With the current state of our economy, companies and people alike scale back their spending tenfold, making it all the more difficult to make a cold call or to close a sale. While this time may be demoralizing and frustrating for most, times like these truly separate the motivated from the complacent. With cold calling seminars, cold calling techniques training and outbound calling steps to name a few, your confidence will soar when engaging with clients who are quick to refuse service or are hesitant to listen to you.
In this industry, proactive calling instruction and persistence are key and in fact separate the successes from the failures. There’s no good in getting down on yourself if you aren’t seeing immediate results – there’s just an opportunity for you to really focus on your phone skills training and cold calling strategy to produce different, more positive results.
Consistency yields results and that’s a fact. For every X number of uninterested parties out there, there’s one client with your name on it. To achieve success, you must understand the skills taught in a leadership and management course and implement those into your approach to sales. If you stay consistent, positive and proactive, there’s no room for complacency, negativity nor failure; there is only room for success.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Learning Professional Telephone Prospecting
As a salesperson who engages in cold calling, you can only control a certain number of variables in your day to day life. You can learn professional telephone prospecting, cold calling tips and the classic outbound calling steps, but if you do not think outside the box and engage in pro active calling instruction, you’ll be destined for complacency in the sales industry.
As we’ve discussed, you should be able to provide evidence to support your cold calling strategies. Certainly you know how to close a sale in theory and you know the cold calling tips backwards and forwards, but your numbers aren’t reflecting the knowledge you believe you have. The simple solution is indeed in those numbers. Look at your daily activities. Take careful note of what time of day/what days of the week clients are most likely to answer and cater your future strategy about time frames. Keep track of how much time you spend on the phone and, in addition, what you say/how you engage with your customers on the most successful of those calls. You cannot control whether or not a client picks up the phone nor what they say in response to your pitch, but you can certainly and should control what you say, do and when you do it.
As we’ve discussed, you should be able to provide evidence to support your cold calling strategies. Certainly you know how to close a sale in theory and you know the cold calling tips backwards and forwards, but your numbers aren’t reflecting the knowledge you believe you have. The simple solution is indeed in those numbers. Look at your daily activities. Take careful note of what time of day/what days of the week clients are most likely to answer and cater your future strategy about time frames. Keep track of how much time you spend on the phone and, in addition, what you say/how you engage with your customers on the most successful of those calls. You cannot control whether or not a client picks up the phone nor what they say in response to your pitch, but you can certainly and should control what you say, do and when you do it.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Corporate Training for Telephone Sales
As a result of taking a corporate training program or a telephone skills seminar, you will learn the most effective cold calling tips designed to teach you how to close a sale. These telephone skills for success will provide you with a different perspective, pushing your mind to expand beyond the typical telephone cold calling steps, and on to a more systematic and successful approach to sales.
Typically 2/3 of calls result in no answer. This means that initially, callers have only a 33% chance of even getting someone on the phone. Albert Einstein once said: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Callers must take full advantage of every skill and tool they have. In telephone skills seminars, you will learn professional telephone prospecting that will teach you to think analytically.
Record everything from the time you call and how many calls you make, to the number of connections and the number of successful calls made to telephone prospects. Take this information and analyze it. Adjust your strategies to mirror what you learned in your data analysis as a result of your phone skills courses and you’ll be well on the road to shrinking that 66% no answer rate.
Typically 2/3 of calls result in no answer. This means that initially, callers have only a 33% chance of even getting someone on the phone. Albert Einstein once said: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Callers must take full advantage of every skill and tool they have. In telephone skills seminars, you will learn professional telephone prospecting that will teach you to think analytically.
Record everything from the time you call and how many calls you make, to the number of connections and the number of successful calls made to telephone prospects. Take this information and analyze it. Adjust your strategies to mirror what you learned in your data analysis as a result of your phone skills courses and you’ll be well on the road to shrinking that 66% no answer rate.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Gaining Confidence in Telephone Sales
Confidence is what you gain most from Gehegan and Associates one-day Telephone Sales Skill training program.
Gehegan & Associates believes that confidence is the most important quality in a salesperson. In our results oriented one day telephone training programs you will gain that, and much more. It's one thing to know every aspect of your product, but equally vital is the way you pitch to prospective clients. It is imperative to be confident in both yourself and your product. In our telephone sales training, we provide tailored proactive calling instruction, telephone skill for client relationships, telephone skills for business development and ultimately, telephone skills for success.
