Sales

This post builds off a prior one, “We have a different sales structure here, the sales people just sell!” Building a highly productive, modern sales organization requires increasing specialization - and frankly, it’s a big reason salesforce.com has such an amazing sales organization. Though they take it to the extremes - you wouldn’t believe the number of different kinds of sales groups, inside and out, that salesforce.com has One of the biggest sources of lost productivity is the practice of lumping a mix of different responsibilities (such as raw web lead qualification, cold…

[Editor's Note: This guest post is by Peter Caputa of Hubspot] Aaron recently wrote a great post comparing the differences between inbound leads and outbound leads and how they should be treated differently during the sales process. In summary, he states that inbound leads: close at a higher percentage close quicker close without as much sales effort I linked to the post from an article I wrote on the HubSpot blog because I thought it was great. Then, a client of mine, Trish Bertuzzi (Inside Sales Blog), followed the link and plugged HubSpot in Aaron’s comments. Also, I am not sure I…

Over the past few months, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Los Angeles at Leads360 (CEO’s blog) helping them get their frontline sales teams set up (inbound lead qualification and outbound prospecting) and redoing their sales process (part of which is openly published on their site). Onna Young is one of their newer salespeople, and had a funny, and telling, way of observing one of the benefits of separating out the frontline steps of the sales process from the actual selling. Here’s a dramatic re-enactment of a typical conversation she has with other sales friends! “We…

The term “lead generation” is so broad that it creates all kinds of confusion! One important concept is “inbound” versus “outbound” (and yes, in leadgen there are few black and white cases, even here, but this differentiation helps). While speaking with Laura Merling today at Mashery, I started sketching out some ideas on how to compare leads that come to you versus leads that you have to go fetch. (Side note: does anyone have better terms than ‘inbound v outbound’? Even these can be misleading.) Inbound leads are, as it implies, leads that come…

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While every sale is competitive, in the most important deals it will boil down to just you and your arch-rival. These are the big deals. These are the most important deals that will decide whether you make your quarterly number, receive your annual bonus, and ultimately determine whether or not you will keep your job. Therefore, before you bolt into action you need a strategy to win the business. But the question to ask yourself is, “What kind of strategy?”     Since the beginning of mankind, arch-rivals have fought for dominance. Competing clans, tribes, and countries battled…

Through my sales training workshops and books, I have had the privilege to help more than 50,000 salespeople become top revenue producers. However, this fall I will be teaching an extremely important class.  I am very excited about the “Sales Management: The Art and Science of Sales” class I will be conducting at the University of California Berkeley, Haas Business School MBA Program (ranked 2nd in the nation by the Wall Street Journal).        Since Berkeley is one of the few universities that offer any kind of sales-related classes, they are truly living up to…

Whether you’re a Senator running for President or a salesperson trying to winover a customer, your most important competitive weapon is your mouth. The words you speak enable you to persuade people to follow your lead, turn skeptics into believers, and defeat your arch-rival. Therefore, it makes sense that you should study language and understand neurolinguistics (the study of how the mind uses and interprets language) to become a more persuasive communicator yourself.     Through language, we represent our thoughts and experiences. We use words to represent the sensory…

Have you ever worked for a sales manager who made you feel uncomfortable? Even though you consistently made your number it seemed you never earned his or her respect? Although you made many attempts to improve your relationship, they were all met with indifference? Your sales manager can make your life enjoyable, tolerable, or miserable, and your mental condition is profoundly influenced by this critical relationship. Understanding your sales manager’s management style is the key to winning over this key person. Just as people have different levels of gregariousness, assertiveness, and…

After reviewing hundreds of corporation presentations over the past five years, I can honestly say that they all are basically the same. You could almost take slides from one company’s presentation and insert them in another, and no one would even notice. They are all fact-based infomercials that approach customers with the same message—we’re the industry leader with a state-of-the-art solution that partners with our customers. The problem is all the competitors are making the exact same claims. As a result, nothing unique is communicated. Therefore, the real question to ask is,…

Over the past few months, I've spent quite a bit of time in Los Angeles at Leads360 (CEO's blog) helping them get their frontline sales teams set up (inbound lead qualification and outbound prospecting) and redoing their sales process (part of which is openly published on their site). Onna Young is one of their newer salespeople, and had a funny, and telling, way of observing one of the benefits of separating out the frontline steps of the sales process from the actual selling. Here's a dramatic re-enactment of a typical conversation she has with other sales friends! “We have a different…

I met Guy Kawasaki on the streets of Palo Alto a couple of months ago, just before he launched sales.alltop.com. There are some great sales blogs on there - it's worth checking out.Here's how he describes Alltop:We help you explore your passions by collecting stories from “all the top” sites on the web. We’ve grouped these collections — “aggregations” — into individual Alltop sites based on topics such as environment, photography, science, Muslim, celebrity gossip, military, fashion, gaming, sports, politics, automobiles, and Macintosh. At each Alltop site, we display the…

The term "lead generation" is so broad that it creates all kinds of confusion! One important concept is "inbound" versus "outbound" (and yes, in leadgen there are few black and white cases, even here, but this differentiation helps). While speaking with Laura Merling today at Mashery, I started sketching out some ideas on how to compare leads that come to you versus leads that you have to go fetch.(Side note: does anyone have better terms than 'inbound v outbound'? Even these can be misleading.)Inbound leads are, as it implies, leads that come to your company and into your website or 800#:…

This is an updated version of the "Never Waste A Lead" post from September. Back then my partner and I presented at a BMA (Business Marketing Association) event. Here was the event description:Your marketing programs are generating plenty of leads, especially from your emarketing campaigns, but are they getting followed up on? How effective is your sales organization at contacting your leads? How many never get called, or get only a token effort? Lost or ignored leads is one of the most common bottlenecks of marketing executives trying to maximize revenue from marketing-geneated leads.

