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!
I used to work in an industry where the summer was a dead time for the sales team. The customers would shut their production down for a week or two. Contacts were on vacation and nothing moved. Then late August and early September would come and sales would start happening. This resulted in the sales people moving too fast and mistakes happening. I effected both the sales person and the customer.
As a company that hosts a niche B2B Sales Professionals job board we get a lot of resumes. Some are for specific sales jobs we have posted on our website and others are from people who are want to become part of our database for future job opportunities.
Yet many people, who send in a resume just open their email program, add our email address and attach the resume file. No name on the resume file, just “resume”. No contact information, no note saying they are responding to our ad or anything else that tells me they are a legitimate candidate.
In a world of spam, viruses and garbage attacking our “in boxes” every hour of every day you must take a minute to communicate with the person who is doing the recruiting.
No information means junk mail and no chance at a job. If you are applying for a sales job the recruiter is judging you not only on your resume but your introductory email. Face it if you can’t sell yourself in the email, the company recruiter is most likely thinking you will have the same poor approach to selling their products.
B2B Sales Connections can make the recruiting and job search process faster and easier than ever before. For more information on what makes our job board services unique, visit Career Connections at www.b2bsalesconnections.com/career.php.
A common question I receive from many of my sales coaching clients is why does a sale stop moving forward, even when you are saving them money. One moment it seems that the prospect can’t wait to buy, and then the next, for one reason or another, everything stops.
Below is the latest example of an objection that stalled a sale, as well as my answer on how to start to move things forward again.
Recently, Susan posted a blog that generated a lot of discussion on the merits of leaving a voice mail. There were numerous comments left debating both sides of the issue. I would like to relay a quick voice mail story that happened at one of my clients this past week.
The clients sales team had long debated the pros and cons of leaving a voice mail message and a few of the sales people decided they were going to start leaving a well crafted voice mail and see if they would be successful.
Two days later one of the rep’s called me up so excited they were almost coming through the phone. He had left a voice mail for a prospect who he had never spoken to at a company on his target list. Twenty minutes after he left the voice mail the contact from the prospects company called him back to find out more about the product he was selling.
Instead of launching into a ‘pitch’ about his product he asked the prospect what prompted them to call. It turns out the client had just been told by a major supplier they would not be renewing their contract and shipments of the products would stop. The prospect pegged the value of the contract at over $3 million and asked for a meeting immediately to disuss the opportunity. Not bad for a 20 second voice mail.
By the way, all the sales team has started to leave voice mails.
Regardless of how expensive or complicated your product is, a written proposal should not be longer than 6 pages. Too much information can actually slow or halt the sale, not move it forward. Your prospect only needs just enough of the right information to make a logical buying decision. Did you need of want detailed blueprints of framing, plumbing and electrical wiring before you bought your house? Neither does your prospect!
Do you need to know how to build trust with your customers?Join our free webinar where we share quick and easy ideas that will help you build trust and credibility with your prospects. Webinar doesn’t fit your schedule? View the presentation video here.
Do you want to make more money in sales? Do you need help with a sales situation? Do you need some sales career advice? Are you a sales manager wondering how to improve your team’s sales results? For less than an average dinner out, you could ask your B2B Sales Coach! in our Daily Conference Calls!
Voice mail is a fact of life in sales, but most sales people don’t know how to properly leave a voice mail message. First, always leave your number. In fact, leave it twice, once close to the start of the message and again at the end. Your recipient may not have your number handy, or your cell phone may cut out. There may be no way to call you back even if they wanted to.
Secondly, slow down! Your prospect will delete your message before they will listen to it a second time. When you leave your number, write it down at the same time. This will ensure you’re speaking slowly enough so your prospect can write it down too. Improve your voice mail skills, receive more returned phone calls! It’s that simple!
Do you want to make more money in sales? Do you need help with a sales situation? Do you need some sales career advice? Are you a sales manager wondering how to improve your team’s sales results? For less than an average dinner out, you could ask your B2B Sales Coach! in our Daily Conference Calls!
Are you on track for to qualify for this year’s sales contest?
When reviewing your results, don’t just look at how much you have sold so far, but also how much more needs to be sold to qualify. If a contest runs across a number of months, break down the larger target into smaller ones that cover shorter time frames. For example, if you need to sell $21,000 in 3 months, you should focus on the $7,000 per month that you need to qualify.
Remember, you can’t change the past, so focus on the future!
Do you need an expert sales coach who is affordable and accessible?For less than an average dinner out, you can consult with us every day and receive the personal direction you need. For more information, check out www.b2bsalesconnections.com/coaching_services.php.
“I don’t have time to prospect!” There’s a line that will send your sales manager scrambling to search through their resume database.
To survive in sales, finding the time to prospect is not optional! Every sales representative needs a steady stream of new opportunities entering their sales funnel if they expect the right amount of sales flowing out. (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.
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"I am working through your "Action Plan for Sales Success" ...and I'd like to say THANKS for a great hands on approach, with working documents that make it easy to turn learning into ACTION."
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"Susan ...understands the sales process intimately and is able to create a management process around it that drives sales people to accomplish their goals."
