Weekly SALES Tips
Top 100 Simple Sales TipsYou've been scouring the web looking for simple sales tips, well look no further! Each week we share our tips with small businesses in our weekly newsletter. Now, we pulled together simple sales tips for you all in one place. From the simple close to prospecting, we've collected an easy-to-read list for anyone in the business of selling. And if you're looking for marketing tips, then head over to our Weekly Marketing Tips.
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Adaptability is Key
Simply put, the sales landscape is constantly changing. New tools, new techniques, and new ways to connect are just a few examples. The reality is that we’ve probably not seen the most impactful change yet. Now, I can’t begin to image what that is but I think that when it does happen you really don’t want to be left behind. So, start going with the flow now so you’re not considered old fashion or “stuck” when it comes. The willingness to change, is half the battle. |
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The Numbers Don’t Lie
The best salespeople know their number. Usually they know a lot of the numbers but specifically the one that is most important to them reaching their goals. Not their quota, that’s too easy! The number they know best is the one that gets them there. It can be the number of presentations they give, the number of leads they have, the number of quotes they present, or just their closing ratio. Regardless of which one they track rest assured; the best salespeople know the one that is most important to their success. |
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Keep the Priorities a Priority
There are 3 essential tasks in sales, the rest is busy work or at best things you can do to get ready to attack the 3 these three things. They are simply; Prospecting, Presenting, and Closing! All other activities should be viewed as secondary. Making sure you have your focus on these priorities is vital to your success but can be easier said than done, the “other” activities can be really distracting. Approach these priorities with discipline. |
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Start Your Sales Enablement
Define the specific objectives for your program. Your program should focus on helping salespeople sell more effectively. This starts with providing them with everything they’ll need to engage and convert buyers. But what do you focus on from there? You may choose to focus on detailed information about products and services, sharing best practices from top performers in the sales organization, or the development of sales skills like delivering great presentations. In any case, be specific about your goals. Smarketing Expert: Susan McKenney - Sales Enablement…is it out of reach for small business? |
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Don’t Get Consumed by Interruptions
We’ve all read books about discipline and how important it is in business, sales, and life. However, reading these words and putting it to work in the real world is two different things. We all have a ton of distractions around us; the latest T.V. series finally, the office gossip, politics, social media posts etc. but the best of the best know the time and place to have these discussions and when not to. Top sales performers will always put sales activities first. |
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Make Sure You Take Care of Yourself
As weird as it may seem, your health matters. We’ve all heard that in order to take care of our loved ones we need to take care of ourselves first, right? We all know that being healthy is a big part of life, but it can be a big part of your sales too. Healthy people tend to be more confident, they tend to have better attitudes, they seem to handle challenges well, and so on…doesn’t this sound like the characteristics you look for in salespeople. |
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Don’t Allow Your Feelings to Dictate Your Day
There are times that all salespeople feel like allowing the day to just slip away and just simply don’t want to make the call or sit with a particular prospect. The easy thing to say is “don’t let your feelings dictate your day”. But this is definitely easier said than done. It takes some serious control of these emotions to move past the urge. Staying positive and having very clear daily goals can absolutely help. Most importantly…just do it!! |
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Develop a Template
Taking the time to develop a successful sales template will help your team to guide your prospects and provide your organization with a competitive advantage that will increase your chances of winning more business. The most effective sales templates are basic step-by-step set of interactions focused on each stage of the sales meeting and flexible enough to accommodate alterations. Smarketing Sales Expert: Eric Warner - Blog Title: Refine Your Process for Business Development! |
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Negotiations are for Communication
The idea of laying out your plan and proposed pricing and shutting up just waiting for the first one to speak to determine a “winner” is just a recipe for failure. They call it negotiating for a reason. Speak with your prospect not at them, open a real line of communication and make sure the plan and pricing are a win for the both of you. Doing that will set a precedent of communication and lay a great foundation for the future. |
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The Questions Matter
Ok, so we’ve all heard the statement “there’s no such thing as a dumb question”, right? In just about every case this is absolutely true. As true as it is, the wrong questions or questions too simplified can be a turn off to a prospect. Use your time wisely and ask questions that only experts in your field would ask. Make the wording of the question give your prospect the advanced notice that you’re about to go deep into a discovery phase. |
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About 5 seconds to earn 5 minutes
Whether cold calling or leveraging inbound leads the 5/5 rule still remains. You only have about 5 seconds to earn 5 minutes of time with a brand-new prospect. Make sure every statement you make is compelling enough to provide reason for your prospect to continue listening. If you do, you’ll be able to steer the conversation in the exact direction that makes it make sense to schedule the next step. |
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Try to Think like the Customer
As a sales professional putting yourself in the shoes of your customer can be one of the most valuable resources you have at your disposal. Think about what you’d want to hear from you! What would make you buy from you? What problem would you solve? How easy would the decision be? These of course among so many other questions should be asked of yourself before you expect to close a deal. Think like a customer to close the customer. |
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Leave your Pride at the Door
We all have our areas of expertise and salespeople tend to feel this way when it comes to their products. But even experts can have differences of opinion. The key to good relationships with prospects is to leave your pride at the door. Don’t make it about you or your knowledge. Make sure you keep it about them and how you can solve their problem. This is at times easier said than done but when it’s done well, more sales are closed. |
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Ask for help
This may sound simple but ask for help from whoever is going to help you succeed. In sales due to a belief of “the lone wolf” it might seem natural to be hesitant to ask questions or reach out for help. But, asking questions builds collaboration and relationships with your manager, peers, and technical/support people. Grabbing 5 minutes of a co-worker’s time will make you more knowledgeable about the task at hand and will allow you to be a resource to others down the line. |
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It Takes Time To Build Your Dream
What I call drive-by-networking simply doesn’t work. You need to consistently attend events to build relationship with clients and potential referral partners. So please be patient and do your best to build that trust by sharing your knowledge and contacts freely. Help and work with others as much as you want them to help and work with you. Professional EXPERT: Kevin Willett - It Takes Time To Build Your Dream |
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Summer is Slow!