The fine art of cold calling may seem straightforward to many, however there are precise and proven outbound calling steps and telephone cold calling steps that are guaranteed to make calls more successful and subsequently, secure more clients. Our detailed, practical seminars are tailored to your industry and implement live calling as a tactic to allow your confidence to soar, thereby creating lasting results. We strive to empower our students, giving them the skills they need in our phone skills training seminars. It is imperative to G&A that you to succeed. So come, learn and be confident.
Gehegan & Associates believes that confidence is the most important quality in a salesperson. In our results oriented one day telephone training programs you will gain that, and much more. It's one thing to know every aspect of your product, but equally vital is the way you pitch to prospective clients. It is imperative to be confident in both yourself and your product. In our telephone sales training, we provide tailored proactive calling instruction, telephone skill for client relationships, telephone skills for business development and ultimately, telephone skills for success.
The fine art of cold calling may seem straightforward to many, however there are precise and proven outbound calling steps and telephone cold calling steps that are guaranteed to make calls more successful and subsequently, secure more clients. Our detailed, practical seminars are tailored to your industry and implement live calling as a tactic to allow your confidence to soar, thereby creating lasting results. We strive to empower our students, giving them the skills they need in our phone skills training seminars. It is imperative to G&A that you to succeed. So come, learn and be confident.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
One-Day Telephone Sales Workshops from Gehgan & Associates
Gehegan & Associates have developed intense, one day workshops that utilize a practical approach to telephone training. In these telephone skill workshops, employees will delve deep into the fine art of relationship calling with proactive calling instruction from our proven experts. Whether your company is looking for sales training courses, sales & communication training or any other specific program, we have a workshop that will surely cater to your phone skills training needs.
Confidence is key when it comes to cold calling and aside from knowing every last detail of your product, there are specific cold calling tips and outbound calling steps that should be used to make calls into clients. Telephone training is imperative for every industry from restaurant management training and bank platform training, to branch manager training and corporate finance training. The way your employees present themselves to a caller is your brand in the eyes of the client. Shouldn't you give them access to all the tools they need? At G&A, we think so. Our seminars are clear and concise, making it easy for any and every employee to quickly grasp our proven telephone training theory. We promise that with the implementation of our cold calling techniques you will see results in the success of your calls and sales. We have made a business out of intense one day programs and would love to share our cold calling trade secrets with you.
Confidence is key when it comes to cold calling and aside from knowing every last detail of your product, there are specific cold calling tips and outbound calling steps that should be used to make calls into clients. Telephone training is imperative for every industry from restaurant management training and bank platform training, to branch manager training and corporate finance training. The way your employees present themselves to a caller is your brand in the eyes of the client. Shouldn't you give them access to all the tools they need? At G&A, we think so. Our seminars are clear and concise, making it easy for any and every employee to quickly grasp our proven telephone training theory. We promise that with the implementation of our cold calling techniques you will see results in the success of your calls and sales. We have made a business out of intense one day programs and would love to share our cold calling trade secrets with you.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Increasing Your Telephone Sales Skills
In sales, confidence is imperative. Seems fairly simple doesn't it? In reality, merely thinking you're confident in your product or company is not enough. Sales representatives are simply that, representatives of the company for whom they work. They must know every aspect of their brand; they must be their brand. In addition to knowing the ins and outs of a product and being able to answer any question posed, there are telephone skills for success, telephone skills for client relationships and telephone skills for business development that are imperative to conversion from cold call to client.
As we mentioned before, the key is to be your brand and to sell yourself along with the product. If you aren't convincing, chances are, you don't have the skills you need. How can you expect your prospective client to believe what you say, let alone do business with you if you aren't 100% confident in yourself? At Gehegan & Associates, we have expertly crafted telephone sales & communication training courses that will give you and your employees the phone skills training and the subsequent confidence necessary for success. We will share with you our proven trade secrets in our leadership training, cold calling techniques training and sales & communication training programs. By the end of our one day seminars, your employees will be well versed in telephone prospecting, cold calling tips and above all, will have the tools needed to know how to close the sale. With the implementation of the tools we give you, your confidence will soar, inevitably resulting in strengthened relationships and increased sales.
