What should go into a new hire or sales territory turnaround plan?

Mike and I are working on a series for the SalesRoundup Podcast titled “A Sales Territory Turnaround Plan.” The Show targets both new hire and existing Sales people. For the new hire we are discussing the on boarding process in the first 90 days and for the existing sales rep we cover techniques on how to turnaround or jumpstart a territory within a 90 day period.

We would like you to help us craft the content for the show by providing us your ideas! This week we are working on month one.

Here is what we have so far: Read more

Interviewing tips for the Perfect Sales Job

While interviewing is by no means the only part of the job seeking process, it is often the final hoop that you must jump through before landing that perfect sales position. By the time you are ready to sit down for an interview, you have hopefully already looked carefully at several potential job opportunities, putting each of them through a strict screening process to find out which of them are actually viable options. Hopefully, you haven’t wasted time applying to jobs which you really have no affinity for and you haven’t gone to interviews with companies who you aren’t fully interested in working for.

But what if you’ve really done your homework, and you know that you’ve spotted a job that could be really great for you? You’ve sent in your resume, and you’ve been invited for an interview. How should you prepare so that you can maximize your chances?
Read more

Tips for Getting a Job in Sales

A Few Helpful Notes for the Restless Job Seeker

It is well known that today’s economy is in a difficult position. However, what many people may not have noticed is that certain sectors seem to be showing signs of life, even despite this hardship. In sales, for example, recruiters have not ceased to scout for talent. Sure, it’s not as easy as it used to be to land the perfect sales gig, but for individuals with the right qualifications who are serious about their careers, there are significant opportunities arising. Read more

How to Plan Your Sales Strategy Several Moves Ahead

Sales Chess Versus Sales Checkers

What’s the difference between chess and checkers? Checkers is basically a game of reaction. Your opponent makes a move, and you react in the best way that you know how. Chess players on the other hand, plan their moves way ahead of time. The best chess players will already know what options are open to them eleven or even twelve moves ahead of time. They think ahead about every possible contingency, and plan accordingly. Read more

How Attention Details Can Make or Break Your Sales Success

Don’t Forget to Dot Your “i”s and Cross Your “t”s!

The difference between a mediocre painting put together by an amateur and a masterpiece crafted by a true artist is not in the broad strokes, but in the smallest details. Even though this difference is small, it is meaningful; the work painted by a master will be respected and auctioned off for large sums of money, but the painting of the amateur won’t bring in a dime. Read more

A Sales Plan to Cut Your Sales Negotiation Time in Half

Four Tips to Improve Your Sales Process

Saving time should always be a priority in the complex sales negotiation process. The faster you are able to close the deal, the sooner you will be able to bring revenue into your organization and move onto the next prospect. In this type of circumstance, you will be surprised at how quickly the phrase “Time is Money” resurrects itself from a tired cliché into an undeniable truth. Hence, you need to take advantage of every time saving strategy available to you. Below are a few practical things that you can do to speed up the sales process. Remember, if you still need additional help with this process, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask successful sales people in your organization for tips. But for now let’s talk about a few of the most basic things that you can do to speed up your selling process. Read more

Sales tactics to overcome the Charlie Brown syndrome

Overcoming the
Charlie Brown Syndrome

Don’t Let Potential Clients Entice You with Empty Promises

Charlie Brown is the poorest role model for complex sales professionals. Here’s why: every time Lucy sets that football up for him, he makes the same mistake of trying to kick it. He never learns; for all we know, he will keep trying to kick that darn football until the end of time. If you are dealing with prospects who behave like Lucy-they always make promises, but never deliver on them-don’t be like Charlie Brown. Learn from your mistakes, and stop trying to kick the football. Read more

Stupid Things Sales People Do

Four of the Worst Sales Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

The four items listed below are some of the most foolish things that sales people do on a regular basis. These are things that you must avoid if you want to be successful in winning deals and making money. Being aware of these pitfalls and avoiding them will be your first solid step towards a successful sales career.

Oh and we can write a blog post like this because… well we have done all of these STUPID things - and many more throughout our careers. Read more

How and When to Make Concessions in Sales

Getting What You Want From that Big Deal

In any large complex sales deal it is inevitable that the customer will try to get you to make concessions. They will try to get you to bring the price down, or they will try to get you to throw in bonuses. What you need to know as a successful sales representative is when and how it is appropriate to make concessions. If you don’t go through this process correctly, you are either going to come across like a pushover, or like a jerk that no one will want to work with ever again. On the one hand, if you make too many concessions, the customer will find it easy to abuse you and they will cut into your profits over and over again, setting a poor precedent for the future. On the other hand, if you don’t recognize the times when it is necessary to concede, the customer will leave the deal feeling like they’ve gotten mistreated and won’t come back to you in the future. Read more

Games Customers Play and How to Win Them

Sales negotiations can be a fierce game. Just when you think that you’ve won, you’re customer pulls a new trick out of their sleeve and trumps your hand. In complex sales, this is a constant occurrence. As a sales person the best thing that you can do to keep your negotiations game in top shape is to anticipate the cards that your customer is holding before they even put them on the table. Read more

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