Problem:  We often hear from our clients that when they finally get past the secretary, the prospect requests literature prior to committing to see them and after the literature has been sent, they can’t get the prospect back on the phone.

Everyone who is selling anything has been there over and over.  Salespeople have tons of literature from the marketing department to mail to prospects that request information.  The problem is that 99% of the literature that is sent out just becomes “litter.”  A bigger problem is that the salesperson is under the illusion that the prospect is ...

Problem: How many times have you run into a salesperson who pushes too hard, who epitomizes the pushy, aggressive stereotype that we’ve come to loathe?  These folks can’t accept a “no” from a prospect and think their solution is the right thing for everybody.  They generally appear desperate to make a sale and usually are.  This aggressive approach works okay in a very simple transactional type of sale since we’ll sometimes buy just to avoid an argument or to get rid of the pest (oops, I mean salesperson).  But in a more complex sale, this approach is fatal.

Diagn ...

Problem:  Companies invest thousands of dollars attending trade shows annually, but the results are often disappointing.  When asked why they continue to attend, we hear things like, “if we don’t attend our customers will think we’re in trouble” and “our competitors are there, so we need to be.”  Hardly an offensive strategy, wouldn’t you agree?  If you’re wondering why the results aren’t so hot, at least part of the answer lies in this story.

Diagnosis

The other day I met a delightful lady, Wendy.  Wendy is a doctor who consults other doctors on infections.  When they can’t figure it out or when they don’t know what they are dealing with, they call on Wendy.  It is her job to determine what is killing the patient and to stop it.  As she explained to me what she does and how she does it, I realized she applies one of the most effective sales techniques in her job that enables her to be very good at what she does.

What is it?  She listens to the patient’s story.

She gets their story out of them by asking what they were doing ...

Problem:  Sales is a mystery to many people.  Why has that “superstar” you hired a few months ago failed to produce?  What happens in that foggy area of the sales cycle between the initial meeting and when the order is received (hopefully by you, but often when your competitor gets it)?  What’s really going on there anyway?  Why do customers give their business to someone else, when clearly you have the best value proposition?  Why are sales forecasts nearly always totally out of whack with reality?  Why do most companies only “hope” that they’ll make their numbers, instead of actually controlling the result?

Problem:  Have you ever gone to a networking function and spent 60-90 minutes or more and left without one good, qualified lead?  If you’re like many salespeople who sell, you can undoubtedly relate to this type of lost opportunity.  Networking functions are a great way to meet people you can do business with, but typically we are disappointed with the results.

Diagnosis:  Think about how you spend your time at networking funct ...

Problem:  Although the attendees were a diverse group (some salespeople, a few financial advisors, several professional service providers, etc.), they agreed that they shared several things in common: 

• They all wanted to make more money
• Their ability to make more money was directly proportionate to their ability to attract new clients to their companies or their practices (a function commonly known as “selling,” although that ter ...

Problem:  Jeremy called the other day for some coaching on a very familiar problem.  He had just made a presentation to a prospect and received the same response he had heard so many times recently.  You’ve probably heard the same thing, or something similar.  “Thanks for the proposal.  Appreciate you coming in.  We’ll give it some consideration and let you know.”  The prospect seems bored by the whole interaction, and deep down you know that the chances of getting some business are pretty slim.  More time wasted.  Do you recognize this scenario? 

Problem:  Cal was a copier salesperson.  One day in sales training class he lamented about his inability to get a prospect to make a decision on the proposal he had given for the copier business.   He had provided some relatively attractive incentives for his prospect to accept the proposal, but there was no movement.  Upon questioning, it came out that the prospect’s current copier lease was not up for another 100 days.  Cal’s incentives were intended to raise the urgency of the situation so the prospect would make an early decision.

Diagnosis:  Clearly Cal’s timing was off.  He needed the sale this month to make his quota, but his prospect didn’t need to make a copier decision this month…he ...

I received an email the other day from someone who had attended our Recession Busting Boot Camp and I thought you could relate to this situation:

After talking to a referral, I was able to get a contact name at a company that I wanted to prospect.  I called on the buyer and was able to quote on two products they use on a consistent basis. 

I sent quotes that I knew would beat their current supplier.  I am sure they will only give me the business if I am cheaper and I know I can deliver on the ...