One of my colleagues told me I come across as a flirt. I was horrified. She’s a real pro and I respect her. Still, our styles are very different. I have numerous male clients. How do I act friendly without being flirty when building rapport? – Becky in Smyrna, Delaware Answer: It’s all about the signals you give off. There’s …
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 …
How to Eliminate Non-Selling Tasks to Unlock More Rewards
There are far too many non-selling tasks at my firm. I’m working all kinds of extra hours to complete these tasks. How do I get out from under this and back to selling? – Priya in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Answer: Priya, this is a loaded question, and on first glance, it appears difficult to answer. Without knowledge of your firm, …
How To Manage A Day Packed With Meetings: The Ultimate Game Plan
Meetings are a foundational tool for wooing your prospects and clients. A key to developing great relationships with your prospects and clients is doing the heavy lifting. This means making things as hassle-free as possible for your clients. You ensure that everything is convenient for them, and this includes meetings. When it comes to in-person meetings, going to them, rather …
How to Win Friends and Build Influence with Gatekeepers
Receptionists: They’re often the first person seen and the last person considered. However, a smart saleswoman will recognize them for the power they have. Receptionists, like personal assistants and coordinators, are gatekeepers. Gatekeepers can be the difference between you connecting with your potential buyer and being shown out the door. Indeed, it won’t matter how well you can sell your …
How to Promote You and Your Business, Pt. 2
Believe it or not, a large part of sales success is in the art of self-promotion. For many people, this can be difficult, especially if you’re shy or simply don’t like talking about yourself. How do you overcome the feelings of awkwardness so you can focus on your true objective? How can you get out there to promote you and …
How to Manage Your Sales While on the Road
Business travel can bring a nice change from the usual office routine, but it also comes with its own set of difficulties. How do you keep up with your sales and workload when you’re on the road? How do you stave off jet lag and travel exhaustion and get the most out of your business trip? With a little self-care …
The Basics of the Quote-to-Cash Process
There are many processes that you use to track your business’s well-being and future possibilities. One of them is something that you should be more familiar with: the quote-to-cash process. This is a more holistic process than some in the business world, because it includes multiple departments and multiple steps in the customer fulfillment journey. It takes in sales and …
How to Promote Yourself, Build Relationships, and Grow Your Sales
Believe it or not, a large part of sales success is in the art of self-promotion. For many people, this can be difficult, especially if you’re shy or simply don’t like talking about yourself. How do you overcome the feelings of awkwardness so you can focus on your true objective? How can you get out there to promote you and …
How to Promote You and Your Business, Pt. 1
Believe it or not, a large part of sales success is in the art of self-promotion. For many people, this can be difficult, especially if you’re shy or simply don’t like talking about yourself. How do you overcome the feelings of awkwardness so you can focus on your true objective? How can you get out there to promote you and …
The Conference Checklist You Need to Get The Most Sales
Attending conferences is an important part of your sales career – but how do you get the most out of it? Whether it’s your first event or your 10th, there’s always more to learn. That’s why we decided to share a quick and easy guide to help you get the most out of your upcoming conference. In conjunction with our …
How to Handle Pay-to-Play Clients
In sales, you meet all kinds of prospects and clients. Depending on your industry, you may run into so-called pay-to-play clients. As the name suggests, these are potential clients who require some form of payment before you can participate in a particular business activity. But isn’t that shady? It depends on who you ask. Lynn and Tina have both dealt …
Recovering From a Misstep
Sales is a tricky business that requires excellent people skills as you build trust with your clients. But no matter how much you’ve mastered the art of sales, you’ll still make mistakes from time to time. What kinds of missteps can occur during the sales process? What about client relationships – are missteps more serious and harder to overcome? Moreover, how …
Focus on Customer Needs
In sales, your customer needs should be important to your organization. While this should go without saying, it’s easy to lose sight of your customer focus. How do you improve your customer focus and relevance? How do you talk to your customers and truly listen so you can ensure you’re fulfilling their needs or providing something they lack? Sales experts …
Sales Success Exhibiting at Conferences
We recently shared an Achievement in Sales webinar on attending conferences. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What should you do when exhibiting at conferences? How do you find sales success? Along with Marketing Executive Debbie George, we dive into the different types of exhibitions you’ll prepare and the diverse range of events at which you’ll exhibit. From planning …
Demonstrate Sincere Interest in Your Clients
In sales, demonstrating sincere interest in your clients, or worthy intent, is invaluable. It’s how you build stronger, lasting relationships with your clients. Worthy intent in professional sales is all about building relational capital with your prospects and clients – the practice of making a deeper connection with the individuals you work with. You accomplish this by shifting the focus …