As we mentioned before, the key is to be your brand and to sell yourself along with the product. If you aren't convincing, chances are, you don't have the skills you need. How can you expect your prospective client to believe what you say, let alone do business with you if you aren't 100% confident in yourself? At Gehegan & Associates, we have expertly crafted telephone sales & communication training courses that will give you and your employees the phone skills training and the subsequent confidence necessary for success. We will share with you our proven trade secrets in our leadership training, cold calling techniques training and sales & communication training programs. By the end of our one day seminars, your employees will be well versed in telephone prospecting, cold calling tips and above all, will have the tools needed to know how to close the sale. With the implementation of the tools we give you, your confidence will soar, inevitably resulting in strengthened relationships and increased sales.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Advanced Telephone Skills Workshops from Gehegan
While economists are stating the recession is over, many businesses aren’t realizing a quick recovery. In a sluggish economy, opportunities abound for those individuals who are willing to reach out to clients and prospects. The telephone is the most effective, economical and efficient means of development new business. However, making these outbound calls is certainly not a call anyone and everyone process. Effective telephone skills for business development requires developing a plan, building rapport and presenting your message in a clear and cogent manner.
With Fortune 500 clients ranging from Wells Fargo, Citibank, and Bank of the West, one successful company in business nearly 30 years, Gehegan and Associates (G&A), specializes in advanced telephone skills workshops for the financial services sector. Their approach simply consists of communication the value that a face-to-face meeting would be beneficial. Using the phone to sell a product or service is transactional. Using the phone to sell a personal meeting builds relationships. When you sell transactions you are always selling; when you build relationships, the customer is always buying.
Participants in G&A’s intensive one-day training workshops are able to realize results on the spot with appointments, new opportunities and referrals. By utilizing live calling exercises to practice new skills in real-time, participants often yield increased results of 30% – 40% contact to appointment conversion.
The typical branch manager or personal banker has limited time to devote to outbound calling activities thus making it critical that they have the skills and competency necessary to effectively use the telephone. G&A’s tactical ABC approach, Accountability, Behavior, and Consistency, insures that the telephone skills training provides a substantial return on investment.
Over the years, thousands of participants throughout the United States and internationally have attended G&A telephone skills workshops to increase their confidence and effectiveness using the telephone to contact prospective and existing clients.
Friday, November 5, 2010
What Gehegan and Associates Offers You
Since 1983 Gehegan and Associates have been offering one day intense Telephone Sales Skill training programs for the financial service industry.
From telephone skills workshops and sales training courses, to telephone skills training for business development and cold calling seminars, Gehegan and Associates (G&A) have been offering intense one day telephone Sales Skill training programs for the financial service industry since 1983. G&A believes in your success and that the best way to set your company up for a bright future than by teaching you and your staff on how to close a sale.
G&A has expertly tailored numerous finance training courses to your corporate needs and will cover any and every skill necessary to achieve success in this industry. In looking at outbound calling steps, a cold caller has but one chance to capture the attention of a prospective client. With our meticulous cold call seminars and cold call training, your employees will learn step by step the best and most effective methods to turn calls into clients. They will learn how to use telephone prospecting in addition to our proven telephone cold calling steps and of course, the best cold calling tips out there. Calling someone out of the blue is no easy feat and it's imperative for a company to ensure the preparation of their representatives before sending them into the field. Remember, the voices of your employees give life to your brand and as a result, should be given access to the best leadership training available. Your employees are your brand - make sure they know to follow pro active calling instruction and represent your company as an expert.
From telephone skills workshops and sales training courses, to telephone skills training for business development and cold calling seminars, Gehegan and Associates (G&A) have been offering intense one day telephone Sales Skill training programs for the financial service industry since 1983. G&A believes in your success and that the best way to set your company up for a bright future than by teaching you and your staff on how to close a sale.
G&A has expertly tailored numerous finance training courses to your corporate needs and will cover any and every skill necessary to achieve success in this industry. In looking at outbound calling steps, a cold caller has but one chance to capture the attention of a prospective client. With our meticulous cold call seminars and cold call training, your employees will learn step by step the best and most effective methods to turn calls into clients. They will learn how to use telephone prospecting in addition to our proven telephone cold calling steps and of course, the best cold calling tips out there. Calling someone out of the blue is no easy feat and it's imperative for a company to ensure the preparation of their representatives before sending them into the field. Remember, the voices of your employees give life to your brand and as a result, should be given access to the best leadership training available. Your employees are your brand - make sure they know to follow pro active calling instruction and represent your company as an expert.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Missing Ingredient in Sales
Did you know that the number one reason potential customers do not do business with a company is the lack of persistence on the part of the seller? This plain and simple fact is the missing ingredient in the eyes of so many salespeople. It takes a certain type of person to be in sales but the bottom line is, everyone needs proven sales training in this difficult and exciting field. Employers must give their employees access to all the tools necessary for success. After all, a business is only as strong as it's weakest cold caller.
