Your real job in sales…
I love this description of sales from Col Fink. “Sales is the process of coaching someone through a buying decision.” I would add that “all sales is leadership”. Our job in sales [...]
“Just send me something”
“Could you send me some information?” How many times have you heard this from a prospect you’ve just contacted? And how do you answer this? Do you say, “Sure – where would [...]
Tall poppy?
One of the biggest impediments to sales success is buying into the “tall poppy” story. Where we either don’t believe in our own value or just underplay it thinking we’ll come across [...]
Why Stories Sell
Ever met a truly great persuader? The quintessential, “Could sell ice to Eskimos”. They all tell stories knowing we primarily make emotionally based buying decisions. They take you on a [...]
Claim the position!
Want to attract more of your ideal clients? Position yourself as a specialist! Plumbers can unblock drains, install gas, hot water systems and even roof tiles. Accountants do tax returns, book keeping, [...]
How to leverage your sales efforts…
Successful businesses all undertake three distinct, intermeshed activities for consistently acquiring clients. Marketing, prospecting and selling. Let’s start with marketing. Marketing has two roles. One is to attract, inform [...]
Customer LTV
What’s a client really worth to your business? It depends on whether you take a transactional or long term view. Every new client costs you time, money and effort to bring in. [...]
Sales bedside manner…
Does bedside manner matter in sales? This might seem like a question more suited to your doctor, so bear with me. In any sales situation there is natural tension between [...]
The elephant in sales
Let’s talk about the elephant in every sales situation. It’s something felt by every one of us to some degree. And if which if left unaddressed can kill the sale. [...]
Dissolving sales tension
I’ve been thinking a lot about the natural tension between buyers and sellers. Buyers are worried about and thinking “What problems can you solve for me? What’s unique about [...]
Ever been talked out of a sale?
Have you ever been talked out of a sale? Or even worse talked a prospect out of one? This story was related by a colleague, whom we’ll call Fred. He [...]
Why your solution doesn’t matter…
Do you intimately understand the problems your clients actually care about? The ones they would happily pay money to solve and make the required effort to do so. [...]
Openers versus closers
Meet Carl. He’s a wonderful relationship builder who enjoys talking to prospects and clients. People are always willing to chew the fat with him and enjoy his calls. Carl’s great when it comes [...]
Playing to your strengths
Are your sales people playing to their strengths? Or have you shoehorned people into roles they’re really not suited for? When working with sales teams one of my first [...]
Articulating your value
Would you "hire" yourself based on the value proposition you communicate to your prospects? Just how clear are you? Could a prospect immediately recognise themselves having the problems you can solve? We [...]
Dig the well before….
It’s 6 months into 2021. Hopefully Covid is on the retreat with the vaccine rollout. Business will open up. Which is why you should adapt your sales and business strategy so that [...]
Winter is coming!
“Winter is coming” – has become part of the vernacular. Business goes in seasons and cycles. There are times when you’ll be consumed by delivery, wondering how you’ll get everything done. But as sure [...]
For the want of a nail…
I’m sure you’ve heard the proverb, “For the want of a nail the kingdom was lost”. I’m going to use it to describe a sales context where an act of [...]
Can I sell you a drill?
I’m sure you’ve heard the cliché “No one wants a Drill. What they want is a hole”. But really, who the heck wants a hole for the sake of it? [...]
Goldilocks pricing…
Do you always go for the cheapest price? Or do you look for value for money – knowing buying the cheapest now may cost you dearly in the long run? I often [...]
What your clients really want…
We live in the information age where you can get educated on just about any topic – free! Just Google it. Back pre-internet, the meme was “Knowledge is power”. But given that [...]
Ask better questions!
Selling to senior executives? Ask thought provoking questions which help them evaluate their challenges and opportunities in a new light. The “old” sales model of “What keeps you awake at night” suggests [...]
Stranger danger!
There are only 2 categories of people in your world. Those you know and those you don’t. And guess which is the bigger one! This translates directly to sales people. There are [...]
Keeping it simple…
All sales and marketing is based on effective communication. Effective means the other person easily understands what you’re saying. Which means keeping it at an 8th grade level or that of the [...]
Do a job, get a job!
Do a job, get a job! It’s a great mantra shared by a colleague, Lauren Jones. Put simply, every time you deliver a piece of work for a client think about what [...]
The trap of expertise
Many years ago I was being interviewed for a senior management position. I’d been through a number of interviews when my prospective boss said he’d LONDON, UK - 19TH DECEMBER 2014: [...]
Do you have a solution in search of a problem?
Do you have a solution in search of a problem? You’d be surprised at how often we have businesses espouse some expertise, create a product or service and then look for a [...]
Recognition
Status and recognition is a fundamental human driver. As Napoleon Bonaparte put it eloquently, “Recognition, babies cry for it, grown men die for it”. Status and recognition is often a major [...]
Why assumptions are dangerous
There’s a great saying, “If you assume, you make an ass of you and me”. Making assumptions can be dangerous, especially in sales. Thinking you know what your clients really value about [...]
Why introverts make great salespeople
Some of the very best salespeople I’ve known are raging introverts. Quiet, introspective types who are never the life of the party. They all share one thing in common. A deep curiosity. [...]
Open your eyes!
There’s a wonderful saying, “Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor”. Translate that into a business setting and there’s often opportunity to sell more when you’re delivering services. Open your [...]
Lifting the lid…
There’s a saying in marketing, “The more you tell, the more you sell”. In other words, the better you educate your prospects regarding your solutions, the more interest and engagement you’ll create. [...]
Men are from Mars…
Speaking with a client recently reminded me of John Gray’s book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venue and how it applies to sales. Put simply men like to solve problems. [...]
Why your product is irrelevant!
Why your product is irrelevant! Okay, let me contextualise this. Your product is relevant and your clients will want to know what it is but and this is a big but, [...]
Giving Up?
How often do you contact a prospect to move a sale forward? How persistent are you? Do you give up after the first “no”? Most people give up way too early. So [...]
The delivery trap!
The biggest trap we face as consultants is getting subsumed by delivery. Yes, delivery is why we get paid, but unless you’re constantly out there selling, at some point there’ll be no [...]
Are you using marketing as a cop-out?
Let me start by saying “In business, nothing happens until you sell something”. Which means picking up the phone and actually speaking with a prospect. Finding out if they have a problem [...]
Who’s turning your head?
It’s international Women’s Day. Which reminds me of a great quote from the mother of a friend who said, “Our husbands may think they’re the head of the family, but we’re the neck who [...]
Seek first to understand
I have a mantra in sales. Seek first to understand, and only then to be understood. Your job as a salesperson is to get to the heart of what’s happening in your [...]
Hide and seek!
We’ve all played hide and seek as children. Your friends all hide and you need to go find them. I think it’s a great metaphor when it comes to getting new clients. [...]