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sales skills Tagged Articles

Drinking My Own Kool Aid
It's always a good idea to take time to review how you're doing, and invest in improving yourself.

The Most Important (Little) Word in Sales
You can get so much mileage from just one little word.

Keep your Sales on Track Through the Recession
We can not deny the resession has hit us all in some way or another. This article can show and prove to you the power of positive thinking in our sales. It will make the difference.

Learn more skills in Sales to get the Results you want
It's a Monday morning after the big match at the weekend and the premier league football coach brings the team in to review the match. On goes the video and the coach and players watch, each move is analysed, the tape is stopped and the coach asks the group what was good, what was poor and what can they do different next time.

Revealing the Secrets to Sales Training
We all need to realise that not everybody is born with the ability to sell. Some of us have to work harder than others to gain skills and capabilities in sales. However with this in mind we can still stand to be one step ahead of the rest by understanding a few simple, revealing, sales techniques.

Buyers Change their Ways - Sales People Must Keep Up

The trouble with change is that it sneaks up on you. It would be easier to deal with if it happened in a predictable manner, like a bus or train arriving at its final destination. After a major change, we don’t need historians to tell us that it was inevitable and that the writing was on the wall for all to see. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. For those in the midst of change, ‘after’ is difficult to define. Long after, we can put dates on things but while they are happening, there is always the hope that the situation is just an anomaly.

Closing Sales Skills --- Improve Your Sales Techniques
Closing sales skills, customer service skills, and sales techniques are essential to any business. Every day we are sold many things through many different venues and methods. Selling and buying is a part of our every day lives, and a skill that can become as natural as breathing.

Defending Profit Margins

Each percentage point of gross profit margin you lose requires a 4% volume growth just to keep profit steady. A five point increase in your profit margin is the equivilent to a 20% increase in sales. A five point increase in your profit margin can equal a 50% boost to your bottom line profit. How do you communicate the value you provide to the customer so that you are not seen as a commodity and therefore maintain the profit margin you need to grow your business.

Sales Presentations That Command Attention

One of the key challenges in any sales presentation is communicating a message that makes prospects pay attention. Amid all the clutter and noise that exists in the marketplace, how do we get those with whom we most want to do business with, to pay attention to us? Obviously, that’s a complex question and the answer quite frankly is that there are a lot of factors. But if we go to ground zero, that point where we are first trying to get attention, there is one element that we most want to focus on.

Sales Skills – Personal Sales Techniques
Have you ever wondered why some people succeed in sales while others don't? I wondered that as well, and what really got me was that they made it look so easy!

Avoidale Mistakes Made By Sales Leaders

Sales reps must be managed effectively. Sales leaders have to understand their reps’ capabilities in order to place them in an ideal sales environment where they can have a positive impact on the company and sales results. Sales leaders who can successfully identify their reps capabilities will be able to utilize their talents in the proper context. This will create a more efficient sales team while working within the context of their sales skills.

How to Practice your Closing Sales Skills
Sales skills are not a list of hard and fast steps and rules. They are a natural progression of all your hard work, your knowledge and commitment to your business, yourself and your belief in your product. You already have sales skills and by practicing them you will become more confident and better at closing sales.

Selling Attitude!
Selling is a people business. People buy from people, and most often, from people that they like. But what makes one sales rep more likeable than the next? Surely all, or at least most sellers try to be likeable! Attitude makes the difference.

Your Brand Is Screaming!

In this economy your brand is screaming louder than it ever has before. Every thing you do, say, wear, even how and when you follow-up matters. If you want to grow your business, retain your clients, and increase referrals then you need to understand that every interaction with a prospect or client determines if they will go to the next step with you. Face it, the customer is in control of the buying cycle - when it closes, how it closes, and if you are the person with whom they close it. Understanding your customers have a choice and a voice, and adjusting your sales approach to exceed their expectations will ensure you succeed in this and any economy.

How are Your Sales Skills?
Selling may be the most under rated skill every small town small business owner needs. Without sales there is no business. Failure is certain. Learn to sell with integrity and watch your business grow!

What’s the difference between a member, a client and a customer?

What’s in a name? Well, there seems to be some confusion in the market place around the terminology used to describe those people who pay us money for goods, services, experiences, donations, etc. Different industries can have different terms for the consumers of their products and/or services. We see terms such as customer, client, patient, guest, patron, member, subscriber, donor, etc. used to describe a person who buys our products or services and intends to use them directly. In short, these terms are referring to the same person – the ‘end user’. However, not everyone ‘consumes’ our products or services or is the intended ‘end user’. Some people or businesses buy our products or services to ‘on sell’ them to another party, often the final end user, but not always.