Prospective clients need to be pursued, courted if you will, and how on earth can they be truly woo'd and won over if their suitor forgets to call? Here in lies the key concept in the secret to sales - but we'll get to that more in a minute. The phone is the most effective method of communication, as actually speaking to someone is much more personal (and has a much higher return) than other electronic methods today. You can't expect though, that everyone has been formally trained in the pristine art of relationship calling, as Gehegan & Associates (G&A) likes to call it. Employees need to be prepped in telephone sales training courses and telephone sales training workshops so that they are ready to engage in proactive calling. These voices are the so called 'face' of your company, so shouldn't they have access to telephone training or phone skills courses before taking the plunge into the wild world of cold calling?
As we discussed earlier, relationships are the key component in a client choosing to do business with your company. Cold callers are given a very narrow window through which to make an impression. Make sure your employees make a lasting impression on potential customers by enrolling them in our business management courses or advanced telephone skills workshops that have been proven effective and successful since 1983. If they've participated in a G&A workshop for sales, they'll soar through that first window and will be well on their way to landing a client. Here though is where we go back to that vital first step in how to close a sale: the follow up. To reiterate: the number one reason clients do not choose to do business with a company is the lack of persistence on the part of the seller. Remember, clients love to be loved so whether your company is in the market for DVD cold call training, business management courses or executive management training, to name a few, know that the knowledge acquired in our one of a kind workshops is imperative for successful cold calling, relationship building and of course, subsequent sales.
Prospective clients need to be pursued, courted if you will, and how on earth can they be truly woo'd and won over if their suitor forgets to call? Here in lies the key concept in the secret to sales - but we'll get to that more in a minute. The phone is the most effective method of communication, as actually speaking to someone is much more personal (and has a much higher return) than other electronic methods today. You can't expect though, that everyone has been formally trained in the pristine art of relationship calling, as Gehegan & Associates (G&A) likes to call it. Employees need to be prepped in telephone sales training courses and telephone sales training workshops so that they are ready to engage in proactive calling. These voices are the so called 'face' of your company, so shouldn't they have access to telephone training or phone skills courses before taking the plunge into the wild world of cold calling?
As we discussed earlier, relationships are the key component in a client choosing to do business with your company. Cold callers are given a very narrow window through which to make an impression. Make sure your employees make a lasting impression on potential customers by enrolling them in our business management courses or advanced telephone skills workshops that have been proven effective and successful since 1983. If they've participated in a G&A workshop for sales, they'll soar through that first window and will be well on their way to landing a client. Here though is where we go back to that vital first step in how to close a sale: the follow up. To reiterate: the number one reason clients do not choose to do business with a company is the lack of persistence on the part of the seller. Remember, clients love to be loved so whether your company is in the market for DVD cold call training, business management courses or executive management training, to name a few, know that the knowledge acquired in our one of a kind workshops is imperative for successful cold calling, relationship building and of course, subsequent sales.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Meeting Your Sale Objectives
Sales performance is indicative of your company's success at meeting the sales objectives of your business. Sales objectives are a clear communicator of where you wish to take your company. Train and educate your staff in a thorough manner, and their sales performance will help lead you there.
Your company's sales objectives are where it wants to be in a certain amount of time. Providing positive team leadership is one of many ways to not only help you surpass the objectives but to also improve sales performance. Sales performance of a staff is improved via multiple methods. One of the best methods is to hire only the best and brightest to represent your company. Furthermore, you must strive to employ only the strongest people in the sales field to work for you. They will always attempt to meet your expectations and improve the sales performances.
Maintain achievable objectives and sales performance goals for your employees. Devise a timetable for performance and make certain that this meets individual needs. Give sales team members time to meet their targets- remember that Rome was not built in a day, and neither is your successful business. Provide your team with advertising and marketing materials which appeal to a wide audience. Allow them to grow through networking, participating in seminars and trade shows, and in general, having the opportunity to flourish through meeting others.
