July, 2012

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The Value of Cross Referrals – Sales eXchange 158

The Pipeline

Last week I was working with a group, we were looking at more effective prospecting, when we got around to discussing referrals, I got back some familiar comments. We all know that referrals are a highly effective way to grow your leads and prospect base, (yes, there is more than cold calling, and more than referrals), but at times reps and sales organizations place unnecessary limitations on their ability to fully leverage referrals.

Referrals 324
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Twelve Sales Tips from NSA ‘12

The Sales Heretic

As someone who makes my living speaking and training on sales, I am, of course, a member of the National Speakers Association. Which means that last week I was in Indianapolis for the 2012 NSA Annual Convention. More than a thousand of the world’s best professional speakers gathered for four days to learn from each other. [.].

Course 316
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From Back Rooms to Board Rooms…

Bernadette McClelland

'From Back Rooms to Board Rooms. It doesn’t matter if you are presenting to a group of IT gurus sitting in their back rooms surrounded by the sound of humming hard drives or whether you are with the executives in the lofty penthouse boardroom – your ability to speak in public is crucial to your marketing and sales success. Get clear on the context of your presentation, pitch or proposal.

Campaigns 301
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3 Tips To Help Solidify Appointments And Minimize Cancellations

MTD Sales Training

Cancelled appointments and no-shows will cost you a ton of money. You invest a great deal of time prospecting and locating the decision maker (DM). Then you went through all sort of pain getting past a tough gatekeeper screen just to reach the DM. and set the appointment. Then you could you have travel time, gas and a host of other less tangible expenses.

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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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Sales Management Training Event of the Summer

Steven Rosen

Sales Summer School is the biggest most comprehensive Sales and Sales Management training event of 2012! Attention Sales Managers! Admit it, summer is the slowest sales time of the year your sales reps are and customers are on vacation. Sales Summer School was created to take advantage of this lull by providing an opportunity for sales professionals to refresh and update their skills and knowledge. 30+ CLASSES / 16 INSTRUCTORS / 30 DAYS!

More Trending

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If I Fired You Tomorrow…?

The Pipeline

Two heated discussions this week put focus on an interesting question for sales organizations; based on where you land the issue, and where you are in the sales organization, the topics could have profound implications. . First was a rep trying to answer a simple question, “why do people buy from your company?” His response was “me, they buy because of me”.

Hiring 300
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Is Price All That Matters?

The Sales Heretic

Too many salespeople, professionals and business owners labor under the belief that customers are only looking for the cheapest possible price on everything. As a result, they undervalue what they sell, discount when they shouldn’t, and needlessly throw away profits. The fact is, however, price is not the only thing that matters to buyers. I’m not [.].

Discount 280
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If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it

Bernadette McClelland

'If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. How would it be if a pilot flying the next plane you boarded had no dials or instruments. People in general resist any form of measurement and so do salespeople. Especially when they feel it is a ‘checking up on me’ strategy.

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3 Times When You SHOULD Take NO For An Answer

MTD Sales Training

Well, we all know the old sales person’s mantra, “Never take NO for an answer!” Indeed, some sales people try to live by this greed. However, in attempting to live up to such a rigid and unrealistic standard, sales people often cross the line. The line I am referring to is the one where you go from being a professional, confident sales person, who passionately believes in his or her products, to an annoying, selfish, obnoxious peddler, trying to extort money.

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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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Bust the “Buyer 2.0” Sales Myth

No More Cold Calling

Technology may power sales research, but people power the close. Nothing has really changed in the sales world, although many pundits rant about the “new normal,” “new realities,” Buyer 2.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0…. They talk about the “informed buyer.” Is the so-called Buyer 2.0 more informed? Of course you are. We are all consumers; whether we want to buy a book, child’s toy, shoes, shampoo, or a computer, we have easy and immediate access to what others say about the product—did it fit the descript

Buyer 267
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3 Types of Salespeople - Which Can Expand Your Sales?

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Yesterday, we were in a small seaside village and in a nautical gift shop, I read this sailing quote: "The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts the sails.". Translated for selling: "The pessimist complains about the prospect. The optimist expects him to buy.

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Time Shape Your Sales Funnel

The Pipeline

Sales like all professions, has their cultural symbols and icons, universal, recognized by all in sales even though we may sell different products or solutions. One of the most recognizable is the Funnel; symbolizing a number of key elements of the sales process and experience, representing the flow of opportunities. The wide open end at the top, and as we apply the sales process, disqualify the also-rans, it then narrows, till a fewer number of customers are produced at the end of the process

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What If Confucius Tweeted Sales Tips?

Sales and Marketing Management

Issue Date: 2012-07-09. Author: Philip Lund. Teaser: Confucius taught the future business administrators of China’s emperors and ruling elite. As I read his sayings, I realized I was in fact reading a business book. Topics were recognizably modern business topics and certain individuals in his text consistently spoke in particular ways and on particular themes.

Sales 246
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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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How to Stop Selling to the Wrong Prospects: On Breakthrough Business Strategies Radio

The Sales Heretic

If your sales aren’t what you wish they were, odds are you’re wasting too much time and energy on the wrong prospects. Who exactly are the wrong prospects? And how can you make sure you’re not wasting your sales efforts on them? Listen to my appearance on Breakthrough Business Strategies Radio with Michele Price. In this [.].

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3 Critical Things You Need To Know About Today’s Gatekeeper

MTD Sales Training

If you still view gatekeepers as annoying, low-level, annoying pawns whose mission in life is to do nothing but waste your time, cost you money and make your life miserable, then I have news for you. The fact is that today’s modern gatekeeper (GK) is an educated, highly trained, sophisticated and sales savvy professional, who often has power and authority.