More lessons from MasterChef – Can you take the heat?

As the saying goes, “If you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen”. Once again MasterChef has served up some great life lessons. Last year I wrote about the great leadership, coaching and mentoring we can learn from MasterChef. Again Garry, George, Matt and the other guest chefs showed us how to excel in this area of leadership. On this occasion, I want to comment on ‘Resilience’ and dealing with setbacks and challenges, and how MasterChef gave us a window into how people handle stress and demanding situations. The time pressures and increasingly difficult tasks set for the contestants showed us how well they were able to manage themselves under pressure and produce the goods. You could often see the demands of a given situation getting to a number of the contestants. It was unrelenting at times.

Harvard Business Review Hit and Then Missed the Mark on Sales
An analysis of Harvard Business Review's recent article regarding observations about sales skills and salespeople.

Are your listening skills costing you or making you money?

Who is really listening? â€¦ Genuinely, sincerely and honestly listening? Iâ€™m noticing a lot more telling and a lot less listening lately. You only have to watch the ABC program â€˜Q&Aâ€™ to see the number of politicians who have great trouble listening â€“ to anything except themselves. They interrupt others giving answers to questions that were never asked. No wonder we are a bit jaded and cynical.

The real $ value of role playing

Tell almost any sales person they are going to participate in role plays as part of their sales training and you will hear a collective groan. In short most sales people hate role playing. It is often seen as a form of potential embarrassment, or something stilted and false. Many people feel self conscious and donâ€™t want to look â€˜badâ€™ in front of their peers. It doesnâ€™t help either that over 90% of all sales people follow no logical processes when selling.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

I recently had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the 6th CIPS Australasia Annual Conference for the procurement profession. It was my third invitation to speak at a CIPSA event in my capacity as a professional representing the sales profession. The theme for this conference was â€˜Managing Volatilityâ€™. A key message I gleaned from the conference was Value Management rather than the narrow band width of Cost Management.

Leveraging the Power of Large, Well-known Companies to Grow Your Small Business
High-profile companies have the power of recognition and credibility. Discover the secrets (and benefits) of leveraging their recognition and credibility to grow your small business.

Personal Branding For Salespeople
Are you a salesperson looking for ways to generate more referrals? Do you agree that the best way to do that is to operate in a predictable and professional manner? Then read on to learn some tips to maximize the power of your personal brand and get recommended by prospects and clients.

Sales Tips for Commercial Salespeople and Sales Managers - How to Win Sales by Being Positively Predictable
This article is about creating a positive predictable experience for your prospects and customers. The salespeople who create a positively predictable experience for decision-makers earn both sales and referrals by taking the risk out of the buy-sell equation. Here's how.

How to Put Consulting into Consultative Selling
To describe a sales approach as "consultative" doesn't really explain it. It's a broad identifier, like saying someone is religious, which doesn't say what kind of religion. Saying you are a consultative salesperson is like saying you're in the category of "solution-oriented selling" vs. the category of "fast-talking carnival hawker." But that doesn't mean you know HOW TO DO it.

Optimism is a Selling Skill. Is Your Sales Glass Half-empty or Half Full?

Everyone is looking for a competitive edge in this post recession economy. Should we engage in social media tools? Hold a strategic planning session to determine best course of action? Roll out a new marketing plan? Here’s an idea that won’t cost you any money: take a look at the emotional intelligence skill of optimism. Just in case you think this is going to be a ‘Pollyanna’ article, don’t despair. There is evidence that shows optimistic salespeople make more money.

Sales Tip - Stupendous Sales Results Accent Tremendous Value and Avoid Horrendous and Hazardous Actions
Salespeople get more sales with a focus on the only four words in the English language, which end in 'dous': tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

Five Ways to Annoy a B2B Prospect in a First-Time Meeting - Guaranteed!
Your first meeting with a prospective customer will make or break any chance for a new business relationship. No doubt about it: it's sink or swim time. So don't just avoid these five annoying mistakes; do the opposite and you will enjoy more win-wins.

Possibly the Single Best Question a Salesperson Can Ask a Prospect in a 1st-Time Meeting
I have used the "challenge" question time and time again. It's never failed me. In fact, it's allowed me to help decision-makers solve key business issues that impacted their bottom line.

