Breaking Down Your Stroke This tip focuses on using a diagnostic probe, which is the first step in the Need Diagnostic. If you’re not familiar with this resource, I encourage you to download it from the Toolbox as a reference, or review this tip which provides examples of how to use an Open Diagnostic Probe. The rule: If there is no need, do not proceed … Read more

The Open Diagnostic Probe in the Perfect Discovery Call The open diagnostic probe serves as an alternative to a premature presentation. Presenting too early directs the conversation to the seller’s solution and almost always leads to a premature disqualification by the buyer. A generic presentation convinces the buyer that seller’s solution is not a fit for their unique, specific needs. Instead, asking the buyer to … Read more

The Role of Whitepapers in the Sales Process Marketing campaigns often revolved around some type of lead magnet like a downloadable whitepaper. A marketing department will create a whitepaper with the goal of showcasing a solution and use it to generate leads. But a solution does not necessarily create a market or lead to sales. The end result is the marketing department feels they have … Read more

A Holiday Reminder of the Mutual Agenda I was wrapping gifts for the holidays and received a large box with several gifts from one store for my wife. As I wrapped them, I said, “Boy I really need some gift boxes. These are hard to wrap without gift boxes.”  As I reached for the last gift, it was not a gift, but a bunch of … Read more

Ten Reasons Software Sales Negotiations Are Unique In order to succeed in software sales, a salesperson needs to recognize what makes selling software different from selling other products. So what specifically makes software sales negotiations unique? #10: In the software vertical, list price is a joke, just like in the furniture industry or health care. #9: Software buyers are more likely to be formally trained … Read more

Self Depreciation Over Social Rapport We naturally use social rapport to establish a connection with people we meet. At a wedding, we might ask a stranger how they know the bride and groom. We might talk to a stranger about the weather. As a salesperson, you are more social than most people and have been trained that rapport is needed to build trust, which you … Read more

Revealing Cost: Questions to Ask a Financial Decision Maker When you have an opportunity to work with a prospect to build a business case, it’s important to involve the financial decision maker to co-build the business case. This is imperative to success because we have to let them do the math on the cost/benefit analysis. If they do not do the math, they don’t believe … Read more

4 Negotiating Tips to Handle an Impromptu Sales Conversation When faced with an unplanned negotiating moment, an unsophisticated negotiator will choose a position and cling to it. A strong negotiator, on the other hand, will have several alternative approaches in mind, and will share these options with the buyer without arguing or offending. Becoming a great negotiator requires practice to develop good habits, and it’s … Read more

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