Six bad sales habits you need to eliminate in order to be successful RIGHT NOW.

 

Let me tell you about six bad sales habits you need to eliminate in order to be successful RIGHT NOW.

1. Avoiding difficult challenges to win clients

The prospective clients that have the greatest ability to help you make your 2014 number are the most difficult clients to win. They already have a partner who provides them with what you sell. They already have deep relationships. And everyone and their brother is calling on them. But because these difficult-to-win clients can totally change your results, you have to focus your effort and energy on winning them.

2. Chasing receptive, non-opportunities

Honestly, much of what is in your pipeline isn’t really an opportunity. It’s a zombie. It looks like it’s alive, it looks like it’s breathing, and it stumbles around. But it’s dead. Just because someone is receptive and will take your call doesn’t mean you really have an opportunity. The best thing that you can do is dispatch the zombie opportunities and move on to the more difficult to win, but higher value prospective clients.

3.Waiting for marketing to generate leads

Any lead that you receive from marketing is a gift. I know it is their job to generate leads, and I know that you complain about not getting “ready-to-buy” leads. In 2014, you need to forget all that. You never want to rely on anyone else when it comes to making your number. Don’t wait for marketing to generate leads. Instead, do the prospecting work and build your own pipeline. Waiting isn’t a strategy.

4. Living in your inbox

Email is a place for other people to share their priorities for you. Nothing will kill your results faster and with more certainty than living with your inbox open. Waiting for a new email notification trains you to be reactive instead of proactive. It kills your initiative. Close your inbox. Do your real work.

5. Skipping steps in the sales process

In sales, like many other things in life, fast is slow and slow is fast. Salespeople can sometimes find this confusing, skipping ahead in their process to where they believe the action is: the presentation of their solution. But this isn’t where opportunities are won or lost. Opportunities are won and lost much earlier in the process. They are lost in discovery when the salesperson doesn’t spend enough time understanding and developing needs. Opportunities are lost in the mushy stage between discovery and presentation where consensus is built. Skipping past these stages ensures a loss. Spending time here greatly improves your chances of winning. Go slower to go fast.

6. Believing customers buy on price.

You don’t win opportunities on price. You win them on the value that you create. I know that there are some prospective clients that will challenge you with their inability to understand the difference between price and cost. In fact, I know some of them will downright refuse to believe that there is a difference. But this is the role of the sales professional. It is your job to change their mind and show them the difference between price and cost. It is your job to find people within your prospective client accounts who understand and support making the necessary investment to get the results they really want.

Stop these bad habits today and you'll be on your way to a goal-crushing 2014.

Apologies to A. Lannarino

Three Easy Ways to Make Repeat Sales

Three Easy Ways to Make Repeat Sales

Making a sale is always a challenge. Whether a cold call or a follow up on a referral, closing a deal takes strategy and intuition to client needs. When that is rewarded with success, a sales high takes over – if only momentarily.

Once the endorphins wear off, there is still work to be done. After you’ve made that first sale, how do you turn a one-time buyer into a long-term client? Or in the case of a contract agreement, how do you ensure a renewal when the original term ends?

While every company may have its own specific follow-up policies in place, here are a 3 tried-and-true ways to keep clients coming back:

1. Follow through on promises. Make sure you deliver when you say you will. This is just good business but is often overlooked once transactions are complete. Prove that you are worthy of a long-term partnership by honoring your commitments. Of course circumstances may arise that are beyond your control, but ensure you aren’t the reason a product or service is delayed in its delivery to a new client.

2. Continue to woo them. Finding answers for prospective buyers BEFORE they ask will help them see the value in what you offer. That idea extends beyond the initial conversation though.

You should always have the needs of your client base at the forefront of your mind. Ask how a particular service or product is working out and listen to any concerns that arise. Don’t wait longer than a few hours to return a call or email. Show them that they are still valuable to you, even when the sale is complete.

3. Stay in touch. Don’t just wait for a phone call or make yourself a mental note to check in with a client at some point. Make a schedule for following up and stick to it. Personal emails or calls are best, but if that is unmanageable due to your number of clients, consider a monthly e-newsletter. This way, they don’t hesitate to reach out the next time they need what you sell.

When it comes to sales, repeat customers are the sustaining factor in business revenue. Don’t just chase after new clients. Take the time to cultivate sales relationships and make it a key to long-term sales success.

