What can I do differently this year to bring my sales to the next level?
One pattern I've noticed from interacting with business and sales people over my last 12 years in sales is that they tend to be better at the end of the sales cycle than at the beginning.
Most of the people I meet (both formally in sales and not) do reasonably well once they are in a sales meeting. But most of them are unable to execute a successful prospecting/lead generation program (some of this is through a lack of knowledge and some of it from loathing of the prospecting process itself).
There is a little test that professional buyers give to every sales person. It is a test to see if they are confident in the price they presented. They call it the flinch test. Will you pass the test?
After a lengthy buying process, the time has come to submit pricing. Countless hours are spent formulating a glorious proposal that details your comprehensive solution. Proud of your accomplishment, you present the proposal to the buyer. Skipping the sections about your company and your solution, she flips right to the pricing page. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t think it would be this expensive!”
What happens next determines whether or not you will get the business.
A Glimpse at Sales 2.0 - The Potential and Pitfalls
By Keith Rosen, Profit Builders
For those of you who attended the first ever Sales 2.0 conference in San Francisco this past October, it was a testament to the new age of selling and the role technology will play in how we sell. Sales 2.0; the conversion of technology and sales and the symbiotic relationship between the two; how they can be integrated together and co-exist in harmony.
Sales leaders, business owners and sales managers need to prepare for the next evolution of selling and what it's going to take to make their sales team a leading force in their space.
To turn leads into sales, follow up quickly and keep in touch over the long term.
Just got back from a conference?
Keep up the momentum by following up with all those leads and business cards you collected. It’s the first step in turning those prospects into qualified sales-ready opportunities.
Plan ahead When you set out for the conference, bring along pre-addressed overnight mailers. Send the leads back to the office each night for immediate data entry and response. Don’t let the opportunity wither away.
[Editor's Note: this article WON the Best Sales Article of 2007 award. Congratulations Keith!]
Do you know exactly what to say to a prospect that captures their attention so succinctly and effectively that they are actually asking for more?
If you find that you are not even getting past the first 30 seconds of an initial conversation before the prospect cuts you off and says, “Not interested,” then it’s safe to say that the compelling reasons you are currently using can withstand an upgrade. Use the following techniques outlined here to develop yours.
You can find about 200 sales articles on this website that have been handpicked to represent the best current thinking on sales out there. Click on the link above that says articles (next to the Sales 2.0 logo) to browse all 200 articles. Or click here.
Sales 2.0 is a company that provides telesales and consulting services to high-end business services and technology firms. We provide the articles on this website as a free service to the sales community because we want to attract like-minded people who believe the sales profession can be radically improved.
As an excuse to stay-in-touch with you if you also believe the sales profession can be improved, please sign up for our bi-monthly e-newsletter (using the form on the right of this page). People tend to really like it...and we can stay-in-touch.
How can LinkedIn Help Me Sell More?
By Scott Allen, The Virtual Handshake
One of the most common questions I get asked is, "How can LinkedIn help me sell more?"
LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers and recruiters. And while trying to use LinkedIn as a cold-calling tool may not be very effective, there are several ways that you can use LinkedIn to support the entire sales lifecycle: lead generation, sales acceleration and solution delivery.
Lead Generation
Find and be found. Search by title and industry for the ideal contacts at your ideal customers. Search by title and company name for specific target customers....
Right, well now you're reading this, this is actually about the role of women in the sales profession.
This post is inspired by a conversation I had with Jill Konrath last week. Jill is not only one of the very top sales experts out there, she is also the organizer of the new Sales Shebang conference and community for smart, savvy women in B2B sales.
Jill's passion for the Sales Shebang was born because she recognized how much saleswomen needed strong female role models, as well as an opportunity to connect with like-minded women.
"What was the #1 strategy you used last year that significantly impacted your sales?" asked Jan Visser of Sales Team Tools.
Now that's one good provocative question! Almost immediately, an answer popped into my head. Then the next moment, another response emerged and then another. Before long, I was in a full-blown argument with myself with six different strategies vying for the top spot.
But after a rigorous analysis, I finally decided that the best results came from the strategic relationships I established with other firms who sell to my targeted decision makers.
Historically, top sellers have generally relied on the right mix of confidence, stamina and people skills--and a hefty Rolodex. Sales force automation and CRM systems have added a layer of technology to sales operations, without fundamentally shifting the skill set needed by a sales person or sales teams to make quota. Simply put, selling is still considered more art than science, even after decades of technology advances.
What if technology could save sales people time by providing them with relevant intelligence on prospective customers? What if this relevant intelligence could help uncover new customers? New types of on-demand applications have arrived that are transforming the sales process.
What can I do differently this year to bring my sales to the next level?
Right, well now you're reading this, this is actually about the role of women in the sales profession.
