Browse published articles attributed to Jim Meisenheimer, with full-archive search.
Here's a sales tip - the best day of the week is TODAY, of course. Yesterday's are lost forever, and we know only too well that tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. When you're reading the morning newspaper and don't see your name in the obituary - declare it a great day. Some salespeople ...
The key to effective sales planning is thinking and preparation. One of the keys to successful selling is having a written game plan. I won't say this is easy because it's not. Because it's not easy to do it's easy to avoid doing - and that's huge mistake. If you're ready to roll up your ...
Cold calling sales tips is something I decided to write about after reading an article in Inc. Magazine. The article was about David Rosen. He sells $500,000 worth of wine a year to private individuals across the country. This guy loves and lives on making cold calls. David is extremely enthusiastic about his work and about the wine he sells. Aside from his enthusiasm I really like the simplicity of his approach and that's what I want to share with you. Now get this, his first question to his sales prospect is, "Do you like wine?" It's elegant simplicity - isn't it?
Do you have an elevator speech? How do you answer the question, "What do you do?" It's been said you only have 30 seconds to impress your sales prospects and customers. Actually, it could be even less! If you're selling products and services it's critically important that you can answer the ...
Salesmanship - I just love that word. It's the ability to sell. It's 50% art and 50% science. Of course that's nmy opinion. Ask most salespeople and they'll say it's 90% art and 10% science. I know, because that's how I felt years ago. I believe there is a science to successful selling and ...
Sales ignorance is nothing to laugh about. In fact salespeople who are ignorant seldom realize it. Ain't that amazing? Ten quick ways to becoming a sales ignoramus - really: 1. Keep everything in your head. Never write it down. Do you think it's possible to remember everything you don't write down? If you can't remember what you had for lunch on June 15th, how can you expect to remember what 2 sales prospects and 3 customers told you on that same day? If it's important write it down.
The price objection is what I always hear whenever I'm doing an in-house corporate sales training programs. I always ask the group this question. "What are the biggest challenges you face in growing your business?" They always say the price objection. Within ten nanoseconds, someone raises his ...
Manatee County in South West Florida has an annual program called Project Teach. The program objectives include: to illustrate the importance of first impressions, to explore the relationship between education and jobs, to provide a dialogue between students and adults in different careers. They invite 140 volunteers to spend an hour with all the 4th graders in the county. As the class begins, each student is given a 3 X 5 card. They are asked to write the answers to the following questions. How old do you think I am? How many children do I have? What kind of car do I drive?r
How To Stay Up, Even When You’re Down. This past weekend I was going through some old newsletters when I came across a letter that might help you to deal more effectively with the recession and the tough times you're facing. So - enjoy the updated version of my Mt. Everest Newsletter. Sixteen ...
Do you know what it takes to become an exceptional sales manager? Here are six common sense management strategies you can use to become more effective in your daily work. 1. Alignment. One of the keys to your long-term success is alignment. Let me explain. It's important, actually extremely important that you are aligned with your manager and your company. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that's a no-brainer and you believe you are in perfect alignment with your boss.
Whenever you have a sales call scheduled with a new sales prospect - treat it like a golden opportunity. Because in fact this first sales call, could be a golden opportunity for you. What if your new sales prospect has the potential to become your largest customer. What would the lifetime ...
Here are several easy and practical phone selling techniques you can use to increase your sales. First - do not underestimate the value and the role your telephone plays in your selling success. There are two options when it comes to recording your voicemail message. You can change your ...
Reinventing yourself! Why not become the salesperson you always wanted to be? Well you're probably thinking that's easier said than done. Of course. But why not try? Why keep your head draped over your shoulder always looking behind you? You are responsible for the life you have. I mean ...
Actually "There are three kinds of salespeople; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who are wondering what happened." You've probably heard that one before. In fact, there are two different types of salespeople and they are very easy to spot. The first type is the improvisor. He seldom prepares, his preferred style, is to take things as they come. He likes to be spontaneous. He usually relies on his instinct and counts on his intuition to carry the day.
The book SPIN Selling was written by Neil Rackham and published in 1988 is a terrific book. The book emphasizes the importance of asking the right sales questions. This book inspired me so much I eventually wrote my own book emphasizing sales questions, "The 12 Best Questions To Ask ...
High performance selling is available to anyone who desires it. Knowledge is power. Knowledge creates a competitive edge and powers salespeople to success. There are four things you can do to achieve a measure of high-performance in your sales career. 1. Define your talent. What are you ...
Whenever you meet new sales prospects be sure to focus on establishing rapport and building relationships. Most salespeople overlook the importance of these two priorities early during the selling process. Instead of reaching for your sales brochures try reaching out to your sales prospects by demonstrating your interest and curiosity about their business and their customers. Look, most sales don't happen during the first sales call - so why even bother to attempt closing the sale.
