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Conversations vs. Combat

Does your sales team know the difference between conversation and combat?

Far too often, salespeople will get into verbal hostilities with their potential buyers. They hear a question or an objection and automatically go on the defensive!

This is not a trait you want to see in one of your sales reps. You’re simply not going to close a sale with a customer you’re also arguing with. The last thing you want is for your sales rep to “win” the debate and have your customer sit back and shut up. This is a sign of apathy and it won’t lead to anywhere positive for the sales rep […]

Stumbling with Cold Calls? You’re Not Alone. Here are Some Helpful Tips.

Even for experienced salespeople and sales leaders, it is not unusual to occasionally hit a wall — even fear — when it comes to making cold calls.

Here are a few tips to put you at ease:

Today will soon be done. Essentially, my encouragement to you is to stay positive and remember that one challenging day with some cold calling does not define your week, month or year.

If you sit in an open area where your colleagues can hear you on the phone, remind yourself that people pay less attention than we think they do. You may feel self conscious […]

Six Steps to Digital Selling Success

There’s a societal behavior pattern at work with social selling, which I find fascinating.

Shout It From The Rooftops

Have you ever noticed how we tend to shine a spotlight on the behaviors and social mores that we want to morph and replace with a “new normal?” By shining the spotlight on an issue and increasing awareness, over time, acceptance grows. I remember first learning about this in a sociology course in college, many years ago. Some societal examples:

Minority groups and supporters lobby about the need for equality and diversity and foster a societal movement toward racial equality.
Women’s groups and supporters espouse […]

Tackling the Impossible Sales Challenge

How do you get a targeted account if all your previous attempts have failed? If you want to catch a big fish, perhaps the sports fishermen of New Zealand can give you some ideas. After all, they face a very difficult, if not insurmountable, challenge that would stop most fisherman entirely.

The coastline off the Ninety Mile beach is teaming with red snappers and other delectable salt water species. It’s a gorgeous pristine area with huge sand dunes, no hotels and no piers.

To complicate matters even more, the sandy beach often goes out for hundreds of yards, making it difficult to fish […]