Posted by Susan A. Enns under Small & Medium Business Management
A business associate recently attended a Small Business presentation by Diane Buckner, whom most of us will recognize as the lady who introduces the ”Dragon’s Den” on TV – Here is what he said are Diane’s 10 Top Pointers for Small Business, which to my mind is the same as the 10 Top Pointers for successful sales:
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Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Skills
Recently, I was lucky enough to a be keynote speaker at a Sales Professionals of Ottawa Networking Breakfast. When I looked around at the attendees, I realized that the level of sales and sales management experience in the room was incredible. There literally were some of the most successful and well respected sales professionals from the area in attendance, some of whom had been selling for well over 30 years.
I happened to look over at a very experienced sales professional whom I greatly respect. As I watched him taking notes, I was reminded of a very important lesson: You are never too old or too experienced to learn something new. In fact, I think that is probably the reason why he is one of the most successful and highly respected sales professionals in the first place.
Aim Higher!
Susan A. Enns, The B2B Sales Coach B2B Sales Connections
www.b2bsalesconnections.com, www.linkedin.com/in/susanenns, or www.twitter.com/SusanEnns
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Career Advice, Sales Skills
Recently I overheard a sales rep say, “I would love to sell more but I just don’t have the time to prospect.” In the same week, a friend said “I would love to be healthier but I don’t have the time to work out.”
Please! When we say we don’t have the time to do something, what we are really saying is that we chose not to do it. We all have the same number of hours in a day. The only difference is how we spend them.
Let’s face it. If top producing sales people can find the time to prospect, so can you. The key is how you plan your work. (more…)
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Management Skills
Product knowledge is critical for a sales representative’s success. After all, every sales representative must understand the product or service they are selling, otherwise they couldn’t sell it.
The mistake most sales managers make however, is they conduct long product knowledge sessions, sometimes lasting for days, and all the time is spent memorizing features and specifications. This will not make your sales representative more successful. In fact, speaking from personal experience, this will actually do more to confuse your team than it will to help them.
In depth and intense training sessions may be necessary when launching new products or when a sales representative first joins the company, however to be truly effective, product training has to go a step further. (more…)
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Career Advice
All job ads include the potential employer’s preferred method for you to apply for the available position. Some prefer a resume by email, others still prefer fax, while others request you apply via the company’s website. Whatever the stated method, you should follow the instructions and apply as directed.
Applicants who call a recruiter when a job ad requests another method do not necessarily appear as go-getters who “make things happen”. They can actually appear disrespectful, unprofessional, and unwilling or incapable of following instructions. (more…)
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Management Skills, Sales Skills, Small & Medium Business Management
Although there are many out there who promise they have found it, there really is no magic bullet for lead generation. When you get right down to it, the best marketing automation tools are the ones that put you in the right place at the right time, that being when the prospect is most likely to buy.
Studies have shown that 2 of 3 sales are made to prospects who have said “no” not once, but 5 times! In fact, someone has to hear your company name at least 3 times before it even registers. One very successful sales rep stated he must leave an average of seven to ten voice mails before his messages are returned. (more…)
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Quick Sales Tips
Don’t automatically offer a discount when a customer asks for one. Justify your value first. Before you drop your price, ask the customer what they would like to remove from the package. Psychology proves that people would rather pay more than lose something they see as valuable to them.
For more quick sales tips, download a copy of our eBook ”Quick Sales Tips – Practical advice, in bite sized pieces!” from the B2B Sales Connections Free Download Centre. It is available for free for a limited time!
Aim Higher!
Susan A. Enns, The B2B Sales Coach
B2B Sales Connections
www.b2bsalesconnections.com, www.linkedin.com/in/susanenns, or www.twitter.com/SusanEnns
Posted by christopher@invokeselling.com under Sales Skills
Do you wake up every day excited to face the world, finding new ways to motivate yourself? Are ready to tackle the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that have crossed your path? Do you find yourself delirious with joy at the thoughts of what’s possible for you? If your answers to the above questions are no; why not? Why aren’t you leading an inspired life? Why don’t you find yourself jumping out of bed in the morning, ready to leap over the tallest obstacles in a single bound? Living an amazing life is about inspiration. It’s at the heart of everything we do. If your job, your family, your house, your car and your hobbies don’t inspire you…then what’s the purpose? Inspiration doesn’t just come to us, it’s planned. Success is more than just setting sales objectives and learning how to set a goal. We have to find that inspiration and nurture it within ourselves. Build the flames of inspiration until they are a raging torrent of passion ready to be released in pursuit of all the incredible wonders life has to offer. The age old question of how to stay motivated becomes a matter of inspiring yourself to take the necessary actions on a day to day basis.
So I say seek inspiration. Allow yourself to live a passionate life. Find inspiration in the songs, the words, the movies and the stories that are all around you.
“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is.”– Winston Churchill.
“We want more than this world’s got to offer, we want more than the wars of our fathers…we were meant to live for so much more.” -Meant to Live by Switchfoot.
You could stay up all night and not think of those words or lyrics. There are vast resources of information out there just waiting to teach you how to live an amazing life. It all starts with inspiring yourself to do more and to become more. Not just for yourself, but for your family and in a larger sense the communities in which we live and serve. By following this formula you can answer the question how to reach your goals, with ease.
You never know where you will find the word, the phrase or the song that changes your life forever. The most successful sales people hoard knowledge. They have extensive libraries because they understand a single thought or idea that connects with another idea can create a ripple effect that will change their personal life or business in a way they never imagined. This can happen for you too, put yourself out there. Choose to become inspired, let that inspiration turn into passion. Take that passion and use it to fuel your greatest success in life.
Christopher Scirpoli
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Management Skills
Great question! In fact, this subject has been debated among sales managers for years, and will continue to be for many years to come. The reason is that there are as many ways to distribute B2B sales assignments as there are sales managers!
The best way to distribute your b2b sales assignments is situation specific. It really depends on the products or services that your company sells, the geography that you cover, the type of customer base you have, and the job description of your sales representatives. (more…)
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Skills
Happy New Year! It’s at this time of the year when many of us evaluate the past and look forward to a better future. To help you make 2012 everything you want it to be, we wanted to offer you some of our most popular sales tools for free from the B2B Sales Connections Free Download Centre. (more…)
Studies show 25% of sales reps produce 90 to 95% of all sales. Clearly, most sales people are not selling up to their potential and not making the incomes they could. B2B Sales Connections wants to change that.
A Sales Compass is a blog where business to business sales professionals can network. Here you will find motivation, share sales tips, and improve your sales and sales management skills. Together, we can all unlock our sales potential.