This is something salespeople hear about a hundred times a week during the summer. It often makes me think business comes to a halt for 2 months out of the year, then I think oh ya, the holidays too. So, we as salespeople are to believe that from Thanksgiving to after the new year and these 2 summer months are too slow to make quota…I think NOT! We just need to be a bit more diligent on how we speak to and treat prospects. Make no mistake, Business continues on all 12 months of the year. |
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Understand your Team
It’s always tough to lose your star player – let alone some outstanding teammates who are out on injured reserve or traded. Remember the Fall of 2016? That didn’t faze the Patriots! Why? A great coach can make a team great. Bill Belichick once again proved this, and in February 2017 the Patriots were once again Super Bowl Champions! The same is true in sales … Great Sales Leadership Makes Great Sales Teams! EXPERT: Kathy Yenke - Understanding Your Team and Their Skills |
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Quick and Painless
In today’s instant gratification world, spend your time making sure your prospect truly understands that you’re trying to solve their problems with speed and the utmost convenience to them. Prospects today want to worry less and have unprecedented ease of use, so to speak. Show them that your solution fixes their problem fast and the move to do business with you is the smart choice. |
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Reduce their Choices
Providing too many options for a prospect to choose from can be detrimental to the sales process. Even the widest variety businesses are trying to shrink the “menu”, like restaurants minimizing choices to ensure the best experience. Use good qualifying questions to make sure that what you do suggest to your prospects is clearly what they need. |
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Be Predictable with your Follow-up
People love when you keep your promises so keep the one that tells them when you’re going to call them, email them, or any other form of communication. If you tell a customer/prospect that you’ll call them Monday, then make sure you call them on Monday. Don’t make excuses to put it off. The last thing you want to do is lose an opportunity to keep a promise and this one should be easy. |
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Research for yourself
Understanding what’s going on in your industry is just as important as researching for your client meetings. Knowing if there are innovations coming around the corner, new players coming into your market, or disruptions to your industry can make you look like a true expert in your field. This is often looked upon very highly by prospects and can be leveraged to win more deals if done properly. Don’t be lulled or naïve to think that your industry can’t be impacted by multiple influences. |
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Work “in” or “on” Your Business
Many of us—including small business owners, professional service providers, sales managers, and sales professionals—consistently struggle with the never-ending challenge of simultaneously juggling three critically-important components of our work: Managing our business, practice, team, or territory. Finding and developing new business opportunities. Delivering solutions. Sales Training Expert: Paul Donehue, Article: Are You Working On it or In it? |
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Resolve Conflicts with Solutions not Excuses
We all find ourselves in situations that are not quite perfect with our clients/customers. At times we’ll need to satisfy an unhappy customer. Do some research before the meeting so you know what to expect and can be prepared. One strong suggestion to remedy these issues is to not enter the meeting empty handed. By this, I mean come with suggestions to make amends not just lip service to placate them. Sometimes just listening can be the solution but just in case be ready with sincere action. |
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Be Careful about Assumptions
There is a selling style called “The Challenger Sale” that says you can make some assumptions about companies with the same profile. This method has merit but beware of over-simplifying it. This sales style suggests you’re asking the right questions that lead you down the path of “The Challenger Sale” not pushing down this path because you just think you’re right. You must still be a good listener and problem solver. Don’t make assumptions that you know, ask so you do! |
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Leverage Vacations as a Tactic
Contrary to some beliefs, the summer is not a time that business just stops. As a matter of fact, vacations can be great motivators to close sales. Knowing a prospect is heading out of the office might entice them to finish up outstanding business so they’re not “dealing” with it when they return. This can also be timed to your own vacations, letting a prospect know that you’re heading out of the office might give them some incentive to make things happen. |
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Learn from the day, it helps in Sales
I recently read an article that showed how you can use daily task to learn lessons that are relatable to sales. Things like taking public transportation to remember patience, cooking to learn timing and follow up, reading/watching the news to keep your rapport building material up to date, or even dating to bear in mind the need to ask sincere questions and be interested in the conversation. I bet you can think of several more, and I’d love to hear them! |
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Be a Partner not a Vendor
A Prospect needs to commit time to you, closing a sale is a convincing task, and a customer is a client that spends money with you. All of these are customer/vendor relationships. To create a long-term client, a true partnership makes every step justifiable to all parties involved. If you make your client feel like this is happening to you both, then the idea of a true partnership rises to the forefront. Partnerships that last are those that both parties benefit from and are never one sided. A one-sided relationship is destined to fail. |
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Prospect, Even if you Outsource it!
