Sales Training Articles

All too often, businesses look at using technology as a way of putting barriers between customers and employees. In fact, terms like call avoidance are often used as justification to purchase information technology systems that up serve customer information to ensure a live, expensive call with a human doesn’t happen. This approach misses a key factor in today’s hyper competitive marketplace: repeat business is king. With more and more competition fighting for scarce cust

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 ...

Have you ever put on a jacket you haven’t worn in a while and found a twenty-dollar bill in one of the pockets? You'd forgotten all about it, so discovering it is like getting a gift. If you've been in business for a year or longer, you may have gifts in forgotten pockets — sources of additional revenue waiting to be discovered and tapped. There are four ways to increase your net profits: reduce costs, increase prices, attract more clients or sell more to existing clients. W

“Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.” John Gray penned this phrase many years ago to help men and women communicate more effectively. Since this book was written, it has been determined that both genders not only communicate differently, they also buy differently too. Learning how to effectively sell to each gender can significantly improve your sales results and increase customer loyalty. Let’s start by comparing how men and women view the shopping process.nThe Sh

A daily sales plan is a great sales and selling technique. Your daily sales plan isn’t just showing up for work each day making calls, and setting and holding appointments. That’s what I call “hopium”. When your plan is “hopium” you’re just showing up, going through the motions of sales, and hoping something good will happen like some sales. We both know hoping something will happen isn’t going to make it actually happen, so how about trying a plan. n n You pr

Beyond product knowledge, sales skills, and marketing skills there are three essentials for sales success? Do you know what they are? Can you guess? Before continuing please answer for yourself the question, “what are the three essential skills for sales success?” nnThe first essential skill is the ability to initiate, develop, and extend relationships. Every salesperson understands this concept when it comes to nurturing a prospect. However, among the most powerf

Do you know what one of the most powerful incentives you can use in your marketing is? One that is guaranteed to capture your prospects' interest and attention? You may be surprised to learn that it's not money or love. Is it making offers of products that are "guaranteed", "limited", "proven", "easy and simple to use", "on sale", "includes a free offer", or "new"? You're getting warmer. Offers like the ones above are helpful in getting a prospect's attention and are some o

Top producers are regular people who take specific actions that average or poor producers don’t. That means there is nothing preventing you from joining this elite group except you. If you’re willing to remove yourself as an obstacle to your success you’ll become a top producer too.nnFollow this plan every day for 90 days and you’ll enjoy phenomenal success. nn Make a commitment to yourself to your own growth and development in the areas of: self-marke

What does it take to become a success in the home based franchise industry? What is the secret formula, if there is a secret formula, in the home based franchise...and who actually has it? You may be asking these questions of yourself and of the present company that you are currently aligned with. I actually know the answers to those questions and will share them with you in one minute. But before I do, I have a question to ask of you...What are you trying to accomplish in your home based franchise?

Have you noticed it? More and more marketing campaigns are going over the top. They're trying bolder, more in-your-face tactics. And consumers DON'T like it. There's a growing resistance toward advertising. According to a recent study by Yankelovich Partners (a marketing company at ...

The sales person who is motivated primarily by praise and encouragement is probably the most prevalent motivational profile that you will have on your sales team. Everyone to a certain degree enjoys praise and enjoys encouragement.rnAnd I thing that we all work under an environment of praise and encouragement better than an environment in which we are either ignored or there is a tremendous amount of negative feedback or criticism. Most sales people that I have led over the y

Market research is one of the most valuable selling tools a show organizer has. Up to the minute, accurate market data arms you with the type of valuable information you need to ‘sell’ your show to potential exhibitors, including who is attending your show, how well your exhibitors did at last year’s show, and what type of sales numbers resulted from participating in the event. Savvy exhibitors -- those that can contribute meaningfully to the success of your show -- wil

Keeping your pipeline of prospects full is no easy task. I’m not going to suggest it is. I talk to salespeople all the time and most say that prospecting is their number one source of new business. So if you are like most salespeople, one of your hardest tasks is simultaneously one of your most necessary – keeping your pipeline full. There’s no way to slide into loads of profit without some effort – serious effort – on the front end.

As a service professional when you earn a client you want a life-time client not a one-time sale. The more interaction you have with your clients the greater their satisfaction, and the greater their satisfaction the more likely they are to stay with you, appreciate your services, and refer you to others. Obviously staying in touch is a good investment of your time. n n But is staying in touch a good investment of your clients time? This is where you have the opportunity to t

As we look for ways to improve our rapport with customers, clients and prospects let’s cast our gaze to improv — improvisational behavior popularized by those whacky folks seen in drama classes, theatre troupes, on the entertaining television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? n nIt might surprise you to learn that even in something as spontaneous as Improvisation there are rules at play. Three in particular have direct relevance to our customer and client interactions.n n Mak

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.