A new company called SalesConX just launched, a "marketplace for professions to buy and sell introductions to decision makers". They've been sharing updates with me for quite awhile, and have matured quite a bit. I don't have a need for this today and so haven't used it myself, but I'd like to hear from you if you do: they're offering "Build A Sales Machine" readers a $25 free credit to test it out. Click here to sign up and get your $25 credit for SalesConX:http://www.salesconx.com?reff=2008If you try it, please report back here with feedback, either in the comments or just email me at my…

I've provided examples before of bringing seemingly lost opportunities back from the dead.  That may be the reason a client asked me to help bring one of his company's deals back from what might be a near death experience. I'm not going to reveal the details of this opportunity (yet) but opportunities like this usually have some common themes.it wasn't sold the right wayincumbent involvedmuch competitionpurchasing driving the processnot the leading choicemay have failed to reach the decision makercompelling reasons not uncoveredprocess based on price higher priced productIf the deal was…

There is a lot of buzz surrounding those who took to the podium this week at the Democratic National Convention - and Barach Obama hasn't had his turn yet.Once again, I will not make a political statement in this article - just a sales opinion.If the speeches by Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden were sales presentations, every one of their prospects would have bought from them. You're not so sure?  Well a quick visit to Baseline Selling would remind us that we don't begin presenting until we reach 3rd Base and by that point, our prospect has compelling reasons…

Leah Rust, editor of EyesOnSales, interviewed me for another Podcast, this one on the similarities between baseball and sales. It runs for only 7:23.

Leah Rust, Editor at EyesOnSales.com, interviewed me about Turnover on the Sales Force back on August 18.  The podcast highlights strategies that executives can actually use to solve their turnover problems. For those of you who are time challenged, this interviews runs less than 8 minutes!

I was forwarded an email that originated with from a colleague's client that read,  "...Many candidates are advised to not take on line sales assessments before at least a phone conversation."Why do you think that is?Recruiters don't believe in them?Recruiters think they add an unnecessary step to the process?Recruiters think they are smarter and can provide better insights than an assessment?Recruiters feel threatened that they don't have total control when presenting the candidates?Recruiters don't understand the assessments and don't want to be in a position where they must defend a…

If you're trying to get into big companies, but still "dialing for dollars," you're missing the boat. Corporate decision makers won't have anything to do with you if you're giving them the same old spiel that you give everyone else. Want to find out what works today? Then check out my most recent podcast, Promiscuous Prospecting, on Salesopedia. It's only 10-minutes long and you'll pick up a few tips - guaranteed!

           It's your last chance to sign up for the teleseminar I'm hosting on Wednesday. As of right now, 1016 people have already signed up to learn from these savvy sales experts: Kim Duke, founder of SalesDivas.com, will talk about why you need to stop being just like everyone else as well as strategies you can use to stand out from the crowd.Lori Richardson, AllBusiness.com sales blogger is a master at setting up alliances and partnerships. She'll share useful strategies you can apply right away.Debbie Mrazek, author of The Field Guide to Sales, will…

McCain's surprising announcement of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate on Friday effectively diverted the media from continued discussion of Obama's acceptance speech in a Denver stadium filled with cheering Americans. Certainly that was a real coup. However, as a political independent, it's been fascinating for me to watch the Republican pundits sell me on this woman who could be a heartbeat away from the presidency. All weekend long, I've been hearing about: Her extensive executive experience. Her knowledge of foreign affairs. The fact that she governs the largest state in the nation.

The One Piece of Advice You Need to Get the Fees You DeserveOnce again, Rain Today has published an excellent ebook. With contributions from Alan Weiss, Jeff Thull, Andrew Sobel, and Bruce Marcus among others, you’ll learn what's really important and what you really need to know about pricing your services. Download the report  here. Registration required. Selling into the Big Fortune 1000 CompaniesThis guide, written by SalesQuest, includes tips on qualifying prospects, getting past gatekeepers, increasing call back rates from voicemail, picking the right targeted companies to go…

Today's post is by Sales SheBang speaker Colleen Stanley, author of Growing Great Sales Teams. She's presenting a breakout session on "EQ + IQ = Sales Results." Have you ever been stumped by a bad hire? No, I am not talking about the professional interviewer that wooed the interviewing team or the resume that was fudged. I’m talking about a strong resume where past sales numbers achieved were real and industry sales experience was deep.  Why doesn’t a new hire’s true success in the past transition to success in a new position? The problem could be that success achieved in…

I have recently been asked by my manager for a report of my daily activities in an email format from my Blackberry. This is how it begun…my territory has been doing poorly (I am also in a very economically challenged area, in a territory that has not been worked) and my manager wanted to help me succeed. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the help, however, as a rep, reporting daily emails to your boss doesn’t really make you feel all that great. One of the greatest things about sales is that you can run your own business under the umbrella of a company. If my boss were to give me great…

My former manager had her first interview for my old sales position and liked the guy… he seemed perfect but it was her first interview… she couldn’t decide without seeing other candidates could she? This question will have to wait… but it did remind me about learning an amazing sales tactic when buying my first house. My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were young and didn’t have a lot of money or high incomes however I knew buying a home at any age was a good investment. Our real-estate agent took us to see condos in the area and the price range we were…

For sales professionals, one of the most dreaded duties, is to make cold calls. I know it’s the one thing in sales I really dislike. My question to all of you is…is it effective? Every time I cold call an office I try to leave with something. One of my managers once taught me that. You are probably not going to leave with a sale, you may not even leave with a follow up appointment. If you can’t get an appointment with your target audience, then you should at least try and leave yourself a reason to go back. In my opinion if you can leave with something and give yourself a…

Chris Carlson recently posted his thoughts about what to bring into a meeting in  response to going in with only a pen and pad of paper “In my opinion, there is not a one-size-fits-all in regards to this issue” stated Carlson. I would have to agree that you should be ready for most situations knowing what to display and when.  Every sales person should also understand that when you bring something for the prospect to look at… they will may do something you don’t want them to; Samples - they may find something wrong with it before you have explained it Brochures -…

Yes! is 50 short stories about how people are influenced and persuaded in different settings all with a scientific background.  The reading is easy, interesting and I found it similar to Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point’. For Sales Professionals we need to know how to be more persuasive and less pushy.

