It happens often that what may seem so obvious to us may not be obvious to the client or on their agenda at all. Perceived pain Why? Simply put, if the client or prospect does not perceive or admit to having an issue, a problem, a challenge, some difficulty they want to overcome, or even an opportunity they want to ignite then they will not perceive the need to change […]
No Pain, No Change = No Sale Read More »
Sales and salespeople The history of sales methodologies and salespeople is full of twists and turns. With a few excellent –or at least well-intentioned– ways of selling and many others that are the complete opposite. There was a time when the salesperson was the only one with information about new products—from the end of the 19th century to mid-20th century; they were the experts and customers were in their hands
The Silent Majority Read More »
Everybody lives by selling something After thousands of hours of study and many years honing technical skills to be a competent professional in your chosen field, it can come as a rude shock that you now need to sell your services and capabilities as well. A competent selling capability isn’t a nice-to-have skill, it is an essential business and life one. The topic of selling and growing a business doesn’t
Selling is everybody’s business – How to get started Read More »
Salespeople who complain about price as a barrier need to wear bicycle helmets. The next time you feel you are losing deals because of price, take your prospect to a cycle shop and ask them if they were to ride a bike, which one of the helmets they would buy
If you complain about price being a barrier, wear a bicycle helmet Read More »
Businesses are frequently encouraging their people to be more creative, develop new opportunities and drive innovation and growth. That’s all well and good but how do we spot new trends, drive innovation, and sell better so as to secure our future? There will be many variables to consider in each of our answers to this question; however, there are three core things we need to master if we want to
Spot new trends, drive innovation and sell better Read More »
Do you frequently discount to win business? Does your brand seem to matter less to customers today? It’s no wonder. Customers can do a Google search of your product or service and, within minutes, learn about your product, your competitors, what customers think of you, and find the lowest prices. So, with this kind of information at their fingertips, why would they need to meet with a salesperson? It’s a
How to avoid the discount trap Read More »
So how do we reach prospects and keep the door open? While everyone is trying to go big – go small and use innovation to capture share of mind. Imagine you are at home opening your mail and you find an unsolicited brochure about some product or other. What do you do? Chances are you drop it in the trash. Well, the vast majority of leads to whom you send
How to reach prospects and keep the door open Read More »
To attract new clients we need to create a positive buying experience for them. This usually involves a combination of marketing activities and a salesperson in the first instance. To retain clients we need to create another positive buying experience for them, and another and another, and another. This usually involves more than just the salesperson, this can now involve a whole range of people from those who deliver, assess,
How to create a positive buying experience Read More »
Today it is almost impossible to meet a product salesperson in the business-to-business sector. Everyone sells ‘solutions’ hoping they can charge a premium or perform some miracle that will instantly differentiate them from their competitors. And management – often ignorant of the subtle differences between selling products or services and selling solutions – become frustrated when they find that the expected boom in sales doesn’t materialise; that their salespeople continue
Solution versus Product Selling – what’s the difference? Read More »
How many people in your business are in contact with customers on a daily basis? How many of them would be presented with new business opportunities but wouldn’t know what they look like or what to do with them? Lately, we are hearing a common theme coming from CEOs, sales leaders, and partners at professional services firms: “My team cannot spot a business opportunity even when it’s right in front
Four tips to spot business opportunities Read More »