Sales Trivia Questions and Quick Reminders!

Here are five sales trivia questions:
 
1. When you have a choice about what order to present in a competitive presentation scenario, when should you choose to present?
 
2. In a typical 60 minute sales call, how many minutes did researchers find the salesperson talked versus the client?
 
3. Where is the best place to sit in a one-on-one lunch with a prospect or client? Read More

Do You Have a Blind Spot? 

I have a service provider that unfortunately I depend on but, guess what; every time I talk to him he puts me in a bad mood.  He is a grump – pure and simple – complains a lot and never has a good word to say about anybody. It literally takes me a half day to recover from the toxin he injects into the atmosphere. I know, I could stop using him, and I will, but I need him for now so I am tolerating it. But here is the real lesson for today’s column . . . he has no idea he is doing it!

You see, this fellow is a decent guy . . . he is not physically doing anything wrong and I am sure he thinks that by simply delivering what I am paying him for, he is fulfilling his obligation in the relationship.  But, of course, his business is not growing and he is unhappy to boot, so it is not going to be a good outcome for him in the long run. His blind spot is killing him (and everybody else he interacts with).  So the question of the week is: Do you have a blind spot? Read More

Does Your Message Include “Concrete Imaging?”

Authors Chip Smith and Don Heath cover an interesting selling dynamic in their book, Made to Stick. The authors cite all sorts of research and findings about how the buyer’s memory works, and there is one point in particular that stands out to me as a salesperson. That is:

“Our buyers are much more likely to remember an important part of our value proposition if it is communicated to them in concrete rather than abstract imaging.”

Here is an example. Read More

“No Problem.” Or is it?

I am going to split a hair here so I do not expect everyone to buy in, but when it comes to selling, small things add up to big differences.

When someone says “Thank you” to you, do you respond, “No problem,” or do you respond, “You’re welcome?”  

The reason I ask is because a lot of people, particularly younger people, are using “No problem” as the default response. That may be fine in a casual conversation, but it has some definite, subliminal disadvantages in the business context.  Read More

PowerPoint to a Point

A lot of salespeople use PowerPoint to present. A projected PowerPoint presentation can obviously be helpful when speaking to a group.  But when I meet with a prospect one-on-one, I prefer to sit next to him/her and flip through printed PowerPoint slides together. Here is why. Read More

Bad Breath? Bad Tie? Wrong Shirt? Not a Problem. (Are You Sure?)

Consider this: You have 60 seconds to make an impression that – get this – lasts a lifetime. And most failed sales pitches are lost in the first 90 seconds of the meeting.

In other words, first impressions are a big deal . . . a REALLY big deal. And we are all capable of getting a little complacent . . . alright . . . lazy . . . about our appearance and demeanor.

Fortunately, there is a beautiful way to get instant feedback on the first impression you are making. Read More

Finish the Job!

I recently had some work done at my home. The tradesmen did a good job on the maintenance except . . . they left without cleaning up. I was stuck picking up the leftover material and garbage. In other words, THEY DIDN’T FINISH THE JOB! Read More

Relationships Come First

According to a report from one of the biggest consulting firms in the world, the number one reason people switch service providers is . . . wait for it: Read More

On the Road with Mr. Shmooze

I was on the road last week and had all sorts of good and bad sales and customer service experiences.

On the bad side, I received a quote for some work from a building services company. I called and talked to one of the inbound order takers and asked if I could get a more detailed breakdown of pricing (which seemed high). There was a long pause and then the rep, who obviously had no training on price objections, kind of stuttered and said . . . “that is just the way we price things.” That broke trust, and they lost the order. I was also working with a landscaping company who came out, gave me a bid and then disappeared. I called a couple of times and finally the estimator called me back clearly annoyed I had been pushing for some answers. Good bye! Read More

The Invisible Sale

I like to tell salespeople in our workshops that there are always two sales going on simultaneously . . . the intellectual sale and the emotional sale. Here is what I mean.

Let’s say a couple is thinking of buying a house. Yes, they are THINKING about its location, the school district, resale value, etc. At the same time, however, they are processing the possible transaction through an emotional filter. How the home makes them FEEL when they are standing in the living room imagining a party, if they are optimistic or somewhat afraid of taking the plunge, how happy they and their children will be in this particular place. Read More

Small Gestures Can Mean a Lot

Recently, I emailed a proposal to a client for a new project. I put a lot of thought/work into it so naturally I was hopeful that it got through and would be received favorably. Then an interesting thing happened. Read More

Onboarding – A Golden Opportunity to Bond . . . or Not!

It is always a special time, for both sides, when someone takes a new job.  The new employee is excited.  New environment. New people. A fresh start. The same goes for the company.  There is nothing more important to a company than its people. And yet . . . Read More