Prospecting leads is an essential part of growing your potential customer base and turning leads into sales in B2B environments. Often, potential leads don’t respond to the first few B2B telemarketing or email marketing attempts. With a large list of prospective customers, it can be difficult to have the time to continue lead qualification on all of these contacts (making one feel a little out of sorts) though they are still valuable, marketing-ready leads. Get creative, you may not have the time, but you can find a company that can help. Expert: Ceri Ruenheck Article: Out of Sorts or Outsource |
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Set Goals Daily Too
We talk a lot about goal setting and how important this is to salespeople. This usually entails big picture type of thinking, whether it’s annual, quarterly, or even monthly goals but don’t forget that your day to day should have the same attention to detail. Setting daily goals based on your “big picture” can put you on a path to success. This can also potentially help you avoid potential distractions that can derail your progress. Spending your time and energy hitting your daily goals is a great way to stay on task. |
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Beware the Burn Out
Sales can be stressful, quite possibly one of the most stressful roles within every company. Seems the weight of the world can be on a sales team’s shoulders. Think about it for a second…without sales (revenue) there can be no company, therefore stress in an inevitability. Built up stress can cause burn out which can lead to huge turnover in your sales team. Find tactics that allow you to decompress daily, don’t wait until the weekend to take time for yourself or your family. Time can be spent but never earned back so spend it wisely. |
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Know if Something Changes
Every meeting should start the same way the first one did. You went through a lot of trouble in that first meeting doing due diligence in your discovery. You asked a lot of questions to understand the circumstances that put you in that meeting. Knowing what changes from meeting to meeting can be more valuable than you might think. Every meeting should start with discovery questions…make sure you know if something has changed from the last meeting. Get to know what you don’t know. |
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Begin with the Close
Closing is not all about “getting” the deal. The old adage “always be closing” is still alive and well in today’s version of sales cycles. It’s just changed its look a bit. Today, it’s about “buy in” or mutual agreements to next steps. So, in the very first meeting, the first thing you should do is close…get an agreement on the agenda, to what the meeting outcome should be, or an agreement to next steps. Anything that puts you in the driver’s seat and the prospect in the habit of agreement. |
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Watch Hiring Practices
Odd as it may sound, watching to see if a company is hiring can indicate they’re in the market for certain products or services. Some argue that it indicates a need for most. It could just be that the grow reflects the need to increase spending in order to support the increase in employees. More robust software or simply purchasing more office furniture, whatever you sell it may be helpful to watch Indeed or Zip Recruiter for an increase in openings. |
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5 Seconds to Get 5 Minutes
Impact statements are not an elevator pitch. If your pitch is filled with unnecessary words, get rid of them. You only have 5 seconds to get a prospects attention and you have one line at a time to keep their attention. Make sure you make the most of all the opportunities your prospect gives you. The idea here is to be economical but compelling with the words you choose. |
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Switch it Up
Contacting a prospect can become too routine, as with most other things in life. If you find yourself “going through the motions” when it comes to reaching out to your list…change it up! Sometimes even changing something simple, like the time of day can really make an impact! If you always make your cold calls in the morning, try putting them off til the afternoon. Send emails after hours or before the day really starts. Just mix it up and you might be surprised that they’re not always just ignoring you. |
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Try to Get Real Answers
At times you can tell if a prospect is not really participating if your questions are being met with answers that are not real answers. In these cases, you should really try to force the issue and get to bottom of what the true objections are. The quicker you determine if this prospect is worth your time the better off you are in proceeding or moving on to a prospect that wants to engage. |
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Take Time to Evaluate the Loses Too
We spend a lot of time tracking sales, evaluating where they come from, and what the cost of acquiring these customers is. What can be as valuable is the loses…look at the loses a bit closer and you can see information that is just as valuable, like where not to spend time, money, and effort. This may just open your eyes and clarify how to perfect your customer acquisition processes. |
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Team Selling
There has been a trend for a while now that shows that sales people are now dealing with buying cycles that include several people in various roles. So, as sales people don’t be afraid to include various people on your side of the table. If the meeting is being attended by all of interested parties, bring back up. Bring a tech support person, customer support, management level, or anyone that will bring value to the meeting. |
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Keep it Helpful
Prospects and customers alike want nothing more than to deal with someone who just wants to help them. Now, let’s be clear everyone knows that no one works for free and that people in sales roles are ultimately paid to make their company money. However, if done correctly and sincerely…being a helpful hand, a voice of support, or an ally in a minor dispute can be a very effective relationship building exercise. |
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Keep them Happy
