In my years of selling, I’ve found one of the most powerful and versatile sales tools is the simple ink pen. Whether it’s a fancy Mont Blanc or a basic blue Bic, the pen can be used for many purposes during your conversations. As we go more and more digital, it's easy to leave our pens in our briefcases or purses. But when you don't take out your pen, you lose a powerful tool that can help you close more deals. It might seem like just a little tube of plastic or metal, but it's secret weapon that has a lot of uses. Why Your Pen Is Still Useful If you are a professional salesperson, you should remember a few key points about your … [Read more...]
Social Selling is Here to Stay: Here are 7 Ways to Make LinkedIn Work for You Today
Updated December 2018 I often think about the sales meeting when a sales manager first suggested using the telephone to sell. I'm sure there were a bunch of reactions to the thought: One person probably yelled out that you have to talk to prospects face-to-face if you want to have success and the phone would never work in sales. A few people in the back of the room probably whispered to each other about how confusing phones were. And still another person probably stopped paying attention because they thought, "Well, none of my customers have telephones." I'm sure that there was a bunch of resistance and confusion. And then … [Read more...]
3 Simple Ways to Motivate Lazy Salespeople (Including Yourself)
I was having a conversation with a sales manager about how to train and develop his salespeople. After mapping out an effective curriculum, he paused and asked, “This is great for the motivated ones, but what about the people that are just lazy?” It’s an interesting question. But in the end, I think it’s the wrong one. I have yet to meet a person who is genuinely lazy: someone who has laziness as an inherent part of their personality. I have, however, met many, many individuals who exhibit lazy behaviors. Laziness is a symptom, not a disease. I’ve found there are three reasons why someone will act lazily: 1. Fear of the … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Ask for Referrals Over and Over (Without Being Obnoxious)
Customer referrals are a powerful way to build your business. Getting these referrals involves almost no costs and often leads to an easier sale (because they trust the person who referred them). It's also a great testimony to the quality of service you provided the referring customer. By learning to ask for them effectively, you can see a huge boost in your career. Developing a strong referral pipeline is critical in professions well beyond the "traditional" salesperson. Even if you don't have "sales" in your job title, referrals are important. They matter because: Professionals like attorneys or accountants need new clients. Want … [Read more...]
The Mantra That Will Make You More Influential: They Don’t Care How the Beer Tastes
One of the nice things about working for myself is that I get to work where I want. That's often my home office or one of the many coffeehouses around Evanston, IL. Or if it's about 3:30 and another cup of tea will make my head explode, it's one of my favorite bars where I can sip a craft brew and work in the eerily dead time between lunch and happy hour. (I love the fact that pretty much every establishment feels the need to have free WiFi). Watching a Sales Call Unravel As I was sitting here at the bar today, enjoying the last drops of this year's Great Lakes Oktoberfest, a sales rep for a local Chicago craft brewer came in. She had … [Read more...]
3 Easy Body Language Adjustments For Better Business Meetings
With more and more of our time spent online, there are hundreds of articles that will help you develop the perfect online presence. You can learn how to create an optimized social media profile, a blog post with the perfect headline, and a website that will make you look like the pre-eminent expert in your field. For most of us, though, our digital activity eventually funnels us back into the "real-world". No matter how fancy your CRM or iPhone app, most deals get done face-to-face. It's hard to shake someone's hand to seal the deal when you aren't sitting across from them! It doesn't matter how stunning your online presence is in the … [Read more...]
Don’t Waste Time Worrying about Your Social Media Permanent Record
I used to have an earring when I was in my early twenties. A big, fat, silver hoop. My father had always said that I couldn't have one while I lived under his roof. That was fine. I just waited until I was 21 and living in an apartment in college. My friend Chrissie took me to the mall and I got my ear pierced. I was young, a musician, and I thought I was totally cool. And in case you are wondering, I absolutely wasn't. Who We Were Isn't Necessarily Who We Are Have I scared you away? Do you want nothing to do with me now because of what I did almost 20 years ago? Have I lost all professional credibility? My guess is that you're … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Next Page »