Worst Bad Sales Habits, Part 2 - A Freeze on Cold Calls
Most sales people would rather jump into a cold Lake Michigan than jump into a day of cold calls. When reps start their careers, they make colds call because they have to. Over time, as they build a base, the urgency of cold calling fades. A day of cold calling becomes half a day. Then […]
Worst Bad Sales Habits, Part 1 - Winging It
In this season of renewal and resolutions, I’m offering a series of posts on six bad sales habits. Each habit is worse than the one preceding it - kind of like a descent into sales hell. Unappealing as the subject matter is, all these habits are ones highly successful sales people can easily fall into […]
The Golden Rule of Sales Relationships
In a recent post I suggested relationships are more important than technique in achieving excellence in sales.
Then I started wondering, what exactly makes a business relationship strong and long lasting? Sure, we all know healthy business relationships are built on trust and respect, but what do those words really mean? How do trust and respect […]
Why Sales Techniques Backfire in B2B
Being well schooled in sales technique does not guarantee success. In fact, too much focus on technique is counterproductive.
Problem is, a buyer who has been at it for awhile has seen more sales technique than any one sales person can learn in a lifetime. Buyers know all the tricks. They’ve parried every closing thrust, they’ve […]
What’s the Best Sales Advice You Ever Got?
When I wrote about the pitfalls of mentoring, it got me thinking, what was the best sales advice I ever got?
I was fortunate to have four incredible mentors in my sales career who were about as opposite as four people could be - one of these days I’m going to write about them and share […]
40 Qualities of Successful Sales People
For my coaching and advising program, I recently developed this list of qualities that sales people should develop to the best of their ability. Here they are - please let me know if you have any to add!
A Successful Sales Person Is
1. Prompt
2. Hard working
3. Ethical
4. Always listening
5. Asking the […]
You Must Stay on the Customer’s Radar!
Out of sight, out of mind. Here’s a scene that’s played over and over across the B2B world.
Bob - Hi Phil, take a look at the new features on our underground storage tanks. They’ve made some fantastic improvements.
Phil - Oh, wow. I just bought a 15,000 gallon water tank last week.
Bob - (jaw drops) What? […]