The idea here is pretty darn close to “the customer is always right” but think of it as more than right or wrong. You don’t have to be right to be happy and you don’t have to be wrong to be upset. The real concept here is to find ways to make your clients or prospects happy before it becomes a matter of right and wrong or upset vs. happy. The key is to stay ahead of the game. |
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Value vs. Price
Sales are hard to come by and selling strictly based on price can be a sure-fire way to fail. A prospect’s perceived value of your product or service is most likely more important than the actual price. When given an opportunity to have a real discussion about price v. value, make sure you take it with gratitude. Value is a perception of what something is worth and if a prospect is asking about price, you owe it to yourself to move the conversation to value. |
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Use More than One Approach
Sales techniques and tactics are in abundance. The fact is, not all prospects respond to the same information he same way. If one route isn’t working, try another way…you just might surprise yourself and the prospect. The key to this though, make certain the prospect is interested in continuing the conversation. It can back fire if they’re not! |
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Don’t Wear Your Emotions
Closing deals can be one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of being a sales professional. This can also create a time where sales people can be over zealous in celebrating the “win”. Show your true professionalism and present yourself in a manner that makes the client feel that you’ve done this before. |
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Keep Your Emotions LEVEL
It’s easier said than done but keeping your emotions in check can be priceless to your career. Closing a deal can be a great feeling and the urge to celebrate can be overwhelming, in turn losing a few deals in one month and not hitting your quota can be devastating to the psyche. The ability to keep an even keel during these ups and downs can make the difference between success and failure in a sales career. |
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Add Energy
What you say in your elevator speech is vital, but it’s also how you say it. Use action words to make your message energized, upbeat and enthusiastic – and always smile – even when you’re writing about yourself in an email or talking on the phone. Believe it or not, this influences your attitude which in impacts your delivery in ways you can’t imagine! Contributor: Robin Samora - Best Tips Ever for an Attention-Grabbing Elevator Speech |
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Keep Track of Your Prospects
Follow your prospects blogs, newsletters, and social media. This will allow you to keep abreast of changes that can be buying triggers or prompt a change in spending habits. Keep an eye out for things like an increase in hiring, launch of new products, or other major changes within your prospect’s world. |
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Research Leads
You should be prepared for every call before picking up the phone. Be proactive and learn everything you can about a consumer before cold-calling him or her. Research is a crucial part of every marketing strategy and will allow you to tailor your sales pitch to specific individuals. Entrepreneur Magazine notes you can just use a basic Google search to find some background information. In most cases, you’ll be able to find social media profiles and blogs so you can learn personal details that will help your sales representatives make successful calls. Contributor: Ceri Ruenheck - Use Cold Calling for Lead Generation |
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Stop Procrastinating!
We have enough distractions like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to occupy our time when we’re not at work. Don’t allow the excuse “I’m researching my prospect” become your excuse to allow these resources to suck you in during your work day. I totally get the use of them and do see the validity in checking out a prospects social media but make sure you set guidelines for yourself and self-police it to make sure it is useful and not just a distraction. |
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Work on Your Body Language!
If you’re in a conversation, mirror each other’s actions but not to the point of being weird, sit with a wider stance to look more comfortable, and lower your drink to hold it below your heart to look less guarded. It’s interesting that we guard the parts of our bodies where we fear the greatest harm. Contributor Robin Samora - Body Language Secrets to Improve Sales |
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Read and Keep Reading
What separates good sales leaders from the great ones is the need and want to continue learning throughout our careers. Those that choose to stay stagnant run the risk of being left behind and have the potential to bring their teams down with them. Staying on top of the newest trends or the most innovative techniques are the sign of a true leader. Books, articles, and blogs can all be great resources but don’t limit yourself. You can find information in many ways, all are important if you are truly learning. |
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Visualize Your Success
If you are one of the 10% who does have written goals, do you read them every day? 5% of people read their goals daily. Reading your goals helps you to visualize success in achieving them. The really cool thing about this is your mind does not have the ability to distinguish between an actual event and something that it sees vividly. What this means is by practicing visualization you are programing your mind to get you there and your mind works 24/7. Ken Cheo - Goal Setting Why We Do Not Do It Effectively |
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Being Negative Can Have Positive Results
Be careful with this one but if used correctly, it can be very effective. Using a negative statement like; “This might not be a good for due to the complexity of our solution” or “I get the impression that we’re not the right fit”. Pay close attention to the reactions, this closing method can come across as insulting or disingenuous. The more subtle you can present this, the better. As previously mentioned though, if used correctly it can be masterful. |
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Don’t Be Confused By All The Jargon Out There!
