The Character of Successful Salespeople

The Character of Successful Salespeople

Are Successful Salespeople Born That Way? It is the eternal question, the sales manager’s version of nature versus nurture. I teach salespeople how to become better at their jobs. I believe successful salespeople are nurtured.  There are best practices in the sales...
B2B Sales Myths: Great Relationships

B2B Sales Myths: Great Relationships

The world is full of B2B  sales people who claim, quite proudly, to have great relationships with their customers.  If that were true, it really would be great. But unfortunately, “great relationships” is too often a veil that sales people hide behind to keep from...
“How can I sell when I’m not the lowest price?”

“How can I sell when I’m not the lowest price?”

I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question in a sales training session.  It’s certainly one of the most common questions I hear coming from professional sales people – and their bosses. There are a variety of answers — too many for just one...

Q&A for Sales Professionals: Margins (QA-S-61)

Question: It seems like the price is even more an issue today than ever before. In this environment, how do we get the margins up to increase the bottom line?   Answer: Thanks for the question. Believe me; I understand the constant pressure on your price.  I wish...

Q & A for sales professionals: Five minute pitch

Question:   A customer (a contractor) has given me and one of my competitors five minutes to present our respective products to him. I know all the features and benefits of the product, but I don’t want to be like everyone else and give him what he’s heard before.  At...
Best Practices for Sales People #6: Plans every sales call

Best Practices for Sales People #6: Plans every sales call

It continues to amaze me that so many sales people shuffle into most of their sales calls with very little, if any, prior planning.  I suppose that is why this is one of the practices of the best. Most surveys of how field sales people really spend their time conclude...