March, 2019

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Best Time To Prospect?

The Pipeline

By Tibor Shanto. With regularity, most active sales trainers and I get the following question: “When is the best time to prospect?”. First, wanting to stay real and all, what they are really looking for is either a reason not to prospect or absolution from having not prospected for a while for all the wrong and usual reasons. Either one leads to the same corner of no prospecting and any cross street in sales.

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The Future of B2B Sales

Sales and Marketing Management

Author: Brad Soper, Andree Radloff and Mark-Daniel Rentschler What will sales divisions look like in the future? With increased competition, the rapidly expanding role of technology in the sales process, and factors such as digitalization impacting every step of the process, we expect things will be significantly different from the way they are today.

B2B 254
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What You Can Do About the Glass Ceiling

No More Cold Calling

Here’s why women are good for the bottom line. When I published “ The Glass Ceiling Hasn’t Shattered Just Yet ” in February 2015, the post sparked more than 80 comments. Many said the same bias exists for immigrants, even those who are extremely qualified and speak English fluently. Several men responded that they wanted to see a different world for their daughters.

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Developing strategic referral alliances. WOW!

Jeffrey Gitomer

Are you willing to refer your clients or customers to someone else? Is someone else willing to refer their clients or customers to you? Yes, if there is mutual trust. Here are the prerequisites: You consider yourself the best at what you do. You do a memorable job in making the sale. You do a perfect job of delivering what you promised. You provide impeccable service after the sale.

Referrals 289
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Brick & Mortar Retail Relevance: How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Speaker: Jay Black, Senior Account Executive

Let's set the record straight: in-store retail isn't dead - it's evolving! Faced with the digital age and the demands of omnichannel shopping, some retailers are thriving while others are struggling to adapt. Join Jay Black in this exclusive session as he explores the strategies that set successful stores apart, including: Crafting unique and unforgettable in-store experiences 🛍️ Mastering the art of retail demands 🛒 Navigating inventory challenges in today's climate 📦 an

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Why Coaching Causes Some Sales Managers to Hold On for Dear Life

Understanding the Sales Force

Over the past few months I've been coaching 30 sales leaders from 3 companies and while most are trying their hardest to do everything I recommend, apply everything they learn, and coach as instructed, there are enough that don't follow through and fail to move the needle for their teams. A few don't want to be coached. A few don't think they need to be coached.

Coaching 268

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Look At Objections From A Different Direction

The Pipeline

By Tibor Shanto. I hate objections, and I bet you don’t wake up looking to be rejected first thing in the morning, and then have to work the rest of the day. However, like working out, those of us willing to get up at 5:00 AM to get ahead of the day, we work through the routine adding sets, increasing pounds, and more. As with most things in prospecting and sales is the same, to develop a routine you can and willingly implement.

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6 Foundations for Successful Sales

Sales and Marketing Management

Author: John Harris About five years ago, we established a relationship with Larry Williams, one of the principals in the Williams Leslie Group, to help EnerBank improve sales performance. As a result of ongoing Leveraging Sales Leadership training, we made an important shift in our sales management approach. . . No matter the industry, the traditional title of the person in charge of sales is the sales manager.

Lead Rank 303
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What Saleswomen Do Really, Really Well

No More Cold Calling

Women in sales have a natural advantage. When you think about salespeople, you probably picture men. History and Hollywood have made sure of that. Yet, many saleswomen outperform their male colleagues, and many men have admitted that to me when the other guys were out of earshot. Women in sales understand that relationships are built on trust, and we have the savvy and patience to foster strong personal and business relationships.

Referrals 312
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Approach a Referral Right and Reap.

Jeffrey Gitomer

The most coveted prize in selling besides a sale is a referral. How do you approach this person? Everyone tells you to get referrals, no one tells you what to do next. How do you maximize the selling power of this referral? Here are 8.5 rules to ensure your success: Approach with care, be prepared, don't move too quickly. Timing is everything. Don't appear to be too anxious to get the sale (money).

Referrals 284
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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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Are Salespeople Still Using the Hard Sell?

Understanding the Sales Force

When you hear a phrase like the hard sell , do you instantly think of car salespeople? Insurance? Replacement windows? No offense intended to those of you in one of those three industries! While someone's reference to a hard sell may differ, the perception of the hard sell is fairly universal. After prospects state an objection, say they're not interested, or tell the salesperson, "No," prospects tend to raise their resistance.

