It seems that we live in a thankless world and this void seems most pronounced in day-to-day business. The ever increasing pace of commerce in the new millennium seems to leave little time for a thank you or even common courtesy. Global competitiveness seems to have sapped us of empathy and compassion. Yes, this is…
It is legendary that referrals can be the best method for new business development. Simply put, there is no better sales person than a happy customer. Here is a simple suggestion. Effective immediately, make it part of every customer meeting agenda to discuss referrals. I am not kidding. Make it your practice to ask each…
Not long after my wife bought a Honda Fit she received an envelope with a handwritten address and a real stamp. Opening what looked to be greeting card from some friend was a card from her sales person at the Honda dealer. The card read: “Our path to success is built on referrals. If you…
We can argue about what constitutes a bear market, a recession, and when the economy will hit bottom, but it seems clear that 2008 will be a tough year. Oil looks like it might top $100 a barrel, real estate will continue the downward spiral, and we have a lame duck President. It’s time to…
Your latest e-mail campaign was supposed to create new leads for the sales team. Sadly, most of the recipients greeted your e-mails with the delete key. All they saw was another piece of spam. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone since most e-mail campaigns struggle to be read by the intended recipients. While…
When negotiating you will periodically encounter the “cry baby”, which is a negotiator who has learned that if they cry loud enough and long enough, he or she might get what they want. This behavior resembles a two year old screaming until you pick them up to shut them up. They scream because it works…
Hunters hunt and farmers farm. Both types of sales people are valuable, but which best fits your offering? Which of these sales profiles is the best fit for your industry? Which is the best fit for the territory and the accounts? A hunter is highly tuned-in to his or her surroundings and always on the…
I am frequently asked about the difference between selling and marketing. Academically speaking, selling is a function of marketing, as is advertising, promotion, and pricing. Practically speaking, marketing is what happens before the phone rings and selling is what happens after you answer the phone. Marketing is all about understanding the customer’s needs, figuring out…
The headline above is an actual headline from BusinessWeek Online from August 13, 2007. The story that followed described new technologies which help monitor bridges and how experts who can analyze the results are in short supply. This article was written in the wake of the recent Minneapolis bridge collapse disaster. The message is simple:…
You beat the competition. You secured commitment from the customer. And you got the order. Congratulations, but the selling is not over. The next step is to go back and sell to your own company and it may be the hardest sales call you make. To fulfill your commitments to your customer will require that…