How do you keep your clients coming back?

 

Your email subject can be a great sales tool....OR a great piece of SPAM.

If you’re doing email prospecting and not concerned about your subject line, you should be. It’s the single biggest determinant if somebody opens your email - or not.

A lot of people don’t even think about email subject lines. They just put something like “Company overview” or “Update on what’s happening with our company.” And of course, the person who gets this in their email box thinks, “Why do I care about that?”

Want better SALES results right now?

Want better SALES results right now?

I found this on the web and thought I’d share. Powerful, yet basic stuff here.

Here are a few answers for you:

1. You’ll get better results when you try harder.
2. You’ll get better results when you stop making excuses.
3. You’ll get better results when you care more about others.
4. You’ll get better results when you ask for help.
5. You’ll get better results when you doubt less.
6. You’ll get better results when you stop being petty.
7. You’ll get better results when you start being creative.
8. You’ll get better results when you put together a better plan.
9. You’ll get better results when you learn something new.
10. You’ll get better results when you deny yourself immediate gratification.
11. You’ll get better results when you build a team to conquer with you.
12. You’ll get better results when you stop letting fear call the shots.
13. You’ll get better results when you listen for answers.
14. You’ll get better results when take time to be inspired.
15. You’ll get better results when you ignore the criticism of the crowd.
16. You’ll get better results when you fight through the pain.
17. You’ll get better results when you have a better attitude.
18. You’ll get better results when you aren’t afraid of failure.
19. You’ll get better results when you just try one more time.
20. You’ll get better results when you understand what is important to other people.
21. You’ll get better results when stop believing everything you hear.
22. You’ll get better results when you control what’s in your mind.
23. You’ll get better results when you say “Thank You” and “I’m Sorry” more.
24. You’ll get better results when you stop taking yourself out of the game.
25. You’ll get better results when you tough it out a little more.
26. You’ll get better results when you believe what you’re doing is worth it.
27. You’ll get better results when you’re tired of losing all the time.
28. You’ll get better results when you quit holding back and go “all in”.
29. You’ll get better results when you stop being so damn selfish.

Pick one. Try a few.

Top 10 Sales Tips for 2012

Top 10 Sales Tips for 2012.

Here are my top 10 sales tips, all of which have served me for years:

1. You can sell only if you yourself are convinced: If you are not sold on the product or service, it will be an uphill battle to sell someone on else. Your lack of conviction will scream through.
2. Be clear and direct: When pitching do not use complicated diction. Pride yourself instead on being able to explain the concept as quickly, clearly and simply as possible. This is important because the biggest problem in sales is client confusion. Confusion does not lead to a Yes.
3. Pressure is an art: Creating FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) in your client’s mind can be a good thing because it will lead to serious consideration of your concept. I often need to tell potential clients that their competition is also talking with us. The trick is to mention this once and to NOT rub it in, which is likely to anger them. No one who is angered into saying Yes.
4. Know your client: Make sure to research your potential clients, know their challenges and their needs. One size hardly ever fits all, and you look much stronger if you care about the business enough to invest in the research. A cold call is much ‘warmer’ by simply taking a few minutes to research your prospect prior to picking up the phone.
5. It’s all about the presentation: Building an amazing deck is critical to the sales process. Practice it, memorize it and be prepared to shift your emphasis based on how the energy changes when you give the presentation. Internally, we always ask ourselves: “Is the flow of this deck right? Will it convince?”
6. Be passionate and exciting: Most presentations are BORING! So create a show and make it exciting. Excitement is contagious – just like a yawn.
7. If you don’t know the answer, do not guess: People will ask you tough questions, and you may not always know the answer. The person asking you may be testing you, knowing the answer full well. And if you fumble, it’s very hard to rebuild credibility. Do not guess.
8. Answer questions directly and clearly: If you are asked a question and you give a “politician’s answer” – in other words, if you don’t answer the question – your credibility will decline, and you will hurt your chances of making the sale.
9. Humor is a great lubricator: Funny stories always break the ice.
10. You can always be better: Sales is an art, not a science. Which means it’s never perfect and can always improve.

Bottom line: sales is a critical function that is more art than science, so hone your art. And please share any of the sales tips you’ve learned.

With apologies to Tom Szaky