Sales Skills & Mindset
Page 5 of 8
Why Securing a Relationship Is More Important Than Securing a Sale
Loyalty still exists. Yes, business can be cut-throat. But people are still capable of being loyal — you just have to earn their trust. In sales, trust is a big deal. And consistency in follow-up is what builds that trust. We just closed a sale we’ve been pursuing diligently since 2015. Since we initially contacted […]
The One Essential Habit that Transforms Good Salespeople Into Rainmakers
What sort of sales habit do you set for yourself? You know those “stand-out” people — the 20-something who climbs the ladder in record pace, the salespeople who make off-the-chart sales… every month? They seem untouchable — but what are they doing differently to really make it rain? Bagel + Slim Jim = A Breakfast […]
The 7 Unlikely Sales Books Every Salesperson Should Own
Most of the time we’re stressing the importance of activity in the field. Get out there and sell! But in the midst of all that activity, don’t miss the value of taking some time to read the best sales books. You pick up sales skills, broaden your scope of experience, hone your grammar, improve your writing skills, […]
Tell the Story, Make the Sale: Sales Conversation Starters to Improve Your Pitch
How much does a polar bear weigh? Answer: Enough to break the ice. Okay, maybe it’s the cheesiest pickup line ever, but it accomplishes an important task: it opens the door to conversation. The best sales conversation starters do the same. They tell a short story to open conversation — a story about what problem you […]
Field Sales 101: Follow These 10 Solid Tips for Success
If you’re new to field sales, there’s no sense wasting time. You have people to see and sales to make. But there’s a learning curve. Being a field sales representative is tough work. You’re out of the office more than you’re in it — meeting people, building relationships, and trying to remember who said what […]
How Much Should You Really Compensate Your Salespeople?
We all need motivation to do our best work – and money is a great source of motivation. But the structure of salesperson commissions can only matter as much as the actual amount. We aim for salespeople compensations to reward for big sales, give opportunity for growth, and keep people motivated to sell even more. […]
5 Ways Salespeople Ruin a First Impression
A good first impression is timeless. And in a highly competitive industry, it’s invaluable. In just the first 7 seconds of interaction, people start to form their opinion of you. They evaluate your status, authority, approachability, competence, confidence, and likeability faster than you can make a proper introduction. From a study that proves a connection […]
Decision Fatigue Is Costing Your Reps Sales
We’ve all experienced decision fatigue — when we’ve made so many decisions we can’t make one more. But we’re exhausting ourselves on the wrong decisions, namely, figuring out who to call. If we eliminate all those choices about who to call, we’ll be able to focus our thinking on more important tasks during the day. So how […]
How to Build a World-Class Sales Training Program on a Budget
Most sales training is terrible. It doesn’t relate to the salespeople, and it’s outdated… if the company has any training material at all. Back in the day, we used flip charts. Our training (like most US companies) went like this: Introduction: Don’t stray from the script. This sales presentation is fail proof. Build some rapport, […]
The #1 Reasons CRMs Fail
You can almost feel the collective shudder when you mention the words “new CRM” to salespeople. The last thing a salesperson needs is another thing to do! And adding a new CRM often feels like just one more responsibility. Most people hate trying new CRMs (for good reason) because it gives them another task to […]