Sales: A Scientific Method Most people would argue that sales is an art, not a science. I don’t disagree, but I do believe you can apply the scientific method to the sales process. For those of you who’ve been out of school for a while, here’s a refresher on the steps: Ask a question Do background research Construct a hypothesis Test with an experiment Analyze … Read more

Tactical v. Strategic Selling Tactical selling Tactical selling is what you do when you are with a customer. Tactical selling is about doing things right; it’s about action; it’s about execution. A tactical selling system provides structure for the sales conversations that move a customer through the buying journey. A prescribed process for delighting the customer and ensuring that buyers become promoters is vital to … Read more

Don’t be a wimpy seller How do you respond when a buyer puts pressure on you? As a salesperson, it is important to realize your response can impact the outcome of the sale. Most salespeople fall along what I call The Response Spectrum. Have you ever been a wimp? When the buyer asks for concessions and you give them up immediately without a fight, you … Read more

The Origin of the Unique Selling Proposition Rosser Reeves (1910–1984) was an ad executive and early pioneer of television advertising. He was committed to making ads that were simple, direct, and often annoying (I can’t swear he was actually committed to being annoying per se, but one wonders). His most typical ad was probably that for Anacin, a headache medicine. The ad was considered grating … Read more

Sales Principle: Demonstrate, Don’t Assert Have you ever noticed that two people can say essentially the same thing, but it can be received in wildly different ways? Assertion: The only way to eat a hot dog is with ketchup on top. Demonstration: Wow! Have you tasted how good this hot dog is when you add ketchup? Try it! The point of both statements is that … Read more

More Marketing! When your current sales team asks for more marketing, beware. They may ask for: More campaigns Better literature Lower prices New features More pre-sales tech support These things are crutches. If your salespeople don’t know how to sell, you can never give them enough crutches. You will spend a lot of money and time doing things that don’t address the core weakness. Sending … Read more

6 Rules for Sales Conversations Before you pitch, remember these important rules: Prospects become customers for their reasons, not your reasons. Prospects love their own ideas and find them more persuasive than any idea you have. Prospects will resist your ideas. Prospects seldom initially share the real reasons that they would want to buy from you. The real reasons that people buy might have nothing … Read more

Building the Business Case in Times of Uncertainty I’ve talked before about the competition for funding within a business and how financial decision makers will choose to fund projects that have the quickest and most reliable ROI. In the midst of the pandemic, cash is more precious than ever and many CFOs are unwilling to make investments unless they have a clear ROI AND a … Read more

15 Lead Generation Techniques This list of techniques is what I call the universal list of lead generation mechanisms: Referrals From Customers Referral ecosystem Articles—PR Seminars Reverse seminar—Invite a client executive to speak to your team/company “Newsletter” or email tips Google for trigger events Networking at their industry events Phone calls Direct mail Trade shows Ads—Web, print, radio, TV Placement in educational settings (à la … Read more