Sales objectives are easy to develop but tough to achieve. Provide your staff with multiple opportunities to meet these and improve their sales performance through education and training. All of the hard work will be well worth it in the long run.
Your company's sales objectives are where it wants to be in a certain amount of time. Providing positive team leadership is one of many ways to not only help you surpass the objectives but to also improve sales performance. Sales performance of a staff is improved via multiple methods. One of the best methods is to hire only the best and brightest to represent your company. Furthermore, you must strive to employ only the strongest people in the sales field to work for you. They will always attempt to meet your expectations and improve the sales performances.
Maintain achievable objectives and sales performance goals for your employees. Devise a timetable for performance and make certain that this meets individual needs. Give sales team members time to meet their targets- remember that Rome was not built in a day, and neither is your successful business. Provide your team with advertising and marketing materials which appeal to a wide audience. Allow them to grow through networking, participating in seminars and trade shows, and in general, having the opportunity to flourish through meeting others.
Sales objectives are easy to develop but tough to achieve. Provide your staff with multiple opportunities to meet these and improve their sales performance through education and training. All of the hard work will be well worth it in the long run.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Overcoming Sales Objections
You've worked for weeks to get an appointment with Mr. Big. At the meeting, you've identified his needs and wants and demonstrated that your product will meet (or exceed) those needs and wants. You're moving to gain agreement and, in some manner of speaking, he says "sorry, your product's not for us".
Bad news? Not at all. Rather than being a "no", think of an objection as a "yes, but". The prospect is thinking about your product but something is in the way of moving forward. Remove that obstacle and, more likely than not, you'll close the sale. How to overcome those objections? Follow these three steps.
Step 1:
The first step in overcoming objections is to create synergy between the prospect and yourself. You want the two of you on the sales team working against the objections. This generally involves agreeing with the prospect that the subject is important and then getting them to work with you to solve the problem. If a prospect says "I need to think it over", you might say "I can certainly understand that - it's an important decision. Please help me understand what's of concern - is it the (then list two or three things about the product to get the ball rolling)".
Step 2:
The second step is to get all of the objections on the table before moving forward. This will start to narrow the process towards a successful conclusion. It will also let you see patterns or similarities in the objections which can be helpful in overcoming them. Say something like "OK, we've identified that X is a concern, what other things do we need to look at."
Step 3:
The third step is to ask a closing question such as "We've identified X, Y, and Z as concerns. If we're able to correct those three things is there any other reason why you wouldn't want (the product)?". This will (a) gain a level of commitment or (b) move you back to a needed repeat of the second step.
Sales Objections are generally the result of one of three things - lack of information, misinformation or a deficiency in the offering (your company, product, etc.). The first two are pretty simple to solve - correct the mistaken or missing information. It's the last one that's more difficult.
Bad news? Not at all. Rather than being a "no", think of an objection as a "yes, but". The prospect is thinking about your product but something is in the way of moving forward. Remove that obstacle and, more likely than not, you'll close the sale. How to overcome those objections? Follow these three steps.
Step 1:
The first step in overcoming objections is to create synergy between the prospect and yourself. You want the two of you on the sales team working against the objections. This generally involves agreeing with the prospect that the subject is important and then getting them to work with you to solve the problem. If a prospect says "I need to think it over", you might say "I can certainly understand that - it's an important decision. Please help me understand what's of concern - is it the (then list two or three things about the product to get the ball rolling)".
Step 2:
The second step is to get all of the objections on the table before moving forward. This will start to narrow the process towards a successful conclusion. It will also let you see patterns or similarities in the objections which can be helpful in overcoming them. Say something like "OK, we've identified that X is a concern, what other things do we need to look at."
Step 3:
The third step is to ask a closing question such as "We've identified X, Y, and Z as concerns. If we're able to correct those three things is there any other reason why you wouldn't want (the product)?". This will (a) gain a level of commitment or (b) move you back to a needed repeat of the second step.
Sales Objections are generally the result of one of three things - lack of information, misinformation or a deficiency in the offering (your company, product, etc.). The first two are pretty simple to solve - correct the mistaken or missing information. It's the last one that's more difficult.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sales - Don't Let it Get Cold Outside!
