Have you heard any sales people say "I can't wait for things to get back to normal"? We've heard that several times in the past 2 years and it never fails to discourage us. Hopefully you're not waiting for things to "go back to normal" because guess what? Normal is here. Unfortunately you may not recognize it. It’s "The New Normal" and like it or not, it may be here for a long time so you better learn to deal with it. In part 3 of the series Mike and Joe answer your questions, Yes it's the community mail show!
Have you heard any sales people say "I can't wait for things to get back to normal"? We've heard that several times in the past 2 years and it never fails to discourage us. Hopefully you're not waiting for things to "go back to normal" because guess what? Normal is here. Unfortunately you may not recognize it. It’s "The New Normal" and like it or not, it may be here for a long time so you better learn to deal with it.
In part 2 of the series Mike and Joe interview Jeff Koser and Chad Koser, award winning authors of Selling to Zebras. Jeff and Chad discuss how we need to adjust our selling style for the "New Normal."
Have you heard any sales people say "I can't wait for things to get back to normal"? We've heard that several times in the past 2 years and it never fails to discourage us. Hopefully you're not waiting for things to "go back to normal" because guess what? Normal is here. Unfortunately you may not recognize it. It’s "The New Normal" and like or not it may be here for a long time so you better learn to deal with it.
In part one of this three part series on Selling in the Normal Joe and Mike discuss what the new normal is and what you need to do to adjust your selling approach so you can be more successful.
If you sell products and/or services that involve a long or complex sales process, or if you have major accounts that you do a lot of business with, or if you are slowly losing some of your best clients to your competitors and you can't figure out why, then key account planning can have a tremendous impact on your success.
In part three of this three part series on Key Account Planning Joe and Mike respond to your e-mail questions on key account plans (and anything else related to sales you were wondering about).
If you sell products and/or services that involve a long or complex sales process, or if you have major accounts that you do a lot of business with, or if you are slowly losing some of your best clients to your competitors and you can't figure out why, then key account planning canhave a tremendous impact on your success.
In part two of this three part series on Key Account Planning Joe and Mike interview Phil Bush, Principal with InfoMentis, Inc. on the importance of planning and how to go about creating an effective plan.
If you sell products and/or services that involve a long or complex sales process, or if you have major accounts that you do a lot of business with, or if you are slowly losing some of your best clients to your competitors and you can't figure out why, then key account planning canhave a tremendous impact on your success.
In part one of this three part series on Key Account Planning Joe and Mike discuss why key account planning is important, how to go about creating a plan and the various components that need to be in your plan.
SRP 100125 The Send Out Cards Show Part 3Income Opportunity â Make money by being a reseller
In the past two SalesRoundup podcasts Joe and Mike introduced you to SENDOUTCARDS - a product that Joe and Mike believe can automate and improve any salespersonâs customer/prospect relationship building as well as provide a systematic approach to generating referrals. In the last part of this three part series on SENDOUTCARDS Joe and Mike discuss how you can also make money by becoming a reseller.
SRP 100118 The Send Out Cards Show Part 2 - Increase your Referrals exponentially
The most successful sales people are the ones who have learned the value of generating referrals. A successful referral system generates more revenue and costs less than the alternative which is cold calling, advertising and marketing alone. However most sales people donât know how to go about creating referrals. They lack a systematic approach.
In part two of this three part series Joe and Mike discuss a successful strategy for cultivating referrals from your clients and introduce you to a unique product that takes the time-consuming work out of the process, is easy to use, cost effective and really works.
SRP 100111 The Send Out Cards Show Part 1 - Building better relationships and improving client retention Statistics show most sales take at least 5 contacts
with a client or prospect.In
fact, 80% of sales are made on or after the fifth contact.Many sales people never make it to 5. A
lot of them stop trying to connect after the first or second attempt. Even worse if a client DOES buy most sales people don't
bother with any follow up communication.Studies show the #1 reason customers stop doing business with a company
is "perceived indifference," meaning they feel taken for granted and neglected.Good, consistent communication is key
to building great customer relationships.But how do you do that effectively with everything else you have to
do?
In this first episode of
the SalesRoundup for 2010 Joe and Mike discuss a successful strategy for
building and managing stronger client and prospect relationships and introduce
you to a unique product that takes the time-consuming work out of the process,
is easy to use, and is cost effective.
SRP 091214 9 Strategies to Balancing Sales and Life
Everyone knows that sales is a difficult profession. The requirments on your time is much more demmanding than a typical job. In fact, if you let them, sales jobs can have a negative impact on your personal life. We all know workaholics who live eat and breath their jobs. But what many people don't consider is that not having a good work/life balance can be very detrimental to your sales results. In this episode Joe and Mike talk about 9 Strategies to help you Balance Sales and Life to make you happier and wealthier.
