Let?s face it ? we?re all busy. This is especially true if you are cold calling and are lucky enough to actually get a decision maker on the phone. Just like you, they?ll be in the middle of at least three things and be on their way to or from a meeting. Because of this, […]
5 Ways to Sound More Natural On the Phone
I don?t know about you but I can always tell when a telemarketer is cold calling me. From the moment they begin speaking, ?Hi is that Mr. Brooks?? to the way they fumble through their scripts, I have them pegged before they get past their first sentence. And like I?m sure it is with you, […]
Opening Statements: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
For the past 26 years I?ve worked on the phones as a qualifier, broker, sales associate, sales manager, director of sales, V.P. of sales, owner of various inside sales companies, consultant ? you get the idea. I?ve worked with, monitored and heard thousands of sales reps over the years, and I?ve heard it all ? […]
Voice Mail Scripts for Success
I don’t know about you, but I’m shocked every time I listen to a voicemail message left for me by sales reps, prospects and even clients. They are filled with ‘um’s’ and ‘ah’s’, they ramble on and on, they leave no compelling reason for me to call back, and they almost always leave their number […]
The 5 Secrets of Setting Short Term Goals
When I talk to people about goal setting, I’m often surprised by their reactions. A lot of people tell me that they haven’t gotten around to setting life-time goals and identifying their values and coming up with specific, measurable bench marks, etc… They tell me that goal setting takes too much time and energy, and […]
Five Ways to Have Sizzling Summer Sales
I’m amazed when I hear sales people and managers tell me how slow summer is for their business. It’s almost like they’re resigned to the fate of poor summer performance and are already thinking about how to make up their losses in the fall. Now I understand that many people take vacations in summer – […]
The Five Secrets to Effective Time Management
I don’t know about you, but 24 hours in a day isn’t enough. And 8 – 9 hours for work just barely covers the paperwork, order follow-up, client calls, e-mails that need answering, voicemail messages, etc. “You mean you want me to prospect and find closing time, too? What, are you kidding?!” Sound familiar? It […]
The 4 Secrets of Leadership
Can you name the one or two best sales managers, or business owners you ever worked for? If so, how did they make you feel? What qualities or traits did they have in common, or which ones do you most try to emulate in your own company? I work with a lot of business owners […]
The Two Things You Can and Must Control To Succeed
So here’s the scene: Large corporate sales convention in the company’s training center in Washington State; over 250 sales reps flown in from all over the country; Sales directors, V.P.s, sales managers all running around stressing over the schedule, quotas, current sales, etc. I’m speaking to the entire group (owners, board members in the audience, […]
How To Overcome the “I’m Not Interested” Objection
One of the most common brush-off’s inside sales reps get all day long is the “I’m not interested” response from prospects they are cold calling (or even calling back). The reason this is so common is because it works! Most sales reps – 80% — haven’t a clue how to deal with it, and so […]