So you finally did it - you worked your way in to the company, convinced the gatekeeper, and won the business. You figured this in itself was a feat and it's time to relax - big mistake. If you think about how much effort it takes to win the business it would only make sense to maintain and grow it. When you won the business it means someone else may have worked hard in the past and recently lost it, and now they are on the outside looking in. The good news is you are on the inside looking out.
The next steps are more in your control than you realize in terms of keeping, growing, maintaining and even losing the business. What a great situation and now it is up to you to determine your fate. All you have to do is deliver on time, avoid quality problems, make the buyer look good and build a lasting sales relationship.
Usually people think that they can maintain the business for the life of the contract but if it is a multi-year deal you will have to keep the customer happy year over year. In many cases buyers don't like to be locked in because we get "buyer's remorse". This anxiety attack happens because the buyer is always thinking "did I make the right decision", "is there a better deal out there", and/or and "how will the savings target be met".
Your mission should you choose to accept is to make yourself an appendage so the customer can't live without you, and that is what becoming a great salesperson is all about.
The next steps are more in your control than you realize in terms of keeping, growing, maintaining and even losing the business. What a great situation and now it is up to you to determine your fate. All you have to do is deliver on time, avoid quality problems, make the buyer look good and build a lasting sales relationship.
Usually people think that they can maintain the business for the life of the contract but if it is a multi-year deal you will have to keep the customer happy year over year. In many cases buyers don't like to be locked in because we get "buyer's remorse". This anxiety attack happens because the buyer is always thinking "did I make the right decision", "is there a better deal out there", and/or and "how will the savings target be met".
Your mission should you choose to accept is to make yourself an appendage so the customer can't live without you, and that is what becoming a great salesperson is all about.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
3 Steps to More Sales in 2010!
1. Make just one more call
In experience studying scores of both mediocre and successful sales people, some have discovered that the most reliable key to enduring success is discipline. Discipline to provide just a little bit better service than your competitors offer or your clients expect. Discipline to make one more call, attend one more networking event or block an extra hour in your calendar every day to do business development. Discipline to document the objections you receive and create responses to deal with them consistently and effectively. And discipline to practice your sales presentation one more time, every time you head out the door to meet a prospect or close a deal.
Discipline is the one sure way by which poverty may be converted into riches, failure into success - and short-term success into a winning track record that will last throughout your entire career.
2. Make testimonials part of your strategy for cold calls
Turn a testimonial into an opening statement that you can use when making your cold calls. It's a great way to get the conversation started on the right note because it's one (or more) of your customers who is talking about all the great things you can do for that prospect at the other end of phone. This strategy can be really compelling when the testimonial is one that the person you are calling can relate to specifically in their line of work. Let's say you're calling a prospect in the tourism industry and you share with them a sample of the great feedback I received recently from a client who works for that industry's national association, you're making it clear that you understand the challenges they have to deal with in their work. There's also a deeper message being processed by the person cayou'relling: "If Colleen has worked with them, then she understands what we need and if she understands what we need, then she understands me."
3. Create a Profit 100
Ask yourself: who are your best buyers? If you sell B2C, whether you're a dentist, accountant, chiropractor, real estate broker or financial advisor, chances are your best buyers live in the best neighborhoods. They have the most money and the greatest sphere of influence. So take a look at your current customer list, identify where your best customers live and target your marketing efforts to others in those neighborhoods.
If you sell B2B, your best buyers are usually the biggest companies that are spending money and are profitable now. Check your database, who spent last year? Chances are, they will be spending again this year.
Once you have your list create a plan to reach out to this best buyers at least every other week, no matter what, to let these companies know who you are?
In experience studying scores of both mediocre and successful sales people, some have discovered that the most reliable key to enduring success is discipline. Discipline to provide just a little bit better service than your competitors offer or your clients expect. Discipline to make one more call, attend one more networking event or block an extra hour in your calendar every day to do business development. Discipline to document the objections you receive and create responses to deal with them consistently and effectively. And discipline to practice your sales presentation one more time, every time you head out the door to meet a prospect or close a deal.
Discipline is the one sure way by which poverty may be converted into riches, failure into success - and short-term success into a winning track record that will last throughout your entire career.
