Somehow, it seems that a post on preparing for sales calls/meetings would be totally unnecessary. One would hope all sales professionals would have a plan for every call, if only to manage their own time very well. When I talk to sales people about the importance of sales call/meeting planning, the responses tend to fall […]
Great Selling is Like Great Music
Over the weekend, my wife and I had the opportunity to go to a couple of concerts. One was with a great symphony orchestra, the other was with a college freshman orchestra. Both were playing classics, but the difference in the experience was profound. (By the way, both were far more capable than I, I […]
When “A Players” Fail
I’ve been participating in a great discussion on the importance of talent. It’s an area that doesn’t get the attention needed and is critical to organizational performance. Too few managers pay the right attention to talent, both recruiting, onboarding, developing, and retaining the right people. As a result, the costs of this inattention to talent […]
The New World of Co-Opetition
The relationships we establish, in business, are very complex and constantly changing. We have relationships with colleagues. At some point, we or colleagues may choose to go work someplace else—even our competition. We don’t, at least I haven’t, stopped those relationships. Most of the time, there is intense competition—I want to beat them, just as […]
Sales: Science or Art?
Recently, I read an article about sales being more science than art. Perhaps I was a little unfair in my comments, but the author’s premises were flawed. I think we want to see sales being more like science because of what we perceive as the predictability and certainty that seems to exist in science. We […]
Great Selling is Habit Forming
I’m sure you’ve experienced something that gives you a “rush.” It’s when, all of a sudden, everything just falls into place, everything is working as it should, it seems effortless. Sometimes we experience it in sports. For example, when I’m riding, I get it a groove, I’m in a paceline, my pedal stroke is perfect, […]
What Problem is Your Customer Really Trying to Solve?
The majority of sales people, unfortunately are just peddlers—walking, talking brochures. Needless to say, customers are finding digital sources of information much more useful than talking to those sales people. The data consistently shows customers limit contact with these types of sales people to the very end of the buying process. Some few sales people […]
Fear of Failure
As sales people and leaders, we have an interesting relationship with failure. We are in an intensely competitive profession. Our customers are and should be evaluating alternatives. In any buying decision, there will only be one supplier selected, with the others losing. As good as any of us are, we all fail! Like any other […]
Prospecting Differentiation
We want our prospecting efforts with customers to stand out. To, somehow, differentiate ourselves from the dozens of other prospecting calls or emails our customers receive. Unfortunately, our efforts at differentiation tend to focus on the wrong thing: we focus on us, ourselves, our companies, what we sell. This leads our prospecting conversations to discussions […]
Are You Selling What You Can Sell or Selling What You Need to Sell?
Most sales people I meet are genuinely busy. They are trying to meet new customers, find new deals, qualify them, move them to closure. It seems to be almost a badge of honor when I speak to sales people, to proclaim the long hours and hard work. Sometimes, they proudly proclaim, “I’m selling everything I […]
