This is What’s Wrong With The Profession of Sales

I love the profession of sales. It’s really all I’ve ever done in one form or another. I live it. I’m proud to tell people I’m a professional salesperson. The operative word being professional. But, I have a problem. A problem that’s plaguing our profession and one it’s time we did something about.
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This is What’s Wrong With The Profession of Sales

For some reason it has become the norm for people to think, “Well, I can’t get any other job, I’ll just go into sales”. And we welcome them with open arms and no training. As my friend, Scott says most sales training today consists of “See Payroll, See HR, See Ya Later”.

Now go sell something.

In Sales, It’s OK To Be Uniquely You!

We’re living more and more in a cookie-cutter world. It’s hard to tell one make of car from another and a quick drive down any suburban street will have you asking yourself if there are more than three sets of house plans in this country.
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In Sales, It’s OK To Be Uniquely You!

Flip on the radio—can you tell one song from another or one singer from another? We’ve adopted this need to fit in so bad we have become a nation of imitators.

But, what stands out? What really makes an impression on you?

To me, it’s the things that are different—they don’t have to be exotic cars (though a Lamborghini WILL turn my head), it just needs to be unique.

When Should You Qualify Prospect of your own?

I had an email recently asking me when a salesperson should go through their qualifying questions with a prospect. And, since I haven’t tackled that subject from that standpoint here before, I thought I would share it with all of you.
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When Should You Qualify Prospect of your own?

For starters, I dislike the thought of “going through qualifying questions”, whether the writer meant it that way or not, it seemed like the poor prospect was being put through the bright light, grill session. Hopefully, that’s not what was intended, but if it was—don’t. Don’t just have a laundry list of questions you roll out in front of your prospect like you’re taking a survey.

3 Keys To Sales Follow Ups

The Follow Up: it’s mysterious, irregular and one of the parts of the sales process that truly is different with every prospect. There is no magic formula, no “script” to learn and adapt to your own style and no real set rules.
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3 Keys To Sales Follow Ups

However, I have three keys I think will help in the follow up as you work through the sales process with each prospect. These keys can be molded and shaped to fit each situation and can increase your success rate of finalizing sales and adding new customers.

Replacing A Salesperson? 3 Things You MUST Do When

Your top producer has just left the building–whether by your choice or their’s they’re gone. How you respond will go a long way in determining how much of their business you retain and how easy a transition you create for the next salesperson who goes in behind them. I believe this is one of those situations where you need a strategy and at least an idea of what you’re going to do before it happens–not scrambling and falling all over yourself the day they leave.
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Replacing A Salesperson? 3 Things You MUST Do When

Here are three things you must do–and the more prepared you are in advance the better. Hey, let’s hope you never need to use them, but it’s a nice little insurance policy if you do.

Mobilize-The first step is vitally important: Get out and see the account. The last impression you want them to have is they only mattered to the salesperson who is gone. And, if that particular salesperson went to work for a competitor, you want to control the flow of information the customer hears from your company. Never, ever bad mouth their former rep (this could lead to legal issues

Success Factor? The Key Is To Decide Today!

Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of man landing on the moon. I’m just old enough to remember the excitement the nation felt as we broke barriers, explored space and finally set foot on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.
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Success Factor? The Key Is To Decide Today!

But, I don’t think our success came that day as I’ve said before here.

The decision to succeed is a powerful one. And my opinion the most critical of all success factors.

I believe it can be traced back almost a decade to May 25, 1961. But, let me take you back a few weeks prior to that—back to May 5, 1961. On that day, the Freedom 7 was launched with Alan Shepard aboard making him the first American in space. Now, it’s important to point out what qualified as space at this point in our history. Shepard was basically shot straight up in the air—outside of earth’s gravitational pull—and came right back down. He traveled just 116 miles above the earth and splashed down less than 16 minutes after liftoff.