An advertiser recently canceled his schedule because his biggest competitor did. For years, his company's rationale for budgeting for an ad campaign was to be present when competition was. When the competition left, so did they.  After many discussions, I kept the advertiser but I had to rerationalize the buy. They soon realized that with their competition cutting back they could achieve a "share of voice" advantage by continuing to advertise. The reasons companies advertise in a recession are often different…

 If you have read my posts over the last year you know that I believe strongly in digital magazines. But early on I predicted that unless digital magazines can be proven to be an effective advertising platform, not just a delivery platform, they will fade into oblivion. I think it is very nice that some consumer magazines now send out digital copies to "enhance" print subscriptions. It's also very pleasant that more B to B magazines send out digital magazines to stretch their BPA audits. But there is no long term future in this. The future of digital magazines belongs to content…

Earlier this year legendary Wall Street giant Bear Stearns collapsed and was acquired, in crisis, for a pathetic two bucks a share. But some of their problems started back with the 1990 recession when rival Merill Lynch used the recession to pull ahead of them.  According to an Interbrand study "Leveraging Brand Value in a Downturn",   "Merrill Lynch was seeing the return on its early ’90s branding investment in its ability to build and leverage its reputation in a broader market. It may have…

Media buyers have noticed. In the ad recession, we sellers have to work harder and innovate more to make the same sale. On the Media Life website, written for media buyers and planners, an article ran last week entitled "When the going's tough, the tough sell." Writer Diego Vasquez dug into the innovation being used to chase fewer ad dollars:  "Conde Nast Traveler’s Hughes says it’s about coming up with better ideas. “You have to be really out there, you have to be aggressive as a sales team. Advertisers are…

A terrific study was released earlier this year from DowJones advising that the key to success in selling in a recession comes not from looking at what is different for salespeople but rather at what is different at the companies they sell to. Researchers Jim Dickie & Barry Trailer studied corporate organization during the 2001 recession and concluded that the biggest change impacting sales was a shift in how client organizations bought things. "Then the economy tanked, sales started to decrease for these firms,and the CFOs stepped in. They mandated that since revenues in…

You're invited to join me at MarketingSherpa's Demand Generation Summit at your choice of Boston (Oct 5-7) or San Francisco (Oct 26-28.) I'll be speaking on "Playbook for Effective Lead Management." This year's the summit will have 19 new case studies, which will show how to increase lead volume, optimize webinar attendance and effectiveness as well as show you the effectiveness of multi-touch campaigns, closed loop measurement and more. I hope you can make it! Register here for the event before September 5th and save $300.

I was recently interviewed for an article on lead management by Chris Koch who works for ITSMA, the Information Technology Services Marketing Association. In the article titled, "Building a Marketing Funnel and Other Lead Management Tips," I give the following five tips on how you can make your B2B lead management more effective, which are: Create a marketing funnel. Create a universal definition of a lead. Use the phone. Ask about goals—don’t sell. Define lead nurturing—and the right people to nurture. Here’s a short excerpt from my interview. 1. Create a marketing funnel.

MarketingSherpa just published data on lead nurturing best practices based on a survey of 1,000 marketers. Sherpa's research focuses on the following nurturing best practices: Using multiple tactics rather than relying on email only. Timing of teleprospecting response to web inquiries – the velocity of follow-up dramtically impacts lead conversion. Measurement of lead quality and the impact of lead nurturing. I encourage you check out their advice. Read MarketingSherpa: Lead Nurturing Best Practices: New Data, Charts, Tips to Put More Punch in Your Cultivation Tactics When it comes to lead…

In professional services organizations the people who bring in the big revenue clients are often called rainmakers. They’re the one’s that make it all happen and become almost mythical in the process. In today’s challenging business climate, we could all use more rainmakers. I like what Ford Harding, author of Rain Making, Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, 2nd Edition and President of Harding & Company had to say about rainmakers. Harding writes, “A rainmaker, as we define one, brings in leads and converts them into business at such levels that she leaves her…

I was was recently interviewed by Dave Stein, CEO and Founder of ES Research Group, and author of How Winners Sell (a great book by the way). During the interview we talk about the following topics: What works to get sales and marketing alignment How the marketing funnel impacts the sales funnel  Reengaging and optimizing past sales leads Teleprospecting and nurturing tactics Listen to podcast now Also, Check out Dave Stein's Blog for Sales Leaders. Dave is an internationally recognized thought leader in the area of sales performance, sales effectiveness and especially sales training.

Here are 5 quick tips to help you get connected and stay connected to senior level executives and hard to see buyers

Don't do more for your customers. Do what they want better than any alternative.

Who are the executive you need to meet to make sales? How do you get to them? How do you develop a relationship with them? The answers are spelled out in this primer.

For more sales and to become the preferred supplier, buyers have to see you as a solutions provider for their problems.

Learn what a professional relationship entails. C-Level Relationship selling is all about giving executives what it takes for them to advance and/or to keep their jobs, then, using that relationship for networking or gathering critical information or for sales support.

Lynn Schleeter spent 18+ years in a business-to-business sales career before entering the academic world. Lynn is Director of the Center for Sales Innovation at the College of St. Catherine. Through an undergraduate degree program she helps to develop young women in to performance-ready sales professionals. In addition to the undergraduate degree program, she’s [...]

How you begin a relationship (we’re talking business relationship here) with another person will determine what you both get out of that relationship. Have you even considered the tone with which you begin a prospect relationship? And how do they filter your information? Whatever you say will define the balance of the sales call. In this [...]

A friend of mine is a scout for Division I basketball. He told me a story that should draw the attention of everyone reading this blog. It has to do with text messaging—and the promise of your brand. It used to be that when a coach came to recruit a kid from high school, one of the [...]

Unless you’ve been hiking in Manitoba Canada or trapped under something heavy, you likely heard that John McCain picked his vice presidential running mate—Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska. Gov. Palin is a no-nonsense “normal” person. Not famous. Not wealthy. Not Harvard or Yale educated. She’s a self-described “hockey mom” who started her political [...]

