In business, you are what you are paid to do. In sales, you are paid to sell. That’s your job. That’s what you do. That’s what’s expected of you. Embrace it for what it is. A lot of sales people, feeling that the label of sales isn’t glamorous enough, disguise what they do with fancy…
“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal. You do not change your decision to get there.” – Zig Ziglar
Every sales professional needs a plan, a clearly articulated sense of where they are, where they want to go, and what they need to do, step-by-step, to get there. I say “clearly articulated” because a lot of people have a vague idea about these things, which they think constitutes a plan, when in reality they…
Have you ever made a purchase that you came to regret after the initial excitement wore off? Most people have. You spend hard-earned money on a product only to discover that it really doesn’t meet your wants or needs. Sometimes the only one to blame for this fleeting excitement is yourself, but at other times…
It’s your job as a sales professional to help your prospective customers find the product that will work best for each of them. As this is your objective, you do not want to introduce your products by focusing on their specific features. Rather, you want to talk to the prospects and determine their wants and…
Those who are not climbing toward something are descending toward nothing. – Richard Paul Evans
Practice avails the sales professional with risk-free opportunities to develop skills that might not be applied in every moment of actual selling. Think about it: you could try out some new pitch or selling technique during a sale, but if the trial falls flat you’re likely to lose the prospective customer. No, no, no. Scrimmage…
One-on-one coaching sessions provide the ideal forum to encourage employees to communicate with you, advance strategic vision, and attain goals. Here you have a place catered to the needs of your individual employees, where you can focus on each of them in turn, working to improve their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. Your sessions should…
Your past does not predict your future. Not if you don’t let it. The successes you’ve achieved and the failures you’ve suffered can be lessons for you on the road, but they do not determine whether you will walk it. Or how fast. Or how well. Learn from the past, build a new future. This…
Sometimes we have to wait to get what we want, putting aside instant gratification to achieve something lasting and worthwhile. You’ll notice that the waiting in this case is not passive. You’re not sitting around, lazily, doing nothing. Often you are working hard and diligently, in patient preparation for what is to come. This is…