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Say No to the Sales Mantra, “Always Be Closing”

No More Cold Calling

Bury “ABC.” Better in sales to “always be asking” (ABA). No more acronyms, please. For example, “ABC:” always be closing. I dislike that phrase. It’s pushy, salesy, and off the mark. Yet, this phrase is used time and time again. (It’s a part of the American sales DNA, as immortalized by Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. It’s profane, brutal, and demeaning.

Closing 254
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3 Types of Salespeople - Which are Best at Growing Sales?

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Yesterday, we were in a small seaside village and in a nautical gift shop, I read this sailing quote: "The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts the sails.". Translated for selling: "The pessimist complains about the prospect. The optimist expects him to buy.

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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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Camping Out In Your Accounts

The Pipeline

Summer is a great time of year, despite the fact that I love living in Canada, I much prefer summer to winter, I don’t get the fuss over global warming, a little snow in December to help the retail trade, then I am ready for a heat wave in January. There are all kinds of activities that make summer great, one being camping. But it seems many sales people, whether they live in the north or a more temperate climate, like to camp out year round.

Account 288
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The Accidental Sales Seminar

Sales and Marketing Management

Issue Date: 2012-07-01. Author: Chris Lytle. Teaser: In this excerpt from his book "The Accidental Salesperson," Chris Lytle explains how he tagged along with his wife on a tour of the Waterford Crystal factory in Ireland and took home a seminar's worth of sale insights. In this excerpt from his book "The Accidental Salesperson," Chris Lytle explains how he tagged along with his wife on a tour of the Waterford Crystal factory in Ireland and took home a seminar's worth

Sales 220
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Improve as a Sales Professional – 3 Tips for Better Listening

Score More Sales

Last week we talked about how a focus on improving your speaking can grow your sales revenues – the same, if not more holds true with being an effective listener. Listening – and really hearing – what buyers are looking to do, what problems they are trying to solve, and what the pulse of the market is – it’s critical for success.

Scale 210
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3 Powerful Tips For Turning Incoming Calls Into Incoming Profits

MTD Sales Training

Often the value and significance of the incoming call is overlooked. Sales and customer service people often take such calls for granted, believing that the caller MUST have an interest since they called in. However, you have to remember that an incoming cold call is STILL a cold call , requiring, tact, care and precision. #1: A Clear and Simple Greeting.

Majestic 284
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How to Leverage Intent Data for Better Outcomes

Speaker: Susan Spencer, Principal of Spencer Communications

Intent signal data can go a long way toward shortening sales cycles and closing more deals. The challenge is deciding which is the best type of intent data to help your company meet its sales and marketing goals. In this webinar, Susan Spencer, fractional CMO and principal of Spencer Communications, will unpack the differences between contact-level and company-level intent signals.

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Why Your Business Strategy Doesn’t Work.

No More Cold Calling

How you engage your customers (and team) directly impacts your business-plan implementation. Say it wrong, kiss the deal goodbye. Do feelings really matter in sales? It sounds a little touchy-feely to me. Dan is the most edgy guy I know. There’s a saying in sales that people buy with emotion and justify with fact. Let Dan show you how: It is pretty common knowledge that people interpret what you say paying little attention to the actual words that you use.

Strategy 217
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The Unusual Case of Arturo - How He Sabotaged His Own Sales

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan One of my clients owns a Mexican company that provides phone, video conferencing and surveillance equipment to integrators and end-users. During the height of the violence in Mexico, Arturo was kidnapped and held, bound and gagged, at gun point. He was released - one of the few, fortunate survivors - but the emotional scars ran deep.

Follow-up 243
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Don’t Just Sell, Inspire – Sales eXchange 159

The Pipeline

Selling is an exercise in persuasion, I know no one wants to be sold, they want to buy, but even in creating that “buying environment”, we are persuading. And if you are part of that minority that is willing and capable of engaging and selling to the group sellers describe as status quo, usually the least willing to engage with sellers, after all “they are all set”; then there is no question that you are persuading.

Buyer 282
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A Contented Cow Who Cuts Out the Bull

Sales and Marketing Management

Issue Date: 2012-07-01. Author: Paul Nolan, SMM Editor. Teaser: Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden emerged on the employee engagement scene in 1998 as the “cow guys” after the publication of their book, “Contented Cows Give Better Milk: The Plain Truth About Employee Relations and Your Bottom Line.” Fourteen years later, they’re still crusading for building better workplaces.

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Guide to Using Buyer Need Data

This guide explains how to use Buyer Need Data to identify prospects who could use your solution *before* they demonstrate intent.

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How to Bounce Back From Sales Rejection

Score More Sales

If there is one thing true it is this – no one likes to deal with personal rejection. Those of us who are or have been professional, long time sales representatives, business development managers, and sales evangelists have typically learned the secret to success: You don’t take rejection personally. Even athletes miss some balls – sometimes lots of balls – or they miss the net and the game is lost.

How To 208
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Still Getting Economy Objections? Try This Approach

MTD Sales Training

A sluggish economy gives prospects a ton of objections and reasons to stall. Unfortunately, many sales people still have a difficultly time overcoming these, “econojections.” The main reason sales people have such problems with econojections is that they are not objections at all. The state of the economy, be it local, national or global, is a condition , hence the term “economic conditions.

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Why We Are So Committed to Referral Selling

No More Cold Calling

A special introducti on to Jonathan Farrington & Associates: leading-edge sales team development is here. My brilliant colleague, Jonathan Farrington, chimes in on the power of referral selling. He’s resides thousands of miles from me—in London and Paris, but a continent and an ocean cannot deny the truth: referrals rock and cold calls…don’t.

Referrals 209