Susan Zimmerman, author of The Power in Your Money Personality, has been helping people achieve financial and emotional prosperity for over 20 years. As a licensed therapist and chartered financial consultant, she helps her clients make mindful personal and business decisions that align with their true values and goals. In this interview, listen to how Susan’s [...]

"...keeping your family great" Ten Minutes with the Growth Guy HEADLINES: The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family -- this is the title of Pat Lencioni's latest, and maybe, most important fable. Famous author of Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Pat has done it again with a powerful message and process for Restoring Sanity to the Most Important Organization in Your Life, borrowing a line from the book's subtitle. And Pat has provided some powerful tools including a worksheet summary of the "three questions" at this link.   Here's also a quick link to pre-ordering…

"...keeping you great" Ten Minutes with the Growth Guy    HEADLINES: Print-Friendly Version October 9 "Strategy" Webinar Moved to October 10 -- our apologies for scheduling the Strategy webinar with Bob Bloom on Yom Kippur. We've moved the webinar to the following day 12:28pm -- 1:28pm October 10 to sign-up click here.    Infamous Actor Gary Busey Brings GotVMail's Core Values Alive -- having discovered their Core Values, GotVMail engaged Gary Busey, the actor, to do a series of irreverent videos about their Core Values -- which are conveniently…

"...keeping you great" Ten Minutes with the Growth Guy HEADLINES: Print-Friendly Version One Powerful Index -- compare your company's revenue growth performance with the Private Company Index (PCI), Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P Small Cap. Go to www.privatecompanyindex.com and click on the "PCI Challenge" link and see how you compare with other mid-market firms and the public market space. And it's completely confidential. YTD, the PCI index is up 6% vs. a dramatic decrease in the public markets. "Gazelles" continue to be a powerful economic force -- keep up the great…

"...keeping you great" Ten Minutes with the Growth Guy       HEADLINES: (Quick Summer Tips) Print-Friendly Version 7 Tips to Boost Sales in August -- this from Caryn Kopp -- "Why waste the month of August cleaning your office? Make the most of your summer by seizing new business opportunities while your competition plays miniature golf! Most business owners and salespeople assume making calls in August is pointless because decision makers are on vacation. While it's true that most people do vacation in August, I don't know anyone who goes away for 4 weeks…

"...keeping you great" Ten Minutes with the Growth Guy HEADLINES: Print Friendly Version Coach to Google and Apple (the Ivy Lee of Silicon Valley) -- take five minutes and read FORTUNE magazine's latest article entitled "The Secret Coach" -- it's about Bill Campbell, coach to Eric Schmidt at Google; Steve Jobs at Apple; Scott Cook at Intuit; and many others (yes, they have coaches!). It provides some wonderful insights into the power of a coach and why the best have (and need) a coach -- and it outlines his five rules for success he's taught Silicon Valley giants. …

After a month of wearing different forms of utterly ridiculous facial hair, I am happy to report that the mustache contest is over. While I got all the satisfaction that I was planning to out of the event, including:1- Entertaining (and horrifying) my co-workers 2- Amusing myself looking at pictures of funny member mustaches 3- Annoying my wife in front of our friends and neighbors 4- Watching as people that didn’t know me tried to reconcile my nose handle bars with other aspects of their impression of me- particularly in business meetings I am very happy to no longer have to scratch at the…

Recently I got an email inquiry from a buddy of mine at Lucidera asking what publications salespeople read. Even though I was in sales for years, Jigsaw’s main community target is salespeople, I talk to them all day long and Jigsaw is partnered with several content providers for sales, I nonetheless was about as useless as a pre- dotcom bust business development manager in answering the question. The simple reason is this: I honestly don’t think that there is a much of a noticeable overlap in what sales professionals read as it correlates to their job function. I asked our salespeople and…

Enterprise sales, like most of corporate America, is still a male oriented and dominated profession. If you add “technology” into the description, then you get another multiplier for men. In corporate presentations it is perfectly acceptable to refer to your sales team as “the sales guys.” Almost all positive descriptions of sales people: “hunters, warriors, studs, monsters, animals, rain makers” all sound mannish to me. Barely a day goes by when I don’t hear someone making a correlation between getting a sale and picking up women.  When I posted the mustache contest last…

Are you familiar with the phenomenon of something that is so cheesy, dorky or horrendous that it is cool? There is probably some game show word that defines this but I don’t know what it is so I’ll just list examples. I’m talking about kung fu flicks where the lips don’t even come close to matching the words. Comic books. McLovin’ from SuperBad. Bon Jovi. Pimps. Just about any fashion trend from the ’70s. Iron Chef (the original). Tuxedos with ruffles. Members only jackets. Jumpsuits. White high tops. Elvis shades. Cowboy boots. OK – maybe I’ve wandered beyond cool per se -…

When I agreed to do the Jigsaw blog I was warned that keeping up with a once-a-week post would become difficult. Luckily, I have a collection of silly responses to customer support emails that I have received in the last 4 years that I can draw upon when I’m not feeling inspired. Here is one from a mildly xenophobic glue sniffer from 2005- I bet Facebook received a flurry of similar emails from this guy when they took down Scrabulous last week… From: MANZ-----@somelocalISP.com Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:27 AMTo: support@jigsaw.comSubject: SCRABBLE I FIND THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THIS…

Seth Godin had a great post on his blog regarding competitive advantage.When you are competing for business (and you are not the incumbent provider), why should a prospect leave the current relationship and go with you?  Most salespeople I talk to have an extremely hard time coming up with a compelling reason.Your compelling reason should come from your current clients.  Go talk to your top 30 clients and ask them the following questions:  "Bob, 5 years ago, what were the reasons you decided to choose me as your provider?  What have I done in those 5 years that have…

My MacBook's battery was not charging, so I went on line this morning to schedule an appointment at the Apple Store.A time was available this afternoon, so I took it.  I arrived a little early.  The "Genius" at the Genius Bar took my computer, ran a test, gave me a new battery and I was out the door.  As we left the store, my son turned to me and said, "Dad we are out of here before your appointment was even scheduled to begin."  Needles to say, Apple exceeded my expectations.What was also interesting were the 150 or so people…

In the recruiting of salespeople, too often we choose style (looks good, has the gift of gab, went to a good college) over substance (has desire, commitment and will sell).Take a look at this video to find out why substance trumps style.Who do you want on your team?

