As a sales expert and someone interested in improving lives and businesses in general I strive to ensure that I am doing the best that I can to be at the cutting-edge of what is going on with new selling ideas and strategies. One area that I have some strong opinions about is social media and the uses and abuses of social media. I have shared some of these in previous blogs and will do in the future however for this post I sought out social media expert Chris Norton of Dead Dinosaur to get his opinion on a few widely asked questions... How … [Read more...]
Are Good Salespeople Born Or Made?
September 14, 2010 By 3 Comments
Here's a question I have been asked and answered several times. "Are good salespeople born or made?" What a great question. Psychologists have been arguing for years about the interaction between nature and nurture and the importance of these twin factors on your ability to achieve (or not) in your life. They will probably be arguing for many, many more. In my experience, as a sales motivational speaker and sales author, there is no easy answer to this question... First off, I would have to agree that some salespeople seem to be more … [Read more...]
Should I Hire A Sales Coach?
July 27, 2010 By 1 Comment
I received this question the other day and I started to reply and then realized that the answer would be really useful for many of my readers... I follow your regular updates with interest. I'm doing some work on goal setting at the moment both personally and for clients. One of the personal goals I'm toying with is the idea of hiring a personal sales mentor/coach. I was interested to know if this was an area that you had an opinion on? Do I have an opinion? I think all my readers will know that I must have. To try and help, I have … [Read more...]
When Your Prospect Or Customer Says, ‘No!’, What Do You Hear?
June 29, 2010 By 4 Comments
Here's another question that came up recently. "When your prospect or customer says, "No!", what do you hear? How do you react? Rejected or challenged? What advice would you give to somebody just starting out?" As a sales motivational speaker I see the negative consequences of sales and business people dealing with this badly every day so here is my advice... It's not what is said, it is your interpretation that does the damage. How many people every year die of snake bites? The answer is none. People die of the poison, not the bites. … [Read more...]
What Are The First 15 Words To Say To A Prospect To Get Them Hooked Into A Conversation?
June 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Here's a question that one of my contacts asked recently that I thought I would share with you, "So I have got past the gatekeeper - after the introduction, what are the first 15 words (or so) I say to a prospect that's going to get them hooked into a conversation?" And here's my answer... One of the questions I always ask delegates in sales training seminars is, "How long do you have to make a first impression?" The answer they give me varies but is always no more than a handful of seconds. In today's world, people make decisions very … [Read more...]
“How Do I Avoid My Cold Call Being Viewed As An Interruption By My Prospect?”
May 4, 2010 By 3 Comments
I've recently been collating common sales questions for a forthcoming book answering all of the main sales queries and questions that sales and business people have. I thought I'd share the answer to this one with you... "How do I avoid my cold call being viewed as an interruption by my prospect?" Simple answer: You can never stop your cold call being viewed as an “interruption”. Prospects are not wandering around with their phones under their arms hoping that you give them a call and brighten their days up! And, in a way, this is … [Read more...]
How To Get That Great Sales Job…
October 5, 2009 By 4 Comments
I get asked a lot of questions as a sales speaker and sales training consultant and this week I was asked a question by several salespeople and a magazine about how to position yourself to get that sales job in today's market so I thought that I would jot down my thoughts... 2009 has been a tough year. For many, a very tough year. I have written several sales training articles and reports about what salespeople, entrepreneurs and business owners need to do in today’s economy to succeed but what about salespeople looking for new sales … [Read more...]
How Important Is My Title When Selling?
June 25, 2009 By 2 Comments
Gavin You came into our offices around a month ago to deliver a morning's training and said we could contact you with any thoughts/questions we had following the day - hence me getting in contact! I am a fairly junior salesman, currently employed in a pre-sales role i.e. cold calling companies to set up appointments for the sales team. My question is around job titles - in your experience, what difference does a job title make to a persons' success or indeed their perceived chance of success? Just going on my own thoughts, the title for … [Read more...]
Is Blogging A Viable Sales Tool?
September 4, 2008 By 9 Comments
As a sales author, sales motivational speaker and sales force development consultant it is very important that I walk the talk and continue to learn and develop myself. One activity which I am always recommending to clients, friends and everyone alike is to keep reading new, old and interesting ideas to keep yourself stimulated and on top of your game. My personal favourite subjects for reading about are personal development, sales training, sales force development, motivation and mindset, general business and marketing. Nowadays I read a … [Read more...]
