How do you deal with the “I need to speak to some references” objection? Do you cave in and happily send your prospect two or three clients who are satisfied with your product or service? And if you do, have you ever found that some of those prospects never call you back? As you already […]
Lessons from the NFL on How to Close More Business
Ahhhhh….. The NFL football season is underway. We are a few weeks in, and there is still hope for all teams! Players and coaches are watching game and practice film to find ways to help players get better. I read a piece by Peter King from SI.com about his conversation with Ellis Hobbs – former […]
Doctor or Salesperson – Which Would You Rather Be?
Saw these average salaries quoted in USA Today last week: Physicians are the highest paid salaried employees in the U.S.: $187,876 a year. Pharmacy managers are second at $149,064 per year. Third are patent attorneys at $139,272. Fourth are medical science liaisons at $132,842. When I was growing up, my parents wanted me to be […]
Should You Use: “Is this a good time” – Yes or No?
The debate of whether to open your calls asking, “Did I catch you at a good time?” or “Is this time still good for you?” (for presentation call backs), is alive and well – unfortunately. Just last week, I received this email question from a reader: “Hi Mike, question – after I send out information to […]
The Three Keys to Handling Objections
I hear a lot of sales reps’ recordings, and when it comes to dealing with objections, you’d be surprised by the mistakes I hear! One of the biggest mistakes I hear is reps not even hearing their prospects out, and instead rushing in to answer what turns out not to be the real objection. This […]
Don’t Answer Objections, Isolate Them
Most sales reps hate getting objections. Their hearts sink into their stomachs, their palms start to sweat, and they start wondering how they’re going to pay the rent. Sound familiar? When sales reps ask me how they should handle objections, they are often surprised by my answer. I tell them they shouldn’t answer them, they […]
The 5 Secrets of Motivating Your Sales Team
Having trouble motivating your team? You’re not alone. Every member of your team has different skill levels, interest levels, and different ways of learning. Because of this, not everyone will respond the same way to your methods of managing and motivating, and that means you need different ways of motivating, mentoring, counseling, or even some […]
How to Increase Your Closing Percentage
Let me ask you a question: Do all of your leads end up buying? Of course not. Next question: Out of ten leads that you set up to pitch a demo to, how many of those ten end up buying? If you said “two” then you are at the industry average. Now consider what that […]
Sorry, Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect
Practice doesn’t make perfect, only practice of perfection makes perfect. –Anonymous This is one of my favorite sayings, and I love to use it during training or during a speaking event. I ask the audience how many people think that practice makes perfect, and you should see the hands shoot up! Everyone has heard this […]
Dealing Successfully With Gatekeepers
Every month, I get emails from my readers asking me how to deal with gatekeepers. They tell me the most frustrating part of prospecting is actually getting through to the decision maker. They get interrogating questions like: “Will he know what this call is about?” And “Is she expecting your call?” And “Have you spoken […]