Insurance 263
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How to Be a Memorable Salesperson Part 9: Follow Through

Connect2Sell

The opposite of memorable is forgettable. Unremarkable. Average. You are none of those things. So why act like it? Why act like every other seller out there, blending in to a sea of sameness? The work of selling is a lot more fun when you do the things that make you a standout. When you take risks, encourage your buyers, collaborate to co-create something unique, and personalize your approach.

ACT 244
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Don’t Sell Yourself Short

The Pipeline

By Tibor Shanto. I think it was in Skip Miller’s book that I read that a manager should know how his year will end by the Q1. Not taking anything away from that great insight and practice in terms of creating and driving strategy for your teams, one key factor has changed, which may you be the judge, change time horizons for front line reps, and by extension, their managers, and all the calculations this impacts.

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The Hidden Talent in Your Ranks

Sales and Marketing Management

Author: Conner Burt The current labor market remains among the tightest in modern history. As such, many companies today are beginning to look with renewed interest at their most readily accessible talent pool when filling open roles: their own employees. Rather than battling for new hires in an uber-competitive job market, smart companies are moving to train and promote from within.

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1st, 2nd, and 3rd Party Intent Data: Which Is Right for You?

How do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party intent data compare? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party data each have specific advantages and disadvantages. It comes down to four factors: accuracy, cost, control and quantity. This infographic explains the pros and cons of each and helps you understand which one is best for meeting your business objectives. Intent data can be a great way to fill your pipeline and close more deals.

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The True Gift and Grit of Working Grandmothers

No More Cold Calling

Grandmothers have always worked … but not always outside the home. It was 2007. At a luncheon hosted by a major magazine, a panel of four women discussed their careers and what inspired them. The oldest was 53 years old, a business owner with two children at home. The youngest was 20 years old, working in a family business. The other two were in their 40s and worked for large corporations.

Travel 278
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The Home Court advantage. Are you using it to make sales?

Jeffrey Gitomer

The average professional sports team wins more than 75% of the games they play on their home court. That's a pretty high winning percentage. If you knew you could win 75% of the prospects you pitched, you'd do it, wouldn't you? YOU CAN! Sales games are no different than sports games. You win more sales when you sell them at home. How many of your prospects, who you want to become customers, get an invitation to play the championship game (the sale) at your ball park?

Sports 250
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The Problem With Assumptions

The Sales Hunter

Do not assume anything! This is easy to say, but sometimes tough to do in the moment. It can seem painless to make an assumption from reading someone’s email, but the real question is what is your assumption, and is it correct? That is where the problem lies. Anyone working with wood has been told this valuable phrase: measure twice, cut once.

Travel 251
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Dave Kurlan's 10 Rules for Effective Sales Emails That Connect With New Prospects

Understanding the Sales Force

They aren't personal, they aren't written well, their messages are identical, you want to delete them and I know you get these emails too. I had already decided to save some of these worthless emails for an upcoming article when Keenan posted this rant on LinkedIn. After you read his rant and related comments, please return to my article for a short tutorial on what's wrong with these emails and how to make them stickier.

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Salesforce’s 8th State of Marketing Report

Discover today’s biggest marketing trends in the 8th edition of Salesforce’s “State of Marketing” report. Salesforce surveyed 6,000 marketing leaders worldwide to discover how marketers are: Embracing AI to operate more efficiently Removing silos and leveraging AI to enhance the customer experience Innovating to meet evolving customer needs Preparing for the retirement of third-party cookies By submitting this form, you agree to have your contact information, including email, passed on to the sp

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Focus Your Prospecting Purpose

The Pipeline

By Tibor Shanto. How you think about your pipeline, will drive your approach to ensure it leads to your objectives, which by extension should dictate your actions. Strategy-Planning-Execution. Simple, yet elusive at the same time, most people are good at planning, yet fall short on execution. One major hurdle many face, is the often lack of clear purpose brought to the call or e-mail by the prospector.

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4 Steps for Getting More Out of CRM Data

Sales and Marketing Management

Author: Tessa Burg In a perfect world, your sales team and your marketing team work side by side to find and close customers. In the real world, however, less than half of companies believe their sales and marketing teams are in any sort of alignment at all. Traditionally, each department has experienced success in the past working in a siloed fashion.

