Ask Sales Questions & Tip These Odds in Your Favour

How important is it to ask the right sales questions? Forrester Research published an astonishing stat which claims that the first seller to set a vision into a clear path to value has a 74% chance of winning the deal. That’s worth repeating…a 74% chance of winning the deal!

This amazing statistic is getting a lot of buzz in sales blogs and numerous LinkedIn group discussions. And rightfully so.

What this means is that you have a three to one advantage over … Read More

Your Daily Sales Habit

What are your daily sales habits? How do you kick start each day to ensure you have a productive, results focused day? Do you get lost in your email? Do you grab a coffee and chit chat with friends?

Every morning I wake up and have a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s supposed to be good for the liver. What’s more important to me is that this … Read More

LinkedIn for Sales Leaders:
5 Strategies for Results

My research tells me that leveraging LinkedIn yields significant sales results. I am working with Kristina Jaramillo and her partner Eric Gruber of GetLinkedInHelp.com to help me execute a focused plan for LinkedIn. Their approach is strategic and that’s what resonated with me. This guest post written by Kristina speaks to the importance of having a strategy for social selling.

Guest Post By Kristina Jaramillo

I’m sorry to say – but most sales leaders on LinkedIn do not have a strategy. They have a shopping list of tactics that need … Read More

The #1 Mistake in Handling Sales Objections

Think about a recent sales objection that you’ve encountered, one that typically surfaces in your selling world. What do you do when presented with a tough objection? Do you jump in to answer it with a convincing statement?

If so, how is that working for you? Likely, not very well. Here’s why.

Telling is not selling

We know that questions persuade more powerfully than any other selling skill. We know that ‘pitching’ our ideas, products and solutions without getting grounded in clients’ needs beforehand makes it next to impossible to position … Read More

How to Turn Client Objections into Sales Success

One of the questions I get when training sales professionals is almost always about handling client objections. Sales people seem to dread this part of the sales process. That’s because they don’t prepare for them well, and don’t have a positive perception of objections. I look at them as a key learning device for uncovering the client’s needs. Yes, I look at objections not as barriers but as clues to achieve sales success through understanding what clients want.

I recently asked Jim, one of my colleagues, for an update on the … Read More

Levels of Intention Predict Sales Success

You know your intention, but how well do you know your levels of intention? Here’s why this is so important for sales success.

First let me ask you this: What does the word ‘intention’ invoke in you? “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” is a quote that’s been in use since the 11th century. That saying gives the word ‘intention’ a bad rap. And in some situations it should have a bad rap. If we don’t fulfill … Read More

Sales Call To Action Mistake #4: Not Preparing

Your preparation for a sales meeting will be more effective when you start by asking yourself, “What is my desired outcome?” That leads to, “What do I want the client to do as a result of my presentation?”

An even better question to address in your preparation is, “What do I want the client to do as a result of my presentation that would move the action the furthest and the fastest?” These questions will ensure you are well-prepared for … Read More

Sales Call to Action: Stupid Mistakes Smart People Make

Are you converting enough of your sales as fast as you’d like? If not, maybe it’s time to examine what you’re doing with your sales closing strategy and specifically your Call to Action.

Many factors are out of our control when it comes to how long it takes to close business. For example, we have to work with our clients to meet their specific timing requirements. And certainly internal changes in the client organization can cause delays.

But … Read More