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

How to Tell if You Need a Strategic Selling System Sales can be accomplished through a range of sales models, each of which has an associated cost. Generally, as the complexity of the sales cycle increases, more customer intimacy is required and the cost of the sales model increases. Self-service: For small transactional purchases a web site that allows the customer to research and even … Read more

Play the Pauses Damian Saunders is one of the best sales leaders, who gets a lot of coaching done with a few words. Today he said, “It is important to play the pauses.” He explained that one of his prior sales team members was an accomplished pianist and a relative of Johann Strauss, who said great pianists learn not just to play the notes, but … Read more

What to Say if a Sales Call is Not Going Well What to say if a sales call is not going well. Extensive review of sales recordings proves that most buyers willingly put a need on the table when you start a sales call with a Mutual Agenda. In those rare cases where they do not, it is effective to say something like: “I am … Read more

7 Steps to Customize Your Sales System One size fits nobody, especially when it comes to sales. I have taught the High-Tech Sales Model to hundreds of salespeople, but I tell every single one to tailor the system to their company. If you are a sales leader, I suggest starting with a proven sales process, and then gathering your top sales thought leaders for a … Read more

Always be Closing In the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, “closing” was widely considered a technique. A sales move. And the various closes had names: The Assumptive Close The Alternative Event Close The Ben Franklin Close The Puppy Dog Close Sales experts at that time taught phrases and gimmicks designed to get prospects to say yes. The problem, of course, is that in complex sales these … Read more

Look to Data, Not Expert Opinions Occasionally two top salespeople will say exactly the opposite sales techniques are effective. They can’t both be right, can they? Yes and no. Many top salespeople rely on their own natural charisma, rather than a process that is repeatable, so something that worked for them may not work for anyone else. Further, once we find something that works, we … Read more

Don’t be Stagnant I have spent years testing and refining the sales process that I recommend today. I’m confident that I have uncovered effective methods that have been adopted by other salespeople. I believe sales success starts with a great process. But I’m alive to the possibility that what works today may not be the best solution two years from now. I don’t think I … Read more

The Evolution of Selling Systems The first documented selling system, developed by John Henry Patterson at NCR, used the following basic process: Present Handle the inevitable stalls and objections Close This process held for nearly a century until a behavioral psychologist named Neil Rackham spent 12 years observing and documenting the difference between most salespeople and top salespeople. He described some of his findings in … Read more