Sales Articles

Business » Sales | By Mark Winder @ Thursday, 24th January 2008 @ 5:12 PM

In the dog-eat-dog world of entrepreneurs, there's a basic truth that is irrefutable: if you have no customers, then you have no business. Over the years, I've come to notice that most entrepreneurs that I get to work with, tend to fall into one category: they tend to be exceptional at executing their business - they perform their services better than their competition, or they have better products than most people in the market place; but when it comes to getting customers an... more...

Business » Sales | By Joyce McKee @ Tuesday, 22nd January 2008 @ 8:50 PM

It is the beginning of a new year, and the trade show world is full of ideas and plans for achieving success. There may be turmoil in the stock market, rising prices of consumer goods, politics in the news everyday and other economic factors beyond our control, however the buying and selling that takes place on a trade show floor will have a consistent formula for success. The industry has been through many of these conditions in 2007 and the industry did very well. Here... more...

Business » Sales | By Lee Salz @ Monday, 21st January 2008 @ 1:27 AM

There are few decisions more critical for a company than the hiring of the leadership of their sales organization. Yet, few know how to do it well. Many err and promote their best seller to a sales management position. Why this is called a promotion is beyond me. The job of the sales manager is vastly different than that of a sales person, so why is this considered employment elevation? Often times, sales managers earn less than the top sales people. Promotion? Some sales people make the ... more...

Business » Sales | By Bob Sommers @ Saturday, 19th January 2008 @ 12:20 AM

Everyone has their own little idiosyncrasies, like counting steps or washing their hands or trying to memorize pi to the 10,000th decimal point. At least I think they do, don't they? And, even though I've never admitted this before, I too have my own idiosyncrasies. From the time I was a little boy I would subconsciously ask myself this question when I was with someone. "Do I like this person more or less now than I did a minute ago?" It was not until I was an adult that... more...

Business » Sales | By Jim Klein @ Wednesday, 16th January 2008 @ 2:13 PM

How many times during your work day do you experience fear? Maybe it's fear of making calls, qualifying, asking for the sale or fear of asking for referrals. The dictionary defines fear as: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Another definition or explanation you may have heard is: False Evidence Appearing Real So what causes fear?more...

Business » Sales | By Lee Salz @ Wednesday, 16th January 2008 @ 2:10 PM

You woke up this morning and decided that today is the day to get sales training for your team. But what is driving that decision? What makes you think you really need sales training? Before setting out to find a sales trainer, the next best step may be to assess the sales team since there are a lot of options out there. Do they meet your profile for your ideal salesperson? If not, training becomes secondary to finding sales talent that meets your needs. In this article, I will share with... more...

Business » Sales | By Terry Cartwright @ Friday, 11th January 2008 @ 11:54 AM

Fixing the selling price can be based upon a value basis or a cost plus basis with either basis subject to modification according to market conditions. Not exactly scientific and true in all cases but the most profitable businesses tend to be managed by accountants while the best sales growth companies have a sales oriented manager at the helm. Value basis is used to set selling prices according to the amount the customer will pay for the product and the value of products or services bein... more...

Business » Sales | By Jim Klein @ Wednesday, 9th January 2008 @ 3:18 PM

I'm sure you'll agree, establishing rapport and trust with your prospects is one of, if not the most important presentation skills you can learn. It's been said many times, people only buy from people they like and trust. Have you ever had an experience with a salesperson and you have said to yourself "I will never buy anything from that person"? You have probably also had the experience where you hit it off with a salesperson and you would buy just about anything t... more...

Business » Sales | By Jack Deal @ Wednesday, 9th January 2008 @ 1:50 AM

Cold calling is going extinct. Even its contemporary translation to 'telemarketing' isn't enough to keep it going. My take is that it will disappear altogether and then be resurrected as a new business and marketing strategy dubbed 'Direct Prospect Interphasing' or some such. Cold calling basically became popular in the past as a way to directly market to both warm and cold prospects, if there even is such a thing as a cold prospect. It works great for sell... more...

Business » Sales | By Daryl Logullo @ Tuesday, 4th December 2007 @ 7:35 PM

Opportunities to generate postive word-of-mouth referrals about you and your business are everywhere. Included, are times of the year where you can use word-of-mouth about you and your services to influence your business positively. Referral marketing and generating more referrals begins to take shape when you incorporate new ideas as a means of serving your clients, and also a method to generate referrals. Here are five great events to plan (any time of the year), that can help you with... more...

