The Sales Association

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

If the key to selling is asking the right questions, and plenty of them, then the key to being a better question-asker is to make it more conversational. A very simple method for turning what could easily be seen as an interrogation into a conversation is using what I call "softeners." Nobody likes to be interrogated. at 11:00 AM.

Face-to-face 39

Face-to-face Health Care Twitter ACT 39

The Sales Association

NOVEMBER 9, 2011

You can call it cold calling, warm calling, or quasi-cold calling, but in the end, it is up to you to have the skill, ability, and savvy to take the first conversation and use it to advance the sales cycle—while your VP stands on his soapbox and or on a Webinar proclaiming cold calling is dead. Lead into the conversation like a pro.

Cold Calling 34

Cold Calling Top of Funnel Face-to-face Call-back 34

The Sales Association

MARCH 7, 2011

Common Pitfall And along those lines, there is one oh-so-common pitfall to avoid, which is beginning these conversations with an introduction that is all about us! Heres a simple exercise that can help us avoid this mistake.

Outbound 22

Outbound Trade Show Twitter Cold Calling 22

The Sales Association

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

Salespeople – We will follow you on your journey, we will treat you as trusted advisors because you converse with us, you humanise the process, you speak WITH us not broadcast TO us. I like to hear new words that are flavoured with growth and contribution, certainty and consideration, persuasive not prescriptive.

Pharmaceuticals 32

Pharmaceuticals Meeting Customer GoldMine 32

The Sales Association

MARCH 1, 2011

Questions should be strategically woven into the conversation to produce the desired result. The questions you ask should be the result of pre-call analysis that reveals what you know and what you need to find out. Asking the right questions is key to getting to that point. The customer will see the “What’s In It For Me?”

Consultative Selling 47

Consultative Selling Trade Show Up-Sell Meeting 47

The Sales Association

FEBRUARY 25, 2011

They converse with their growing online network as easily as if they were bumping into friends at the local diner. As more of our B2B colleagues jump into the social media pool, we quickly begin to see who is making a splash, while others tread water or stay on dry land.

Social Media 22

Social Media Media B2B Twitter 22