All Sections & Categories Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:54:35 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2431 Honest selling is not an oxymoron! These two words are seldom used in the same sentence much less the same breath when talking about salespeople. Maybe it’s time for a breath of fresh air and the intake starts with you. Salespeople are typically characterized as fast talking, self serving and greedy individuals. Outdated sales training methods continue to create these types of salespeople by teaching outdated methods of selling such as overcoming the objection.  I.e. The first objection is ne ... Sales Advice Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:40:12 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2430 Webinars have become a low-cost way for people and companies to promote their products and services. In addition to using them frequently in the last year I have also attended many webinars on a variety of topics. However, I have noticed that many webinar organizers, hosts and panelists, create a variety of mistakes that reduce the effectiveness of their program. 1. Requiring too much information. I don't mind giving my name, email address, and company name when registering for a webinar. Howeve ... Sales Advice Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:25:46 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2429 It’s easy to view purchasing departments as evil. The number of salespeople who have told me stories about how much they can’t stand working with purchasing departments is huge! I’ve heard every reason “why” salespeople don’t like working with purchasing departments, but let’s cut to the chase.  When a salesperson does nothing more than bash a purchasing department, the only thing they’re doing is chipping away at their own personal motivation and credibility. Talking negatively ... Sales methodology Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:18:06 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2428 We are certainly living in interesting times, the economy is in unchartered territories and most people in the workforce today have not lived through times like this.  The turmoil has certainly impacted if not paralysed decision making because all the reference points have changed, and the conventional wisdom is undermined by facts daily.  But unlike the main stream media, we do not want to dwell in gloom and doom, no on the contrary, we only mention the above facts to highlight the reality th ... Compensation Design Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:50:23 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2427 Use These 5 Powerful Prospecting Tips and Make More Sales Appointments Wouldn't it be great to prospect with confidence knowing you have the plan that will help you set more appointments? Then you'll be glad you found these 5 prospecting tips. If you use them you'll be guarantee to make better use of your prospecting time by closing your prospects for more appointments. Prospecting Tip #1: Prospect Daily Sales prospecting is like eating. If you don't do it every day you'll die. With prospecti ... Prospecting Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:44:05 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2426 Building rapport with customers is like squirting oil into gears.  Imagine some gears grinding together.  When you squirt lubricating oil into the gears, you reduce the friction and make everything work smoother.  So it is when two people interact with each other.  Rapport, like lubricating oil, reduces the friction and makes the interaction work smoother.  For a salesperson, creating rapport with any human being is an essential step that enables the customer to feel comfortable and leads ... Relationships Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:31:50 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2425 Discounting on price is not a sales strategy.  It’s an impulsive move made by desperate salespeople.  In a tough economy, customers think and expect everything is going to be discounted.  Because of this, salespeople feel it necessary to oblige the customer to close the deal.  Unfortunately, however, this leads to a downward spiral, much like an addiction to an illegal drug.  Once a discount is offered to one customer, it becomes easier and easier to offer it to another one.  Before they ... Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:23:44 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2424 Are you happy with your trade show efforts? I am not asking if you are satisfied with your results but rather if your efforts bring you satisfaction. Exhibiting takes a lot of time, requires a tremendous amount of energy and puts you under a considerable amount of pressure to perform. Exhibiting requires a herculean effort to be the best you can when you are meeting clients face to face.  Are you happy doing what you do?There is more to happiness than an occasional smile and a good belly laugh. ... Trade Shows Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:17:44 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2423 Every business should have a CNO, but you don’t have to hire one. You just have to take on the “CNO mindset!” Those of you who work in organizations might be familiar with an increasingly popular position, that of chief networking officer (CNO). The CNO is the person who handles many corporations’ business networking and community-related activities such as these: Community involvement Diversity Internal communication Client/customer relationships External commu ... Networking Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:32:02 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2422 Closing the Sale Closing is often cited as the most difficult skill or technique for sales reps to master.  