Partners in Excellence

OCTOBER 17, 2016

She was trying to get out of the call, suggesting a follow up call from an account manager or a demo—I have to give her credit, she went for the demo. She didn’t have the experience base to engage the target prospects in the way these prospects would have wanted to be engaged.

Objection handling 89

Objection handling Drivers/motivators Follow-up Up-sell 89

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

He needs to grow the sales team, hiring BDRs, Account Managers and others. Again, he didn’t know he was prospecting, he didn’t know he was qualifying, he didn’t know he was handling objections. In fact the sales person shared a story of this manager at a customer meeting.

Manufacturing 90

Manufacturing Objection handling Drivers/motivators Up-sell 90

Sales Hacker

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Sometimes called the “Copier Warrior,” Dale built a name for himself by prospecting with ultra-creative 1-1 videos, crumpled up pieces of paper, and a sword. Of course you do, but it’s not easy — prospects go silent, they don’t like your prices, you’re spread too thin, or you don’t have enough support.

Gaming 103

Gaming Objectives and Key Results Sales Up-sell 103

Engage Selling

AUGUST 26, 2017

When you’re part of an organization whose sales team is spread out over a large territory, it’s easy to lose touch with what’s happening on the front lines, where staff work directly with prospects and customers. Your sales managers are … Read More »

Territory 48

Territory Sales Prospecting Objection handling 48

Sales Hacker

APRIL 16, 2018

Kiva Kolstein : We have about 40 people on my team and my team consists of customer success, which includes account management and product specialists and sales. It begins with a phone call or an email and you move into that first meeting, the sales deck , the demo, the discovery call, objection handling, negotiation, closing, etc.

Territory 40

Territory Cross-sell Up-sell Objection handling 40

Engage Selling

FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Despite changes to our selling marketplace, too many sales professionals are rooted in beliefs about customer engagement that simply aren’t true. That’s why today, I’m going to dispel the three big sales engagement myths. Myth #1: Being on social media … Read More »

Sales 81

Sales Sell Objection handling Customers 81

Engage Selling

MAY 5, 2018

Recently I was at a large gathering of CEOs: all sharp thinkers who want to see their companies grow. While I’d been invited to address their forum to talk about the sales process, what many of them really wanted to … Read More »

Price 75

Price Objection handling Process Sales 75

Engage Selling

DECEMBER 30, 2017

So far in this series, we’ve looked at how you can apply the hard-earned wisdom of top sales professionals who thrive in crowded, commodity-driven markets and apply it to any organization—even yours. One method is to focus on rethinking the … Read More »

Process 78

Process Objection handling Sales Presentation 78

Engage Selling

APRIL 7, 2018

"Customer" used to be a one-size-fits-all word in sales. Either someone bought from you or they didn’t, and the steps you implemented to make a sale didn’t change all that much from one person to the next. It’s not like … Read More »

Objection handling 55

Objection handling Customers Sales Account management 55

Engage Selling

MAY 19, 2018

Workshops and learning events can be the least effective—and for some, even the worst—places for your salespeople to get the training they need. You heard that right. Now, let me explain. I’ve worked directly with sales pros for a long … Read More »

Objection handling 59

Objection handling Sales Presentation Account management 59

Engage Selling

JUNE 2, 2018

Smart companies today measure their lead acquisition cost, their marketing costs and their sales cost. But what about the overall cost to serve your customer? That often gets overlooked. And yet that’s precisely where you can see both the risk … Read More »

Customers 54

Customers Objection handling Sales Presentation 54

Engage Selling

APRIL 21, 2018

Technology in sales is not a solution to a problem. It’s a means of solving a problem, and it hinges critically on how well you apply it as one part of your revenue generation system. Do it wrong and you’re … Read More »

Closing 54

Closing Technology Technology Sales 54

Engage Selling

FEBRUARY 10, 2018

You know how it goes. You’re having a hectic week of client meetings or at a tradeshow and things begin to slide in the self-care department. Eat a greasy meal here, pull a late night there, and then load up … Read More »

Tradeshows 54

Tradeshows Clients Meeting Objection handling 54

Engage Selling

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

It’s the worst question in sales and marketing today: How do I get better at cold calling? Spoiler alert: Cold calling is dead. Stop wasting your time with it. Here are the better questions to ask: Why do sales teams … Read More »

Cold Call 54

Cold Call Objection handling Sales Presentation 54

Engage Selling

AUGUST 12, 2017

Strong partnerships between sellers and buyers were once considered the key to success in the marketplace. Yet, despite having the ability to customize products and include clients in the sales process, there was often a barrier that made buyers feel … Read More »

Clients 48

Clients Objection handling Process Product 48

Engage Selling

JULY 15, 2017

In my last article, I talked about the importance of being able to anticipate lost customers as part of having a healthy growth strategy for your business. That included a case study that identified several loss triggers. Now, using that … Read More »

Growth 48

Growth Objection handling Customers Account management 48

Engage Selling

NOVEMBER 19, 2016

They used private customer information to create bogus accounts, forged signatures and authorized charges that customers were not made aware of. Let’s call a spade a spade. What Wells Fargo did was illegal. I, for one, am sick of the … Read More »

Objection handling 48

Objection handling Customers Presentation Account management 48

Engage Selling

NOVEMBER 18, 2017

In my previous article, I talked about why you must embrace your inner sales geek. Now, let’s talk about what happens next after you start working skillfully with the numbers that rule your sales pipeline Here are three case studies … Read More »

Pipeline 48

Pipeline Sales Objection handling Presentation 48

Engage Selling

JULY 1, 2017

You can’t grow your business unless you are first able to predict losses. That’s not done with guesswork. It means having a reliable system to accurately forecast when clients are going to leave, so you can take steps either to … Read More »

