3 Customer Service Secrets – True or False?

When you have to call your cell phone company, do the following words describe your feelings? Dread Frustrated Anger Hope If your company has customer service reps (Hint: Every person in your company is a customer service rep!), then it’s imperative for your success to make sure your customers don’t feel this same way. Let’s […]

Stop “Following Up,” and Start Closing

How do you open your 2nd or 3rd call to prospects whom you’ve already pitched? Is it something like: “I’m just calling to follow up on our proposal….” OR “I’m just calling to see what you thought about our bid?” OR “I was just seeing if you had time to speak with (your boss, partner, […]

Metrics: Why Most Companies Get it Wrong

If you’re in inside sales management, then you know all about metrics. In fact, whenever I consult with new clients the owners and managers automatically begin showing me their call monitoring reports. They show me metrics on how many calls a rep is making, how much average time each rep spends on the phone, what […]

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 demo 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 prospects, and I come […]

It’s Fall! Do You Know What That Means?

It means the magic selling season has begun. It means that regardless of how your year has gone so far, the perfect time to turn it around, to make and exceed your yearly quotas, is here. Now. Fall. It means that this is the time to recommit yourself, to dedicate yourself, to dream goals as […]

Do This to Develop the Attitude of Top Producers

Legendary basketball player and coach John Wooden said something years ago that I have adopted as a life philosophy: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Living by this philosophy has enabled me to accomplish much in my life, and it was the spring board to transitioning to top […]

The Sales Presentation: Things to Keep in Mind

Here is another excerpt from a really good book on sales I’ve been reading—and quoting from—this summer: “The Salesman’s Book of Wisdom” by Chriswell Freeman “The Presentation” “In 1914, Thomas J. Watson, was named president of the company that would come to be known as IBM. Mr. Watson was not only a founding father of […]

Continuing Education: The Key to Immediate & Long-Term Success

“Selling is a skill, and like all skills, it must be learned through study and practice.” – Thomas J. Watson “A salesperson’s education is never completed: each day offers new opportunities to learn. Part of a salesperson’s training comes from nose-to-nose selling; in sales, there is no substitute for practical experience. But an integral part […]