There are many different strategies and opinions but, every company is different therefore, your plan to roll out sales and marketing is going to be unique to your company. There is no room for a one method fits all mentality. Both are necessities to the success of a small business. You cannot do without either process today. If you work to strategically combine both efforts in synergy you will experience successful business growth. However, by the same token if the efforts are unbalanced or departments don't communicate it can severely hamper your business growth. Contributor: Susan McKenney - What Comes First, Sales or Marketing? |
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Design a Follow Up Process
There have been plenty of studies that have shown that most sales are achieved after the 5th/ 6th / even 8th follow up attempt. Yet, these same studies show 90% or higher of entrepreneurs give up the chase after just 2 – 3 follow up calls/emails. Without getting into the reasons here (there are plenty), I’d like to suggest that if you design a firm follow up process then you don’t have to be one of these statistics. |
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Don’t Be Eager to Drop Your Price
Either the rep didn’t do a good job qualifying or the rep hasn’t provided enough value to the prospect. If its budget related, try an alternate solution that fits their budget. Also consider alternative delivery methods or to spread out the billing. Before dropping the price, try leaning on upper management to think outside the box. Reach out to a peer group for ideas or a sales consultant for ideas. Dropping the price should be the last resort, if at all! Contributor: Tom Libby - How to solve the 5 biggest sales problems! |
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Does your Sales Hiring Measure up?
Documented business processes are all around us. Make sure you have one that is clear, concise, and repeatable when recruiting sales people. The last thing an organization needs is to get a great candidate to the end of the process and the executives disagree on the hiring or not of this person. Make sure the process has the “buy-in” of the entire executive team prior to implementation.Contributor: Marie Warner - Does your Sales Hiring Measure up? |
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Utilize Attraction not Seduction Sales Methods
Sales methods can be used to pull prospects in (seduce/scare them) or Attract them to your product/service. Attracting them is much more effective than pulling them in or seducing them to buy. Typically, these methods are thought of as the same or similar but are employed vastly different. Scare tactics, destruction methods, or “the earth is falling” tends to be a pushing effect. Instead use methods that educate, associate, or tells stories that make people feel a part of your world…Attract them to you! |
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Recruiting Sales People
The recruiting process is extremely time-consuming. Hiring managers often have many other duties, and internal recruiting resources may not have the background to find and qualify sales and sales trainer talent. What’s more, the competitive job-scape dictates the need to be highly responsive; an offer needs to be made within two weeks (or less) of the initial interview. Successful sourcing, engaging interest, then qualifying a candidate takes time and expertise - and needs to be a primary focus. 90% of our placements come from direct outreach to targeted candidates – not job boards. Contributor: Marie Warner - Sales Hiring = Purple Squirrel |
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Be Different
The corporate world can be a serious place, so inject some fun and joy in your elevator speech. The goal here is to help you stand out and be remembered. Plus, it demonstrates you take what you do seriously, but you don’t take yourself too seriously. Showing personality is in an attractive trait that sets leaders apart, regardless of their industry. You are your brand wherever you go, so be that brand. Contributor: Robin Samora - Best Tips Ever for an Attention Grabbing Elevator Speech |
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Don’t mistake your hard work/experience for luck!
Being laid off and finding yourself unemployed can be scary but turning it into a new opportunity can be exciting, and yet still scary. Using your experience to start your own business and being successful can come as a surprise but this is not luck, you worked hard to become the expert that you are. |
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Set Goals, then Break them Down!
Writing down your goals does a number of things for you: • It reinforces your commitment to them • It helps you remember them • It makes you accountable • It gives you focus |
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Prospect Your “Turn Downs”
Obviously, not all your leads will be interested in buying your product or service. Don’t take them completely off your radar. Give them an alternative to purchase and offer a way to keep in touch. Offer them the opportunity to opt on to your newsletter mailing list, invite them to participate in webcasts, or send them articles or whitepapers about your industry. Article: The Show is Over But the Game is at Halftime: Aggressive Follow Up is Key to Trade Show Sales Contributor: Ceri Ruenheck |
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Add Energy
What you say is vital, but it’s also how you say it. Use action words to make your message energized, upbeat and enthusiastic – and always smile – even when you’re writing about yourself in an email or talking on the phone. Believe it or not, this influences your attitude which in impacts your delivery in ways you can’t imagine! Article: Best Tips Ever for an Attention Grabbing Elevator Speech Contributor: Robin Samora |
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Aim High
There are many aspects of your professional life, so trying to summarize “what you do” in about 20-30 seconds is easier said than done. Start from the top floor and work your way down by focusing on the principles and priorities of what you do instead of the specifics and details. Think about WIIFT. From a bird’s eye view, what can you include that’s important for your audience to know, and how is that applicable to you? |
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Build in a Regimen and Follow the Plan
Coaches have practice. A sales manager has one-on-one meetings with an agenda. Come prepared and make sure there is accountability. Your meeting should – at the minimum – include forecast review, pipeline review, skills discussion and improvement recommendations. Make sure to listen versus talk! |
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Body Language Needs Attention
If 90% of our communication is non-verbal – and we’re in sales – that’s more than enough evidence to check-in on how we show up. And, what clues we give our audience. You don’t have to be in marketing to wonder what message you’re conveying. You’re communicating on a daily basis to prospects, your team, customers and even your family. Contributed by: Robin Samora - Body Language Secrets to Improve Sales |
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Be Clear - Crystal Clear
Make sure when you have that all-important interaction with a prospective client/customer that you’re ready for it. Have a plan, make sure the plan is well thought out and clear in its objectives. A well-defined, planned buyer journey can make or break companies today. Contributed by: Tom Libby |
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Social intelligence in sales
Social intelligence is vital to sales success. Social media channels aren’t just for research and chasing down leads anymore. Sales people must educate themselves on the art of social selling. When done effectively it positions reps as thought leaders through their tweets and blog posts. Sales people must be actively involved on LinkedIn, Facebook and many more relevant social channels. Contributed by: Susan McKenney - Social Selling - Why Sales Needs Content |
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Evaluate your communications!
