If you have to set appointments over the phone then you know that delicate balance between building rapport, creating interest, qualifying and asking for and getting an appointment. It can be difficult knowing exactly when and how to ask for the appointment without sounding like you are closing them, and, of course, there is always […]
The Most Important Word In Sales
I was talking to a real estate agent the other day about the importance of disqualifying leads, and he told me an interesting story about their office’s top producer. He was talking to her one day and asking her what she did that made her so successful. She said her secret could be summed up […]
5 Mistakes to Avoid when Building an Inside Sales Team
According to CSOinsights.com less than half of inside sales teams make their revenue goals each month. If you’re a business owner or sales manager of an inside sales team, then I’ll bet you can relate. So what differentiates the half that makes their numbers from the half that doesn’t? Obviously there are many factors and […]
Proactive Sales Coaching – How Managers Can Win More Sales
If you are an inside sales manager (or director or V.P.), then I know you spend a lot of time in meetings – meetings with the marketing department coming up with strategies to create and close more leads, meetings with the owner forecasting revenue numbers, meetings with sales reps going through their pipelines, meetings with […]
Social Media and Selling – Does it Really Work?
Social media is all the rage right now and for good reason: We are all social beings and with virtually unlimited access to reviews, opinions, updates, people, information, etc, it would be foolish not to plug into it all and leverage this tool to make connections, make better decisions, learn about companies, products and options, […]
Five Ways to Get a Commitment on the First Call
What kind of a commitment do you get from your prospect at the end of your prospecting call? If you’re like most sales reps, the answer is, ah, none. Or, it’s an undefined, “Well, I’ll follow up with you next week…” If this sounds familiar – or if you’re a manager and it sounds like […]
My Secret to Sales Success
I get asked, over and over again, what the one secret to my sales success was. Was it dedication and commitment, some ask? Was it perfecting my sales skills and being better at it than my competition? Was it old fashioned persistence? Was it that I got better leads”? (By the way, I didn’t. I […]
How to Exercise and Sell More!
A couple of weeks ago I was flying back to Los Angeles from Chicago, long flight, late at night. The good news about my seat was that it was an exit row (nice leg room), the bad news was that it was the center seat. As I marched through the aisle with my carry on, […]
5 Sales Truths You Must Follow
You know what the nice thing about the truth is? It doesn’t change. What’s true today was true yesterday and it will be true tomorrow and next year as well. It’s like math: 2 + 2 = 4. You will always get 4 no matter what you’re adding, and no matter where you add it […]
The 5 Secrets of Motivating Your Sales Team
Motivation seems to be one of the toughest areas to get a handle on. Many managers tell me that some of their reps are already motivated and don’t need their help in that area (usually the Top 20%), but that the majority seem to need constant motivating, mentoring, counseling, or out right babysitting. Sound familiar? […]