Tag - sales

Developing or Adjusting Your Attitude in Hard Times I have heard many people say “Attitude is everything.” Attitude does determine how one approaches any situation. Attitude is made up of your past experiences and the predominant thoughts in your mind. If our past experiences were negative or always risk averse, our predominant thoughts will have …

Everyone knows we live in a post-trust era.  The days when people trusted others until they gave them a reason not to are gone.  These days, trust has to be earned. But trust is what advances the sales opportunity.  So how does today’s sales rep build the trust needed to succeed with customers? Value = …

If the rear wheel of your customer’s bike is the driving force, or the business reasons, behind why your customer buys (as we discussed in Part 1), then the front wheel is the one that determines the direction in which he will go – whether he buys from you or from someone else.  Here, personal …

In my last post, I discussed the communication problems that arise when a person who thinks one way speaks to a listener who thinks in a completely different way.  The person doing the talking is presenting the kind of information that is important to him, but he doesn’t get his message across because what’s important …

Have you ever been discussing an idea or explaining something to someone, and – no matter how eloquent you were – had the feeling that you weren’t being understood? Have you ever planned the perfect thing to say to someone, only to have them look at you like you were speaking Latin? Have you ever …

It’s Christmas Season – Why Bother will all the rush? This blog is based upon a blog I wrote several years ago on Why bother with Christmas. It is worth reading again. Last night we watched the Grinch That Stole Christmas which is one of my favorite Christmas stories. The Grinch hated Christmas for he …

Complex sales where there are numerous decision-makers can be difficult to navigate.  Closing such a deal requires an understanding of the different types of buyers, what their concerns are, and what influences their desires.  It also requires the ability to anticipate, identify, and address the factors each individual cares about. There are three players in …

After you’ve completed your sales presentation or product demo, the buyer enters the evaluation phase of the buying process, and a scary monster frequently rears its ugly head: risk.  Risk can kill a deal, and its threat can increase as your prospect evaluates your offering. What is the opportunity cost of going with this solution …

You’ve just made a great sales presentation for a great prospect.  The whole sales process has gone smoothly from the beginning.  You like your buyers, and they like you and your offering.  They definitely want to do business with you!  If only you can agree on a price. It’s easy and natural to get a …

The Internet.  That – in one word – is why cold calling is dead, even for B2B sales. Before the Internet, the role of the sales rep was to educate a prospect through a presentation.  If it generated interest, the sales rep would qualify the prospect and then focus on closing the sale.   Back then, …