Most salespeople today deliver with sales presentations by leading with information about how great their company is. But this isn’t really the way it should be. And it’s very likely that your sales prospect is merely enduring the beginning portion of your presentation, the part with the slides about your company… Silently wondering when you’re going to get to the point. The point being: Them The book “The Challenger Sale” flips the conventional sales presentation concept on its head. The sales strategy in The Challenger Sale is not leading with…
Read MoreCategory: Cold Calling
Orvis is the New Brooks Brothers
Orvis is officially the new Brooks Brothers. For years I shopped at Brooks Brothers for shirts, pants, sweaters, ties, etc. But it has been sucking for so long that I think really Orvis is the new default choice for cool, preppie clothing. Why doesn’t Brooks Brothers develop a cool line of casual fleeces with the BB logo…? Why does Orvis sell Barbour jackets and clothing and Brooks Brothers does not…? What genius made that decision…? Why doesn’t Brooks Brothers offer the basic staples like a nice light blue gingham long…
Read MoreIncrease Your Chances of Success
Pick up the phone and call someone who you think you can help. The worst case scenario is not them saying “no”. The worst case scenario is not having that opportunity in the first place. If you don’t ask, the answer is always “no”. Just by asking you have increased your chances of success by 100%. From there, who knows…? Ask sincerely, get your answer, and move on to the next one.
Read MoreIrrational Fears… Running Out Of People to Call
You can tell yourself almost anything to avoid making a cold call… One of the more irrational fears that manifests itself in my cold call preparation is the thought that, somehow, once everyone says “no” to me I’m going to run out of people to call. For example, I will buy a list of ideal target customers to call, then not call them because I’m afraid that I’ll go through the list and it will be 100% rejections. Then I think that afterwards I’ll have nothing to do. How insane…
Read MoreObstacles Turn Into Opportunities in Sales
I think it was Joe Kraus who said, and I’m paraphrasing probably, “The first “no” is like the starter’s pistol that marks the beginning of the sales process.” This attitude and perspective perfectly captures the fact that obstacles turn into opportunities in the sales process… With the first “no”, we find an obstacle in sales. But the first “no” is also a massive opportunity because it means that you’ve actually done something. You started. The fear was there before the call… But you made the call anyway. Good for you. Now…
Read MoreHow Many Times Was Seth Godin Rejected?
I work in sales… What about you? I don’t know about you, but every Sunday I need to pump myself up before the coming week… Because I know it will be full of rejection when cold calling. One of the ways I get “in the zone” is by remembering that being rejected is normal when selling pretty much anything. Seth Godin is one of my favorite authors because he’s not only a wonderful writer, marketer and teacher, but he’s been through the sales and rejection process personally. And endured. How…
Read MoreGood vs. Bad Buying Decisions in Sales
When selling to a bug company (ie. one that is bigger than yours) remember that a buyer may be more compelled to avoid making a “bad” decision than making a “good” one. On the surface this often appears insane. And the situation leaves salespeople who fail to empathize with their buyers scratching their heads time and time again… Your offering may be more logical, smarter, even obviously superior to what the buyer currently uses or what your competition is selling. But if the buying process is motivated more by a…
Read MoreWhy Isn’t Sales Taught in Business School?
If the famous business phrase, “Nothing happens until a sale is made…” is true, why isn’t sales taught in business school..? In business, sales might be the most important function of all. So why isn’t sales a prerequisite for anyone who attends business school today? Should Business Schools Teach Sales? Business schools started during the industrial age. They were historically about upper management… And business schools are schools after all… With an emphasis on compliance, fitting in, passing the exam and listening to the professor. But what about sales? In…
Read MoreLow Tech, Big Check
It’s easy to over-rely on technology to solve genuine problems… One such problem is the pain associated with prospecting (i.e. cold calling). Cold calling works. The fact is that people have their phones with them everywhere now… You can reach them via phone, or via texting or email for the portion of their communication that they used to do with voice. But when you call someone they may answer the phone, just because it’s with them. If you call a receptionist, or personal assistant, if you are nice to them…
Read MoreThe Best and Worst Jobs for “Questioners”
Gretchen Rubin wrote a book about human behavior, and the psychology of human expectations called “The Four Tendencies“. The Four Tendencies is about the four different personality types that most people fit into. The four personality types are: Obligers: Obligers will do what others ask without much prodding. They like the external structure and expectations of others to drive them. They can have issues setting and meeting internal expectations and goals, though. Upholders: Upholders can meet both internal and external expectations. They make great entrepreneurs. Questioners: Questioners can meet internal expectations,…
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