The primary reason for this reaction is the fear of hearing no. To many reps, the word ‘no’ is associated with rejection and with failure. This leads to frustration, discouragement and despair. Left unchecked, it could mean the loss of a job.Mind GamesThe fear of hearing ‘no’ is an insidious mind game. Consciously or subconsciously, sales reps tend to psych themselves out by conj ... Sales methodology Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:46:35 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2421 When you approach a new prospect, what do you have to offer? Whether you’re sending an email or cold calling, you need to grab the attention of your contact and make them want to talk with you. But too often sellers spew on about their product or lead off with a trap question that screams sales person. The solution to this prospecting dilemma used to be to start your discussion as a business conversation rather than a traditional semi-scripted cold call. You based it on needs you uncovered in ... Prospecting Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:41:06 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2420 Too many salespeople view their buyers as anything but smart, especially those salespeople who deal with purchasing departments.  In far too many sales communities, there exists an attitude that buyers and purchasing departments are nothing more than barriers that need to be broken down.Well, yes there are barriers.  Ironically, though, they are barriers that more often than not are there due to the very actions of the sales community.  One simple thing salespeople need to keep in mind is the ... Sales methodology Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:30:50 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2419 Unconscious Selling Competence has roots that date back to the mid twentieth century. Back in the 1940's psychologist Abraham Maslow created a conscious competence theory and more commonly known as the "Four Stages Of Learning." If you're in sales you need to be learning if you want to be earning. There's no way around it. These four stages of learning describe how a person learns. The first stage is Unconscious Incompetence. In essence, in this stage you don't know that you don't know somet ... Sales Advice Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:25:35 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2418 Eliciting excellence in others is the essence of leadership, and one of the most effective means of eliciting excellence is to instill a sense of pride in those around us.Instilling pride has a myriad of benefits - quality of work and workmanship improves, creativity and innovation increases, collaboration is facilitated more easily, and people are willing to "go the extra mile" to do their best. A team or department instilled with a sense of pride will excel simply to prove to others that thing ... Sales Leadership Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:52:22 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2417 What’s the first thing that goes through your head when you get a call from a sales rep?  If you answered, “I can’t wait to get them off the phone,” then you’re not alone.  In fact, when a telemarketer calls me up at home and says those words that immediately identify them as a sales person, the “How are you today?” line, my first thought is, “I’ll be great as soon as I get rid of you!”One of the biggest mistakes sales reps make who have to call prospects – either to set ... Prospecting Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:56:36 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2416 A dilemma many exhibitors face is how much information to include in their trade show display. For small exhibitors with one or two product offerings the answer can be difficult. For larger exhibitors with a multitude of products and services which might also include several departments, the answer can become a nightmare. There is often so much to tell and the exhibitor wants to make sure the visitors get the right message. The solution starts by taking a step back and looking at the display fro ... Trade Shows Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:48:26 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2415 The Secret to Getting More Of Your Calls Returned If you struggle to reach decision makers, if your messages are rarely returned, and if you're frustrated with your prospecting results, then try using one of the best-kept secrets of prospecting: call as high up the organizational food chain as you can and work down. It's called the 'squeeze play.' At first blush, this approach would seem to be just the opposite of what you would expect. Executives (VPs and C-Levels) are tough to reach and gett ... Prospecting Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:41:20 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2414 Before I started my sales training business I worked in a corporate environment and during that time had the opportunity to review many sales proposals for a variety of products and services. Since then, I have had the good fortune (or misfortune in most cases) to read dozens more and I'm still under-whelmed by most of them. Most of the proposals I see make the same fundamental mistakes. Here are ten strategies you can use to ensure that your proposal stands out from your competitors. 1-Open eff ... Sales Advice Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:32:11 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2413 I’m often asked about the effectiveness of letters as a prospecting strategy in today’s electronic world. You see email, cold calling, and webinar tips, but rarely hear about letters. Direct mail has fallen off considerably. Anything suspected to be a sales approach gets tossed in the name of productivity savings. It’s harder than ever to ensure your letter reaches the intended recipient. Even when you pay the extra money to send it via Express Mail it’s frequently an assistant who opens ... Prospecting Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:24:40 +0100 http://www.salesopedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2412 One of the more popular topics of discussion these days is the impact of emotional intelligence on teambuilding, customer relationships and the art of selling. Another important way to improve your emotional intelligence in the area of selling is by identifying and understanding the four primary personality styles. Competitive Excellence uses a color coded system by Insight Learning which categorizes your personality as Blue, Gold, Green or Orange. The question we’d like to ask is, how do we b ... Sales Advice Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:08:01 +0100