The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Email continues to be a very effective way to engage with prospects and clients. However, consider these facts (Source).

• In 2022 there were over 330 billion emails sent and received per day.
• That number is expected to be almost 350 billion per day in 2023
• The average person sends and receives 121 business-related emails per day. Remember, that’s an average. That amount can easily be doubled for an executive-level decision-maker.
• Just because an email is sent doesn’t mean it’s opened and read. The average open rate for businesses across all industries is just 18%.

Most salespeople prepare very carefully for every client interaction. Your preparation will dictate whether you are granted face time for that first appointment (and subsequent appointments), and it will dictate how much information you are allowed to gather in a needs analysis meeting.

But the nature of sales often leads us to focus on our own objectives when preparing; we want the appointment, or we want to learn about a specific objective a client might have that we know can translate into a selling opportunity.

If your customer-focused approach is sincere, there is one question—a simple question that can be asked in a multitude of ways—that can help you gain even greater respect and revenue from this customer.

In sales, you need to understand the difference between an objection and an objective. Here are the four most common customer objections that a salesperson will encounter.

• Price
• Need
• Trust
• Time

If a salesperson is being bombarded by these four questions throughout their initial meeting, then they most likely have more work to do.

Simply put, the salesperson needs to spend more time preparing for the meeting, researching the client, and developing insightful questions to build trust and confidence with the buyer. Objections are easy to overcome if you've done your homework prior to your customer needs analysis meeting.

The digital revolution has changed how businesses operate, and the sales industry is no exception. In order to stay ahead of the competition, companies must deploy the latest sales tech stack to maximize their opportunities.

A comprehensive guide to leveraging sales tech stack can help companies identify the most suitable technology for their business and unlock bigger opportunities. It is essential to understand which technology can best support sales activities, automate mundane tasks, and provide valuable insights.

Here's an overview of the types of sales tech stack, the benefits they offer, and how to implement them in your business. With this  guide, you will be able to strategically maximize your sales opportunities and drive long-term success.

Across all industries, sales managers and account executives spend thousands of hours each year crafting collateral that will support them while they engage with their prospects. If they're particularly astute, they might even try personalizing some of the figures and facts they use to demonstrate why their services are the best options these prospects can choose.

However, just as often, this sales collateral ends up in the prospect's recycling bin. Sometimes, it happens as soon as the salesperson leaves the building.

What could be more complicated than dating?

Just look at the ever-growing array of dating apps and social media stories, not to mention the adventures recounted by our single friends, family members, and colleagues, if you need any confirmation. The search for “the one” is a journey that countless people have experienced -- and many with less success than others.

Sales can feel like a similar process to dating. At The Center for Sales Strategy, we've often drawn parallels between the two. As you are out there making connections and building lasting business relationships, here are a few pitfalls we have learned to avoid.

In the world of sales, a prospect being unqualified or a salesperson being unqualified can be uniquely connected. Whether you're a veteran salesperson or new to the field of sales, we often miss the signs of why we were unable to connect and close a potential client.

This article breaks down five key steps to recognize an unqualified prospect and an unqualified salesperson.

This season on Improving Sales Performance, we’re analyzing the findings from our latest Media Sales Report. With data collected from surveys conducted in Q4 of last year, the responses from sales managers and salespeople alike will help us chart a solid path forward through the media sales landscape.     

In each episode, Matt will be joined by a rolling roster of outstanding experts from our team at The Center for Sales Strategy.   
 
Here, Matt is breaking down the Sales Process section of the Media Sales Report with VP/Senior Consultant, Alina McComas and Senior Consultant, Michael Mayer. 
 
Both Alina and Michael have such awesome takeaways on some top questions that arise from the report, like: 

• Why do you think appointments are becoming harder and harder to secure? 
• With 41% of salespeople telling us that finding qualified leads is only getting harder as well, what do you think is causing this? 
• What would you say to sales managers that are having a tough time with CRM adoption amongst their team?

Click here to listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform or keep reading as we break down the conversation from this episode. 

I'm a planner. Whether it's a project, a vacation, or my daily routine, I LOVE putting together plans that will help me execute the operation perfectly.

As a family, we love going to Disney World. We visit the most magical place on Earth about once a year, and every time, I spend hours researching where we will stay, what parks to visit on which day, and which fabulous restaurants to dine at. I create spreadsheets, calendars, and even touring plans for our day at each park.

I'm also a process enthusiast. I know the value of having a well-thought-out plan and process in place; a solid plan helps ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. This is especially true when it comes to sales.

Buyer-first mentality is simply defined as it’s a buyer’s world, and sellers are just living in it.

In the past, traditional sellers could easily come in and build a case because they were a superstar, had great product knowledge, and were able to support the buyer’s organization. In essence, they were selling what they could accomplish for the client without ever knowing anything about them.

Technically, those days are over now. Buyers expect you to know more about what their company is all about, what they do, and potentially what they’re trying to accomplish.