Did you know that business people who read at least 7 business books a year earn over 2.3 times more than people who read only one book per year? Think you don’t have time to spend on your own ongoing personal development? Did you know that if you spend just 10 minutes a day reading, that adds up to over 60 hours a year?
Investing in yourself is always a safe bet!
Peaks and Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You – At Work And In Life by Spencer Johnson, M.D.
Good times and bad times are inevitable in life. A quick and easy read told in a story format, this book will show you how to manage your peaks and valleys better so the bad times will end sooner and the good times will last longer.
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.
No matter how much we wish it wasn’t so, business slows down during the summer. If a prospect isn’t on vacation, chances are he is covering for someone who is. Despite the fact many sales reps use the phrase “the lazy days of summer” as an excuse to do nothing but hit the golf course, there are plenty of productive sales activities to do to keep busy at this time of year. (more…)
As sales professionals we’ve all most likely had this problem with a prospect at one time or another. They were a hot prospect sending you all the right buying signals and then all of the sudden they switched off. Now they don’t return your calls. They are unresponsive to your emails and you are left in sales limbo.
Do you keep calling? After all when you last spoke they were set to proceed. Now they are missing in action. What can you do?
I would like to share a quick little tip that works well. If you had a good relationship with the prospect and you are willing to take a last shot to see if the person is still engaged, send them an email that says you are going to “close their file”.
Simply state that you have tried to reach them by phone and email and since they are not responding you would like to close the file. Let them know if their situation has changed and they are no longer in the market for your product/service it would be best to close the file and move on.
Here’s an email template example:
Dear Fred: I would like to take a moment and determine if I should be closing your file at this time. I have left a couple of phone messages and emails regarding ____________________ but have not heard back from you.
I respect that things change quickly in today’s business environment. If you have decided not to pursue this project with us please let me know so I can close your file.
I hope you will consider us in the future if the situation changes or the need arises.
Regards,
You will be amazed at how many times you get a message back almost immediately apologizing for their lack of communication and telling you the project is still a go but they were caught up in a more urgent internal problem.
Lets face it in the world of sales you can get “yes”, “no” and “maybe”. I want to hear yes, or no because they are answers that give me a clear next step. Getting tied up with the clients who are a maybe can drain you and waste a lot of valuable selling time.
By taking a minute and offering to close the file, no questions asked you will be surprised how many valid prospects let you know they are still interested but not ready at this moment. Most often the person will tell me their new time frame or suggest we reconnect. Armed with their permission to proceed I will reconnect with them when the time is right and advance the sales process.
Join our free webinar What To Do Today To Sell More Tomorrow where we share tips from today’s top sales performers. Visit www.b2bsalesconnections.com/webinars.php to register today!
“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…)
I was recently asked: “If you are new to cold calling how do you know when you are ready to pick up the phone? ” The short answer to this question is when you have properly planned your prospecting approach and you have a phone number! (more…)
A common concern I hear from sales representatives is that they have trouble booking appointments to present their recommendations to their prospects. Everything goes well in the needs analysis meetings, but when it comes time sit down and present the solutions, the prospect won’t return their calls.
One of the biggest mistakes made by sales representatives is that they finish a needs analysis meeting or fact find with a statement like, “Thank you for your time, Mr. Prospect. I’ll get back to you when my proposal is ready.” Weeks of voice mail tag can go by before the next meeting, and by then all of the momentum created has long since been forgotten. (more…)
I had one of the worst customer service experiences in my life yesterday. As often happens, a bad experience on one hand turned into a learning experience on the other. (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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