The two most powerful words salespeople can say to prospects and customers are - thank you. People are starving for recognition. But if you don't get recognition you're not likely to give it. Big mistake! A simple thank you goes a long way. Are you trying to create wealth for you and your ...
Last weekend I experienced a perfect example of simple selling. Let me explain. Last weekend Be adette, my wife, took me to Howie-In-The-Hills for a 3-day golfing package to celebrate my birthday. Mount Dora is a beautiful lakefront village located in Central Florida and that's where we ...
You can start selling more today as soon as you stop talking and start solving your customer's problems. Stop talking about your products and start solving your sales prospect's problems. Have you ever seriously thought about the disadvantages of talking too much, especially if you're in sales? The disadvantages can be humongous and have a negative impact on your selling results and your personal income. Here's a short list of the disadvantages of talking too much. 1. You can't learn anything about your sales prospect when you're doing all the talking.
Sales talk versus sales babble. Which one describes you? How can you be so sure? Well for starters, if you're talking off the top of your head - like it or not you're probably doing sales babble. And that's because, when you're talking off the top of your head - there's no preparation involved for you. Without preparation you can ramble on, beat your gums and just plain run off at the mouth. Pity your poor sales prospects and customers who are forced to listen to sales babble every day.
Did you know that being different is an attractor factor? It's true! Allow me a quick sidebar: Last week, Be adette, my wife and I drove to the East Coast of Florida for three days. We stayed at the grand Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. It's a five-star hotel built in 1926. The hotel was ...
It's been one week since we elected a new president. It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, change is coming to town. So what are we in for? Take a look at these headlines from the Wall Street journal last week. That's right these headlines were all in last week's ...
What kind of selling results are you getting your current selling strategy? "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." This quote is attributed to Albert Einstein, a pretty bright guy. Why do we rely on the same selling strategies that don't work? I ...
When you do a Google search for the phrase "Sales Wisdom" you'll end up with 21, 600,000 results. It makes me think, there's no shortage of sales wisdom in cyberspace. But how much is too much? For starters, 21,600,000 results is too much to benefit the typical professional sales representative. So what are the keys to achieving selling success? If you could only focus your energy on what's really important, what should that be? You probably don't have a lot of time to consider this, but guess what, I do.
What does selling in a recession have to do with the Tampa Bay Rays? Keep reading! The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are going to the World Series this year. Last year their record was 66-96 and they finished in 5th Pl. This year their record was 97-65 and they finished 1st Place in the AL Eastern ...
Here's a sales tip, especially for new salespeople. Here are the 2 biggest mistakes most salespeople make. 1. Thinking you’ve got the right stuff from the get go! Once you think you’ve got it, you’ve had it! Don't be too quick to be full of yourself. And remember - you probably don't know ...
Anthony Robles is indeed “Unstoppable.” If he was in sales he'd be an "Unstoppable Sales Professional." He's a one-legged, 125lb, National Wrestling Champion. He beat Matt McDonough in the NCAA National Wrestling Championship. He's 23 and he's already a successful motivational speaker. And big deal - he bench presses 300lb. He only weighs 125 lbs. so it is a big deal. His next adventure is taking up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes. He's also considering the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This guy is amazing.
How to become a good sales manager is what every new manager thinks about. Unfortunately most new sales managers aren't adequately trained before they jump into the new job. So what did I do when I was a new manager? Plain and simple, I just hit the ground running as fast as I could. I did what most new sales managers do under similar circumstances - I improvised. Here's the formula: Instinct + Intuition = Improvisation It's the default position for people who don't have access to the acquisition of new skills - in this case Sales Management skills.
Sales lessons can be discovered anywhere including a 10 day cruise to the Caribbean. Be adette, my wife, and I drove from our home in Lakewood Ranch Florida to Fort Lauderdale the day before ship was to leave port. We stayed at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel just minutes from the Port Of ...
I hate it when I experience poor salesmanship. Unfortunately it happened twice this week. First up was Home Depot. I purchased a Miracle Grow application sprayer. It didn't work. No problem. I went back and exchanged it for another one. The second one didn't work either. So I went online and looked at the product reviews and they all described exactly the same problem that I was having. So I go back and returned this sprayer for the second time. With my refund in hand I walked over to the Garden Center looking for a generic sprayer.
Yesterday I was talking to a sales person, Griff Neighbors, who I've known for more than 10 years. He said Jim, "I took your advice and have a white board in my office. On the whiteboard I wrote, Screw The Recession." This got me thinking about what's going on in our country, especially ...
Make everyday a masterpiece because you don't know how many days you have left. Two things happened during the past week that rattled my cage and got me thinking about things. The first was the sudden death of an acquaintance here in Florida. His name was Bob. He was 64 and retired and had a massive heart attack late Sunday night. I just saw him the night before at a party. He was a prince of a man. He was very soft-spoken and always smiling. In an instant he was gone forever.
