In the world of sales, success is not solely determined by hitting quotas or closing deals. A truly exceptional salesperson possesses a unique blend of creativity and innovation that sets her apart from the rest. A great salesperson does not follow the conventional path; he forges new trails, breaks boundaries, and continuously adapts to […]
The Modern Way to Sell
I have to laugh when salespeople try to convince me that selling today is harder than ever. They wax poetic about the good old days when they could visit customers, buy them a beer and a burger and book the order. Listen, I was around in the so-called good old days, and they weren’t […]
The New Customer Audition
We all know how difficult and expensive it is to get a new customer. I have seen some surveys that claim that it can cost over $5,000 to acquire a new customer. This makes sense when you think of the branding, marketing, trade shows, content marketing, newsletters, and advertising, not to mention travel to meet […]
Mistakes Salespeople Make
We have spent a great deal of time listing all of the things that great salespeople should be doing. Now it’s time to reverse that and learn from others’ mistakes. I sat down this week and listed some of the more common and dare I say damaging, mistakes that salespeople make. Most of these I […]
Dare To Be Great
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 […]
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 […]