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Bill Sayers/
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Articles by Bill Sayers

Browse published articles attributed to Bill Sayers, with full-archive search.

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By Bill SayersNov 4, 20101 topic

What am I Doing Today?

We all need plans and to have a sense of what we need to do to be successful. Very few sales people have written plans for their business or their personal goals. They tend to say: I know what they are and I know what I need to do. Yet at the end of a year they are rarely happy with the results they have created. What are your plans? What are your goals for this year? How much revenue do you need? What margin do you need to be selling at? How am going to find more new custo

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

5,580 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

What Sets You Apart from Others?

I have been helping several clients recently in the interview process for new sales reps. As we look at the resumes that arrive I am always amazed at how they all look the same. They all follow a similar format, are written in a similar way and tell a similar story. None of the resumes stand out. The same can be said for a group of sales people in a room. They all behave in a similar fashion. They all look very similar in the style of clothes they wear. They all perform at a

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

3,134 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

How are you Presenting Yourself?

How are you coming across with the people you meet? How do you present yourself? What happens when you walk into a room? What does the person see and feel about you? Who are you? You have to be comfortable with who you are and what makes you “You”! Who Are You? A study was done by a group of pediatricians and psychologists. Six professionals were put in a room and they observed eighteen toddlers for several hours. The children were 3 – 6 months old and were all in diapers an

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

1,677 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

What Makes You Successful?

How do you measure your success? When do you know when you have been successful? What is your vision of success? 85% of all lottery winners are bankrupt 5 years after they win the lottery. Obviously money did not make them more successful. Where do you keep that file folder with your written goals for both your personal and professional life? 95% of you don’t have that file folder – so how will you know when you are successful? What is most important to you? What are the th

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

1,541 views

By Bill SayersNov 4, 20101 topic

What are You Really Saying?

When you get in front of a prospect or customer for that important meeting – What are you saying? Are you clear on what you need to say and how you are coming across? Are you prepared and presentable? What is your prospect or customer hearing and seeing? How do you come across? What is it that people see when they meet you for the first time? Are you dressed appropriately and look like you are ready for business? What is your mental chatter saying as you enter your prospect

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

1,267 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

Who’s in your Community?

When I was growing up I lived in a small town. There was a real community to the town. My family’s community included rural and town people, church members, schoolteachers, community business and political leaders and friends. Everyone looked after and kept an eye out for members of the group. People played different roles in making the group work. When it comes to your sales game who makes up your community? What is the make-up of your sales community? Community is importan

Primary topic: Sales Management Training

Sales Management Training

1,185 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

Opening the lines of Communication

Communication is a key for the success of any sales person or leader. How you keep your customers, colleagues and staff informed will determine how easily you get things done. Communication comes in many ways. I just had a call with a colleague and he said: It was interesting what was said at our meeting and more interesting what wasn’t said. We communicate by what we say (or don’t say), the way we say things, the body language displayed, and how we communicate the written wo

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

1,145 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

How do You Manage the Sales Person Stereotype?

Sales people are looked down upon and viewed by many as slick, pushy, aggressive and cheats. While we may have earned that reputation by a few sales people there are too many occasions where we all experience that behaviour. So how do you deal with customers and prospects that have that view? How do you behave? The first thing you do is demonstrate your behaviour in a way that shows that you are a professional. And do so every day. Your customers and prospects now know you

Primary topic: Sales Training

1,139 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

How Are You Listening?

Recently, a window company rep called me and asked if I was interested in having a free, no-obligation sales call. I explained that we had replaced all our windows five years ago and that I was not interested. She got very annoyed and was adamant that I must want to replace some of the windows. I said, “Call me back in 15 years. I might be ready then.” In a sarcastic voice she said, “I'll call you back in 15 years.” And then hung up on me! How do you listen to a prospect? •

Primary topic: Sales Management Training

Sales Management Training

1,111 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

What are You Doing to Change the Game?

Are you still playing your sales game the same way you did three years ago? Are you doing the same things you have done for years? Are you struggling and can't figure out why? Are you having the same success you enjoyed in the past? What are you doing to change your "Game"? Why Change? I was talking with Doug Hoyes today. He is always challenging his people and himself to change “their Game”. He is on another mission to change things and grow his business even more. His comm

Primary topic: Sales Management Training

Sales Management Training

1,046 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

Product versus Service

During my 25-years in corporate sales life I sold both products and services. Sales people who inform me that they sell a service and that is more difficult than selling a product and it is a different sale, constantly approach me. I ask them how their business is going and they usually say – Not very well. What is the difference? Service sales reps will usually say it is difficult to explain their service. Ask many product sales people what their products do and you would

Primary topic: Sales Management Training

Sales Management Training

1,045 views

By Bill SayersMar 6, 20081 topic

Where Does The Time Go?

