Archive for Selling

Why People Buy – According to the Experts

People change when the consequences of staying put are worse than the consequences associated with changing.  There is a large body of psychological and organizational research concerning the dynamics of change. The research shows that the decision to change is usually made as a response to negative situations and, thus, is driven by negative emotions.  [...]

The Difference Between “Persuasion” and “Manipulation”

Unfortunately, “sales” and “persuasion” are sometimes considered dirty words in our culture.  While entrepreneurs and small business owners are praised in our society, the notion of a salesperson conjures up caricatures of joke-telling con artists in plaid sports jackets.  Yet, often the most important role played by a small business owner is the role of [...]

Why Salespeople Earn More than Customer Service Personnel

In the end, there are only two things that separate salespeople from customer service personnel and it those two things that make selling so much more difficult.  Salespeople have to talk to strangers and gain commitments.  Everything else is customer service.  And while customer service is important, it is not as important as selling.  Customer [...]

The Hard Truth About Soft Selling

Over the last 35 years the pendulum has swung away from the stereotypical “hard sell” of the fifties and sixties, to the “soft sell” of the seventies and beyond.  Although many of the manipulative “moves” of the hard sell salesperson have been discredited along with the stereotype, we must be careful not to discredit the [...]

Do Extroverts Make the Best Salespeople?

The extroverted salesperson is extremely anxious to tell their prospects about their products and services. Yet they often leave a sales call bewildered as to why they didn’t get an order. You’ll hear them say “I answered all of their questions and told them every reason why they should buy but nothing happened?”
Selling is about [...]

Fishing for Prospects

I don’t expect that I will ever be invited to participate in any upcoming bassmaster fishing tournaments, but I have fished enough to know that before you set off on a fishing trip you need to make a few decisions.  These decisions are same decisions that a small business owner or sales professional must make [...]

#5 of Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Selling Results… Now!

#5 – Don’t Become Caught in the Time Management Trap
Have you ever felt like there wasn’t enough time to get everything done?  Actually, you have all the time there is.  The challenge is to determine exactly what you want to “get done” and by when.  Committing to a daily plan of activity is paramount to [...]

#4 of Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Selling Results… Now!

#4 – Don’t Overlook Previous Clients as a Source for New Business.
While I don’t want to diminish the importance of prospecting for new clients, it’s important to note that previous clients, those who have dropped out of your current client base, are often still highly qualified prospects and can represent significant revenue.
Keeping in touch with [...]

#3 of Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Selling Results… Now!

#3 – Learn to See the Prospect’s Point of View
As the saying suggests, “walk a mile in their moccasins” before making judgments and recommendations.  Before you can really understand what your prospect wants or needs, you must understand what they feel and why they say the things they do.
Respect their point of view, even if [...]

#2 of Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Selling Results… Now!

#2 – Learn to Really Listen to Your Prospects
Your degree of success as a sales professional is directly related to your ability to listen.  Your primary goal in the early stages of the selling process is to gather information.  There will be plenty of time later to give information if the prospect attains the status [...]

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