Posts Tagged ‘Sales’
Product versus Solution Selling
It must be that time of year, but recently I’ve gotten a number of queries from thoughtful executives: “Dave, we need to transform the way we sell from product to solution selling……” That statement is always a little confusing to me, naturally I ask, “What does that mean and why do you want to change?”…
Read MoreStop Reading (Just) Sales Books!
Reading is important to our professional development and growth (not to mention the scientific evidence of how it improves our cognitive capabilities). Far too few business and sales professional actively read as part of their personal and professional growth. (Perhaps, that’s part of the reason we consistently see the stunningly poor data on results.) Every…
Read MoreSales Agility and Adaptability
A few of us have been having a conversation about whether adaptability and agility are important in sales. I think we are in uniform agreement it is important, however, my initial reaction was, “Why are we even asking this question, isn’t it a foundation to selling?” As I reflected on the issue, I get why…
Read MoreDo Customers Really Want a Frictionless Buying Experience?
It seems to be fashionable to talk about creating “frictionless buying experiences?” I suppose the concept draws readers, perhaps it’s an extreme expression of removing barriers to the customer buying process. But does the concept make sense? Is it what customers want? And if we looked at the concept of “friction in the buying process,…
Read MoreNuance So Subtle We Often Miss It
Nuance is important to our ability to connect with impact to our customers and our people. Yet, too often, we miss it, or completely ignore it. Let’s start with what nuance is: 1 :a subtle distinction or variation “Nuances of flavor and fragrance cannot be described accurately …” —Scott Seegers “… these terms have certain…
Read MoreWe Claim to Be Data-Driven, Yet We Ignore the Data
Recently, I heard someone say, “We claim to be data driven, yet we ignore the data.” Nothing could be more true of much of what I see in the practice of sales and marketing. We are surrounded by data about what drives sales and marketing effectiveness. Hundreds of market research reports, done by thoughtful researchers…
Read MoreAn Alternative to High Pressure Selling
We’ve all been subjected to high pressure selling tactics. We see various forms of these high pressure or manipulative tactics, whether it’s the high pressure sales person focused on pitching products, the sales person that keeps moving the focus back to them and what they want to achieve, incentives to “buy now,” whether they are offered…
Read More5 Unfailing Cross-Selling and Upselling Strategies to Boost Online Sales
If you’re like most people, you likely have gone shopping with a grocery list a few times in your life. But how many times have you gone home with only those items in your cart? Perhaps you were a little hungry and the store had a sale on your favorite snack, or they had a…
Read MoreCold Calling or Email Prospecting? The Choice Depends on Your Audience
Business media is overflowing with advice about new marketing and sales strategies that result in a satisfactory ROI. There has been a lot of talk lately about the power of Big Data and complex analytics, about multiplatform and omnichannel reach to potential customers, while “stellar customer experience” is on everyone’s lips. However, entrepreneurs and managers…
Read MorePrinciple Based Selling
Are you training and coaching your people “principle based selling?” No I’m not announcing a new sales methodology or trying to infringe on a few companies calling their methods “Principle Based Selling.” We often use the word principle to describe values we hold, for example integrity, honesty, respect for others. Those are important, but not…
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