Sales Training Articles

Stand upr PATRICK MORIN It was just after Christmas. I was cold calling in the office with my coworker, Rob. It wasn’t going well for either of us, but I was in a good mood anyway because I loved what I was doing. I turned to Rob and said, “Don’t we have the best jobs in the world?” He put down the receiver after a particularly strong rejection and looked over at me with a “You’re out of your mind” look on his face. “Are you kidding?!”

People are often told to "be a leader," but what does that mean? How do people know how to act as a leader when no one defines it for them? There is a simple mantra that defines leadership. The other day my nine-year old daughter and two sons (seven and five years old respectively) were ...

According to organizational experts, we’re not only born with an innate need to organize, but the desire to organize as well. If we need it and want it, then why are so many offices a mess? Surprisingly, order does not mean a neat row of sharpened pencils and tidy stacks of paper. If you can ...

The best way to handle any objection is to anticipate it and, if possible, make sure that it never intrudes into the sales discussion. Once a thought has been expressed by a prospect it becomes harder to eradicate. This is because the prospect has placed himself on record and is unlikely to recede easily from his position. Objections that are raised to price are probably the most frequent of all honest reasons for prospects refusing to buy.

Most sales processes that are used today have the essence of competition at their core. Competition is seen as the normal way of doing business in an era characterized by commoditization. The commoditization trap that many businesses find themselves in is causes them to lower their prices while the cost and complexity of doing business increases. Shrinking profits and lower margins create a fear-based mentality that pushes competitiveness to a new level. Closing the deal quic

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.

With the public and commercial sectors of Western markets dealing with an on-going lack of assurance, cuts in investments, and strong competition, a lot of B2B sales people are now working in conditions more demanding than ever before. These demanding circumstances have made the sales cycle much more problematic and time-consuming for salespeople. Buying decisions are either being commoditised and purchased on selling price, or they are being dealt with as strategic decisions and being made at a more senior level, irrespective of the industry or size of business.

Earlier this morning I commented on a debating blog about true security. By the time I was done with my rant the realization was, here is an article with some punch. Does life limit us? Do we limit us? Does positive or negative thinking limit us? Do others limit us? When you think of security, be it financial, physical, emotional or other, what comes to mind?

Welcome to the New Year! So, are you ready to start cold calling, prospecting and reaching out to prospects? If so, you’d better be prepared for what is sure to be one of the biggest brush off objections this year: “I’m too busy/don’t have the time to talk to you now.”

It’s disturbing to me and yes sad, the amount of people who fail at their home based franchise. Do I think that people set out each day with the goal of failure on their mind? Quite the opposite. But, in general…most people do not set themselves up with the intent, the strategy and the action plan to succeed. Today, we will take a look at the first of four reasons why people fail not only in their home based franchise, but in almost anything that they do. Will you fall in either one of these categories?

Going through good sales training courses is necessary if you are serious about a sales career. This field is very competitive and without an excellent sales training program to polish your skills, you are likely to end up with empty hands and score zero in career advancement. On the other hand, completing a program can bring out the best in you and lead you to exciting opportunities available only to hard working and competent sales professionals. If you have decided to go t

Have you ever thought of using YouTube as an effective sales prospecting tool? You might think that YouTube is for teenagers to share videos of dancing parrots and car crashes but you would be wrong. There are huge opportunities for professional sales people and business people to get exposure and business through video sites. If you work for a company, do not think that this is their responsibility. There has never, ever been a better opportunity for you as a salesperson to take charge of your own career and build your own personal brand. Advantages Of using Video:

How many of you know that effective selling is about asking questions? Many people believe that selling is about "explaining" to the prospect, why he or she needs their product or service. Show and tell, features and benefits: these are phrases which come to mind. Well, it's really neither -- it's all about the questions. Not the exact questions you ask but more in how you ask them. Obviously the questions must be relevant. However, there are no perfect questions. More import

All of us have bad habits that we know we shouldn’t be doing but we do them anyway. Or, more accurately, we have a list of things we should be doing but we aren’t doing them! You know the ones I’m talking about – regular visits to the gym, a healthy diet, dealing with an awkward customer or staff member, spending quality time with the family. Whatever the reason, we often stand in our own way of living a truly amazing and rewarding life. Here’s an effective way to change bad habits into successful habits that will have a powerful impact on your life for the better!

© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.comnnIt still amazes me. When I write copy for a company, I always ask about their target audience. I have to know who I’m writing to in order to create a message that will bring a response. But about half the time, the client is absolutely stumped about who their target audience is and what they want. nnAt the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again: “You have to know your target audience before you can advertise ef

Have you ever been to a networking event and asked someone, much to your regret what they do, and half an hour later you are still standing there nodding your head feigning interest and wondering why you even bothered getting out of bed?nnIt has happened to us all…but the trick is not to be one of those offenders ourselves. Not only will you switch off those people you talk to but you will get zero chance of business as a result. nnSo what is an elevator pitch and what

Anyone who has had children in daycare during the past 15 years has heard the term ‘listening ears.’ Children are asked to put theirs on all the time. Interestingly, we forget that rule as adults. What ears do you listen with? To your co-workers, clients, prospects, family, friends? When it ...