CRM 289
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Why Women in Sales Don’t Want to Work for You

No More Cold Calling

In honor of International Women’s Day, how can your sales team attract more female rainmakers? It was 1936. My mom graduated with a degree in finance from Syracuse University, but she couldn’t get a job at a bank. They didn’t hire women, not even as tellers. That was 16 years after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted suffrage for women.

Hiring 247
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Ray Leone eats dessert first. So should you!

Jeffrey Gitomer

"Don't start your presentation until the customer agrees to buy," says Ray Leone. WOW. That's power if you can pull it off. "The sale is made before the presentation begins if you ask the right questions to qualify and interest the buyer to a point of commitment," he says. Ray Leone uses strategies that gets the customer to commit to buy before the actual presentation starts.

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Gone in 8 Seconds: Overcoming Buyers’ Shrinking Attention Spans

Speaker: Jake Miller, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Allego

Buyers are savvier, buying teams are larger, and new research shows that buyers' attention spans have dropped to just 8 seconds. This means that the old approach of blasting buyers with email-heavy, generic communications no longer works. Instead, buyers need to be surrounded with relevant communications and personalized, self-service content throughout their journey.

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What are customer service skills?

MTD Sales Training

When you hear the term ‘customer service’, what connotations spring up? Maybe it’s that annoying assistant who won’t leave you alone in a shop? Or that company who never stops cold-calling you? Or maybe it’s that waiter whose splendid attention to your every need makes your normal restaurant visit that bit more special? Whatever you think customer service is, it often needs to be revisited in order to be kept front-of-mind.

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One Question Provides Salespeople with Instant Feedback on How Well They Differentiated

Understanding the Sales Force

Most salespeople do not know the difference between their prospects' decision-making process compared with their decision-making criteria. What's worse is that even more salespeople don't even bother asking about it. According to data from Objective Management Group (OMG) who has evaluated/assessed 1,841,209 salespeople, only 27% of all salespeople are strong qualifiers so it's likely that the majority are not asking.

Groups 223
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Why Don’t You Ask That Question?

The Pipeline

By Tibor Shanto. “What-ifs, Maybes And Might-have-beens” is no tag line for your pipeline, (probably why Gerald never looked at sales as a vocational option). However, it does describe many conversations I have with people up and down the food chain. Regrets about doing things, not doing things, left wondering. Questions are a specific example; salespeople will say “I should have asked,” or worse, “I wanted to ask, but”; that last one breaks my heart, every time.

Travel 229
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3 Ways Technology Can Streamline Your Sales Performance Management Strategy

Sales and Marketing Management

Author: Mike DeLeonardis, President, North America at beqom Seventy-nine percent of companies say that increasing sales productivity is a strategy they’re using to reach growth targets in 2019, but actually meeting this goal may be a challenge as only 35 percent of average-performing sales reps’ time actually goes to selling. These average-performing reps spend nearly five weeks a year, or 10 percent of their time, checking their commission reports, trying to understand them.

Strategy 223
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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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Unconscious Bias Goes Double for Boomer Saleswomen (March Referral Selling Insights)

No More Cold Calling

Does age really matter in sales? “Explain it so your grandmother would understand.”. That’s exactly what the CMO of a tech company said about how to explain your mission statement. I was listening to his podcast at 7:00 on a Monday morning, and I was ready to kick butt. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard the grandmother reference. I’ve heard it for mothers, as well, but never for fathers or grandfathers.

Referrals 240
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I was in the neighborhood and thought.

Jeffrey Gitomer

The "Drop–in" visit. You go to a valued customer without an appointment and say, "I was just around the corner and thought I'd stop by.". Do you do it? Can you successfully pull it off? Will the customer be willing to see you? Or will he be "tied–up, busy or in a meeting?". Suppose there was a way to call on any prospect or customer and have them welcome you in, be glad to see you, and give you a chance to build the relationship.

Lead Rank 229
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15 Indispensable Company Research Tools for B2B Sales Reps

Zoominfo

In the world of B2B sales, company research is a critical aspect of any successful rep’s daily duties. In fact, access to the right research tools and information can make or break your ability to identify target accounts, personalize a sales pitch, and ultimately, close deals. As a B2B sales rep, the more you know about a prospect and their company, the easier it is to sell to them.

Research 233