Eyes on Sales

If a salesperson does not win a sale, then they must have lost it, right? Wrong. There is a not- so- subtle- difference between ‘not winning’ and losing. When a salesperson does ‘not win’ a sale, it indicates that there was something that the salesperson did not do to win the sale. He’s responsible for not winning. Losing the sale, on the other hand, sounds like something simply happened to him.

Sam Reese, Miller Heiman CEO and Gerhard Gschwandtner, Selling Power Magazine CEO discuss the gap between C-level executives and front line salespeople.

Many salespeople confuse the establishment of a pipeline with establishing a pipe dream. I don't mean to be harsh with this statement. We are all naturally optimistic and, sometimes, this optimism gets us into sales trouble – specifically, when we confuse a prospect who is willing to talk to us with a prospect who has a set of needs that can be satisfied by you and your company. These needs must be expressed in terms of some level of discomfort that the prospect is currently experiencing.

We make light of excuses for avoiding business development in order to raise the issue. Breaking the cycle of excuses and starting to develop business is never as easy as it sounds. But you can do it. Do what you need to do to prepare for success, know what you are going after, and then “Just Say Go!”

An entrepreneur contacted me recently desperately seeking help finding new clients, except before me, she wasn't asking for help. Asking for help is not cheating. It's how anything important ever gets done. Stop struggling all alone! Start asking for help, and you'll also start building your business.

One of my clients said he has banned the sentence, “Sales are down because of the economy,” out of his sales team’s vocabulary.  He’s not living in la-la land but rather he is asking the team to take charge of what they can control.

I hate long emails. They take too long to read and typically include action items I just don’t have time for. Your customers are no different and it’s impacting your ability to close sales. But if you make your emails easy to respond to, you’ll discover that both customers and prospects you’re working with will respond more promptly and keep your sales process moving forward.

When a regular buyer leaves a company a salesperson must work to regain the relatiosnhip. Here are some ideas to use when introducing yourself to the new buyer and winning new business.

Join us for a free Webinar Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 1 PM- 2PM EST

Whether you are speaking to an audience of one or one thousand, it’s critical that you engage your listeners.  As the presentation coach for some of today’s fastest growing companies, Tim Wackel knows exactly what it takes to deliver messages that get results!

Join us  to hear Tim reveal the six worst presentation habits that put barriers between you and your listener. You’ll also learn unique and proven methods for conquering these habits so that you can become a more polished, professional and inspiring presenter!

Register today!

With over 27 years in the field of selling, Stevens Consulting Group has encountered numerous selling myths. Many are so focused on closing sales but fail to avoid many of the trappings of ridiculous behavior. But, so many fail to follow two things: 1) good advice and 2) proper education.

Sales is one of the few professions where moving into management isn't always the best path for the sales person or the company. Make sure the person you put in this critical role is the right sales manager for your company. Develop the systems to help you make the best decisions.

Building credibility with senior-level customer executives is a critical factor in developing lasting business relationships, according to two studies done by OnTarget and the Kenan-Flagler Business. These two studies focused on the relationships that professional salespeople developed with senior executives, from the perspective of C-level executives.

There is much to gain - or lose - in the opening moments of a conversation. It is critical to take the disciplined steps necessary to build credibility in that initial contact, ensuring the conversation continues and deepens. Otherwise, your prospective customer will always be just that.

Prospects are busy and have plenty of things on their mind. You probably aren’t one of them. Prospects have their own list of priorities. When your priorities, and the prospects priorities, don’t align, frustration rises on both sides of the desk. Here’s how that plays out in real life.

Have you ever had the following experience? You have the perfect prospect! You've created a brilliant action plan for closing business. You identify a number of activities to prove to your prospect how wonderful your capabilities are. You bring in resources, demonstrations, trials, and references. All of this is done. You think the deal is in the bag. You're going to close this week.

The current turbulent economic and market conditions are creating an ideal environment for business leaders committed to creating a more focused sales approach, maximizing their return on investment and capturing market opportunities.

Ask any salesperson what part of selling they most dislike and they will almost universally answer with one word: prospecting. Despite spending time, effort and money cajoling, encouraging, supporting and demanding that salespeople maintain a pipeline of “suspects-to-prospects,” these efforts produce low returns and poor morale, particularly in a difficult economy.

Several years ago, while scouring the business section of my local newspaper, I came to a screeching halt when I noticed a small headline. It read, "Local Firm Acquires eBusiness." "Very interesting," I thought. The company, an international manufacturer, was not in my targeted market segment -- but this high tech acquisition certainly was. Because my prospecting antennas were twitching, I committed to staying abreast on what was happening at this firm. I sent for their annual report, periodically checked their website and kept up on any press releases.

The past year was definitely interesting. Some sales professionals prospered while others suffered. I spoke to one person who doubled his income and he works in automotive sales! Yet, another well- established person experienced a decline of more than fifty percent in their sales. There are several key sales lessons that can be learned from selling in a recession. These will help you succeed in the upcoming year.

I’ve become increasingly frustrated with the level of customer service that surrounds me today. You would think that in a down economy companies would be doing everything they can to win the loyalty of their customers… think again.