August, 2012

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Is it time to think in opposites?

Bernadette McClelland

'Is it time to think in opposites? Counterintuitive Selling. I have the privilege of working closely with a pretty cool guy by the name of Nils Vesk who is all about thinking differently. He’s into innovation and has written a great book “Ideas with Legs” which is well worth reading. One of his key messages is to ‘Be Counterintuitive’ So how can a sales person be innovative by being counterintuitive?

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Why You Should Quit

The Sales Heretic

Virtually every personal development “guru” and business “expert” extolls the value of persistence and perseverance. Quitting is considered the ultimate sin. Phooey. Quitting is valuable. Important. Even crucial to your success, both in sales and in life. If your sales, your career, your project, your relationship isn’t where you’d like it to be, your best course of action [.].

Course 327
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What To Do When The Prospect Tries To Bash Your Competition

MTD Sales Training

Often during a sales interaction, the sales person will attack and downgrade their competition. While this is never a good thing for many reasons, it is even worse when the prospect starts bashing your competition. Many sales people love it when the prospect starts to downgrade their rivals as the two “tag-team” the competition. The sales person believes that this will make the relationship between the sales person and the prospect stronger and increase the chances for making the sale.

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3 Things you Should Not Say on a Cold Call! – Part II

The Pipeline

Wednesday I posted the first in a series of 3 Things you Should Not Say on a Cold Call! , looking at avoiding the phrase “Just need…”. By the way, the word just should also be avoided when following through with a prospect, rather than saying “I am just following up”. Be proactive and leave out the JUST, get to the point, the thing that will move the sale forward. .

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Streamlining Salesforce for Maximum Impact: A People-Focused Pocket Guide

Step inside the world of Salesforce consulting, stripped of fluff and jargon. Our guide provides a detailed exploration of five key success criteria, complete with actionable steps for immediate implementation. Elevate your Salesforce investment with insights on goal setting, system design, core object utilization, user adoption, and crafting a system tailored to your needs.

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10 Sales Competencies of Steve Jobs

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan I read the Steve Jobs biography and although he was a very talented designer, innovator and inventor, it was clear to everyone who worked with him, and even to Jobs himself at the end of his life, that he was an a **e. A simply horrible human being. Despite his miserable people skills, he was on a mission to design products that would change the world.

Microsoft 292

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When the answers are in our questions

Bernadette McClelland

'When the answers are in our questions. “Why don’t you live with your Dad anymore?” my son Matthew asked a few years ago. ”Cos Mum and Dad fight too much” came the other little voice. Two nine year olds, whilst maneuvering their play station controllers, were having a simple conversation. Even though only nine, it brought home to me the innate ability most children have to get straight to the point and ask the most pointed questions – and get an equally direct

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'No' Can Be the Beginning of a Beautiful Customer Relationship

Sales and Marketing Management

Issue Date: 2012-08-12. Author: Kathy Maixner. Teaser: Turning down business is not easy, in strong economies as well as struggling ones, but it may be preferable to lose the sale than to start a new customer relationship by cutting into your own profit. Turning down business is not easy, in strong economies as well as struggling ones, but it may be preferable to lose the sale than to start a new customer relationship by cutting into your own profit.

Customer 269
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NO Sale? Thank You Very Much!

MTD Sales Training

For a quick break from the norm, here is another one of those witty water cooler stories I thought you might find amusing. As always, what follows is just a story I heard from a sales person, who will remain nameless. Also as before, I do not sanction, verify, agree, or approve of the follow scenario, nor am I suggesting that you do anything like this.

Follow-up 292
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Prospectors’ Guide To Objection Handling – Part IV – “No Time” – Sales eXchange 164

The Pipeline

One of the easiest ways to dismiss Interruptions and to get the most out of Conditioned Responses , is by telling the caller that you are busy. Prospect: I’m really busy, can you call me back? Caller: Sure, when is a good time? Prospect: Call me Tuesday morning! Chick chack, back to work in less than five seconds. Let’s look at the replay in slow motion.

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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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The 3 Top Industries for Social Selling with LinkedIn

No More Cold Calling

Not every industry lends itself to social networking. Find out where you can get the most bang for your social-selling buck. There are way too many people and “so-called experts” offering tips about social media. Then I met Kurt Shaver: He’s different. He has carried a bag, been a sales executive, and actually provides tips we can use. I never considered the active LinkedIn industries that mapped to my Ideal Client.

