Lisa Earle McLeod explains: What I call a noble sales purpose spells the difference between a sales force that’s merely effective and one that is truly outstanding. To understand why purpose-driven sales people outperform their quota-driven counterparts, compare these two scenarios: Salesperson A works for a quota-driven company. When he goes to the national sales…
“It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.” – Mickey Mantle Think about that quote by Mickey Mantle. Here’s an athlete who had tremendous talent recognizing the limits of what he knew about the very game of his profession. He was a baseball star admitting that he…
Selling obviously involves risk. You’re not guaranteed a certain amount of closed sales, except maybe zero, assuming you do nothing. There are, however, healthy risks and unwise ones. If you have a skill or two that needs some work, the actual sale isn’t the place to practice. If you goof, then, boom, sale lost. Practice…
You may have heard the news that Disney has bought Lucasfilm and plans to release a new Star Wars movie in 2015. Fans of the original trilogy were largely disappointed with the prequels, so they’re apprehensive about today’s breaking news. If the filmmakers are smart, they’ll consider the “sales” aspect of releasing the movie even…
“If nothing else in life, I want to be true to the things I believe in, and quite simply, to what I’m all about. I know I’d better, because it seems whenever I take a false step or two I feel the consequences.” – Peyton Manning
Do you make excuses for sales you fail to close or repeated bad business? Don’t. Take it from quarterback Aaron Rogers, who owns up to his mistakes, passes on any excuses, and says rather, “I’ve said from the start that whatever happens happens as long as I continue to get better.” You’re going to make…
My son, six, has lately taken to wandering the house, gathering cherished items, making an inventory in his mind, and offering to sell them to us at reasonable prices. At least he shows a sense for what his prospective customers like and dislike. If he’s really smart, he’ll start peddling bite-size crayons to his little…
Ever since I began working closely with Nathan Jamail and learning his approach to sales, I’ve looked with new eyes upon every encounter I’ve had with a sales person. Today, for example, I met briefly with someone interested in selling a product to my company. I wasn’t in a position to make a decision on…
I hear this question a lot, and the answer is simple: practice makes excellent what you already do well. I’ve never met a sales professional who had reached peak performance. No matter how talented, how skilled, or how gifted with attributes, everyone can improve. Practice is the road you take to improvement, whether you’re just…
Sometimes there can be a fine line between confidence and arrogance, but you’ve really got to know the difference and know how to communicate the former without expressing the latter. One for Drew Brees quote for you this week: “I’m a very modest person. But I’m also extremely confident. And if you put me in…