Evaluate your sales communication in collateral, website, correspondence and social media. Confirm that your sales communication delivers meaningful, value-focused messages to all your buyers, and verify that your outreach resonates with not only end users, but also influencers (who can say “no”, but not “yes”) and most importantly, the ultimate Decision Maker. Contributed by: Marie Warner - Sales Enablement for the rest of us! |
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Don’t be afraid to get personal!
The business that puts causes first prefers its workers to be team players. Ask personal questions and be prepared to talk about you and your family before getting down to the task. Contributed by: Nancy Zare - You Got The Business! |
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B2B telemarketing!
A cost-effective solution to generate leads, raise awareness about your brand, build credibility with existing and prospective customers, identify new business opportunities, and create relevant dialogues with partners. Tip Contribute by Ceri Ruenheck - B2B Telemarketing: Awesome Sales Tool, If Handled Correctly |
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Rapport Building Note!
Rapport is important in every stage of the sales process, not just the beginning. Keep using your rapport to deepen your relationships with people in general not just prospects and the rewards are endless. Keep working on perfecting the art of rapport building and keep selling! Tip contributed by: Tom Libby - 7 Common Rapport Building Mistakes |
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Be Present - Make More Sales
Being smart is insufficient to earn people’s trust. Controlling conversations is decidedly a turnoff. Lacking sensitivity to people’s needs repels potential prospects. Tip Contributed by Nancy Zare - Being Present to Make More Sales |
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Write a script
While you and your employees should treat every consumer like an individual, you need a general framework to use during the calls. With such a high volumes of calls to make, you must ensure that the right statements are being made to convince prospects that they should buy your products or subscribe to your services. Tip Contributed: by Ceri Ruenheck - Use Cold Calling for Lead Generation |
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Multi-tasking is a BAD thing
It seems a bit weird to say…multi-tasking is bad…but when you’re with a client/customer it can be a catastrophe. Most small business owners or even real good sales people will say they multitask all the time. But the best get hyper-focused on the client/customer when they’re in their presence or on the phone with them. One of the worse things you can do to a prospective client is make them feel that they don’t have your undivided attention. If they feel less important to you in the moment, that moment could end very abruptly. Stay focused and in the moment when engaged with them and never “Multi-Task” when trying to make them feel like they are the most important thing to you. |
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Customers Aren’t Always Ready
Customers are not always buying on your timeline. There are many times when your patience is tested, and you need to pay more attention to when your customer wants to but rather than when you want to sell them. Make sure you’re accommodating to your customers readiness to buy. Understand underlying factors like; fiscal cycles/budgets, capital investment timelines, financial situations, etc. |
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Show True Resiliency
Sales people are truly tested in this area. I’ve seen people quit on a sale for a multitude of reasons, but the reality is it sometimes takes 10 calls when you think it should take 1 or 2. It can take 10, 12, or 15 connects to really get a sale moving along. Be resilient when you know for sure it’s the right fit. |
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Be Prepared
Nothing kills a deal faster than a Sales Person ill prepared for a sales call. This includes research on your contact and research for rapport building material…remember, the sale never starts or ends with products/services…it begins and ends with you! |
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Talk about You
The reality is, people still buy from people and most people buy from people they like and trust. So, spend a little time connecting with prospects on a personal level and build a really good rapport. Make sure it’s truthful and meaningful!! |
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Pipeline Maintenance
Your pipeline can use some regular housekeeping. Taking out the garbage, the accounts you KNOW you’ll never close can be invigorating to your pipeline. What remains is a real future look at your earning potential. It can also keep you away from time sucks. Clean it up!! |
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The best laid plans
Remember that no sales person closes at 100% so make sure you have a good plan to make up for lost accounts or deals. Being proactive here can really keep your morale high and your depression at a minimum. |
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Mentors can be Helpful
In most areas of business a mentor is invaluable and sales is no different. However, finding one in this profession can be challenging. Its competitive nature makes it hard to find a good mentor within the ranks. Not an impossibility though, and you don’t have to stay within your own company. Either way, find someone willing to help you out or be your sounding board! |
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Ask for Help!
