When untrained sales managers don’t know how to be an effective sales manager, so they continue to do what comes naturally – they continue to sell. But this leads them to spend more time with their top salespeople, who are working on the biggest deals, which leaves the rest of the sales team out in … Read full article
The role of the Therapist in sales is to understand and resolve the buyer’s fears. Here is the Therapist’s Four Step Treatment Process to help the customer work through the fear of buying: 1. Be sensitive and observe 2. Explore concerns 3. Empathize with feelings 4. Discuss alternatives You cannot resolve a buyer’s fear until … Read full article
When was the last time your company took a hard look at your sales proposals? The value your company provides to customers likely changes over time. Has your sales proposal changed, too? Does your sales proposal persuasively communicate that you are the preferred solution provider in your marketplace? At TopLine Leadership, our sales training seminars … Read full article
Spend less time trying to close the sale — and more time positioning your solution as the customer’s best choice. If you don’t know by this point in the sales process at least three reasons why your customer should buy from you — reasons that have been connected to explicit customer needs (so you know … Read full article
If you sell to businesses, somewhere during the sales process your prospects may send out a Request for Proposal or ask you to make a formal sales presentation. Here’s an important tip: if the RFP is the first you’ve heard about the opportunity, it means you’re entering the game late (whether or not there are … Read full article
If you don’t know your customer’s buying criteria, or if you find yourself guessing, consider it a signal that you haven’t placed enough emphasis on uncovering customer needs. You will have added significant value to your customer’s buying process if they come away with a better understanding of their buying criteria and with a greater … Read full article
During a first meeting with a customer, it’s unlikely they will tell you everything going on in their decision process. For all you know, the first need they mention may be something identified by one of your competitors in a meeting the day before! By failing to probe for the second need, you may be … Read full article
My sales career began 30 years ago selling office equipment for Lanier, something like the “Marine Corps” of business-to-business sales. I’d take the elevator to the top floor of an office building and cold call my way down to the lobby. I was taught to walk into an office and ask to see the General … Read full article
Years ago I was selling an office equipment solution to the CEO of a 100-person company. I was selling to him the way I had been taught: I established comfortable conversation while building trust, asked questions to diagnose his needs, then presented my solution as an answer to his needs. Everything, seemingly, appeared to be … Read full article
People who recently bought from you after scouting the competition are a rich source of information. It’s worth talking to them to see what they can tell you about how your product or service compares to the rest of the market. Ask them if they would explain why they chose you, what strengths they perceived. … Read full article