Business » Sales | By Jack Deal @ Monday, 3rd December 2007 @ 8:46 PM

In the old days I used to carry a laptop with an overhead digital projector. And sometimes a portable printer. I looked like a mercenary walking in. I still on occasion use the projector. But not much...same goes for my sales collateral, presentation, brochure, letterhead, portfolio and media packet. First off it's so much easier. I don't arrive at a client's office needing a baggage cart. I show up with my notepad, digital camera and recorder; all fit nicely in m... more...

Business » Sales | By Shaun Parker @ Friday, 30th November 2007 @ 11:04 AM

Sales training is an essential yet often overlooked method of improving your sales. Often sales people will be resistant to change implying that because they have done it for a number of years they know best. Of course there is some truth in this. Experience can provide a great deal of acquired knowledge of techniques that salespeople use to make sales, however, there is a lot to be said for sales training as it helps even the most experienced salespeople refresh and learn new techniques. more...

Business » Sales | By Nickolove Lovemore @ Thursday, 29th November 2007 @ 3:30 PM

Frank Rumbauskas has just launched a revised edition of his book "Cold Calling is a Waste of Time: Sales Success in the Information Age" in which he gives a strong case for why you should never cold call again. Judging by just how much some salespeople hate cold calling this verdict must fall on eager ears. I have to confess that I have only read the introduction to this book and so don't have his solution to "leveraged systems that gets your message out to a tremendous number... more...

Business » Sales | By Shaun Parker @ Thursday, 29th November 2007 @ 3:25 PM

Salesmen tend to perpetuate the myth that you either have a knack for making sales or you don't. They make out that it is a dark art that can only be mastered by an elite few. Like most myths this has a tenuous link to reality but is of course complete fiction. So what is required to become a good sales person and can it be achieved through sales training? Attitude How do you sell snow to the Eskimos? Well successful salesman and author of Success through a positive mental ... more...

Business » Sales | By Daryl Logullo @ Wednesday, 21st November 2007 @ 9:13 PM

Referral marketing is one of the simplest forms of generating new clients and customers. Working by word-of-mouth referrals not only reduces your marketing costs, but it fills your pipeline full of new referral opportunities. So what prevents others from sending referrals to you more often and frequently? There are three issues with generating more referrals more often and more frequently. 1. The Referral Perspective Of The Other Person. Simply, most people look at referrals from a... more...

Business » Sales | By Paul Johnson @ Friday, 16th November 2007 @ 6:48 PM

If you're looking for a successful salesperson to hire -- a salesperson who not only CAN sell but WILL sell -- look for a salesperson with PRIDE. PRIDE is an acronym for 5 characteristics that will help ensure that the salesperson you hire will get the job done for you and make the revenue results you desire a reality. PRIDE stands for: *** Proven *** Respectful *** Innovative *** Decisive *** Enthusiastic Proven Proven refers to the candidate&... more...

Business » Sales | By Paul Johnson @ Friday, 16th November 2007 @ 1:45 PM

Everyone likes a good deal. Unfortunately we salespeople may mistakenly accept that a good deal for the customer requires that we quote our best price. That mistake is costly. It can rob us and our company of profits we need and deserve. It can shrink our close rate and cause buyers to act irrationally. When we give prospects a good deal instead of best price we will close more business with happier customers at higher profits. We can help every customer get a good deal if they wil... more...

Business » Sales | By Daryl Logullo @ Sunday, 11th November 2007 @ 10:34 PM

Referral relationships of all kinds are often perceived as very delicate things that require extra effort to maintain. However, a referral relationship can also be something that can provide security and can also be long lasting, despite times of challenge. Building an effective and lasting referral relationship is a necessity for several reasons. Let's look at this from the perspective of a growing organization. For example, in a group or organization, the well being ... more...

Business » Sales | By Belinda Stinson @ Thursday, 8th November 2007 @ 1:11 PM

I was working away and listening to the radio this morning and ended up stopping and taking notes on what the businessman Gerry Harvey of Australia's Harvey Norman had to say about what makes for a great sales person. Anyone who is building their own business knows that being good at sales is vital for growth and success but many are daunted by doing the selling. Gerry thinks there are far more people out in the world that would be great salesmen and saleswomen but just don�... more...

Business » Sales | By Belinda Stinson @ Thursday, 8th November 2007 @ 12:51 PM

It is that time of year again when we start looking ahead for ways to increase the sales and profitability for the coming year for our businesses. This can be done by looking at the various areas of your business from previous sales to planning to marketing to selling opportunities to presentation and display. Increasing your sales for 2008 is something your sales team can do but there are a heap of other activities that can make it happen easily too. So here are seven ideas to get you mo... more...