Michael Port (with Elizabeth Marshall as co-author) has released his latest book, "The Contrarian Effect."The book's premise is to take what you have typically learned about sales and then do the opposite.  Port and Marshall are spot on with their thoughts on cold calling, sales scripts, closing techniques and the impact technology has had on the profession of selling.The book confirms my thinking that prospects and clients are looking for trusted advisors to help them solve their problems and/or help them achieve a goal/dream.  They…

The Seattle P.I. had a great column today talking about how to avoid 10 common mistakes during the hiring process.  The column was not specifically targeting the hiring of salespeople, but these are great reminders for those companies hiring salespeople.An additional common mistake that I see companies making when hiring salespeople is that they do not use a pre-hire assessment tool.  I talked about the importance of such a tool in a recent blog.  Find a pre-hire assessment that you like.  It will help you eliminate many of the mistakes you are currently making.

As a sales author, sales motivational speaker and sales force development consultant it is very important that I walk the talk and continue to learn and develop myself. One activity which I am always recommending to clients, friends and everyone alike is to keep reading new, old and interesting ideas to keep yourself stimulated and on top of your game. My personal favourite subjects for reading about are personal development, sales training, sales force development, motivation and mindset, general business and marketing. Nowadays I read a lot of blogs and am subscribed to several via RSS…

Few people would argue that motivated salespeople and business people sell more. Wandering around looking like the world is out to get you and with your chin dragging along the floor never helped anyone to be a sales superstar and it never will. Your attitude, your mindset and your approach will always play a huge part in helping you to smash your targets and build the business and the life that you desire. When I am invited to companies as a motivational speaker or sales development consultant one of the most common questions asked by sales managers, sales directors and business owners alike…

A few weeks ago I was enjoying the sun on my back and a long cool drink on my balcony in Spain when I got a message to call Jennifer Celerier from this year’s Apprentice. Having written so much about them I was intrigued so I decided that I would give her a call straight back. Apparently, both she and Kristina Grimes (who came second in 2007) had enjoyed my blogs on the Apprentice and wanted to talk to me about a sales and business project that they were planning… I think that you’ll like what they have planned and I’ll tell you more as it progresses but in the…

On Sunday this week I went to look at a new build apartment in a converted manor house in Bolton that I thought might have rental potential and I had the delight of two salespeople who really need to get themselves onto one of my sales training seminars. With the housing sales markets somewhat volatile at the moment I am thinking about searching out a bargain. The sun was shining and the sky was blue and I drove into the gardens of this house with the roof down and parked next to two somewhat dilapidated 4-5 year old common or garden hatchbacks. On first impressions, the house looked nice –…

All sales training experts and sales gurus alike, myself included, extol the virtues of asking good questions. Asking the right question can develop rapport, increase credibility and turn a sale around. As part of my Real World Sales Tips project I thought that it would be fun to find out what your favourite questions are to ask your clients and prospects. To get you started here are a few from Real World Sales Skills… How do you currently go about…? How long have you been operating that way? When you considered the options why did you choose that solution? How has that solution…

In the film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" the main character is completely paralyzed except for his hearing and the ability to blink his left eye. In order for him to communicate his attendant sounds out letters and when the correct letter is sounded out he blinks. The attendant writes the letters down to form the words and sentences. The attendant then reads the sentences to confirm the accuracy of the sentence. This great man has a physical handicap but not a mental handicap. As the movie progresses he writes a book. How? By blinking when the correct letter is sounded to create a…

My grandfather was a wonderful man who taught me, along with his other grandchildren, through stories and parables.  Although he passed on many years ago, his stories still are in my heart and mind. He once told a story of an old man who traveled to town with his donkey and his grandchild.  As the old man and the child rode on the donkey they passed a merchant. The merchant saw the two riding on the donkey and said, "How can you put such a burden on that poor animal?  You both are strong and should walk beside the donkey."  The old man and the young boy dismounted.

This past weekend I had a conversation with my brother-in law.  His two girls are now in college and he and his wife are ‘Empty Nesters."  He seemed a little down as we discussed the "what now."  He had some short term goals, most of them related to socialization.  He did, however, have some additional goals that were two years out. Many years ago, before my firm began using the OMG assessment tool, I personally completed an assessment.  The results came back which indicated I was not goal-oriented.  I had a hard time believing that because I saw myself as…

On the way back from the Arcade one evening my son and I passed three teenagers sitting on a bench along the boardwalk. They could not have been more that fifteen years old.  Adam and I greeted them and they responded with a friendly, "Hi, where are you going?  We replied, "Going home, how about you?"  Their reply was, "We are waiting for some other kids to come by".  Here is how the conversation went on... Us:  What kids? Teenagers:  Oh, any kids. Us:  Any kids? Teenagers:  Yeah, we are just waiting for some kids to come by. Us:  Really, why?

  A prospect went to our web site http://www.turrisiassociates.com looking for information on how to write an ad to hire salespeople. When I called the gentlemen he informed me he had targeted the mortgage industry. He went on to say the mortgage and real-estate business was in a downturn and salespeople were looking to leave. When I asked the prospect what business he was in I was told he was a house builder. His plan was to write to mortgage company owners and recruit salespeople that wanted to leave the industry. He wanted salespeople that understood financing and real estate. Let's…

I love the Olympics!And the Olympics remind me that sometimes we learn more about people by how they win and sometimes we learn more about people by how they lose!If you saw the U.S. men's swimming relay team win the gold medal last night then you know what I'm talking about. After the French men's team talked smack all week about how they were going to "smash" the U.S. it was a pretty tough blow for the French to lose. But there the French were, standing on the medal stand receiving their silver medals and congratulating the U.S. team.The same holds true for jazzing up your sales. Every…

