Sales Leadership can be a lonely career. Responsible for company revenue goals the role of the Sales Manager is critical. Often sales leaders are promoted from within the four walls of the company. Taking the very best sales professionals and tasking them with sales leadership is far too common. Add to this most companies provide …
Read more
Everyone knows the motto of the Boy Scouts of America … always be prepared. This should be the motto of the sales professional as well. The #1 one area of dysfunction with your average salesperson is preparation, or rather a lack of preparation. There are lots of reasons: no clarity on what they are trying …
Read more
There are two must have skills in the profession of sales, and neither of them has anything to do with product knowledge or industry expertize. Strong product knowledge is table stakes in sales. Today being a subject matter expert is not enough to set you apart from your competitors. Your prospects minimum expectation is you …
Read more
Early in my career, a close friend told me, “You have the gift of gab. You should be in sales.” Worst. Advice. Ever. Don’t get me wrong, having strong communications skills is essential, but it doesn’t mean you (or I) should be doing all of the talking! And it doesn’t mean sales professionals must be …
Read more
Salespeople are prone to talking. A lot. Sometimes just for the sake of talking or because there is an extended and awkward period of silence. You know…like 2 seconds! Additionally, people can develop crutch words that find their way into conversations or presentations. Initially these words can be used to give a person time to …
Read more
Being a Sales Manager is a hard job! It was described to me once like being trapped between to funnels. The funnel at the top is pressure coming from the C-Suite, shareholders and other departments (credit, transportation, and operations come to mind). This pressure comes in the form of new company initiatives, minimum expectations for …
Read more
I propose you STOP sending quotes. Itʼs just a bigger word for this one; Bid. A different word for this one; Price. After meeting with a potential buyer too often, the meeting ends with the following “Thank you for your time today Mr. Customer, Iʼll get you a quote in the next (insert timeline here).” …
Read more
CEOs and business owners are always asking me “Who makes the best salespeople?” I get questions like; “Should I look for someone with industry knowledge, or sales experience, or both?” Should I look for introverts or extroverts? Someone new and inexperienced, or a veteran of the game? Leaders looking for sales growth agonize over whom …
Read more
A client recently asked about sales contests and promotions. Whether or not I felt they are an effective and worthwhile investment. My response was a guarded “Yes.” Guarded because not all promotions are successful and not all contests leave the seller, the company, or even the customer better off than where they started. It boils …
Read moreThe most effective salespeople are those who understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment. The Sales Assessment outlines your performance tendencies within each specific phase of the Professional Selling Model.
Get Started Now
