SalesResources.com - General Sales Strategies Articles

Hiring The Right People Ensures Sales Success

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:00 CST

There is a saying, mostly used in the world of athletics; "You can lose with great people but you cannot win without them." Clearly this theory applies to many competitive situations, not the least of which is business. As in athletics, winning in business starts with hiring the right people for sales and sales management. Using the sports application as an example; The Chicago Cubs recently hired Theo Epstein away from the Boston Red Sox to be president of baseball operations. His first item of business? Hire a new manager for the club. Below is an excerpt of a recent article about his process to attain the best manager. Theo had made it clear that a most important criteria for the job was that each candidate have prior major league managerial or coaching experience. A media person inquired what type of attributes Epstein was looking for in a manager, to which he replied "In the real world, its hard to find a candidate that has everything youre looking for. What you d

3 Reasons Prospects Ignore Your Emails

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:00:00 CST

In a perfect world, every email we send to a potential client would be read and responded to right away. Unfortunately, many of our prospects are too busy to even look at all the messages they receive, much less act on them.

By avoiding the most common mistakes other people make, savvy sellers like you can move their way to the top of the inbox, and fill their sales funnels with new leads.

In fact, Shelia, one of our clients, recently reported that she got a response from a top prospect after only 20 seconds -- and this after shed tried to reach him by cold calling for weeks! She was shocked by how only a few tweaks to her prospecting email got such a quick response.

You can get the same results simply by remembering the three biggest reasons prospects ignore your emails - and then avoiding them.

They never got your email in the first place. With the sheer number of unwanted email messages most of us receive; its no surprise that s

Achieve Your Unachievable 2012 Sales Goals

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:00 CST

If theres a universal truth in sales, its that the start of a new year means everything starts over. Whether you had a terrific 2011 or not, whether you create your own goals or theyre handed down, were all in the same boat. Were facing new revenue goals for 2012, and Ill bet yours are higher than last years.

Freaking out? Youre not alone.

Take a deep breath. Weve helped hundreds of sellers reach seemingly unachievable goals by breaking them down into achievable bites. This is my secret to consistent success. Heres how you do it.

Achieving "unachievable" revenue goals.

Start by accounting for business you know you can get without doing anything new. Do you have closed business thats still clearing accounting? Count that. Opportunities you started last year that havent closed yet? Count that.

Do you have clients who will renew contracts or need more of your services this year?

Lo

Sales 2012: What Will You Choose?

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:00:00 CST

Its that time of the year when people set New Years resolutions and goals. Setting goals really boils down to making new and better choices. Its as much about what you are going to start doing as it is about what you are going to stop doing. This tradition has been going on for years and most of the time it is just rhetoric and hope which eventually leads back to old comfortable behaviors and attitudes. Heres three things to consider choosing if you are serious about making 2012 your best year in sales. #1: Choose your "why." Many people get caught up in setting goals that are based on other peoples expectations, not their own. The conversation around the new goal is one of excitement and motivation, however, often lacks the real reason for changing or improving. Business owners say they want to grow their businesses. Why? Salespeople claim they want to make more money. Why? Heres a quick reality check. If your why isnt big enough, you will no

Turn The Year-end Slowdown Into Surprising Sales

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:00:00 CST

In sales its easy to write off the end of the year as unproductive, in effect turning a 12-month selling year into a 10 or 11-month year. People are in "holiday mode" and many businesses are in a holding pattern, waiting for budgets to be released in the New Year. Ill admit, it can be challenging to engage new prospects under these circumstances, but that doesnt mean you have to write-off two months of the year. On the contrary, we believe this is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for a fast start in 2012. Heres how... Focus on your customers! Yes, you read that right. After all the writing I do about prospecting; now Im telling you to focus on your customers. This will accomplish two things for you. First, it will create goodwill, which leads to referrals and repeat business. In the holiday spirit, you can send cards, emails, or pick up the phone to express your appreciation and wish your clients happy holidays. Youll generally find them light