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Business Acumen Webinar

Steven Rosen

Demystifying Business Acumen. Join Steven Rosen on Wednesday Aug. 15th at 11:00 AM for Demystifying Business Acumen. . In Demystifying Business Acumen , you will learn simple approaches to view your business more strategically. Make wiser decisions, plan better, and effectively allocate your resources based on customer needs and potential for growth.

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Excuse me, you have spinach in your teeth…

Bernadette McClelland

'Excuse me, you have spinach in your teeth… Ever wondered why some people can’t bring themselves to call it as it is – tell you that you have spinach in your teeth, loo paper on your shoe or god forbid that your fly is undone…? I recently wrote a post that pushed the boundary of political correctness, although my intention was a positive one, and a friend of mine told me she cringed when she read it.

Intent 296
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When “Everything” Isn’t Enough

The Sales Heretic

My buddy, Shaari, was staying with me for a couple of weeks in between overseas assignments. (He teaches English in various countries around the world.) His next job is in Afghanistan, so he needed a heavy winter coat. We headed out to the nearest sporting goods store. When we arrived, we found a few lightweight jackets, [.].

Sports 256
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ABM Evolution: How Top Marketers Are Using Account-Based Strategies

In times of economic uncertainty, account-based strategies are essential. According to several business analysts and practitioners, ABM is a necessity for creating more predictable revenue. Research shows that nearly three-quarters of marketers (74%) already have the resources needed to build successful ABM programs.

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There Are Really Only TWO Sales Objections In The Whole World

MTD Sales Training

I imagine the title of this piece not only grabbed your attention, but also caused a bit of confusion or even shock. First, let me clarify exactly what I am saying. There are only TWO objections that exist. That’s all; just two. They come disguised as dozens of other issues and appear to be tons of objections. My contention however is that there are but two real objections , and understanding this will help you close more sales today.

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3 Things to Not Say on a Cold Call! – Part I

The Pipeline

Prospecting is not fun for most sellers, and cold calling ranks as the least favourite form of the activity. While some may want to debate whether cold calling is still a viable part of a broad prospecting regime, I firmly believe it is, and the numbers prove it. There is no doubt that it is a difficult task, perhaps explaining its lack of popularity, but there are things sellers do, that make it more difficult and less productive than need be, further fueling the sense of frustration and poor

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Get Your Reps In the Cloud

Sales and Marketing Management

Issue Date: 2012-08-05. Author: Ofer M. Yourvexel. Teaser: Affordable and comprehensive sales solutions accessed through easily portable tablet computers can help reps for wholesalers make the leap from being far behind to very current – and they can do it almost overnight with a mobile sales force automation (MSFA) plan. Affordable and comprehensive sales solutions accessed through easily portable tablet computers can help reps for wholesalers make the leap from being far behind to very c

Sales 254
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Why Your Lowest Price Can Be a Barrier to Closing Sales

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan It's not really the price as much as it's the context for which that price is provided. Let's take mobile apps for example. $9.99 on its own seems very inexpensive, but with apps available for $3.99, $1.99, $.99 and even free, it's expensive - by comparison. Look at the moon - we think it's fairly large, but when you look at it in comparison to Earth and Mercury's moon, it's a blip in the sky!

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Supercharge Your Sales: 5 Steps to Effortless Selling

Sales teams often lose precious time hunting for updated sales materials, while marketing struggles to keep these assets accessible and current. It's not just about managing; it's about seamlessly finding, presenting, and sharing critical sales content. All of this takes place within an intuitive, unified platform. Dive into Showell's groundbreaking content management realm.

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Ditch the Sales Pitch

No More Cold Calling

Do what top salespeople do: ask probing questions, and get the answers to seal the sales deal. Sales pundits suggest salespeople must change the way they sell: stop pitching products, become consultants and strategic advisors. Let’s get real. Top salespeople don’t pitch. They never have, and never will. Top salespeople ask good questions, they listen, ask more questions, and extract information and perspectives from the client where other less-experienced salespeople are clueless.

Scale 250
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Execute Your Sales Strategy By Pinpointing Growth Opportunities

SBI Growth

Are your sales resources properly aligned with growth opportunity ? The Sales Leader is about to receive the 2013 Revenue Number. He will rely on you, the Head of Sales Operations, for sales strategy advice. Have you conducted growth opportunity analyses in your market? Are you confident the sales team’s people, money and time are accurately allocated for the upcoming year?

