Sales Tips

No More No-Shows: 4 Tips for Confirming Sales Appointments

Do your sales appointments often turn into phone meetings, re-schedules or even cancellations? It may be time to make how and when you confirm appointments a sales tool instead of a sales hurdle. Timing really IS everything. This is especially true when it comes to confirming appointments. All too often, a confirmation call turns into a quick phone meeting or a cancellation instead of an effective face-to-face appointment. The trick is to make sure your prospect is ready for you,…

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February 17, 2015
Management Tips / Sales Tips

What Sales & Marketing Teams Can Learn From The Air Force

For as long as businesses have been marketing and selling, the sales and marketing departments have been at odds. The struggle for power and recognition is ongoing and completely counterproductive, and sometimes an outright battle. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Ideally, marketing and sales teams would support each other’s role in making the company successful. They would share responsibilities and work together to increase traffic, generate leads, and convert sales. Let’s imagine for a minute that the…

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February 10, 2015
Management Tips

Hiring Tips For The Salesperson Interview Process

Finding good salespeople is a difficult task. Finding good salespeople without a specific goal in mind is almost impossible.Before you can hire the right salesperson, you have to know what you’re looking for. Don’t waste time hiring the wrong person because of a lack of direction. You need a target. Then, when you do hire someone, you can confidently spend resources on training and ensure a return on investment.Which kind of salesperson do you need?You know you need a target,…

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February 3, 2015
Sales Tips

7 Ways to Lose a Sale

After 20 years and 10,000 deals, I’ve seen some great attempts at closing a sale. I’ve also seen some very bad ones. Of course, those bad attempts resulted in losing the sale. But many times there is just as much to learn from someone who does it completely wrong as there is from a pro. Set aside your training guide and meeting notes for a second, and let’s look at seven sure-fire ways to lose your next sale. 1. Don’t…

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January 6, 2015
Sales Tips

4 Tips for the Introverted Salesperson

If you’re a struggling salesperson, it’s easy to think that great salespeople must've been born that way, not made. But nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, some people just have “that thing” that makes them immediately great at sales. But that’s not true for the masses. For most of us, and for introverts, in particular, getting ahead in sales means following a learning curve that builds up to a trajectory that propels you into success. Fake It Until…

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November 25, 2014
Sales Tips

A Day in the Life of a Successful Salesperson

There’s an easy way to identify a successful salesperson: Shadow them for a day and learn about their routine. Because what sets the most successful salespeople apart is the consistency of their daily routine. Often, making just a few adjustments in daily habits can mean the difference between doing alright and doing ridiculously awesome. If you were to take a close look at a day (or week) in the life of a successful salesperson, here’s what you’d see: Monday –…

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November 18, 2014
Management Tips / Sales Tips

The 4 Biggest Mistakes A Sales Manager Can Make

There are mistakes a sales manager can make, and then there are the biggest mistakes a sales manager can make. Check out these four costly, and sometimes irreparable, mistakes and then do your best to avoid them. Mistake #1: The Cell Phone If you think having a salesperson use their own cell phone to cut costs is a savvy move, think again. Here’s what really happens: Rather than giving your salesperson a cell phone, you have him use his own. The…

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November 4, 2014
Management Tips / Sales Tips

The Pocket Follow-Up Formula: Improve Follow-Up Success

What if I told you there’s a secret to sales lead success that’s as easy as 1-2-3? Would you believe me if I said the secret lies in… business cards? You may not see the connection right away, but you will. Business Cards: They’re Not Just Paper and Ink If I gave you a peek into my pocket, you‘d find three things: credit cards, some cash, and business cards. When someone hands me a business card, that tiny card represents…

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October 28, 2014
Sales Tips

5 Things Your Sales Script Should (and Shouldn’t) Include

Sales scripts have been a mainstay for as long as people have been hocking goods on street corners and from wooden carts. Why do they still work today? Because human nature never changes.Essentially, a sales script helps guide the presentation so it hits the right pain points for the audience. The script ensures that you target the message. It keeps the presentation simple and to the point, so you maximize your time with a prospect.Breaking Down a Sales ScriptTake ActionThe…

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October 21, 2014
Sales Tips

The #1 Question You Should Ask During Your First Sales Appointment

The prospect you’ve been dying to speak with finally agreed to a face-to-face meeting. All of your persistence paid off, and you’re ready to make your pitch and seal the deal. Not so fast. All the effort you put into getting that meeting is wasted if you go in for the kill too quickly. When you first sit down with a prospect, you need to prep them in order to get them into buying shape. So, let’s say you’ve scheduled…

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October 14, 2014