Jeff Roth, on August 29, 2012
Do 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?
Jim Thompson, on August 28, 2012
Most 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.
John Henley, on August 27, 2012
It'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.
Elisa Hillman, on August 22, 2012
Last week, a sales manager told me, “I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I get really close with my salespeople."
Guest Contributor, on August 21, 2012
Crickets. 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.
Mike Anderson, on August 20, 2012
Every 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.
Kim Peek, on August 17, 2012
We'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:
John Henley, on August 14, 2012
Too 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.
Steve Marx, on July 30, 2012
Every fourth summer, a great many of us spend much more time watching TV than we did the previous three summers. It’s the Olympics, of course, and our eyes are drawn to the tube by the incredible athletic talent on display. But do we realize just how important, how determinative, that talent is?
Elisa Hillman, on July 26, 2012
Serving up the ideal sales person for your team to increase sales performance is much like creating the ultimate masterpiece in the kitchen. Like a culinary chef, you must know the significance of each ingredient you are using, meticulously measure each one, and mix them together perfectly to prepare dishes that meet everyone’s needs. If one significant ingredient is missing, it can destroy the entire meal and leave everyone wanting more. Hiring sales people and coaching them is much like preparing your favorite dish.