Jill Whalen © 2005nnhttp://www.highrankings.com/copywritingcourse nI've spent the past couple of weeks reading Karon Thackston's copywriting course, and boy-oh-boy is it a winner! Karon spent five long months putting down on virtual paper everything that she's learned in her 20+ years as a veteran copywriter. In fact, she told me that the hardest part was consciously making note of what comes naturally to her when she writes. I understand that perfectly, as that's the same t

Gain a clear understanding of what has the ability to or what does make you vulnerable in your profession and then protect yourself against it. For example. an individual who is just getting started into real estate sales who has financial challenges (a short supply or exhausted reserve funds) ...

"The first law of success is concentration - to bend all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right or to the left." –William MathewsnnThe more thought you invest in planning and setting priorities before you begin, the more important things you will do and the faster you will get them done once you get started.nnThe more important and valuable the task is to you, the more you will be motivated to overcome procrastination and l

Time management systems are all over the place these days… and with good reason. If you can maximize your time and focus on the right areas, you’ll hit your goals faster and have more time for your personal life. Since the late 1990’s, I’ve read a shelf full of books on time management, listened to dozens of hours of time management audio learning, and read multiple articles on the subject. I’ve used a variety of time management systems including Franklin-Covey and David Allen’s “Getting Things Done.” I’ve used PC software like Microsoft Outlook, Smartphones, and paper-based planners.

Nowadays, customers get the majority of their product and application data from the Internet. This means that selling has become more difficult for sales professionals, who now have to add value to the business of every customer and work with the selling firm to attain shared objectives. Toss into the mix the requirement to measure customer approach, design tailored solutions and develop synergistic relationships. This takes a particular type of business acumen. Also, over th

Many of us truly don't like cold calling. It’s one of the most dreaded of all sales process, to cause the most denial. But you can find fantastic methods to think in a different way about cold calling. We are able to take away the unfavorable experience that’s typical for both caller and receiver by transforming our way of thinking. If we start to think otherwise, we find that cold calling has stopped being the fear-laden experience we’ve come to expect. Simply by using

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 ...

It seems that anywhere I turn there is a conversation, blog, discussion or new book on Relationship Selling. You may also be seeing and hearing the banter. I have no problem with the idea of "Relationship Selling", my only question is. "What is this relationship?" can it be described or is it just another catch phrase to sell product and talk smart. My belief is it can be defined, but many salespeople and managers may be avoiding the accountability that goes along with a clear definition.

Building great relationships with clients is a cornerstone of a successful career in sales. Achieving this means more than just a benefit for your customers in knowing that they can count on you for the very best in product knowledge and advice, plus after-sales support. You stand to gain as well when those satisfied customers tell their friends and colleagues about you. Referrals have a unique capability in that they have the potential to generate new clients for you without

Five great ways to send your sales skyrocketing in 2010 So far in this five-article series, I’ve focused on what you can do at the front-end of your sales cycle to help generate the great results that you’re looking for in your organization. This entails fine-tuning your prospecting and targeting skills and finding multiple ways to get the word out on the street about your work as a sales professional . Getting that component right is crucial. When you master all aspects

With both the public and commercial sectors facing an ongoing lack of confidence and cut-backs in spending budgets, and competition becoming more aggressive every day, sales people are operating in an environment that is more challenging than ever before. As a result of these exte al pressures, senior decision-making executives are making the sales process much more difficult and time-consuming for B2B sales professionals.

Okay, I’m going to do my best to tackle a very sensitive topic. That’s right, money! When I began my sales career, I earned substantially more tha I had been accustomed to as a service technician. It was very exciting to be earning more money tha I knew what to do with. Don’t dismay, I figured it out. I was cranked up about my good fortune and it made me more motivated to sell. Occasionally, when it came up in conversation, I would tell people that I was motivated by money. I soon discovered that this statement turned many people off and I was expressing myself incorrectly.

Have you ever thought, I'm losing it? Have you noticed that sometimes you feel like a genius and other times you can’t remember what you had for lunch? The brain is a powerful tool that controls our ability to think. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with an owner’s manual. With a few simple ...

Sales is a verb. Okay, now settle down. I know if you look in the dictionary it says that ‘sales’ is a noun. Stay with me here for just a minute. My point is that ‘sales’ is an activity. It isn’t something you do once the phone rings. It is something you have to actively participate in for your business to grow. There are many ways to market and prospect. Your job is to consider them all and then select a handful that you are going to implement. From cold calling to social media, from public speaking to networking, there are many avenues you can take.

The coming year should be very interesting. Economic forecasts hint that the quantity of job opportunities and scope for career progression is going to reach an all time low. Nevertheless an effective array of sales techniques are always going to be extremely valuable to employers and, although times are difficult, you're still going to be able to receive a high level of income so long as you get the job that is right for you! But what job is "right" and which sales techniques do you need to aready have or acquire?

E-mailing is now undoubtedly the main means of communication between businesses and business people. I would continue to advise salespeople to always try to speak directly to prospects where possible. There are times however that e-mailing is the only available option, so the ability to craft ...