Most people have multiple resources to connect with when troubled…sales should be no different. When coming up short or having difficulties, never be to proud to ask for help. Your direct manager, if you have one should be your first “go to” If not, look to a trusted advisor for guidance. Even the best still rely on coaches. Yup, even Tom Brady has one! |
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Your First Sales Hire - Ask your Customer
Challenged in defining the ideal candidate profile for your first sales hire? Ask your top customers to describe what they value most in a sales professional who calls on them. They may even refer a respected sales rep by name, so you can review their LinkedIn Profile to help craft a job description – or even contact the Sales Rockstar for an interview. – Submitted by Smarketing Contributor Marie Warner |
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Value Sells
Make sure you express your value…not your price or cost. When the value of what you represent (what you’re selling) is equal to the need or want of your prospect, the sale is an inevitability not a competition of wills between you and your prospect. Your prospects are looking for solutions not purchases. |
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Let’s Address the Budget Question
I think budget should come up very early in your qualifying/disqualifying stage. A real problem to avoid is going through the motions of your sales process to find the prospect has a budget but not nearly enough to work or no budget at all. This can be one of the most frustrating things to a sales person…getting a yes without the means is worse than a no! |
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Get Them to Think Different
Ask your prospect to describe their competition to you and how they would expect them to view or use your offering. This allows you to do to things: understand what they fear about their competition as well as give you a potential lead. |
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Knowing the Numbers
Knowing all the numbers is important if not vital to sales reps. You should have a real grip on any number being used to measure you, not just your revenue goals. Also, know the level of buy-in from your leadership. Which numbers mean something to them. Focus and attack, but know what to attack and in which order. |
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Vacation
I know this sounds counterproductive, but it really isn’t. You need to refresh and reflect to be at top performance. As a side effect, you have rapport building material when you’re engaged with clients/customers/prospects…although I’d probably stay away from this unless you already have a good relationship with them. |
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Never Stop
Sales is said to be cyclical, but it doesn’t have to be. A lot of sales people slow down when they’re “on a roll”, they tend to take their foot off the gas, so to speak. This however is a mistake, you should never stop…keep prospecting, keep scheduling appointments, keep up the activities that put you on your roll! |
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Listen and react…
I had a prospect tell me once they loved dogs, but specifically Beagles. Out one night I saw a key chain with a Beagle on it (for about a dollar) and sent it to them for Christmas. They signed the contract before New Year’s Day. |
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Do something unexpected
This can be fun and a great way to get a prospects attention. Think outside the box and give your prospect things that truly separate you from your competition. Send them articles/blogs that relate to an interest of theirs. Or send an invite to a networking/social event that fits their needs. Whatever it is, make sure it’s very genuine and nothing self-serving. |
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Solve the problem
Make sure your solution solves a real problem the prospect has, not an invented one by you or your company. Once the problem is identified and agreed upon by both parties, then the sale should be a matter of details, not handling objections. |
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Rejection Kills
The deal, that is…but not you! Remember, hearing the word NO is going to happen. Even if your closing ratio is good (say 40%), you’re going to hear no 60 out of 100 times. That’s a lot of rejection, just think of it this way…every no is one more out of your way and one less to hear before you hear YES! |
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Personalize at Scale
You can use your email campaign system (MailerLite, Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, etc.) to send plain text emails to look like they’re written personally while using a template of sorts. This also allows you to look at open rates to assess follow up activity. |
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Sales = Transfer of Confidence
I was told once that selling is nothing more than a “transfer of confidence”. Not a transfer of “love of a product”, not the buying and selling of the “#1 thing” (You know, it must be the best whatever you sell!). Having confidence that your product/service solves the problem it’s designed to and transferring that confidence to your prospect…that is the key! |
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Income Question - Quota Performance & Ranking
As of January 2018 it is illegal in Massachusetts to ask a potential employee for past salary history (nor benefits, nor commissions). Many hiring managers of sales professionals have used past earnings as a barometer of sales success, but it is now illegal to pose such questions. Rather, to judge sales achievement in prior roles, ask for quota performance history and their overall "ranking" in the sales team. Submitted by Smarketing Contributor: Marie Warner |
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Quantity or Quality?
