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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Demrie Henry

Demrie Henry

Demrie is the Director of Sales for Tax Law Solutions. She works with tax law attorneys and business strategists to help business owners dramatically and permanently reduce their income tax rate. She can be reached at: dhenry@taxlawsolutions.net

Recent Posts by Demrie Henry:

Get that First Appointment — Master Your Approach

first appointmentHave you ever felt like taking a “Wild Wild West” approach to securing your first appointment? Think about it… if only it were appropriate to ‘lasso’ your prospect, ‘tie him down’ and force him to stay engaged so that you may cordially introduce yourself, establish credibility and politely present your value proposition. Honestly, if you could just get his undivided attention for 5-minutes… you know he’ll like you, and you know he’ll be intrigued and perhaps even excited or anxious to learn more, right?

Personally, I have indeed toyed with the idea (more than once) of taking the Wild Wild West approach to securing that first appointment. Fortunately wisdom intervened, because I’m certain I would have been greatly misunderstood and most likely thrown in jail if I had decided to draw from my Texas ancestor’s tactics and put those thoughts into action! Needless to say, my understanding of acceptable social behavior and, well… modern law kept me from utilizing an Outlaw Josey Wales sales approach.

Topics: setting expectations Sales prospecting

Sales Prospecting Tips from A to Z

sales prospecting tipsProspecting for new business is vital to the sustainability and growth of almost every business,  especially in today’s economy. And, whether you’re selling a service, product, or idea, it’s important to balance new business development (or prospecting) initiatives with key account development and growth. Following are sales prospecting tips from A to Z to guide and encourage you as you work to secure that first appointment.

Topics: Sales prospecting

Are Your Prospects Dying of Boredom?

dying-of-boredomIf every time your prospect or customer felt like you were pushing your products, rather than focusing on his business, he transformed into a Hollywood film director and screamed, “Cut. Boring! You’re out of here!” He’d be doing you a favor. What happens more often is that the prospect is bored and finds a semi-polite reason to show you the door. He’s just polite enough that you don’t get the bigger message—that you were boring.

Topics: Sales sales process

Winning is Everything! How to Stay Motivated in a Long Sales Cycle

winning_is_everythingFor many high-performing salespeople, winning is everything! Coming out on top is always the goal and there are no points for second place. They are laser focused on the prize and the title. They keep score, they know where they stand, they feel the deep agony of defeat, and they know the incredible high that comes with each and every victory.

For this highly competitive kind of salesperson, winning is like drinking a Red Bull—it gives them a piercing jolt of energy that pumps their adrenaline and fuels their performance. To clarify, I should note that this focus on winning does not mean they have a “win at all costs” mentality. That is something entirely different. 

How do these highly competitive salespeople deal with a complex sales environment and those long sales cycles?

Closing a deal is a definitive win, but in many businesses there isn’t the opportunity to score like that every day, sometimes not even every week. So competitive salespeople find other ways to keep score, other ways to ensure they are consistently winning. Finding ways to measure and document little wins and incremental progress is critical to keep the competitive type of salesperson engaged and moving the sale forward. Bringing a prospect from just-a-lead to done-deal can be a very lengthy journey, requiring discipline, focus, integrity, responsiveness, expertise, commitment, collaboration, and consistent thoughtful engagement. Real-world factors beyond the salesperson’s control often lengthen the sales cycle; finding ways to stay motivated can spell the difference between success and failure.

Here are three areas in which highly competitive salespeople find ways to win during a long sales cycle:

1. They set specific goals for each and every interaction with their prospect.

Topics: Sales

Luck Happens when Preparation Meets Opportunity

Luck_Happens_when_Preparation_Meets_OpportunityAs the global celebration of St. Patrick’s Day approached, I started to think about how lucky we are as a society to be able to put aside our differences and come together in celebration for one day. It’s ironic that I first thought of the word lucky to describe this phenomenon, as the phrase luck of the Irish is so common, and even more so around St. Patrick’s Day.

Luck of the Irish?

Topics: Digital

Valentines Day Should Be Everyday!

Valentines_Day_Should_be_Everyday“Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you, I appreciate you, and I think you’re amazing in every way.  You had me at hello!”

Those are words we express–and really like to hear–from those we love each year on February 14th. But shouldn’t we express love and appreciation to people we care about everyday? And what about our customers? Shouldn’t our customers feel important everyday… rather than just certain days of the year?

Topics: sales strategy Sales

Would Peyton Manning Make a Great Salesperson?

Peyton_Manning_(cropped)Absolutely!  And here’s why. He’s a competitor; he has a deep desire to win and is not afraid to work hard. He has intense focus, he is smart, and he is dedicated and committed to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals and perform at his best. He understands the incredible value of his team and his teammates trust him. He has overcome many obstacles throughout his career and is now the NFL’s top product endorser, earning $12 million annually off the field from companies like Reebok, Buick, Wheaties, DirectTV, Gatorade and Papa John’s… which means he has also earned the trust and respect of millions of people across the globe.

Plan on a Happy Holiday Season!

Plan_on_a_Happy_Holiday_SeasonRegardless of race, religion or creed, people all over the world are celebrating during this holiday season. It’s a magical time of year for us all to reflect on what’s important to us, celebrate our beliefs, and join in festivities with our friends and family! 

In sales, this time of the year is also the season for forecasting, budgeting, annual planning, and closing out the year with a bang! Sales directors, managers and salespeople must plan and focus if they’re going to successfully finish out the year, develop their growth strategy for the following year, AND enjoy the holiday season.  

Topics: sales strategy Sales

Two Words Seldom Spoken That Your Clients Love to Hear!

Two-Words-Seldom-Spoken-That-Your-Clients-Love-to-HearFollowing is a letter of thanks that makes me feel good just reading it!

Thank you for trusting in me, and thank you for allowing me to get to know you and help you grow your business the past few years. I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with you; it’s obvious that your team feels the same way. You’re a great leader and while I know our partnership has played a part in your company’s growth, it’s because of your vision, your dedication and your ability to motivate and inspire your people that your company is thriving. 

While the competition in your industry has been fierce, you’ve succeeded in creating a culture that attracts high performing employees, one that promises to promote and support the continued growth of each individual person. Your turnover is remarkably low, and you’ve experienced record sales over the past two years. Those achievements were not reached by accident! I value your business and I value the friendship we’ve forged over the years. It’s because of circumstances like this, and people like you that I forget I’m “doing my job.” Working with you has never felt like a “job.” It’s a partnership that continues to motivate and inspire me. It’s why I get excited to get up each morning, and for that I’m truly grateful! Thank you!

As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s natural for us to reflect on what we’re thankful for. 

Topics: Sales

I Just Deleted Your Email... No, I Don't Want to Chat!

NO_Im_NOT_open_to_Chatting_DeleteThat was exactly what I thought and then did after reading an email I received from a salesperson trying to sell me something. In fact, just to add perspective… here is what the email said:

Demrie,

Just wanted to reconnect with you. The organization is experiencing very exciting growth and I would like to update you. Would you be open to chatting tomorrow?

When I opened this email I immediately thought about a conversation I recently had with a client about how his salespeople seem to ‘just check-in’ with their prospects. He told me they don’t call them with a valid business reason nor do they offer any real value… or in other words, a compelling reason for the prospect to believe that having a conversation with them would actually help their business. He said his salespeople tend to call prospects and say something like: “Hi, I just wanted to check in with you to see how things are going? Is there anything new going on that I can help you with?”

If you want your prospects to take time out of their schedule to meet with you or talk with you, you must make them believe you can add value to their business.  

Topics: Sales