What does every professional service salesperson need? More appointments with more qualified prospects. Yet, many salespeople fight this daily struggle and feel like they’re losing the battle. n n Your current efforts to fill your appointment calendar may not be working because you’re making small mistakes that have a huge impact. If you want to get the right people interested in meeting with you your efforts must not only attract them, but they must filter for th

17 Marketing Ideas to Beef Up Business nnBy Patti BranconJuly 22, 2005 6:30 am ET nnIf the same old thing isn't bringing in results, maybe it's time to vary your strategy. Advisors use a variety of ways to get themselves in front of some new prospects. nnIf the market uncertainty has you paralyzed with procrastination, shake off your indecision by doing something different. While others stare at their computer screens and whine about how tough business is, you can get busy! T

You as a salesperson should give every opportunity to the prospect to ask questions and make objections if he is inclined to do so. It is frequently desirable to assist in bringing out these questions and objections. Sometimes the very best arguments you can make are based on objections by the ...

Now is the time to become a "smart" entrepreneur about your business by doing more not less. What I mean by "doing more" is increasing your sales and marketing efforts. Instead of pulling back as many entrepreneurs are currently doing, beat out your competitors by finding new ways to stay visible. An economic slowdown can be a problem for your business if you allow it to be.

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 ...

Avoid the trap of overselling It’s every salesperson’s nightmare: the sale that unravels just before the deal has been closed. It happens more often than it should, and overselling is quite often the cause. As sales professionals , it’s important to recognize that this is a trap that we all can inadvertently set for ourselves. With a little forethought, however, we can learn to avoid making this costly mistake. Overselling happens when we promise a customer that they wi

Anyone can sell if the price is cheap enough or if what is being sold is something people can’t live without. However, for the vast majority of us, neither of these luxuries are part of the scenario. The difficulty of selling is compounded by the fact that most customers have a wide range of ...

Not long ago my wife and I were planning a get-together with some friends and wanted to serve a cheese board after dinner. So, we ventured to a local market to look for some cheeses.nnWe asked for one particular cheese at the first vendor we visited and were told that they did not carry it. No effort was made to recommend anything else and we left without making a purchase.nnAs we walked through the market, I noticed the cheese we wanted at another vendor. After tasting it an

There aren’t many certainties in selling. What works well for one person can be a dead end for another, and what looks like a sure sale can easily deteriorate into a missed opportunity. One thing you can count on, however, is that a lack of strong, qualified leads will always be a stumbling block on the way to new business.

OK everyone - even the Sales Diva is not immune to screwing up royally every now and then! I can't believe I am actually going to tell you what happened to me recently... but it will give you a laugh! I was recently asked by a local college to do a tele-class call. No problem. Booked the date. ...

Today, at my boss’s request, I joined him for lunch in his office. Not surprisingly, the big bag of Taco Bell on his conference table caught my eye way before I noticed that my office telephone had been re-connected in his office and was sitting in the middle of our luncheon. Larry told me that we would start at 1:00 and make calls together into the afternoon. That explained the Taco Bell buffet. Ever made cold calls in front of your boss? That sort of intimidation can only

Salespeople are busy people. Some are so busy they’ve come to realize that time management is actually keeping them from achieving the outcomes they want. It’s frustrating that something so seemingly simple is such a source of trouble.nnWhat most people either don’t realize or don’t acknowledge is that time management is not an issue of being able to use a calendar or appointment book. Time management frustrations are the direct result of difficulties:

You've read many books and articles on why having specific goals is so important. Goals help keep you focused, keep you motivated, reinforce progress, etc. And I'm sure you're all familiar with the rules of goal setting -- make them specific, write them down, put a timeline on them, keep them ...

I spend much of my time working with companies to help them identify and hire the right sales talent for their company. One of the biggest frustrations that I hear from my clients is that they struggle to get people to apply for their jobs. Thus, they feel they have to settle for the few ...

You’ve invested a great deal of time and energy first developing prospects then meeting for an appointment. At the end of the appointment do you stumble when it comes time to ask for the business? You’re not alone. In fact, a full 63% of all appointments end without the salesperson asking for the business.nnFear is a key obstacle preventing you from moving forward. Both your fear of being rejected and the prospects fear of making a mistake. You can remove both. If

SELLING BEYOND FEAR In the 15 years we've been training salespeople in High Probability Selling, we've known that what we teach scares people. What we haven't known is *why* our methods scare some salespeople into clinging to their old - but ineffective - sales approaches. Why ...

Don’t Answer Objections, Isolate Them! By Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales Most sales reps hate getting objections. Their hearts sink into their stomachs, their palms start to sweat, and they start wondering how they're going to pay the rent. Sound familiar? When sales reps ask me how they ...