The sales process is moving along great when all of a sudden the prospect goes silent/stops communicating/wonât return your calls. What do you do? In this episdoe Joe and Mike talk about strategies and tactics you can use to get the prospect reengaged and talking again.
SRP 091116 Sales Leadership 101
In a majority of sales organizations its standard practice to promote the top sales people into management positions. Unfortunately its also standard practice to cause these first time sales managers to fail by not providing them the training and support they need to make the transition into management. This is a double disaster for organizations because not only does the organization often get rid of or loose the new manager, they also loose the sales they were bringing in as a top producer. This week Joe and Mike discuss the pitfalls of promoting your best sales people into management and offer some advice on how to avoid it.
SRP 091109 The Anatomy of a Lousy Pitch
At this very moment millions of people are listening to sales presentations and most of them are probably thinking "when will this be over?" Let's face it sales people exert a lot of energy to get in front of prospects and a good percentage of those sales people blow it by making a mediocre presentation. How are your prospects reacting to your presentations? Are you talking about your client's needs? Could your presentation be better? What are you doing to distinguish yourself from the competition? This week Joe and Mike discus the anatomy of a lousy pitch and give you some ideas about how you can improve yours.
Are you being bombarded with requests from your managers? In tough times insecure management will lash out by requesting detail information about everything you are doing! This is not productive and often times will have an opposite effect. This week Mike and Joe discuss or shall we say "commiserate" on what to do when management asks for too much information!
SRP 091026 Prospecting 2.0 Burn the Ships!
Are you seeing a decline in your prospecting results? Maybe its
because youâre not keeping up with the times. Across the board
traditional forms of prospecting are loosing their effectiveness. It
might be time to abandon the old methods and move on to new ones.
When Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico, one of his
first orders to his men was to burn the ships. In this episode of the
SalesRoudup Joe and Mike talk about new ways to prospect and encourage
you to âburn the shipsâ when it comes to doing the same old thing.
SRP 091012 Dealing with "Seemores"
Did you ever have a prospect that seemed really interested in your product/service, always eager to learn more, hear more "SEE more" but yet never getting to the stage of actually buying anything? These people are commonly referred to as "seemores" and they can waste a lot of your time if you donât know how to conteract them. In this episode of the SaelsRoudup Joe and Mike give pointers and how to identify and overcome the "seemores" of the world so you make more sales and earn more money.
SRP 091012 Let's Make a Deal The Principles of Negotiating Part 2
Even though it has one of the most direct and substantial impacts on a sales person's compensation a lot of sales people underestimate the importance of negotiation during the sales process. If you're like most sales people your annual income depends on the total dollar amount you sell. If you're constantly reducing your price to get deals done instead of using a sound negotiating strategy you're acting very effectively. In part two this two part series on negotiating Joe and Mike give you one of 4 negotiating patterns, a couple of strategies buyers use and a couple of strategies that sellers use.
SRP 091005 Let's Make a Deal The Principles of Negotiating Part 1
Even though it has one of the most direct and substantial impacts on a sales person's compensation a lot of sales people underestimate the importance of negotiation during the sales process. If you're like most sales people your annual income depends on the total dollar amount you sell. If you're constantly reducing your price to get deals done instead of using a sound negotiating strategy you're acting very effectively. In part one of this two part series on negotiating Joe and Mike give you a couple of tips to help you prepare for a negotiation and one of the tactics to use while making concessions.
SRP 090921 The Germaphobe Show
Flu season is upon us and if anyone is going to catch a cold or the flu its probably going to be salespeople. We're constantly traveling, meeting new people and shaking a lot of hands. Getting sick can really hurt your sales efforts. But what are you supposed to do? In this episode Joe and Mike discuss some of the things you can do to reduce your chances of getting sick.
SPR090911 Do you know who you are talking to? Whether you are about to go into an interview or
your just looking for organizations that you might want to work for its
important to research the organization.In this episode of the SalesRoundup Joe and Mike talk
about how to research an organization when you are looking for a sales job.
SRP 090907 Surviving Procurement - Part 2
Negotiating is tough enough but when you have to negotiate with someone
who does it for a living, like a professional procurement person,it
becomes a real challenge. In part two of this two part series on
negotiating with procurement Joe and Mike discuss what to do when you are meeting with a procurement professional.
SRP 090831 Surviving Procurement - Part 1
Negotiating is tough enough but when you have to negotiate with someone who does it for a living, like a professional procurement person,it becomes a real challenge. In part one of this two part series on negotiating with procurement Joe and Mike discuss how to prepare before your initial meeting with a procurement professional.
SRP 090817 Selling Consulting - On Time On Budget or Die!
