Sales Tips

4 Negotiation Skills You Need to Close More Deals

"When it comes to negotiating a sale, the person who addresses price first, loses.” There‘s a ton of truth in that saying, especially for companies with tiered pricing models. If your organization has that kind of price flexibility, negotiation is an important stage in the sales process.Before you jump into the negotiating stage, preparation is crucial. One of my favorite movie scenes is from the 1992 classic, Glengarry Glen Ross. The scene features a sales manager who walks into the middle…

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April 21, 2022
Sales Tips

Why Questions Matter When Qualifying Your Sales Leads

In the early '80s, there was a saleswoman who was awesome at selling mainframes. But really, she just walked into businesses and asked questions. Then she took their responses back to the engineers, they told her what the client needed, she told the customer, and they’d buy. Obviously, the company loved her, so they sent her to school to learn more about the interworking of the mainframes. After six months of intense training, she knew everything there was to know…

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September 19, 2017
Sales Tips

Sell the Value of Your Product, Not the Price

Don’t compete on price. But if you do, you’d better be the cheapest… and stay the cheapest. See, when you sell the value based on price, both you and the customer treat the product like a commodity. There’s no relationship, and there’s no loyalty. Instead, take the consultative approach. When you position yourself as an expert and a true partner with your customers, you sell the value in the advice you offer. And if you do that, your relationship will…

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July 11, 2017
Sales Tips

The Salesperson’s Guide to Using Texting for Sales Prospecting

Did you know it took the US about seven years longer than Europe to catch onto texting? It gained momentum in Europe in 2001, and quickly became a popular alternative to calls. But in the US, text messaging didn’t take off until 2008. With the growing popularity of the smartphone, namely the iPhone, texting skyrocketed. Today, texting is the #1 used app on the smartphone worldwide. In fact, no one even thinks of it as an "app". It’s not a…

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February 21, 2017
Sales Tips

6 Easy Ways to Get Past the Sales Gatekeeper

You’re out building your network, ready to meet people in charge and make sales. You enter the office, walk up to the reception desk, and see someone sitting there engrossed in their US Weekly. As you ask for Dr. Jones, the receptionist flippantly replies, “He’s in a meeting.” What do you do? You drove across town to get here, and now you can’t even see the person you came to meet! Getting past the gatekeeper can make (or break) your…

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October 18, 2016
Sales Tips

Learn These Subtle Sales Signals to Increase Your Close Rate

Everyone has to start somewhere. Building your client list from scratch is tough, so where do you begin? Most salespeople hit the pavement and dial numbers, talking to one prospect after another, grasping at any potential lead. But the best place to start is getting to know your audience. Think about who needs your product. Then look for the following signs that the prospect is ready to consider an offer. That way, you’ll work smarter (not harder) and generate a…

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May 31, 2016
Sales Tips

9 (Stupid) Phrases That Can Sabotage a Sale

We’re told in simple terms and lengthy quotes that words carry the authority to influence others, often much more than intended. But what about sales? Does the way you say something make a difference? Of course it does. The problem is we fall into the ruts of using the same sales phrases pitch after pitch. And often, the phrases we use the most are the ones that sabotage our sales. If your numbers aren’t as high as you think they…

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May 17, 2016
Sales Tips

3 Strategies for Unlocking Deals Stuck in the Pipeline

You just made a killer pitch. You demonstrated how your product solves their problems, then left them with action steps – and expected an answer within days. But that was over a month ago, and you still haven’t heard anything back. So what’s the trouble? You thought you were on track to seal the deal, but it hasn’t happened. The deal is officially stuck in the pipeline. It’s easy for a sale to hit a snag that puts it in…

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March 29, 2016
Sales Tips

How to Build Trust Over the Phone with Cold Prospects

We’ve all answered a cold call, but how many times have these interactions won us over? Much of our cold call reluctance comes from how few of these calls actually convince us to buy. I like to use the calls I receive to improve my own cold calling strategies. What made me stay on the line? Which strategy did they use that worked? In each situation where I became a customer, I’ve found that the salesperson used three tactics to…

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December 15, 2015
Management Tips

Get Results From Your Sales Team with a Mastermind Group

Mastermind: a board game, a Marvel villain, and a business group. The business option may sound like the least interesting definition of the three, but a Mastermind group can change your sales game drastically. By gathering people with similar goals but different experiences, salespeople learn from each other.  Benefits of a Mastermind Group Learn From the Best At its core, Mastermind groups allow you to hear the best experiences that netted the best results from your peers. You’ll spend part…

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December 1, 2015