You want success. And you’d like it to be easier! Have you really thought about what it takes? You know…I mean to get there. There are three key “abilities” that can and will get you there…faster, easier and with greater staying power. Wondering how three things can make that much difference? Would you like to know what they are? More importantly, after you learn them, will you do something about it? Let me share them with you one at a time.

In June of this year, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asked President Obama to declare Fresno County a federal disaster area. The White House has not yet responded to Governor Schwarzenegger's request. Requests for presidential disaster declarations are much rarer for droughts than for other natural disasters. Previous requests like this one were declined by the Bush administration. Nevertheless, the compounding effects of three straight years of drought have had a

If your business is based on any service industry ugly sales is not for you. You may be wondering what the heck is ugly sales. You may have never heard it referred to as ugly sales, but you certainly felt how ugly it is when you’ve been on the receiving end of ugly sales. n n Ugly sales is the self-serving sales tactics practiced by selfish salespeople who only care about themselves and view sales as an event rather than the beginning of a long-term relationship. Salesp

With written testimonials there are three versions you want to include in your materials. The good news is that you don't have to get three testimonials from each client. You just need to know how to chop up a letter effectively to create the format you need. Here are some examples you can consider for your business Variation 1: A Full letter Always strive to receive a full testimonial letter from your client. Once you have a full letter you can break it into smaller chucks t

Not sure if your sales organization is up to snuff? Here are twelve keys to help ensure that your team is focused on the right things every day. Many cars today tell the driver when it is time to perform maintenance. Even better, some tell the driver that maintenance is needed in 1,000 miles ...

The other day I was at my wonderful hair stylist - the only stylist EVER who understands my ultra-thick curly hair (oh yes - I live for my flat iron!) Maria emigrated from Poland and she has many stories of living under Communist regime and being hungry constantly as a child. She pronounces ...

Candles are an integral part of our daily lives and so are candle accessories. It is made from solid piece of wax with a wick attached on it. Sometimes, it gives us light and sometimes heat. In short it is an important product in our lives. Human beings have the habit of accessorizing products to enhance its functionality as well as appearance. Hence, the needs of candle accessories come. Along with various kinds of candles, the candle maker or the chandler creates different

Creating an up to date CV from scratch can be quite a daunting project. It can take many hours getting all the necessary information together concerning your past schooling, career, and past events and hobbies. Once the CV has been created many Job hunters are only too eager to get the document in an envelope and posted to the relevant address - missing out on the most important part of the process. Once you have all the facts, you need to “Polish” your work in order to e

Sales is all about closing the deal, and in order to achieve that goal, a purchase price must be agreed upon. All salespeople, at one time or another, have had their price challenged. What do you do when that situation arises? As much as everyone in sales would like to consider themselves "great closers", in reality, many are sissies when it comes to this important skill. They often boast about never discounting their product, but when they're suddenly confronted on price, th

Take Action…Let’s face it...your dreams are worth nothing, your plans for your home based franchise will never come to light and all of your goals will be impossible to make unless you take the action necessary to make them all come true. It continues to blow my mind that people come to me with big plans, huge goals, and lofty dreams for their home based franchise; all of them attainable, yet little to no action is taken. So many of us want the lifestyle of the wealthy, yet do not take the action that is necessary to have that lifestyle.

I was never very good in science class which is probably why I'm not a doctor today. Yet, I remember vividly the exercise on heated atoms. The experiment started with a flask of water and a Bunsen burner. When the flame from the Bunsen burner was applied to the flask, the atoms would dart all ...

Why Your Self-Image is a Key Part of Your PersonalitynnYour self-image is the way you see yourself and think about yourself. It is often called your "inner mirror." You look into this mirror in every situation to see how you should perform on the outside. You always behave on the outside in a manner consistent with the picture you have of yourself on the inside.nn How Do You See Yourself nFor example, if you see yourself, as calm, confident and competent in any aspect of sell

Differentiate and you stand out in a crowded online marketplace.nnPresent your uniqueness and emphasize your rare attributes in your sales copy and promotions and you'll capture the imagination and interest of those you want to reach. nIn a world of copycats, it pays to be an original. It’s usually the creator of a new concept who gets the most mileage from it. Innovative entrepreneurs often become market leaders while competitors keep doing things the same old way – unti

Absolutely. While this “secret” is right under your nose most don’t put the pieces together and take advantage of the five-pronged key elements for increased sales. You will immediately increase your sales when you include all five elements in your business and develop proficiencies in each area. nnThe first element to increased sales is based on attraction, attention, and action. You could be the most highly skilled salesperson in the world and fail miserab

In the 70's and 80's, there was a great television show called "Quincy." This show revolved around a coroner who investigated deaths. Jack Klugman, a.k.a. Dr. Quincy, performed an autopsy on what appeared to be a death by natural causes and realized that the actual cause of death was murder. ...