The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first text message. Sent on December 3, 1992, the first text went from a PC to a mobile device over Vodafone's U.K. network and read, "Merry Christmas."

Most managers agree that it is a true pleasure to manage salespeople who have strong Discipline because they don’t need to babysit them, check up on them, or clean up their messes.  A seller with this innate talent is buttoned-up and organized — and best of all, they have a system for everything which means they tend to have terrific follow-thru.  They also manage their time well, so they are never late and they are able to fill their free moments with productive work to ensure that everything gets done.  

In their trend forecast for 2013, Trendwatching.com shares an observation called “Mobile Moments.”  The idea is that people are now making use of every available moment, since they can hold their news sources, entertainment, telephone and social network in the palm of their hand.   

Is your telephone approach to new prospects sounding a little “ordinary” these days? The purpose of your call may be to “find out more about the prospect's current needs,” but the prospect has heard it all before. 

The guiding principle of Inbound Marketing is that by producing quality content you can attract and educate prospective clients about your service offerings, and generate qualified leads.  While most inbound marketing efforts focus solely on written blogs, many content marketers are turning to alternative means of publishing including video and audio podcasts.

One of the reasons why podcasting has become so popular with content marketers is that it’s easier than ever to create and distribute podcasts, and reach a large number of listeners.  Utilizing show notes or recaps from the podcasts, content marketers can also benefit from the effect that these show notes can have on search engine results.

We’ve all had the experience of showing up for a meeting to learn the prospect (or client) is not there.  It’s easy to take this kind of a no-show as an insult… and assume the other party simply has no respect for your time.

Handling an Account List is much like running a small business whose performance is the result of the owner’s initiative, resourcefulness and choices.  As a business person it is important to identify which opportunities are subject to your influence…and then determine what actions to take to ensure that your influence will have effect.

A study of 21 million email messages sent in 2012 found that email opens and click-throughs have two “primetimes” per day—the first between 8 and 9 a.m., and the second between 3 and 4 p.m.

Okay, so you're sitting down face-to-face with your prospect and you are ready to begin what you hope will be a productive conversation about their specific needs and challenges.

What buyers fear most...  It is a difficult objection to express, because the buyer doesn’t even know what it is they’re afraid of.  

The first in an 8-part talent development series!

My question for you:  Is your message important enough and smart enough to sit among the many other priorities on this person’s smartphone?  

If you want to be more successful in your prospecting efforts, you may first need to make a paradigm shift—rather than searching for new clients, focus on a client you already have, and then search for that customer’s true needs. 

Each week as I settle in to watch my favorite vocalists compete on "The Voice," I am amazed at the transformations I’m witnessing. Just weeks ago, during the blind auditions, the contestants were a voice among many with raw potential, now they are emerging pop stars. Each week their great voices are more polished—and accompanied by great looks and emerging brands that lure us to cast our votes and purchase their music.

There’s a hotel that I return to every time I visit Portland, Oregon because each time I go, I’m delighted.

The best salespeople understand the value of relationships in these four areas:

Last weekend, our family was sitting around the living room, talking… and in the background, The Wizard of Oz happened to be playing on TV. We happened to turn it on just after Dorothy’s house-turned-aircraft made a crash landing on the Wicked Witch of the West. The munchkins, of course, broke out in a celebratory dance and song. We should sing that song, too.  TODAY.