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ACCORDING TO ALBERT EINSTEIN, the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” However, it’s still common for sales managers to feel like they’re beating their heads against the wall trying to get their sales professionals to follow established processes to…

MOST BUSINESS OWNERS and hiring managers struggle to find good sales talent, but I would contend that’s because many are simply focusing on the wrong candidate profile. It’s a common stereotype that the strongest extroverts make the best sales professionals. Everyone has experienced their fair share of highly extroverted salespeople…

SALES SKILLS CAN BE TAUGHT. It’s a myth that successful salespeople are born to sell. In reality, sales skills are learned, crafted and honed through years of practice. However, there are inherent personality traits that signal a sales professional is destined for greatness. When interviewing sales professionals, look for these…

IT’S TRUE THAT “nothing happens until someone sells something,” as aptly said by IBM’s founder Thomas Watson. However, if you talk to business owners about identifying a predictable, repeatable sales process that ensures their teams consistently meet sales targets, they look at you like you’re talking about the Holy Grail…

IN THE EARLY DAYS of a small business, the founders typically have to become rainmakers. However, as their businesses grow, owners often struggle with how to impart their passion for sales to others, so that the whole team can work together to sustain growth. If you want to create a…

GREAT SALES PROFESSIONALS have the ability to adapt based on the audience. They are able to embrace rejection as an express pass to their next “yes,” and they generally have a high degree of emotional intelligence. However, even veteran sales professionals can fall into the trappings of making excuses as…

GOOD SALES PROFESSIONALS are experts on the products and services they sell. This expertise inevitably creates a few blind spots. When you feel like you’ve seen it all — every prospect response, motivation and objection — it’s easy to occasionally jump to the wrong conclusion. It’s not realistic to assume…

WHETHER YOU CALL IT SALES, business development or fundraising, bringing in new customers or donors is essential to your organization’s growth. After all, as the late founder of IBM, Thomas Watson, so prolifically stated, “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” However, there are seven deadly sales sins that everyone needs…

TODAY’S BUSINESS CLIMATE is tough for sales professionals. When good prospects are few and far between, putting your best foot forward in each sales pitch becomes crucial to your survival. Given this reality, avoid these most common sales missteps to ensure you make the most of each prospect opportunity. One…

MORE THAN 75 PERCENT of the sales reps I have coached through the years cite price as their number one objection. Given the tumultuous state of our economy, that’s no surprise. Even when the economy is in a better place, however, one side effect of a recession is the bargaining…

REFERRED PROSPECTS OFFER one of the strongest returns of any marketing or sales strategy you can deploy. After all, a good referral costs nothing upfront, and a referred prospect is much more likely to become a customer than most average leads. Why do most companies have inconsistent referral-generation strategies, then?…

ESPECIALLY FOR COMPANIES that sell products or services to other businesses, there is no more efficient way to generate new business than through referrals from happy existing customers. If a happy client refers his friends, trust has already been built into the equation, which generally shortens the sales cycle. Additionally,…