When you're smiling. Oh, when you're smiling. The whole world smiles with you. When you're laughing. Oh, when you're laughing. The sun comes shining through. I heard this song the other day on the radio and it got me thinking. It got me thinking about some volunteer work I did a month ago on a Saturday morning with a dozen high school students. The title of my one-hour presentation was "The 7 Best Interviewing Tips and Techniques to Help You Get The Job You Want." My goal was to share seven potential life-changing tips with the students.
Here are 15 sales tips you can use to sell smarter during 2008. With the right sales motivation, you can become as successful as you want to be! However, you must come to grips with this fact. If you aren't outrageously successful at this moment, thinking about it won't make it happen. The end ...
Goal setting - it's so easy and yet it's so hard. It has to be hard because so few people do it. Some people did it and don't do it now. Even people who have set goals in the past and have achieved them no longer set goals for themselves. I find it mind-boggling. There is an old Gaelic ...
How To Stay Up, Even When You’re Down. This past weekend I was going through some old newsletters when I came across a letter that might help you to deal more effectively with the recession and the tough times you're facing. So - enjoy the updated version of my Mt. Everest Newsletter. Sixteen ...
One big sales tip. When working with your prospects and customers focus on their needs and their customers' challenges. That's where the ideas are. One big sales tip. Imagine you sell shower curtains and shower rods to hotel chains. You call on hotel chains. You want to be different. Your big ...
This is a big Sales Tip for you. In the mid-19 60s there was a TV show titled "I Spy." The show featured Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. The title of the show got me thinking about intelligence and how it can be collected easily today. Years ago if you want to keep tabs on your competition you ...
Sergio Garcia probably can't teach you much about selling. As a matter of fact, you can probably teach him more about selling than he'll ever need to know. But there is something about Sergio Garcia and the game of golf, which if applied to the game of selling, can be very instructive for ...
How would you like to become a better sales manager? Keep reading this and you’ll get some ideas on how to do it. Okay, one day I'm a sales representative and the next day I'm a sales manager. I can't begin to explain how excited and scared I was. My goal had become my reality and frankly, after a few days, it scared the crap out of me. It's a little bit like joining the U.S. Army on Monday and Wednesday they give you the keys to a Blackhawk helicopter. And they expect you to be able to fly it.
According to Wikipedia the "Unique Selling Proposition (also Unique Selling Point) is a marketing concept that was first proposed as a theory to explain a pattern among successful advertising campaigns of the early 1940s. It states that such campaigns made unique propositions to the customer and ...
Braxton Bilbrey is a seven-year-old boy. He lives in Glendale, Arizona. He read about a nine-year-old boy who swam from Alcatraz Island to the city of San Francisco. I imagine he started thinking if he can do it so can I! So, he established a goal to swim the 1.4 miles of chilly waters from ...
The art of selling begins with the right selling attitude. When you combine the right attitude with sharpened selling skills you can achieve everything you want in sales. There's a lesson from golf I'd like to share with you that may impact your attitude - at least I hope it does. If you know ...
When you think of Dan Aykroyd what do you think of? Most likely Saturday Night Live. Between 1975 -1979 he was a writer and the youngest cast member in the show. According to Wikipedia Aykroyd is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, and winemaker. In fact, he can teach you a thing or two about sales and marketing. Let me explain! He makes and sells vodka. But it's not ordinary vodka. His bottle is a glass depiction of a head.
Selling superstars aren't born, they are made. The truth be told, they are self-made. They are selling machines. You can become the quintessential salesperson if you stay focused and work hard. Here are 10 steps to follow if you want to become a selling machine. 1. "Yes I can!" Begin everyday ...
The ups and downs of selling are a little like the ups and downs on Wall Street. The headline in last Friday's Wall Street journal said "Market's 7-Day Rout Leaves U.S. Reeling." What a difference a weekend can make. Today's Wall Street journal front-page article said "Dow Takes Giant Leap As ...
It's not too early to start planning for the sales results you want at the end of 2005. Here are seven things you can do to make sure you're in the Winner's Circle at your Next National Sales Meeting. 1. Develop a system for everything. There's a fundamental reason why companies like ...
Here's a sales secret. The best advice I ever got was from my father. Growing up as a kid, whenever I asked him, "What do you think I should do," he always responded with, "What do you think you should do?" I guess the best advice wasn't really advice, more like a gift. The gift of learning how ...
What does it mean to live your life to the fullest every day? Well it means different things to different people. Take Nick for example. Just two weeks ago Nick was driving to the US Military Academy at West Point. Two days after he got there he was scheduled to step out of the door of an airplane and make a tandem jump of 13,500 feet - with the Black Knights parachute team. By the way, his jump included a 50-second freefall. After the jump he was flying to Washington DC on his way to Ethiopia. There he will meet his new adopted 31/2 old son.