Steve Marx, on July 20, 2023
If you depend on email to grab a prospect’s attention and nail down that elusive first appointment, you should spend as much time honing the subject line of that email as you spend fine-tuning the entire body of the message.
Your competition is doing exactly that. Make no mistake: The big-time emailers out there may not be trying to make an appointment to sit down with your prospect but in the email inbox.
John Henley, on June 29, 2023
Salespeople often slow down a sale or lose it altogether because they are not willing to create tension. I am not talking about relationship tension. I am talking about task tension.
You want to get to task tension as quickly as you can. This is what sales acceleration is all about. However, smart salespeople know you need to create a foundation of relationships—essentially reducing relationship tension so you can create task tension. You can’t rush to task tension until you remove relationship tension. You remove relationship tension by helping the prospect see that you are someone who can be trusted and could bring value.
Sandra Sepaniak, on December 13, 2022
With the holidays looming ahead and the new year not far behind, there’s no better time to start looking for gifts for your sales team that will show they’re appreciated.
However, when considering gifts for your salespeople, some level of personalization can go a long way. Ditch the printed pens that are half broken and lanyards that can’t hold anything heavier than a single house key. Instead, consider these top gifts for salespeople that go the extra mile in showing you’re thinking about them.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on December 5, 2022
Considering that Millennials make up the largest percentage of the workforce, it's likely you will be hiring one. If not now, in the near future.
Understanding what makes a Millennial happy in the workplace gives you clues about the best way to recruit one.
Matt Sunshine, on November 8, 2022
Your best customers are your competitors’ best prospects. At The Center for Sales Strategy, we have long said that it’s much easier to fill the bucket if it’s not leaking from the bottom. Many companies have an incredibly large need to go out and get new business every month—mainly because they're losing 33% or more of their current business.
It's true, and while new business is certainly one of the solutions for curing the problem of not retaining existing business, it’s really only a bandage. The problem of account attrition needs to be addressed and quickly solved.
Churning through clients quickly and not getting any sort of renewal will fatigue your sales team. Over time, they will lose confidence in what they are selling. Just imagine the revenue growth you'll experience without attrition and keeping the same amount of new business coming in.
Trey Morris, on August 11, 2022
I wanted to title this blog "Top performers WANT to be measured, but poor or average performers NEED to be measured," but I was told that isn't a very strong title for click-throughs.
Nevertheless, I will continue with this blog despite my disappointment.
As you know, your best salespeople want to be better!
Greg Giersch, on August 1, 2022
If you’re in sales, you spend a lot of your time asking other people to buy what you sell. What about the last time you purchased something? Coffee on the way to work, an app on your phone, or maybe a new home appliance?
Why did you buy it now, instead of later? I find my tipping point is often based on my experience during the purchase process.
Deborah Fulghum, on July 27, 2022
As a sales manager, your time is valuable, and managing your sales team tops the list of priorities. How much time and with whom you spend your time is critical to achieving sales goals.
But where to start? Most of us spend time with those we think need the most attention, those not meeting goals. Our instincts are to “fix” people. But take a minute to consider if this is a good use of your time.
What if you spent time with your top performers instead? Focusing on people development is a key to employee engagement and retention, which leads to bottom-line growth.
Matt Sunshine, on June 16, 2022
You found someone's email address online. Someone you've been looking to get in touch with for a long time. Now, it's up to you to write an email that'll get opened.
A cold email can be effective depending on your target audience's communication preferences. Follow these four approaches and you'll increase your chances for success — and your open rate.
Elissa Nauful, on May 12, 2022
Creating an environment of trust and becoming a trusted advisor is one of the most important roles of a successful sales professional.
That requires a shift from focusing on selling your product or solution to understanding and meeting the needs of the prospect or client in the now, near, and far.
