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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

How is Being Hospitalized Like the Sales Process?

sales strategyAs it turns out, there are several similarities! After a recent 48 hour stint in the hospital, I had a number of observations on how the selling process is perceived from the prospect or customer's point of view.  

Topics: setting expectations sales strategy Sales

Setting Sales Appointments is a Process, Not an Event

sales appointmentDo you think it has become more difficult to set sales appointments in today’s business climate? How hard is it for you to reach decision-makers? How many sales calls does it take you to schedule one appointment? How much time and effort do you put into preparing for a sales call?  How persistent are you in following up on the sales call? 

Topics: Lead Generation Sales

Be Strategic! Use this Plan to Boost Your Sales Strategy

sales strategyMost sales departments are very tactical. Managers spend most of their time on the urgent, not important tasks. Their focus is on putting out fires, rather than fire prevention. My belief is a good sales manager should strive for a 50/50 balance.

Topics: sales strategy Sales

Why Do Some Prospects Resist So Much?

setting sales appointmentsIt's frustrating, isn't it! You know you can help, you know they are an ideal prospect and yet you can't even get a serious conversation started. What's going on? Salespeople are too consumed with trying to demonstrate the value of their product. It's ok to communicate some product attributes with a prospect, but the key to getting momentum is demonstrating that you can be trusted and could be a source of value.

Topics: sales strategy Sales

Coaching Salespeople: Should You be Their BOSS or Their FRIEND?

coaching salespeopleLast week, a sales manager told me, “I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I get really close with my salespeople."

Topics: developing strengths Sales

Four Easy Ways to Lose That Sale for Good

lose a saleCrickets. That’s what I heard when I direct dialed a bunch of sales reps to inquire about pricing, timing, delivery and credit. Here I was, flush with cash (to pay in advance of services, as the new corporation had no credit), and a very large percentage of sales reps from all industries were lax or never even bothered to call back. They literally left cash on the ground. I couldn’t believe it. I was a "call-in" with ready money.

Topics: customer satisfaction setting expectations Needs Analysis sales performance Sales

Behind Every Successful Appointment There Is: A Point

setting appointmentsEvery sales representative that calls on your prospect today (and there is likely to be lots of them) will say they want an appointment. While meeting with people like you (and your competitors) might be a big part of your prospect's job, it is probably not the only thing they do. As a result, many would-be salespeople will be turned away.

Topics: Needs Analysis Sales

We've Been Busy! Did You Hear About Our New...

sales successWe've been busy with summer vacations, back to school shopping, moving kids into dorms and posting adorable first day of school pictures of the munchkins on Facebook. We bet you've been busy too! That's why we wanted to send out a quick post to make sure you didn't miss some of this great content from The Center for Sales Strategy during this hectic time of year:

Topics: sales strategy Inbound Marketing Sales

Don't Be So Quick to Get an Answer

describe the imageToo often salespeople are looking for a fast answer and end up getting a NO. You don't want a fast answer, you want a fast YES. When you ask for the business too fast, you are often relying entirely on a product pitch.

Topics: Proposal sales strategy Sales