2. Make testimonials part of your strategy for cold calls
Turn a testimonial into an opening statement that you can use when making your cold calls. It's a great way to get the conversation started on the right note because it's one (or more) of your customers who is talking about all the great things you can do for that prospect at the other end of phone. This strategy can be really compelling when the testimonial is one that the person you are calling can relate to specifically in their line of work. Let's say you're calling a prospect in the tourism industry and you share with them a sample of the great feedback I received recently from a client who works for that industry's national association, you're making it clear that you understand the challenges they have to deal with in their work. There's also a deeper message being processed by the person cayou'relling: "If Colleen has worked with them, then she understands what we need and if she understands what we need, then she understands me."
3. Create a Profit 100
Ask yourself: who are your best buyers? If you sell B2C, whether you're a dentist, accountant, chiropractor, real estate broker or financial advisor, chances are your best buyers live in the best neighborhoods. They have the most money and the greatest sphere of influence. So take a look at your current customer list, identify where your best customers live and target your marketing efforts to others in those neighborhoods.
If you sell B2B, your best buyers are usually the biggest companies that are spending money and are profitable now. Check your database, who spent last year? Chances are, they will be spending again this year.
Once you have your list create a plan to reach out to this best buyers at least every other week, no matter what, to let these companies know who you are?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Making More Sales
Many people say that no matter how many hours people have of sales training, skills like these can't be taught - that salespeople either have the knack or not. But the best sales recruiters, managers, and professional will tell you differently and have been putting these beliefs into practice for decades in the sales recruiting field. These experiences show that a good training course can help businesses maximise their sales by unlocking the potential of their sales force and improving performance.
Having a well-organised and motivated sales force is one of the most important aspects of any business, but although there are many sales training programms out there, most of them only have a marginal impact on the effectiveness of businesses. Why? Because the sales training, skills being taught, and experience being shared haven't been tailored specifically to the client's needs.
The first aspect of a good sales training course is to listen to the customer's needs, get a feel for their sales issues and the effect these are having on their company. That's the only way to deliver a training programme that's right for a business. Many companies continue to provide "off-the-peg" training programmes that just don't take account of the specific needs and situation of clients. The exceptional recruiting firm, however, tailors training to the needs of customers - not the other way round.
Having a well-organised and motivated sales force is one of the most important aspects of any business, but although there are many sales training programms out there, most of them only have a marginal impact on the effectiveness of businesses. Why? Because the sales training, skills being taught, and experience being shared haven't been tailored specifically to the client's needs.
The first aspect of a good sales training course is to listen to the customer's needs, get a feel for their sales issues and the effect these are having on their company. That's the only way to deliver a training programme that's right for a business. Many companies continue to provide "off-the-peg" training programmes that just don't take account of the specific needs and situation of clients. The exceptional recruiting firm, however, tailors training to the needs of customers - not the other way round.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Do You Need Sales Training?
Who should hire a sales coach?
- Salespeople who want to increase their skills, their sales strategies and their sales approach.
- Non-salespeople who want to ensure that their sales systems and processes are the most effective that they can be.
- Sales managers and team leaders who need to recruit, manage and motivate sales teams, both small and large.
- Sales leaders and business owners looking to develop powerful sales systems and productive sales teams.
When should I hire a sales coach?
Better question. Now, this is where some disagree with many people because many people would say, "All of the time!" Not surprisingly, most of them have coaching services to sell!
For many people, constant sales coaching loses it zing and may suffer from co-dependency issues. Some think most if not all people involved with sales would benefit from having a coach or coaches at times but not all of the time. Maybe most of the time but certainly not all.
Coaching is great for salespeople looking to break through barriers, stretch for new sales goals, get unstuck orwho are taking on new projects.
- Salespeople who want to increase their skills, their sales strategies and their sales approach.
- Non-salespeople who want to ensure that their sales systems and processes are the most effective that they can be.
- Sales managers and team leaders who need to recruit, manage and motivate sales teams, both small and large.
- Sales leaders and business owners looking to develop powerful sales systems and productive sales teams.
When should I hire a sales coach?
Better question. Now, this is where some disagree with many people because many people would say, "All of the time!" Not surprisingly, most of them have coaching services to sell!
For many people, constant sales coaching loses it zing and may suffer from co-dependency issues. Some think most if not all people involved with sales would benefit from having a coach or coaches at times but not all of the time. Maybe most of the time but certainly not all.
Coaching is great for salespeople looking to break through barriers, stretch for new sales goals, get unstuck orwho are taking on new projects.
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