We often talk about attitude and beliefs. We’ve shared the data of the incredible impact that your childhood has on your beliefs and belief system. Today – there is so much negativity in this country in the news, politics, social media, etc… We thought it was a great time to share “The Optimist Creed”. Continue reading
Why don’t MOST salespeople get referrals? What stops them? Why do they conveniently “forget” to ask?
REASON: The most common reason sales people don’t ask for referrals is FEAR.
Getting back “on plan” by the end of Q2
The month of June closes out Quarter 2. If you are “ahead of plan” …great! What will you do & commit to stay ahead?
What if you are behind plan…???
June/Q2 end for many sales people is like the “2 minutes drill in football”…an executable “winning and scoring plan “ must be implemented…before the “Clock runs out.”
Here is a template to help get a “2-minute plan” for June so you can “retire” your Q2 sales plan. Continue reading
In a booming market, sales people have a tendency to chase the “easy” deals. They shy away from and won’t chase the tough stuff. In a tougher market, the successful sales people must do the tougher stuff and realize that today in 2017 in a less certain economy…customers want to avoid RISK…the greatest risk they see is “over-spending.” They will push harder for discounts & concessions…and “delay” making decisions to avoid “risk.” Continue reading
Sales Talent Planning & Upgrading for 2017
A Talent “upgrade & replacement” template as a foundation for 2017
During this time of planning for 2017, what can we do from a management standpoint to improve our sales department?
(HINT #1: We cannot afford to continue to put up with complacency or mediocrity. HINT #2: No one wants to buy from a weak, desperate sales person in this “uncertain” economy.)
You as Sales Leader/Manager needs to complete a “mini-audit” of what you have and what you NEED as you move forward in 2017. Here’s a “mini-audit” format you can use to determine who stays and who goes: Continue reading
ARE YOUR SALESPEOPLE “WINGING IT” ON SALES CALLS? CONSIDER THIS….
We recently reviewed the results of a couple of surveys we conducted that confirmed what we have known for some time. Your Prospects & Customers are speaking up on how they feel about salespeople who are less than professional.
We thought that you would like to see these statistics that reinforce the need for a sales process with milestones and challenge you to improve. The term “salespeople” applies to professional sales people as well as consultants selling their services. Continue reading
The Olympics and the Athletes: What can we apply to our businesses and sales teams?
A commercial popped up on TV featuring Olympian Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time with 28 Olympic medals, of which 23 are GOLD! Forget about the watch he was wearing-this is about the Olympian who’s first Olympics was in 2000 (at age 15) continuing to Rio Games in 2016. Without a doubt-he’s unbelievable—based on his accomplishments, he “overshadowed” the hundreds of other athletes in RIO.
It’s all about the hundreds of other athletes-who worked selflessly to be in all those Olympics-to compete and perform among the “best of the best.”
So, what can we learn from the Games and the athletes? Like a true champion each of our sales people must be champions! It starts with “sourcing” the best people. It’s about daily training and measuring results; following protocols; rehearsing; knowing how to best contribute to the success of the organization; it’s about doing better each day with the help of coaches & mentors and utilizing technology to give each person and each “performance” an advantage. It’s all about “standing out” and winning on each call, whether it’s just answering a question, taking an order correctly and “upselling” to settling a dispute to creating a great impression. Continue reading
Achieving Sales Accountability and Sales Results Thru: “Traps” and Reviews
Definition: TRAPS—document/requirement that “traps” your sales team into doing successful activity that produces consistent results.
As the quarter is winding down, Sales Leaders can’t rely on the hope that sales people will make changes in order to produce better results. What we can do as Leader/managers is to help sales people make adjustments for short or measured periods of time to help them improve their sales performance. An effective and efficient practice is to focus on what can be measured, and therefore, controlled.
First and foremost, our desired choice is to help insure our salespeople ACHIEVE THE BUDGET. The choice we can make is to periodically and “semi-formally” set “traps” for the sales people to be accountable. Continue reading
Trade Shows — “Come Back with Prospects, Not Just Leads”
Long days…sore feet… tired back. Sound like your typical trade show? To make the show worthwhile you’ve got to put in the effort. What better place to talk to and meet scores of current users and potential users of your product or service. Here are some basics for the booth:
The goal is to draw people to the booth – stop them in the aisle.
It is our mission to develop your sales team into a high performing, efficient, and ever improving sales force.
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