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

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