In preparing to negotiate you need to figure out what you want from the negotiations and how flexible you’re willing to be on each of your selling points. Then, for each item, develop an explanation that justifies the position you desire. Being prepared to make the right concessions—those that cost you little, but give your … Read full article
Treat any vague response as an early warning signal. Remember, many unsatisfied customers would rather flee than fight. Complaining takes time and complaints are often ignored, so customers think, “Why bother?” Customers often hide their unhappiness by responding to a salesperson’s questions in a nonspecific way. You’ve probably done the same thing in other circumstances. … Read full article
Your best asset isn’t the client company; it’s your personal relationships with the people who buy from you. People buy from people they like. As Dale Carnegie suggested in his classic book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, you’ve got to become genuinely interested in other people. Smile more. Be a good listener. Encourage … Read full article
Achieving customer satisfaction — satisfaction with your solution’s price, performance, and service responsiveness — is the pre-requisite for developing any long-term relationship with a customer, and especially one that you may want to take to a higher level of mutual commitment and loyalty. Because your customers’ expectations are always on the rise, you’ve got to … Read full article
Your customers’ level of satisfaction is based on how they feel about these four questions: 1. Am I achieving the results I expected? 2. Is the product or service performing as expected? 3. Did I pay a fair price? 4. Does the way I’m treated by your support people make me feel important? The first … Read full article
Are there any barriers to great sales performance that your organization has created for you? If so, how can you remove the obstacles? One way is to improve your energy and desire to excel. Remember, the speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack. A few more successful strategies include: 1) Pay more … Read full article
Salespeople who have “lost the fire” are salespeople who have lost sight of their sales goals, so you must help them see their future more clearly. To create your plan, ask good questions, and really listen. Ask: Why are you selling for a living? What is it that you want, that you don’t currently have? … Read full article
In sales training, don’t use a “one-size-fits-all” strategy. Every salesperson is different, with different needs, commitments, motivators, etc. You must build a relationship with each individual on your sales team to get the results you want.
A sales team typically consists of a few leaders and lots of followers. So does a ranch, where the herd follows along behind the one cow with a bell around its neck. Many salespeople, especially those with less experience, emulate the example of the bell cows on your sales team. If one of your bell … Read full article
At TopLine Leadership, we solve problems that are unique to sales managers. Our sales management training program solves the problems sales managers have that often prevent them from becoming great sales coaches. We combine the “how-to” skills that you would expect such as coaching, communicating and motivating the team; with the self-management skills that sales … Read full article