Growth 48

Growth Clients Objection handling Account management 48

Engage Selling

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

“What do I do when my customer says our price is too high and that they can get what I’m selling for less elsewhere?” ” I’ve been running sales workshops for over fifteen years and without fail, this question comes up … Read More »

Price 48

Price Up-sell Sell Objection handling 48

Engage Selling

NOVEMBER 4, 2017

You can be great at working with people, but unless you match that ability with being able to work skillfully with your numbers, you will not succeed in sales. And what are your numbers? The ones that rule your sales … Read More »

Sales 48

Sales Objection handling Presentation Account management 48

Engage Selling

OCTOBER 22, 2016

When a business fails to meet its sales target, blame usually gets pointed squarely at members of the sales team for not doing their jobs properly. Bad salespeople! Sound familiar? Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions. To be … Read More »

Sales 48

Sales Meeting Objection handling Presentation 48

Engage Selling

MARCH 24, 2018

Two of the toughest problems that salespeople struggle with are knowing when to recognize a deal is stuck, and understanding what needs to be done next. Stuck deals aren’t just ones that haven’t closed yet. They’re the ones that have … Read More »

Closing 48

Closing Objection handling Presentation Negotiate 48

Engage Selling

OCTOBER 8, 2016

It was as hot as a summer’s day can get and my 5 km run was not going well. Starting out that morning, I had set two ambitious goals for myself: achieve both my distance and pace targets. But as … Read More »

Objection handling 48

Objection handling Presentation Account management Negotiate 48

Engage Selling

MARCH 10, 2018

As a sales strategist, I regularly remind people that there’s a fine line between persistence and stalking. Persistence today takes form through engagement online. Get engagement right today and you exceed your goals. Get it wrong and buyers disconnect, block … Read More »

Objection handling 48

Objection handling Sales Presentation Account management 48

Engage Selling

SEPTEMBER 24, 2016

You’ve heard the naval expression before: “all hands on deck.” It neatly sums up how teams of people with a range of responsibilities unite to do one job: to keep a ship afloat in rough seas. Business leaders sometimes have … Read More »

Objection handling 48

Objection handling Presentation Account management Negotiate 48

Engage Selling

SEPTEMBER 24, 2016

You’ve heard the naval expression before: “all hands on deck.” ” It neatly sums up how teams of people with a range of responsibilities unite to do one job: to keep a ship afloat in rough seas. Business leaders sometimes have … Read More »

Objection handling 48

Objection handling Presentation Account management Negotiate 48

Engage Selling

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

The customer at the other end of the phone was out of ideas. He talked to me about how his internal team was no longer breaking sales records or getting results the way they used to. As we spoke more, … Read More »

Growth 48

Growth Objection handling Customers Sales 48

Engage Selling

AUGUST 27, 2016

“What does the future look like for sellers?” ” There will be fewer salespeople, with a more of a well-defined focus on what they are there to do. Skills will be hybridized. Sales structures will be imploded and rebuilt to redefine … Read More »

Sales 48

Sales Objection handling Presentation Account management 48

Engage Selling

JANUARY 27, 2018

We all know the marketplace has changed dramatically in the last five years, including how, what, where and when people buy. We see proof every day that businesses are increasingly being driven by the connection economy. We’ve all had to … Read More »

Sales 48

Sales Objection handling Presentation Account management 48

Engage Selling

AUGUST 13, 2016

Success—the measurable and lasting kind—only happens when you make deliberate choices about structuring your teams, communicating expectations and holding them accountable … Read More » When it comes to accelerating sales and motivating people to deliver peak performance, nobody gets better on their own.

Drivers/motivators 48

Drivers/motivators Objection handling Sales Presentation 48

Engage Selling

JANUARY 13, 2018

There are three methods that you can choose from to emulate stand-out sellers—even in crowded markets where products or services are hard to distinguish from each other. First, you can focus on your product: creating new premium lines, being choosy … Read More »

Service 48

Service Product Objection handling Presentation 48

Engage Selling

JULY 30, 2016

Today, the way people buy multimillion dollar products and services is no different than how you and I buy a pair of jeans. It wasn’t always this way. Selling used to fall into one of two groups: B2B (business to … Read More »

B2B 48

B2B Sell Service Objection handling 48

Engage Selling

JULY 16, 2016

In my work with top performing sales teams I’ve found that leaders who exhibit three consistent traits create perpetual revenue growth. Enforcing a High-Performance Culture In a typical sales organization 10 percent of salespeople overachieve. Another 20 percent underachieve … Read More »

Growth 48

Growth Objection handling Sales Presentation 48

Engage Selling

DECEMBER 16, 2017

Top-ranked sellers who work in crowded markets—especially in industries where the products or services are commodities or hard to distinguish from each other—can teach you a lot about how to be a stand-out sales performer. They show you that anything … Read More »

Product 48

Product Service Objection handling Sales 48

Engage Selling

JULY 2, 2016

The best companies don’t tolerate boom and bust mentalities. The instead focus on how to create a perpetual sales boom. While this may be considered unconventional, my research and experience has shown that, left unaddressed, boom and bust cycles will … Read More »

Sales 48

Sales Objection handling Presentation Account management 48

Engage Selling

DECEMBER 2, 2017

Do more: it’s an expectation imposed on sales reps constantly. Every year, quotas go up, KPIs get revised and the number of people that need to be served keeps climbing. And… it’s happening in a selling market that’s changing faster … Read More »

Quota 48

Quota Sales Up-sell Sell 48