Two Words

What are the Two Words That Always Deliver Sales Results?

All sales professionals know the power of using the right words at the right time. With that said, there are two words that consistently deliver results. Unfortunately, women tend to shy away from using these impactful words, instead defaulting to their more passive counterparts. What are these mysterious words? “Will” and “would,” as opposed to “can” and “could.” “Will” and …

Effective Voicemail

What are the Top Tips for Truly Effective Voicemail?

Voicemails are an integral component of sales success. They can be a powerful tool to connect, provide information, and build relational capital. However, not all sales people utilize voicemail effectively. I assert that some use it so poorly that it produces a negative, rather than a positive, result. Pointless, rambling, static voicemails ending with the incredibly hasty phone number are …

How to Collect Past-Due Payments

How to Collect Past-Due Payments Without Fail

There’s one aspect of sales many professionals struggle with: collecting your money. Nearly every company has a clear order-to-cash (OTC) cycle in place, and when a client misses an invoice, that triggers the need to collect those past-due payments. This can be hard for many people. How do you handle clients who deflect and delay payment? What do you do …

Follow-Up Calls

How Can You Create Energized and Relevant Follow-Up?

The first step in maximizing the impact of your prospect follow-up is to know your objective. Take the ubiquitous follow-up call or email: Your objective should be more than just checking in; it should be to move the sale forward in a meaningful way. And while it goes without saying, I’m going to say it: Follow up in a timely …

How to Handle Sales Rejection with Your Self-Esteem Still Intact

Self-esteem reflects a person’s attitude towards themselves. This evaluation may come from career success, relationships, lifestyle, appearance – or a combination thereof. We tend to feel good about ourselves when we achieve certain goals, and typically appreciate acknowledgement of others when we reach milestones. When you work in sales, you may base your success on how many sales you make …

Ask for the sale

How to Build a Relationship and Ask for the Sale

I’ve been building up a relationship with a potential client for months. We have really great conversations, but she hasn’t made a commitment. I’m getting impatient to make the sale, but I don’t want to harm the relationship I’ve worked so hard for. How can I get this client to actually buy – soon – without alienating her? – Coleen …

Breaking Down Barriers with... Play-Doh?!

How You Can Break Down Barriers… With Play-Doh?!

When you read the title of this post, many of you may wonder, what the what? Let me explain. When we’re in meetings and presenting to a group of individuals, many people arrive with preconceived notions, are set in their way of doing things, or have a completely different agenda on their mind. The most important thing you can do …

Heavy Lifting in Sales

How to Blow Them Away by Doing the Heavy Lifting

The lifeblood of sales and building relationships is setting ourselves apart from our competition. It’s about building strong, long-term relationships and a referral network in the process. Throughout my career, I have found that by doing the heavy lifting for my clients and prospects, my sales success continuously improved. I believe that performing the heavy lifting is a key principal …

Virtual Meetings in sales

How to Build Quality Relationships with Virtual Meetings

Virtual meetings are today’s touchstone; I myself partake in multiple virtual meetings each day. It’s undeniable that virtual meetings are far safer with COVID-19, and more convenient without the travel time and associated vicissitudes. They are an excellent method of building our relationships with prospects, clients, and our internal team. Therefore, our sales success requires us to take advantage of …

Donation Requests

How Should I Address Donation Requests with My Manager?

We have a tight sales budget, but there are times when a client requests we donate our products for a cause they are supporting. How do I approach management for approval of these donation requests? – Patty in Bethesda, MD  Answer: Every business has a responsibility to be a good partner in the community. This responsibility is demonstrated by actions, …

Relationship Between Sales And Marketing

How Do Sales and Marketing Work Together to Win?

Whether you work in sales or marketing, you probably recognize that these two pillars within any organization rely on each other. You can’t have one without the other, and it takes both to create and maintain a successful company. So you how can you ensure that sales and marketing are working together? In our new webinar, Lynn Whitbeck and Tina …

Event Invites

How Should I Handle Event Invites I do Not Want?

I am constantly invited to client events or ballgames after work and on weekends. How do I gracefully decline these event invites? – Tara in Denver, CO  Answer: Building rapport with clients requires time, attention, and genuine interest. Receiving an invitation from a customer is a compliment, and it speaks to the relationship you have fostered. It’s important to view …