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How To Handle “I’m Not Interested” In A Cold Call

MTD Sales Training

You finally get through to the decision maker (DM) and before you can even explain the reason for your call , you hear, “I’m not interested!”. What you need to realise is that this impulsive, nearly subconscious response is NOT actually an objection. The prospect has nothing to object to at this point. However, most sales people launch into a plethora of “rebuttals” in attempt to overcome this non-objection, resulting in nothing but a virtual fight.

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An ‘Easy Button’ for Prospectors!

The Pipeline

Success in sales comes down to ensuring you allocate enough time to the right activity, high-value activity, and how well you execute those activities. So any time you can find a tool that helps you reduce the time it takes you to do a high-value activity, and lets you do it in a better way with better results, you know you have a competitive advantage.

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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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What We Can Learn From Walmart

Sales and Marketing Management

Issue Date: 2012-08-20. Author: Jim Swift. Teaser: While the science of customer purchasing behaviors has been around since the dawn of commerce, these principles have not been applied to the B2B space. Times are changing, and when it comes to adopting such successful B2C marketing techniques within the B2B space, the time is now. While the science of customer purchasing behaviors has been around since the dawn of commerce, these principles have not been applied to the B2B space.

B2C 243
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B2B Lead Generation: Are You Killing the Golden Goose?

Pointclear

This is the first in a series of four blogs about B2B Lead Generation marketing and sales metrics, and proverbs. There are plenty of expressions or proverbs you hear every day that are familiar and understood (such as “a penny saved is a penny earned”). Other expressions contain useful advice that you don’t really get—because you don’t understand. Something else not well understood in many marketing and sales departments is the importance of certain metrics.

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3 Underutilized B2B Sales Strategies in Social Media

Score More Sales

People we know in midmarket companies tend to do what works – until it doesn’t work so well any more. Most companies are not proactive to research what is on the horizon – they simply don’t have time or resources to do so. When it comes to integrating online and social activities into their marketing and sales strategies it seems like there are two camps – those that “get it” and those who will wait till there is more “proof” that social selling actually works.

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6 Reasons Why Blogs Produce More Leads

SBI Growth

I hear from sales and marketing leaders on a regular basis that they need more leads. The most common marketing efforts to drive leads include paid search, SEO, social media, outbound email, teleprospecting and trade shows. When I ask about inbound marketing and what they are doing about content marketing, things like publishing a blog , their eyes glaze over.

Lead Rank 243
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Redefining the CDP: 8 Data-Driven Designs for Successful Customer Journeys

In this guide, discover 8 use cases for how a customer data platform can tackle common challenges faced by marketing, commerce, service, and sales teams. With helpful diagrams and simple explanations in each use case, see how Salesforce’s CDP, Data Cloud for Marketing, powers personalized, real-time experiences across marketing, with capabilities that include: Optimizing ad spend Powering dynamic website content Increasing upselling and cross-selling Resolving service cases with marketing data B

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The End Of The Call Is As Important As The Beginning

MTD Sales Training

There are countless tips, tricks and gimmicks on how to begin a cold call. Of course, the majority of these ideas focus on how to get the call started or how to begin the call and hopefully develop some rapport. However, there is so much focus on how to begin the call, that how you end the call NEVER gets attention. Yet, how you end the call, in practically when you have closed the sale or set the appointment, is just as important, if not more so than how the call began.

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3 Things you Should Not Say on a Cold Call! Part III – Sales eXchange 161

The Pipeline

Before we get into the third installment of this series, I wanted to take a minute to ask you, based on your experience either as cold caller or someone who receives their share of cold calls, what are some specific things you believe should be avoided in cold calls. Happy to share so we can all make the art better. So we’ve looked at not being diminutive in stature by the over and wrong use of the word “Just” I have also given you permission to be bold and articulate your o

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Average Salespeople Talk About Their Products. Great Salespeople Talk About Their Customer’s Business.

The Sales Hunter

Do your customers really care about what it is you sell? Sorry, but more times than not, the customer’s interest level in what you’re selling is at best top-level only. If this is the case, then why do you spend the limited amount of time you have with your customer talking about things your customer really isn’t interested in? Conversely, if you are spending time discussing with your customers their business and the things they are truly interested in, then you’re behavi

Maximizer 241