I’m struggling to receive returned calls. I follow up over and over. Calls, emails, and inmail on LinkedIn – nothing works. What am I missing? How do I get a call back? – Johanna in Brandon, Manitoba Answer: How do sales people improve the likelihood of receiving a returned call from their prospects? This is the million-dollar question. Seasoned professionals, …
How to Create Lasting Value for Client-Vendor Relationships
Whether you work in sales directly or work with sales, you may wonder how you can work more effectively with procurement and provide long-term value in your client-vendor relationships. Kendall Cowdrey, a senior procurement facilitator at a Fortune 500 organization, knows a thing or two about developing lasting relationships. She offers expert advice in our new podcast interview. Kendall explains …
How to Super-Charge Your Referrals
My clients never give me referrals. I’m doing great business with them with outstanding performance reviews. Why won’t they voluntarily recommend me? – Blessing in Huntsville, Alabama Answer: Blessing, this is a great question. As with asking for the sale, you must ask for the referral. This is a simple answer, but there is an art to asking for referrals. …
How to Start Cold Calling with Confidence
Cold calling in sales can be intimidating. Disinterest and rejection can make practicing cold calls disheartening. Fear not! You can gain confidence from our advice on doing your research, creating a good elevator pitch, and being yourself while letting the conversation flow naturally. No matter how shy or inexperienced you may feel, you can and will develop this skill. With this webinar, …
The Importance of Patience to Close the Sale
You may have heard that patience is a virtue. Not only is this a good antidote for everyday life, it is especially true in professional sales, as patience can pay big dividends towards closing the sale. This is not the same thing as letting a sale cool down and drop off your radar. Rather, it’s an integral component of every …
4 Sales Basics You Really Need to Know
Whether you’re new to sales or have been at it for some time, it’s important to get back to the basics from time to time. This enables you to refresh and revisit your skills and get reenergized for the day-to-day. So, what do I consider sales basics? At the core, this is what I identify as the foundation of all …
Why Today is the Best Time Ever for a Career in Sales
Believe it or not, there’s never been a better time to start on a career in sales. Why is that? As industry leaders Lynn and Steve explain on our new podcast, there are many reasons why sales careers are so highly coveted. First, it’s no secret that companies rely on a source of revenue to survive and thrive. But where …
Women, This is the Secret to Gain Valuable Career Skills
Here’s the secret to advancing your profession and learning invaluable career skills: sales training. Sales training teaches women key attributes needed to overcome obstacles and achieve our objectives. It’s a game changer, even for those who aren’t in a sales position. Core sales training covers conflict, negotiation, relationships, presentation, persuasion, and the ask. Each of these are foundational building blocks …
Winning Sales Strategy and Tactics in a #MeToo World
Lynn, how have sales changed with #MeToo? What should I do differently? – Aimee in Owings Mills, Maryland Answer: Best practices for sales professionals have not changed with #MeToo. Sales is about serving your customers in an ethical and responsible way, and there is no room for inappropriate and egregious behavior in a sales person’s repertoire. Successful sales people build …
3 Secrets to Create Powerful Sales Webinars that Boost Sales
I love the sales webinars you provide, and think they would work well for our own sales strategy. BTW, what is the technology platform you use for your sales webinars? Tips to execute? – Calen in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Answer: Calen, webinars are an excellent content strategy to reach your prospects. We currently use GoToMeeting for our webinars. We …
Should You Flirt in Order to Make a Sale?
In our dog-eat-dog world, many people feel that they must use every tool possible to get ahead. This as true in sales as anywhere else. When a study suggests that saleswomen are 20% more successful when they flirt with clients, you can understand why some saleswomen would follow that path. But is being a flirt as lucrative as it seems? …
Improve Your Sales Funnel to Boost Qualified Prospects
Our sales funnel does not provide enough qualified prospects. Do I go out and find them on my own, or should I address this through management? – Yamila in Cheyenne, Wyoming Answer: Yamila, how are you defining “qualified prospects”? Are you defining “qualified” as giving you an immediate response? Today, in many industries, the sales cycle is longer than ever. …
8 Tips to Develop a Business Brand & Your Personal Brand
We’ve all heard of branding, but have you thought about why it’s so important? How do you develop your style and brand so that you’ll succeed in your career? Recently, marketing expert Melissa Forziat joined us for an illuminating interview all about crafting your branding. With Melissa’s experience as a small business marketing coach and event manager, she has all …
How to Make Your Presence Strong in Negotiations
How do you succeed in negotiations? In your sales career, strong negotiating often comes down to how others perceive you. Presenting a strong, self-assured confidence can go a long way towards improving your bargaining power. You can’t control the other person or their role in this negotiation, but you can control what you bring to the table. Here’s how you can …
How to Develop a Style & Brand for Career Success
We’ve all heard of branding, but have you thought about why it’s so important? How do you develop your style and brand so that you’ll succeed in your career? Special guest Melissa Forziat joins us for an illuminating interview all about crafting your branding. With Melissa’s experience as a small business marketing coach and event manager, she has all the …
Why Targeted Marketing Materials Unlock a Tremendous Edge
We never have enough marketing materials for the different industries and business units. We have a generic brochure and presentation, but neither addresses the unique needs of our market segments. How do I approach management to convince them to give us better materials? –McKenzi in Boise, Idaho Answer: Preparation and participation are primary components for success in any endeavor. Schedule …
10 Steps to Focus on Benefits to Boost Sales
Sales is all about your clients. So how can you entice them and improve your performance? By focusing on benefits! That can be harder than it looks, so we’ve come up with our the 10 steps you need to take. With these tips, you’ll quickly boost sales and improve client relationships. The first step is to pay attention to what …
Clients Love Benefits. Here’s How to Focus on Them to Boost Sales!
Sales is all about your clients. So how can you entice them and improve your performance? By focusing on benefits! That can be harder than it looks, so sales veteran Lynn is here to walk you through it on our new webinar. With these tips, you’ll quickly boost sales and improve client relationships. The first step is to pay attention …