salespeople don’t have. And customers love them for it. Customers can’t wait for them to visit. Customers hope that they will be asked to […]
Answering The Phone: You Are The Face Of The Company
We’ve all experienced it, we have all suffered through it, we have all cursed it: The way companies answer the phone…if they do at all. This is why Best Buy will go out of business. I called the other day to make an appointment with the Geek Squad. I did this because I learned the […]