I just returned from a great vacation to Colorado Springs! Among the many things we did was ride the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak. You'd think working for an elevator company for 12 years would have cured me of my fear of heights - but this took it to a whole new level. Over 14,000 feet high!On the ride back down the mountain the train quit working. It came to a slow stop at a downward angle of around 25 degrees. It was pretty steep and it felt like we were hanging in mid-air looking straight down. What took place next is what made me think about how fast you can lose trust with…

I love the 4th of July - not just because of the holiday and fireworks, but because I love sales. As a matter of fact, I already bought a new rug as part of a 4th of July sale.But you don't have to wait until a national holiday to provide a special deal for your clients. I recently received a promotional flyer that was having a sale "in honor of the summer solstice." The summer what?So, create your own "excuse" for a sale or special offering. Sort of like Hallmark holidays... (grandparents day, bosses' day, etc.). The more creative the better.So, enjoy the weekend and hope you had a happy…

I think some people think that to be good at sales you need a dynamic personality, a great sense of humor and super quick wit. These qualities are definitely a plus!But the real secret to jazzing up the sales of your business is to just be consistent.Be consistent in the quality of work you provide. Clients will learn they can depend on you. Be consistent in how you deal with clients. Don't be a moody! Don't appear down in the dumps. Have a positive attitude about your business - always.Be consistent in your marketing efforts. Instead of spending a lot of money on one large marketing effort,…

How many times have you been trying to make a sale when you realize that the person you are dealing with does not have decision making authority? It happens all the time.Here's a tip: Don't jump rank and go around them!Here's why:Even though your contact person doesn't make the decision, he is an influencer. You will make him mad by going around him or above his head - and then you are doomed. The decision maker may have delegated the research on you or your company to this person because he doesn't have time to do it. Respect this chain of command.What can you do?Ask your contact person if…

Jamaica - a tiny country that usually conjours up images of dreadlocks, reggae, rum and beaches but certainly not Olympic Champions. However for the past few days we have seen the Jamaican men and women pretty much dominate the 100 meters to the 400 meters. One of the things that you can't help noticing is how relaxed and how much fun this particular group of athletes are having - all the others seem very focused both before and during the race - maybe a little too focused?I am definitely not an athlete myself so this is nothing more than my opinion, however the Jamaican team appear to have…

Like so many others I have been up too late these days watching portions of the Olympics. There are of course certain events that are more interesting to me than others, but as a whole the entire competition is fascinating. There are a number of posts that will be coming out of these events so here is my first.Last night was a night of contrasts - on one hand the US Swimmers totally dominated their events and were breaking new records in almost every contest. On the other hand, the US ladies Gymnastics team struggled with execution. It was pretty common to hear " they have done that hundreds…

I am always amazed when I speak with someone and they start to talk about what they are doing and how instead of the why they are doing it and is it working? My questions are usually intended to uncover the latter - and I am pretty direct - yet many of the executives or entrepeneurs I speak with try to skirt around those answers and prefer to discuss the details that they are most comfortable with. These are usually centered around numbers or activity descriptions and not around the real reasons that some of their problems exist.When King John 1st found himself being forced into signing the…

I really enjoyed hearing Scott Zimmerman speak earlier this week. He provided some really useful tips that involved getting an understanding of where our clients were coming from, how they processed information and made decisions that I know will be helpful to anyone, especially me, that attended.All too often in sales and business in general we are trying to push things along and expecting the customer, the prospect and the market to respond as we would - in reality however not everyone is like us at all and this means that our pushing - regardless of how it manifests itself - will be like…

As I was watching the news yesterday I noticed someone being interviewed and realized I knew the person. It was Michael Coughlin - now the town manager in a town called Westport here in Massachusetts. I knew Mike many years ago when he was the town manager in Southbridge - another town in Massachusetts.Mike was being interviewed because once again his progressive policies and leadership are helping both the town of Westport as well the people living there. It seems as if everyone there appreciates his work and what he has done for the town over the years.When Mike was in Southbridge things…

This blog will not become a platform for me to attack individuals (or companies, for that matter), even when they are dead wrong.  But everyone has a limit.  I reached mine today. I spend a lot of time learning, reading, thinking, pondering, strategizing, researching, and speaking with customers, sales executives, sales reps, sales trainers, and their clients and customers.  I never pirate anyone else’s content.  When I do discuss someone else’s content, during a speech, or in a seminar, I always provide the source.  That’s the professional (and legal) thing to…

I came upon a post by Jeff Thull yesterday.  Jeff is the author of three best-selling sales books and founder of Prime Resource Group, one of the vendors that ESR covers. Through the success of his clients, Jeff has proven his approach to selling business value works.  (Not every company is a candidate for deploying Jeff’s approach.) In the post, Jeff bashes the term, and the concept of, “value proposition.”  He suggests another term, “value assumption,” which describes a process of collaboration between seller and buyer to determine where value from a…

Have you been following the U. S. Air Force’s evaluation of Boeing and Northrup/Grumman EADS for the $35 billion contract for the next generation tanker?  If not, you’re missing a rare opportunity to observe a big-ticket, complex sale in real time. I’ve written a few posts on this subject before.  Here is a quote from a BusinessWeek article referenced in my original post back in July (highlights are mine): In a significant boost to the prospects of Boeing (BA), a U.S. government arbiter has sustained the company’s formal complaint that the U.S. Air Force unfairly…

I’ve written a fair amount about Sales 2.0 and technology-enabled selling.  I’ve also discussed my concerns about generation and technology gaps between younger and older sales professionals.  A recent article in BusinessWeek discusses how educators are changing their tune on mobile cell phones.  Up until now, most educators saw cell phones and PDAs as a distraction.  According to the article, “Abilene Christian University will hand out Apple’s iPhone 3G smart phone to two-thirds of this year’s entering class of 950 freshmen. Students will be expected to…

Coaching is one of the most critical components of a total approach to sales effectiveness, but it is often underutilized and mismanaged.  I’ve been enjoying my conversations with Jim Burns, CEO of Boston-based Avitage.  Avitage is a small technology company that provides communication mechanisms and techniques for, among other things, delivering sales and marketing messages.  In fact, Jim pointed me toward several Avitage-developed vignettes that very effectively describe PrivateSalesCoach, the new tool his company has built. Uh oh. I have no idea where we are with each person on…