Trust in the workplace is fragile. Companies and their leaders have added to the inherent suspicion people carry for their bosses by using the terms trust, teamwork, and transparency as buzz words. They hire consultants, hold special meetings, or do team-building and trust-building exercises. Then everyone goes right back to what they were doing before the feel-good exercise, nothing changes, and skepticism and distrust prevail. What is missing in these often empty exercises is that trust is personal. It is emotional. It is earned. It is a foundation that is built—one brick at a time.

In the in-home services industry I’ve found quite a few contractors that don’t do the basics when it comes to sales. Here are some tips when selling to homeowners: Ask the right questions When ever possible (especially on the smaller jobs) give the estimate while you are in the home for the ...

Your marketing could be pulling in clients and profits like a magnet. Think about how many people could benefit from your products and services. Even if only a fraction of them bought from you, you'd be amazingly successful. It doesn't matter if the economy is headed up or down, there are plenty of people looking to spend money to solve their problems and meet their needs. People are happy to spend money on things they want, whether it's a five thousand dollar painting, five

When you are setting goals, there are a lot of factors to keep in mind that are danger spots and pitfalls of goal setting. As part of the “don’t do this as a sales manager” this is one of the important parts to helping you and your sales people set goals, and to make sure that you keep a very tight leash on those goals. Have control over those goals, and oversee the actions that are being taken to achieve those goals is very important. Among psychologists, the link betw

As President of the Sales Professionals of Ottawa, I was lucky enough to moderate a panel discussion entitled “How To Hunt In Today’s Jungle”. Each panelist discussed the “how to’s” of lead generation in their field of expertise; telesales, social media, internet research, and print advertising. The discussion was lively, yet in the end, the consensus was clear. To generate leads, a diversified prospecting approach is what works best!

Many sales representatives absolutely dread their monthly sales forecasting meetings with their sales manager. Why? Often, it is because they really don’t know what is the next step to close the sale. More importantly, they also don’t know when that step is going to happen. As such, their forecasting accuracy is less than desired, and that makes for some unpleasant meetings! To eliminate this, as sales professionals, we have to do a better job of controlling the time frame of each potential sale.

Have you ever heard of the emotional bank account? Yes, it’s discussed in the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. Essentially what Stephen Covey demonstrates is that you must make deposits into your personal and professional relationships before you can start making ...

In your sales presentations, you will reach a pivotal point which could take your buyer either closer to or further away from agreement with your proposition. Many sales professionals loose their buyers at just this point. Instead of becoming more persuasive, more influential and bringing their ...

One of the key departments in a company is the sales department. This is that part of the organization, which is responsible not only for the generation of the business but is also indirectly involved in branding of the company as well as the profits. Hence, hiring sales people is an imperative task by nature. This has to be done very carefully. This is because these guys will be out to perform once they have completed their sales training. It is a sort of sophisticated train

© 2002nhttp://www.ktamarketing.comnnAlmost everyone on the ‘Net is familiar with ezine article promotion. However, Business Essentials subscriber Steve Watson (of Watson’s Streetworks http://www.watsons-streetworks.com) has found a way to get some “free ink” in national paper magazines, too. No… not press releases – full-length articles.nnKARON: Hi Steve. Thanks for your time today.nnSTEVE: Sure, Karon. Glad to do it.nnKARON: If I understand you right, you’re g

Here I will be looking at how to effectively rapport build with a new prospect. I will also be looking at some traditional rapport building techniques and why they might in fact be damaging your overall sales approach. I am not going to be dealing with body language and subconcious ...

People learn faster and better in training sessions that are motivational. We would like to cover some skills that trainers can use to make their classroom sessions more motivational. We will look at the principal sources of training related-motivation. We will also review specific techniques in the classroom that will enhance the motivation of participants both in the classroom and back on the job. We need to ask the question, what causes participants to be motivated to learn new skills during training, and to use those skills after training?

How to Select a Skilled Facilitator So, you are attending more and more networking meetings and they seem to be loosely run or generally disjointed. n Or, you find in your own business, team meetings seem to get out of hand. Does everyone talk at once? Is everyone out of sync with each other? ...

In life there are skills that would be advantageous to have, skills that you should have and skills that you will never achieve greatness without. The ability to communicate effectively isn’t something you can rely on others to do for you in a leadership role. It isn’t a task that you can ...

• For a company, who matters the most the customers or the consumers? Can you illustrate, drawing from your research and consulting insights, this distinction? In a way we are all consumers. We all consume goods, merchandise, and food and on an energetic level we even consume energy from others. We love to be around people who lift us up and make us feel great, and we do not like to be around people who are unhappy I sometimes refer to these kind of people as energy suckers. And as far as customers go we are also all customers.

Use these sales presentation tips to get your prospect emotionally involved in your product or service and you'll boost your sales. Sales Presentation Tip #1 - Practice and Customize Your Presentatio Take time to practice your presentation many times before using it in a real live sales ...

Our country was and continues to be built because of those special people who are willing to take a risk. Many present day success stories are based on people who traveled here, arriving with nothing more than a dream in their heart and little or no financial resources to their name. Risk is ...