Posts Tagged ‘Sales’
What’s a Full Pipeline/Funnel?
I participated in a fascinating discussion about Disqualification. It was on LinkedIn, led by Steve Hall. Click on the link to look at the comments, it’s pretty interesting. But a part of the discussion was really intriguing and brought out how badly we understand pipelines and our numbers. As a result, we drive for the wrong things…
Read MoreWhat We Think of Our Customers Colors Our Engagement
Someone called seeking coaching on a specific deal. He had fallen into traps which blinded him in moving forward with a winning strategy. He started the conversation with, “The key decision-maker is really a jerk! He’s power hungry, his people want to do something with us, they’ve presented compelling arguments, but he doesn’t want to…
Read MoreSales Training and the “Forgetting Curve”
Every year, billions are spent in sales training. Yet all the data shows over 80% of what is taught is forgotten within 90 days. As a result, what really is happening is that every year we are throwing away billions on sales training. But it’s worse than that. The billions spent represents spending in buying,…
Read MoreStart/Stop/Pivot/Restart Sales Strategies
Sales, as with most things, is something that demands regularity in execution. By that, I mean, there are many things a sales person or manager has to do to perform. Some of the obvious: Prospecting, working deals, planning calls, developing proposals, developing territory/account plans, pipeline management/forecasting, time management, learning/training, one on one’s with managers (hopefully…
Read MoreOutcome Based Buying
Regardless how we sell, our customers are trying to achieve one thing when they buy. They are trying to achieve some very specific outcomes. Those outcomes may be all over the place—solve a problem, address an opportunity, enable other things to happen. In the case of selling embedded products, it may be to help customer…
Read MoreSales, You Have to Do the Whole Job, All the Time
We—or rather my wife—had an incident the other day. We have a housekeeper that comes into our house once a week. Recently, our housekeeper told my wife, “I really don’t like what I have to do here. You have too many bathrooms, I only want to clean one—or I’d love not to clean any. I…
Read MoreIn Praise of Pushy Sales People
I probably should come out of the closet. I’m a pushy sales person. Perhaps some will recommend a 12 step program or some other therapy to make me less pushy. But, to be honest, I like being pushy. My customers and clients, for the most part, appreciate it too—though at some times my pushiness makes…
Read MoreTop 3 Benefits of Using Interactive Touchscreen Displays
The main goal of a business is to generate customer interest in a bid to bolster sales, and in turn, boost revenue—and interactive touchscreen displays can help you do just this. As a tech-savvy nation, consumers are now demanding that sales experiences are easier, quicker and based around the needs of customers, and you can…
Read MoreWhat is the Purpose of Buying?
I can imagine the raised eyebrows, the questioning expressions, and the thought, “What the hell is he talking about now? What kind of esoteric journey is he dragging us on?” Some might glibly say, “Well to solve a problem….” Which is correct, kind of…. But most sales people seldom think about the purpose of buying.…
Read More4 Ways a Poor Lead Scoring Model Will Ruin Your Business
A young man I know from New England recently launched his own modular home business. He struggled to grow his company for the first few months, but eventually he started getting his bearings. He said that the mistake he made early on was focusing on the wrong leads. Finding the right leads is one of…
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