More and more these days, decision makers hid behind their assistants or other influencers. Many sales reps get frustrated by this and often try to get past these very important people, thinking that only the decision maker is worth talking to. Big mistake. As I’m sure you’ve no doubt noticed, influencers have, well, a big […]
Prospects are good at blowing sales reps off the phone. Believe it or not, they have scripts just like you do, and one of their favorites is: “We already have someone who handles that.” This is an easy stall to get around—if you know how. And after reading today’s post, you’ll have several ways to […]
The first word is “please.” This may sound elemental, but I rarely hear sales reps use it when speaking with gatekeepers. Instead, they just barge in and ask if so-and-so is available. Or they just say they’re trying to reach so-and-so. Rarely, however, do they use the most effective opening of all: “Hi, is ________ […]
“It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” –Paul “Bear” Bryant football coach You may want to win, want to make more money, want to be in the elite class of closers at your company, BUT: Are you willing to put in […]
How long does it take you to respond to an email? How about a text message? Or a phone message? The answer, I suspect, is “It depends on who it’s from.” Let’s get more specific then: How long does it take you to respond to a client or to a prospect’s email or voice message? […]
Many sales reps struggle when following up on emails they’ve sent out to prospects (or even clients!). When they get the prospect on the phone, they open with: “Did you get the email I sent?” OR “Did you have a chance to review my email?” These kinds of openings just create stalls, such as: “No, […]
Before you get on your high horse and tell me you wouldn’t be caught dead using a script, consider: If I were to record your prospecting and demo calls for a week, and then transcribe what you say, what would I get? Your script. You see, even if you think you would never use a […]
Can you make your revenue goal this year is the same thing as asking: Can you run a marathon? You know, a 26-mile marathon race? Listen carefully to what your mental answer is: Yes or No. When I ask that question at a sales conference, the majority say no, they can’t. They think about the […]
We all know the importance of asking questions of our prospects and clients, yet how many do you ask? How many does your sales teams ask? If you’re like most sales reps, then you’re probably doing a lot more talking (read pitching) than you are listening. And that’s because you’re not asking enough questions. Remember: […]
Once very couple of years, I like to re-run this article on the importance of asking questions as opposed to pitching. While this context is presented as an interview, it is completely translatable to sales—and that means YOU. If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about […]
