Sales Activities
What Are Direct Sales Red Flags?
Direct sales red flags are something that someone says that gives you a clue that they are interested in something you have to offer. Many direct selling companies call them red flags but I prefer the term window of opportunity.
The Trial
Trial programs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They can be highly customized demos or benchmarks. They can be installing equipment or systems at a customer site, letting them use them for a period of time.
The Problem with Turnover
I worry too many sales executives spend too little time understanding turnover and it’s impact on the organization. Even worse, are those leaders who tend to think of people as commodities, churning through people continuously (but those folks are probably not reading blogs like mine).
Direct Sellers Don’t Sell “Stuff”!
Direct sales consultants do not sell stuff. You sell products, services, and value! As a direct seller, you should have more respect for your company and product than to call it STUFF!
Coaching the Sales Process: Deal Reviews
Many sales managers really don’t know how to reinforce the sales process in their coaching and development of their sales teams. I’ve gotten a lot of questions on this topic from sales managers, and I suspect there are a lot more that are embarrassed to ask about this.
Always Be Closing!
Closing starts long before the first call we ever make on the customer. It starts with identifying our sweet spot—what problems are we the best in the world at solving, who has those problems. It’s virtually impossible to close, at least successfully, if we aren’t focused on the right customers.
“Checking In” is Not a Next Step!
For those of you that know me, this won’t be a stunning confession, but I really struggle with my impatience. So in deal reviews and pipeline reviews, it’s not unusual for me to interrupt, cutting to the chase, asking, “What’s next, when will it happen?”
5 Quick Sales Tips
Don’t focus on closing the deal because when you build your customer base with a focus on simplicity, accessibility, education and service the outcome will be sales.
Lots of Activity, But No Results!
Everyone I encounter is very busy. Virtually everyone I meet works long hours. Their schedules are filled with meetings, calls, all sorts of things. Many people seem to wear their “busyness” as a badge of honor.
Celebrate Sales with a Text Message
Competition is important to every business, but just as important as competition is collaboration. You can see this in the dramatic growth of social networking and cloud computing over the last decade.
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