How do you manage your time? During the last year I have had the honour of working with hundreds of sales people. When I ask the question – Who writes down what they need to do each day – at least half the room admits they do not write down their activities. If you don’t write down your tasks, how do you know if you accomplish them? If you are not documenting your goals and activities; how will you know if you have accomplished them? What is your mental and emotional goal fo

Primary topic: Sales Training

992 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

Who Makes It About Price?

Too often sales reps and sales leaders come to me and say – our business is all about pricing. Our business is different and we have to play in this price sensitive environment. I will listen and ask them about their business and what makes it all about price. I then say to them – “It is not the customer who makes it about price – it is the sales rep who makes it about price”. That statement is always good for some real push back and arguments from sales reps and their leader

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

992 views

By Bill SayersMar 6, 20081 topic

Sales Is Not A Solo Sport

The sales game requires a team effort for sustainable success. Ask any successful sales rep and they will tell you about their team. Whether it is the accountant, spouse, children, tech support, delivery people, instructors, or suppliers, the rep acknowledges their contribution and is thankful they are part of her team. Without this team she knows she would not be as successful. Your team Selling involves so many different steps and activities that no one person can manage t

Primary topic: Sales Training

941 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

What are You Asking For?

Be careful what you ask for; you just might get it. I am always telling sales people this old adage. How are you starting each day and what are you saying to your self before you leave home? What are you saying to yourself as you go into your big meeting this week? What are you asking for as you plan for next year’s business? Clarity of purpose What do you ask for when you are with prospects? Are you asking for the business or are you avoiding that question. What questions

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

925 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

What is it that Your Customer Values?

Take out a blank piece of paper and write down all the things your customer values when doing business with you. What does that list look like? How many items did you come up with? What do you notice about this list? Now identify the top 3 items. Are you sure these are the Top 3? To make sure, take this list to your best customers and show it to them and ask them if you got it right. What was on your list…….. When I do this exercise with a group of sales people we will usua

Primary topic: Sales Training

897 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

What is Your Sales Process?

What is the process you need to take customers through to produce a sale? What steps do you need to take and does your client know what these steps are and why they go through this process? Knowing this, both as a sales rep and as a customer, can be critical to your success. What is your sales process? Take out a piece of paper and write down all the steps you must take a customer through in order to complete a sale for your product or service. What are all the steps? Why d

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

881 views

By Bill SayersMay 12, 20111 topic

What Social Media are you using?

Social Media is here to stay; so what are you doing with it? Facebook, Twitter, Jigsaw, LinkedIn and blogs are just some of the many sites that are available for you to use in your business. The question is – Are you using these tools. I don’t think you need to be using them all – they can consume all of your time – however, you need to be using some of them. So which ones will they be? Why Use them? In the sales world you want to find out what your customers are doing. Are

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

875 views

By Bill SayersOct 26, 20101 topic

Why are you in Sales?

What made you get into sales? Was it a dream from the time you were a kid and first opened that lemonade stand in the front yard? Did it seem like it would be an easy job? Was it because one of your parents was in sales? Was there nowhere else to go……………. What is it about Sales that attracted you? Every sales rep will tell you a different story about why it is that they got into sales. More importantly, why are you still in sales? Are you still enjoying playing the game, or

Primary topic: Business Coach and Business Coaching

Business Coach and Business Coaching

866 views

By Bill SayersMar 6, 20081 topic

Who Are You Following?

Top sales people leave a trail of clues to their success. Who are your mentors? Do you discuss sales with a mastermind group of likeminded sales people? Too often I see sales people hang out with average performing reps and then can’t understand why they aren’t improving their game. There is no comfort in the growth zone! What are you doing to push yourself to new levels of success? Are you doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results? What do y

Primary topic: Sales Training

840 views

By Bill SayersMar 6, 20081 topic

What Are You Writing Down?

Do you write a to-do list each day? Do you write down your plans? Do you create a written strategic plan for each year? If you are not writing things down – how are you remembering what you need to do? Writing your goals, plans and activities ensures you have a written and visual plan for your success. What happens when you write things down? Writing down your goals and activities forces you to think about what you need to do and provides you with a checklist and guide to fo

Primary topic: Sales Training

793 views

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