Lin Hao is the name of the 9 year old boy who, along with Yao Ming, lead the Chinese athletes into the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. The series of events that resulted in Lin’s position of honor began when his school was destroyed in the massive earthquake that struck China just months before the Olympics.  Out of a class of thirty, twenty of his classmates died. Lin was fortunate enough to not sustain any life-threatening injuries and freed himself from the rubble. However, instead of escaping from the debris that used to be his classroom, he went deeper in to find his classmates.  He…

Having done my time in those brainstorming sessions where lead generation was the central topic, I confess to advocating the use of the “lunch and learn” tactic. For the unfamiliar, this is where our company would pay and invite senior level executives to a lunch at a mid-tier restaurant, limited menu of course, in exchange for 60 minutes of the attendees’ time. At the end of the entree we would share a presentation in which we would describe the wonderful life that awaits those who chose to utilize our solutions. It sounded so copesetic. We would provide lunch for hungry…

Its a common, almost natural condition that the more effective someone is in their job, the more likely they are to be moved away from that job. Are you really good at customer service?  Well, conventional wisdom dictates that you should move deeper into your organization and further away from the customer, in hopes that your talent will permeate those below you through some magical osmosis-based process. Are you a quota killing sales rep?  If so,  many companies will get you out of the field and into HQ where you can manage some people who may not be as talented or have your drive, but…

One of our sales warriors sent me a link to “SALESCO”, a sales consulting/coaching organization that has been contracted to organize and lead our warrior’s next annual sales meeting. On their site, SALESCO talks about their innovative and patented sales methodology and training programs that are guaranteed to increase your pipeline, improve your closing rates, and build a level of partnership & mind share not seen since Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan, between you and your clients. To really drive home the message that SALESCO is hard core, competitive, and holds the grail…

This week, upon returning home from a business trip, I was surprised by an unexpected package on the kitchen table.  A cardboard mailer, measuring 4 inches wide, 6 inches long, and about an inch thick sat there with my name printed on the label.   I assumed it was a book or CD, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember placing an order. At the time, I was exhausted.  I had just drove 300 miles and thanks to unintentional overdose of MSG at a Chinese place, I was nauseous and breaking more wind than the rear spoiler on a Mustang GT. When I tore open the box, I was surprised to find…

Craig Klein left a comment on my blog this morning. I checked out his blog and saw a great post that I had to point people to. Here's an excerpt from the full article:  Bottom line: Recent experiences like this one show me that too many sales people still haven't gotten the message - sales is not about talking, telling or teaching. Its about listening.Your goal is to continue to ask the prospect questions about their world. Understand what's working for them, what challenges they face, where they think they're heading and most importantly, what are the greatest risks they see in the…

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IF business owner = idiot WHERE business DOES NOT HAVE CRMTHEN 80% OF business owners MUST BE idiots.Most small businesses do not employ a CRM. Many "have one" but don't use it. I'm not saying it's easy. But, it's necessary for any small business that wants to be bigger or more profitable someday. Here's a great list of questions about CRM that you should ask yourself. Do you know who your most profitable customers are, and what they purchase?Are you aware of the current sales opportunities your sales team is working on?Do you know which opportunities are at the beginning, middle, or end of…

Dharmesh and the HubSpot internet marketing software development team launched another free tool the other day. As companions to the free SEO tool, Website Grader, and the press release SEO tool, Press Release Grader, Twitter Grader analyzes a Twitter users influence. Unlike the other tools, Twitter grader has a leaderboard which shows the highest scoring users. Of course, it's only evaluating the users that have evaluated their Twitter profile via Twitter Grader. But, as of today, that's atleast 20,420 people, including Barack Obama, who comes in at #1 right now. Dharmesh is hard at thought…

It's absolutely ridiculous that the marketing departments of soooo many b2b companies are not developing online lead generation processes that produce sales ready leads; that they don't practice measurable marketing. Historically, sales has always had a funnel. Marketing should have a funnel too. Brian Carroll has a great post about building a marketing funnel: Most organizations don't have a marketing funnel; they have a sales funnel that looks more like a bucket with lots of holes in it where leads leak out. Marketing needs to create its own funnel to understand whether leads are sales…

Stick it to them - Simple and Unexpected.  Part 1 of a 3 part series on making sales messages stick. Face it, some of the most compelling sales messages don’t stick.  How many times have you delivered a very compelling argument about why someone should buy your product or service only to find the message had fallen on deaf ears?  How many times did you think given the facts the sale would be a “no brainer” for the buyer, but it wasn’t?  Why do some sales messages just seem to die?  The most compelling reasons for someone to buy from you can be lost if the message…

Improve your Sales productivity through a formal sales education! Let’s face it no matter how much finesse you think is involved in selling at the end of the day Sales is a science. That said why is it so hard to find educational institutions that offer a degree in Sales?  There are more sales people than there are marketing people, finance people, or lawyers combined.  So why do all those professions have accredited degree programs but not sales?  In this episode Joe and Mike talk about getting a sales education and why educational institutions need to pay more attention to sales as…

Be calling or be bawling! If you’re not consistently adding new prospects to your pipeline you are not going to be successful long term. Top sales people know that Prospecting is the MOST important aspect of selling. In this episode Joe and Mike discuss different aspects of prospecting and offer tips on how to be more successful at finding qualified prospects. Listen to this weeks Sales Podcast MP3 Stream  Download MP3  This week’s Master is Evan Sohn, Founder and CEO of Salesconx. Salesconx is a marketplace for professionals to buy and sell introductions to decision makers. We…

Serving up the big cheese! Leveraging your senior executives in a sales cycle During the sales process sometimes it’s necessary to bring in a company evangelist or someone from your senior management team to advance the sale.  Unfortunately doing so is fraught with danger - it could negatively effect the sale and/or the person you bring in might get a negative impression of you.  You have to know when to bring them in, why to bring them in, how to prepare them and how to keep them on message. Most importantly you have to preserve your control over the sales process and not surrender…

We are on vacation and you are with us! Mike and Joe are taking some well deserved time off. We will be back with a regular schedule on August 4. Listen to this weeks Sales Podcast MP3 Stream  We published our first e-Booklet set Titled “Killer Sales Questions” and “Coffee is for Closers - Deal or no Deal Get Both for only $19.99 Sales Podcast and Sales Blog SalesRoundup.com

One of my favorite sales trainings relates to the understanding of selling vs. non selling activities. It is a common theme and an important skill for high level sales people to master to stay at the top of their game. On ki work, I have listed a 7 part full cycle sales training for startups. [...]