Increase B2B Sales by Managing Your Prospecting and Sales Ratios
Are you a B2B salesperson looking to increase your annual income goal? If you're responsible for generating new business, you need to track and manage (improve) your ratios. And the best way to start is by looking at a meaningful number... your desired income. From there we'll work backwards to let you know exactly how to make that happen.

Why Following Up To a Sales Meeting Could Give an Aspirin a Headache Unless You Do This One Thing
It's vital that you have a list of options for "next steps" when you go into a sales meeting, because once the meetings over, you might be doomed to eternal followup. Read on to discover ways to make your meeting end with clearly defined next steps.

The New Norm in Selling
If you desire to sell more and truly want a seven-figure compensation then here are some keys to your future success.

The Death of Cold Calling
Discover better methods than cold calling to help you land more leads and more sales.

Million Dollar Sales Ideas
There are many individuals out there that desire to become million dollar-selling representatives but they are not successful at all. Many struggle in small offices with poor managers curious as to why they fail to be successful. There are a number of factors.

How to be a Sales Superstar: Break All the Rules and Succeed While Doing It by Mark Tewart

Every aspect of our daily lives are affected by sales, even though we may not think in those terms. When you buy any product or service, various sales people are involved in the background. Even your utilities are affected by the sales process. Sales people have gotten a bad “rep” for years, but that isn’t necessary. We all know people in the sales industry that are superstars. The question is – how do you become a sales superstar? Mark Tewart is a definite expert who has the answer to this question and he is sharing his thoughts and tips in his new book “How to be a Sales Superstar”.

The New Sales Sense is Digital – Sales Training Must Keep Up

There is a buyer’s paradigm shift taking place. It is sweeping away many sales preconceptions and norms. The furore over the social media opportunity is merely a forewarning of greater change. The Retail world is already grappling with the early effects of what will be looked back on as a titanic revolutionary shift in the way people make decisions and the part sales people play in the buying process.

Go From Good to Great: Five Ways to Boost Your Sales Career
There is a chasm between good and great sales performance. Here are five ways to boost your sales career quickly.

Sales Big Picture - Top Salespeople Sell Attractively on Purpose
One of the most frequent complaints of salespeople is the ebb and flow of sales. Getting sales is the goal of a salesperson. Now step back. What is one of the first pieces in selling? Maybe prospecting? Take another step back. Maybe marketing? There are at least three strategic pieces with their tactics to increase both your understanding and successful actions in the buying and selling process.

Getting the Sales Person to Think Like an Executive
The Sales CEO learns to optimize their day by determining the best methods that encourage customer centric relationships that grow business. Great representatives understand that less transaction and more focus on value and performance grow the brand while also growing the business. So what do they do and how is this accomplished?

How to Avoid Sales Mistakes

There is an overwhelming concern about productivity and profitability in today's organizations. With this final concern is ever more important for selling professionals to be as efficient as possible. Efficient selling agents help to lessen labor while bringing more revenue to the organization. The problem however is that many selling professionals commit numerous errors throughout their day. This not only slows down the selling process but also lessens the ability for sales teams to meet their targets. More importantly, these issues affect revenue.

How to Overcome Sales Failures
Every team has their ups and downs in fact. A sale by nature is a volatile profession and represents riding and organizational roller coaster. It is not about the peaks and valleys but understanding the marginality of riding them. By this I mean learning from your mistakes and organizing your day to live not only in the moment but to learn each day.

What Are Your Sales People Thinking

With over 30 years of sales and marketing experience I have heard while also experiencing many inconveniences for selling professionals. Each and every day these individuals are on the front lines illustrating products and services attempting to place new revenue while growing brand for their respective organizations. Each has their own description, their own responsibilities and their own goals. Some complain while others just do. Yet for the most part each goes through the gyrations of the day without much banter but with some aggravation.

To Tell The Truth
Customers make purchase decisions because they like and trust their vendor. When there are questions about the manner in which vendors do business it impacts selling. Ethics are the reasons why business remain or lose business.

Spectator or Sportsman
A fundamental difference exists between successful professionals and those that aren’t. Non successful people procrastinate, find excuses and blame numerous people and things and become stagnant. Successful professionals engage in conversations with advisors, rebrand products/services, themselves and still hustle in good and bad times.

Creating Energy For Your Business
Did you ever wonder why you might not be achieving the levels of success you desire? Do you wonder why you are being held back? Well it is not about money, or time but about where the direction of your energy that might be creating a southerly revenue stream. Discover the 6 ways to higher success.

How to Find the Right Sales Mentor
Here are five tips to help you find your right sales mentor.