As much as we all want more, the most important thing to remember is that in most cases…Quality leads, prospects, sales, or even customers are often far more valuable to a company than any number of shaky ones. A hundred unqualified leads aren’t worth as much as 1, 2, or 3 super qualified leads. Even more so for all the rest of the list above. |
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Use your Prospects Language
The prospect already knows that you know your business better than they do, so don't use your own industry buzz words. It doesn't help you look smarter. Use your prospects language as it pertains to your product/service, when your prospect feels you understand them, you'll sell more. |
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Don't Speak Poorly of Your Competition
This can be a hard thing to do if you need to differentiate yourself during a meeting. However it's still vital to be positive and polite. Letting your prospect know the difference between your respective offerings can be done with tact and professionalism. Most importantly, remember you control the narrative...speak much more to your strengths rather than any weaknesses, including your competitors. Hard to do but can be very powerful. |
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Don't Talk Too Much
Contrary to popular belief sales people are NOT looking to "talk a dog off a meat wagon" or "talk you into something you don't need or want". In fact, during a sales meeting, the best sales people only talk 25% - 35% of the time. Really good sales people will tell you that listening is a skill much more valuable to them. Yes, we talk...but most of that is asking the right questions and allowing your prospect/customer tell you what they need from you and why. |
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Sales recruiting? 4 questions to ask yourself
1. Do you have a sales (sales enablement, sales management) job posting that's been open for more than 60 days? 2. Have you lost a promising candidate to another company after multiple interviews or an offer? 3. Does your interview process take more than 4 weeks? 4. Have you hired and trained a sales professional, that resigns within the first year? If the answer to any of these is “Yes”, you may need a Sales Hiring Audit. This can improve your sales recruiting efforts and help you be more competitive in today’s ‘candidate market’ for sales hiring. Tip Submitted by Smarketing Institute Contributor Marie Warner – Warner Sales Professionals |
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Losing Sales Doesn't Mean You're Losing
Let's face it, even the best of the best don't win 100% or even 75% of the deals they're in. But losing the deal doesn't mean you're losing...if...you keep learning! Use your lost deal to learn your weaknesses, to learn the fault in your pitch or relationship building. You can, at times, learn more from a loss than a win. Get better at analyzing the losses and you will increase your win percentage. So, you can win even when you lose the sale! (Just remember to fix the issues you find) |
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Sales Methods
A quick tip for you...there are so many different sales methods: SPIN Selling, N.E.A.T. Selling, Conceptual Selling, SNAP Selling, The Challenger Sales Method, Sandler Sales Method, CustomerCentric Selling, and many, many more!! So which one is right and which one is wrong? All and none!! I highly suggest you familiarize yourself with them all, at some point or another you'll likely use pieces of them all. I don't expect you to be an expert but you should know and understand the basics of them. |
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Persistence
It may sound cliche, but there is something to be said about having a "never give up" attitude when it comes to sales! Push to get a definitive answer, a definite yes or no! A colleague calls it being pleasantly persistent, not pushy. The fact is, any definitive answer is better than the constant brush off. Be persistent about getting an answer, even if it's not the one you want. At least it will allow you to move on to a client/customer that's a real prospect. |
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What's in it for me?
Keep in mind that this question, or one with identical meaning, is floating around your customer's head while you're "pitching" them your product/service/solution...Rather than a sales pitch, how about a truthful explanation of how you can be helpful. Explain exactly what's in this transaction for them through conversation and communication. You start the process on the right foot and may end up with an awesome client!!! |
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Don't Rely on Technology
Tech for the sake of tech is no way to win deals, Yes! Tech makes all of our lives better, faster, more convenient. But when sales people rely on technology to close deals for us...we fail. Fail to recognize the importance of interpersonal contact, the importance of direct feedback, and most of all the importance of the building of a person's trust. Trust still sells better than tech...any day of the week and twice on Sunday. |
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Start at the TOP
From a sales prospective it's far easier to start at the top (C-Level/Ownership) of an organization and be passed off to someone below than it is to start at an information gatherer (Office Manager/Assistant) and expect them to sell up the ladder for you. As a side note, people in mid-management will be more likely to take a meeting with you if you've spoken to the boss first, then feel it's their responsibility to report back to them. |
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Building Rapport
Don't take rapport for granted. You need to re-establish this every time you engage with your prospects. It can be very simple or a complete conversation but it's needed constantly. It can be a single line in an email or a conversation about family and friends. Know your prospect and know the type of trust building rapport you need to employ and you're on your way to closing more sales. |
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Do your Research
Some of the best in the business will tell you that in most cases, they know their clients and their business better than the client does. This, presented correctly, is invaluable. You can easily put yourself in the "trusted" circle very quickly with the right research. However, just be cautioned...don't use it to make yourself look like a know-it-all. This can put people off just as fast! |
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Questions & Answers
If you don't know the answer, SAY SO! A huge mistake of some sales people is to just "wing it". You can earn some much needed credibility from a prospect with honesty and sincerity. The answer: I'm not 100% sure but will find out for you!! Prospects find it refreshing when sales people humble themselves. If you don't know the answer to a prospects question...Tell them so, but make sure they know, you'll get the answer for them. ASAP!!! |
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Customer Buying Cycle
Think about your customers' "Customer Buying Cycle" not your "Sales Cycle"! Put yourself in the shoes of your customer and then you can truly understand; why they buy, when they buy, and who they tend to buy from. This is where you truly show value to your prospects! First understand then be understood!! |
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Qualifying Vs. Disqualifying
It can be just as important to disqualify a prospect as it is to qualify them. At times we see several reasons to disqualify a prospect but only 1 or 2 to keep them in our funnel and yet we hang on to them, often for too long! If they're disqualified...let them go!! |