Forget your politics for just a moment and think about messaging. I am buried in obligations for my three fantastic clients but had to step in for a moment and say that this message from the DNC is a sales pitch like no other. It is positive, inspiring, TRANSFERS EMOTION, FEELS SINCERE, and challenges the [...]

So my last sales message, sales preach, sales training, whatever you want to call it. My last delivery on the typical sales trainer and their myriad of suggestions on how to illicit information while sharing little. My diatribe on how you need to deliver especially when evangelizing the new, now must be tempered. The hand [...]

Wouldn’t it be nifty if you could send an e-mail, and the moment it was opened get notified? Wouldn’t it be even better if you could see exactly what link the prospect clicked, and from there what pages they reviewed and for how long? Well, guess what, there is a product called Sales Genius does all [...]

Every sales training I have every been a party to attending focused predominately on the right questions to ask and how to build strategies around the answers. Whether it is how to avoid objections, understand objectives, learn processes, they just assume that people will want to talk to you once you get them on the [...]

As a sales manager, are you feared or possibly avoided by the field salespeople in your charge? Do your salespeople view you as an asset or liability? Are you actually an asset or a liability to them? Is it obvious that you are a company team player or rather that you appear to seek corporate approval at all costs? How do you view your responsibilities? As a self-test, do you regularly engage in any of the following?   1. Demand an itinerary from each salesperson for each week?  2. Demand detailed call reports?  3. Demand that all field decisions be approved by you?  4. Regularly travel…

Sunoco, the Sun Oil Company, is a homegrown energy company that has remained true to its roots for a century. In fact, they are the drilling rig operators, refiners and distributors of their products. They are an American company doing business with Americans. I chose to highlight their company here because I believe in them, their heritage and want to contribute to their domestic growth. As a youth, I remember seeing many of their natural gas pumps scattered across the countryside in northeastern Ohio. To this day, especially now, I buy my gasoline from Sunoco stations wherever possible. I…

"Great athletes don't just show up for their games, they work out and practice constantly throughout their careers. Great musicians and opera singers do the same. Even accountants, nurses, and teachers must continue to train, forever furthering their educations to stay on top of developments in their professions. Why should a sales rep be any different?" says Michelle Nichols at Business Week. If you want to earn more, you have to learn more. There are no shortcuts. There is no rationale in waiting for your employer to provide sales and industry training either. Your educational requirements…

The food court at our local mall features a particularly tasty treat, one that inspires and demands a rare trip to the mall. This restaurant features the best Teriyaki Chicken in town, freshly made to order. The line is usually long yet moves along continuously as hungry, waiting patrons salivate with thoughts of delightful tangyness. Their chicken is the only justification powerful enough to entice me to travel there as I will usually avoid the entire mall area if at all possible. My daughter and I were there to enjoy a weekday lunch together, she with her Subway sandwich and me with...

Sales leads can be found everywhere, if we are paying attention. News from a variety of sources may arrive at different intervals, in different ways, completing a complex puzzle; creating an image of a potential sales opportunity... a sales lead. This is indeed a superior selling skill, one that is not possessed by everyone. I gather RSS feeds from a variety of sources that greet me each morning on my computer's home page. RSS feeds are simply bits of information published by sources of interest to which I have subscribed. These include multi-city Biz Journals, Chambers of Commerce, SC…

Little, sweet, big hearted, concerned only with the poor, the hungry, the homeless. That’s our image of Mother Teresa. And she was that in reality. But she was more-much more. Conniving, heartless, power hungry, goal focused, destroy anything in your path. That’s our image of Machiavelli. Well, he actually wasn’t all that, but that’s the message that has been gleaned from The Prince, his treatise to his prince on how to govern. Mother Teresa must have studied The Prince well because she learned the book’s lessons well. And Machiavelli must have been friends with…

Setting the Climate for a Non-Confrontational Negotiation By Roger Dawson What you say in the first few moments of a negotiation often sets the climate of the negotiation. The other person quickly gets a feel for whether you are working for a win-win solution, or whether you’re a tough negotiator who’s out for everything they can get. That’s one problem that I have with the way that attorneys negotiate-they’re very confrontational negotiators. You get that white envelope in the mail with black, raised lettering in the top left hand corner and you think, “Oh, no!

I’m sure you’ve heard of social media. I’m sure you’ve heard what social media can do for your business. I’m sure you’ve heard that social media is going to change your life. I’m sure you’ve heard that if you’re not involved-if you haven’t embraced social media unquestioningly and with checkbook open, you’ll be left in the trash heap of business history. I’m sure you’ve noticed that all of these dire warnings about the hell you’ll be relegated to if you fail to give your life over to the empowering wonders of…

We all know that finding information about prospective prospects is difficult. Certainly we have access to their website, which information is helpful but not complete. Not only do we need more information than we’re likely to find on their site, but we have to have a way to identify the potential prospect before we can research them. One of the leading lead identification sites is SalesGenie. The problem for many is that SalesGenie is down right expensive. Sure, they’ll give you a hundred free leads, but after that the service costs dearly. And of course there’s Hoovers and…

Imagine knowing the words, ideas, and concepts that influence people to buy, to make a choice, to solve a problem, to commit to your solution. Imaginebeing able to write or say something that immediately strikes a nerve; that people will remember and act upon. Imagine having the power that moves prospects, coworkers, employees, better yet, your spouse to your point of view. Few of us in sales and marketing are writers–that is true wordsmiths. Few of us think we have the talent to be. Most of really don’t aspire to be. But all of us yearn to-we must-influence those around us. We…