How to Put More Prospects in a Buying Mood
A reader shared with me recently that her email prospecting campaign was attracting attention and responses, but most of her prospects weren’t interested in buying right now. So it’s her job to create immediate interest.

The 20 Worst Prospecting Voicemail Mistakes Salespeople Make
Among salespeople who make sales prospecting calls, there’s a hot debate about whether or not you should leave a voicemail message. For a voicemail to have any impact, however, you have to avoid the common blunders.

Why You Don't Want Sales Prospects to Save Your Emails
It is critical that you write sales prospecting and lead-generation emails that compel your sales prospects take action right away. There are four rules to make that happen.

Can you get to ROI faster by slowing down your sales cycle?
Close more profitable deals by slowing down your sales cycle. When you try to close the sale too quickly, before earning the prospect’s trust, it generally becomes a price game – and that’s a hard one to win consistently.

Turn the Year-end Slowdown into Surprising Sales
At year-end people are in “holiday mode” and many businesses are in a holding pattern, waiting for budgets to be released in the New Year, but that doesn’t mean you have to write-off the last two months of the year.

How to create a Year End Sales Blitz
The end of the year is approaching rapidly and now is the time to end old habits and pull out all the necessary stops to close business right now!

The Every Mans Guide to Incredible Wealth

Do you have to be a great salesperson to be one of the wealthiest people on earth? There are many, many consultants touting many different flavors of sales tools and techniques to help you to create incredible wealth. They would all like you to believe that by learning their method you will achieve it. If it were only that simple. Unfortunately sales it is only one component or one hat you'd have to wear.

How Always Be Closing in Sales Focuses Your Energies in the Wrong Direction
Always Be Closing is still a popular sales training concept. Yet, the word close potentially focuses your energies in the wrong direction. Curious, read on.

Achieve Your Unachievable 2012 Sales Goals
We’re facing new sales goals for 2012, and I’ll bet yours are higher than last year.

3 Reasons Prospects Ignore Your Emails
So take my advice and don’t fall for these three common email prospecting traps.

Put an end to Sales Prospecting Procrastination: Part Two of a series on Things Sellers Avoid
Our last article talked about why we avoid certain sales activities even though they’re essential for success. Today let’s examine why we avoid proposal follow-up and account management, and talk about strategies to avoid these.

Sales Training Doesn't Work

Sales training doesn’t work because it focuses on the wrong things in the wrong way. If you were to research books and training materials on sales for the last one hundred years you would find a vast amount of material on sales techniques, word tracks, objection handling, closing techniques and sales systems. All of those things are good for your sales knowledge and education but they account for only about ten percent of sales success.

Selling Techniques 101
Selling techniques can be improved on almost anyone. A successful selling technique is based upon three factors: winning attitudes, essential sales skills and the “people skills” upon which the sales skills are built.

Successful Sales Techniques
Sales technique can be improved on almost anyone. A successful selling technique is based upon three factors: winning attitudes, essential sales skills and the “people skills” upon which the sales skills are built.

Two spectacular sales ideas©
Field Sales Prospecting is an art that everyone can learn, but few ever really try. Yet it must be the most important of the sales skills since it gets the sales professional in a position to actually use all their other sales skills! Here are two ways to assure that your Prospecting System actually sees the light of day, so you can reap the rewards of your efforts.

Street Level Marketing Can Boost Sales
Most field sales professionals don’t lack for sales skills as much as they do for marketing skills. This article shares some micro-marketing ideas to help sales reps get in front of more prospects.

Lead Generation = Dollar Creation
All businesses are built on two areas of competency – people skills and marketing skills. Many sales people who are more than adequate in their sales and people skills are struggling today. The reason is most sales people lack enough opportunities with customers. Lead generation = dollar creation.

Top 7 Sales Skills to Increase Sales in 2009 Regardless of the Economy
Being a top sales producer extends beyond your technical sales skills into your personal or self leadership skills. You must have knowledge of the results from your marketing and selling actions along with incredible self leadership skills. These seven sales skills can potentially deliver far more results than any technical selling skill such as fact finding to closing.

Two Amazingly Simple Actions to Increase Sales
Probably, the least used action within the sales skills of most sales people are these two. Even with all the articles, the books on improving sales expertise, far too many sales professional fail to master these two critical sales skills. Interested, read on.

3 Must Have Core Sales Skills
Whether you have a sales force working for you, or do all the selling yourself there are 3 core sales skills required to succeed. These skills are entirely within your control.

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