There is a disturbing trend I’ve heard with the companies I’m working with. And it starts when prospects begin asking for a lower price or a “deal,” or for a reference before committing, or for a free trial to demo services or products. The problem I’m hearing is that sales reps—both newer reps and even […]
The Power of Thinking BIG
“Ask yourself this question: ‘How big can I dream?’” Conrad Hilton “Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, ‘The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.’ Emerson was a keenly gifted philosopher, but he spoke like a seasoned sales manager: He understood the power of big thoughts. “All of us are surrounded […]
The Power of Optimism in Sales
“It is never too late to be What you might have been.” George Eliot “Leo Tolstoy observed, ‘Faith is the force of life.’ Faith is also the force behind successful selling. The optimistic salesperson conveys an attitude of confidence to the buyer. The result? Lots of closings. But the pessimist talks himself—and the customer—out of […]
Rejection in Sales: What to Do About It
“Rejection is an inevitable consequence of selling. Ironically, this fact is good news for the disciplined salesperson. If personal rejection were not an integral component of the sales process, anyone could sell; superior sale people would be commonplace. But the reality is this: Superior sale people are quite uncommon and thus demand a high premium […]
The Harder You Work, The Luckier You’ll Get
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Vidal Sassoon “The world remembers Thomas Edison as an inventor, but he was also a spectacular salesman. Edison understood that simply inventing a product, no matter how useful, was not enough. He knew that he also had to sell his product to the […]
If You Love Sales—Then Pass This On
“We are all salesmen every day of our lives.” Charles M. Schwab Whenever I’m at a used bookstore, I always browse the business section. There is gold in those isles. I found a short book called, The Salesman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Chriswell Freeman, and the introduction on “The Joy of Selling” was so […]
Summer Sales Slow? Five Things to do NOW!
I don’t know about you, but right after July the 4th business seems to slow down and then it limps along until September. There is business to be had, of course, but the excitement and urgency of the first half of the year seems to have evaporated in the heat of the days. What happened? […]
The 5 Secrets to Get Your Email Returned
Tired of your emails not getting returned? If you’re a sales rep who is sending emails and waiting….and waiting for responses that never come, then why not use some best practices that will give your emails the best chances of getting a response. Here are 5 things you can begin doing right now: Email Secret […]
Three Ways to Get a Prospect to Respond
I received this question from a reader of my blog last week: “Mike, I have a question for you. “Being that people are more accessible with iPhones, text, laptops, computers, email, messenger, FB, Instagram to name a few, why are business owners/decision makers so hard to reach? It’s almost like they are hiding. They don’t even […]
One Technique to Avoid Ghosting
We’ve all been through it: You set an amazing demo or presentation call and, and…they don’t show up! Or, you have an amazing and, what you think is an, engaging demo call and you set a call back and, and…they don’t show up! “What’s wrong?” you think. “Why didn’t I see that coming?” Wouldn’t it […]