Selling consulting requires you to convince somebody that you can accomplish a specific goal within a specific timeframe for a specific amount of money. It's a difficult thing to sell to someone who's never done business with you before. It is IMPOSSIBLE to sell to someone you've done business with and failed to deliver on time and on budget. In this episode of the SalesRoundup Joe and Mike discuss why not meeting the client's expectations when seling consulting is the kiss of death for a sales person and what you need to do to make sure that doesn't happen.
SRP 090810 What is Your Sales Therapy?
In order to be in Sales you have to be "on your gameâ. It's a high stakes game with little tolerance for slackers. You need to perform a high level for an extended period of time to be successful. In much the same way as race cars take pit stops to refuel and retool to reach optimal performance, sales people need a way to relax and reenergize to perform at their best. In this episode of the SalesRoundup Joe and Mike discuss what they do for âSales Therapyâ to keep their head in the game.
A special interview with Geoffrey James, author of the Sales Machine blog on BNET.com
SRP 090803 Jump! How High?
Okay we've all been victims to the Jump! How High? Syndrome! This is where during the sales cycle your prospect asks you to jump through hoops and yes we sometimes act out of fear of losing the deal. They may give short deadlines to respond to a request for information, or may ask you to come tomorrow in and give a demo, or well you get the picture! This week Mike and Joe provide you with a plan on how to deal with demanding prospects during the sales cycle and put you back in the driver's seat!
SRP 070927 Interview with Doyle Slayton from the SalesBlogcast www.SalesBlogcast.com
This week we have a special show. You see we are on Vacation! However our good friend Doyle Slaton who founded the SalesBlogcast agreed to share with us the sales strategy behind the SalesBlogcast site. In Planning for this episode Doyle asked his readers to suggest sales topics which we discussed in the interview. Check out Doyle at www.SalesBlogcast.com
SRP 090713 90-day Sales turnaround plan - part 3 days 61-90
Do you want to be successful in sales? Do you want to be a top performer? Do you know what you need to do for that to happen? If you don't know where you're going how are going to get there? In these times people new to sales need a 90 day plan if they want to hit the road running and experienced salespeople need a 90 day plan to help them overcome the sales slump. In part three of this three part series Joe and Mike discuss how you go about laying out the last thirty days of your 90 day sales turnaround plan.
SRP 090706 A 90-day Sales turnaround plan - part two, days 31-60
Do you want to be successful in sales? Do you want to be a top performer? Do you know what you need to do for that to happen? If you don't know where you're going how are going to get there? In these times people new to sales need a 90 day plan if they want to hit the road running and experienced salespeople need a 90 day plan to help them overcome the sales slump. In part two of this three part series Joe and Mike discuss how you go about laying out the second thirty days of your 90 day sales turnaround plan.
SRP 090622 Selling when they're not Buying
Let's face it times are tough. People are not buying like they used to. Times like these are very difficult for sales people. That said, there are no excuses. When the going gets tough the tough get going. Your success or failure is dependent on how you manage to get through these times. In this episode Joe and Mike discuss some of things you should be doing to persevere. To sell when they are not buying.
SRP 090615 Take me to the next level A Sales Plan to Sell Higher in your deals
A common problem with many people is getting to the right level of whatever organization you are trying to sell to. Plenty of people will tell you why you need to do it but not many people tell you how. In this episode Joe and Mike tell you how to penetrate an organization and actually provide you tips for selling higher!
SRP 090607 Drive by Sales Leadership
Drive by Sales management. Most of us have experienced it one time or another. Hopefully none of us are guilty of being one. So called Drive by Sales managers are managers who don't focus on helping their sales people close business. They are too busy managing by numbers or performing tasks completely unrelated to getting deals closed. In this episode Joe and Mike discuss the pitfalls of having or being a drive by sales manager and the things you need to focus on in order to be a successful manager and drive more business.
SRP 090601 "Mother may I" selling! A Sales Plan to Survive an Acquisition
You're on top of your game. You're the alpha dog of your sales organization. You've got your own territory, you're bringing in sales and no-one's telling you to slow down. All of a sudden your company gets acquired by a large conglomerate and instead of being top dog you're playing a bit part and you have to ask permission from your company's account manager before you can sell into an account. Welcome to the world of "mother may I?" selling! In this episode Joe and Mike discuss what you can do to adapt and thrive in a "Mother may I" selling environment.
Did you ever work for a company who hired a new senior sales manager and both the company leaders and new manager acted as if they were god's gift to sales? They run around the organization touting how "everything is now great" and that the new manager will bring us to the promised land.
In this episode Joe and Mike discuss how to deal with a new sales manager.
SRP 090518 We'll make it up on volume! NOT - Reducing the cost of sales
Keeping the cost of sales down is important to the health of any organization. It can also be important to a sales person's compensation that is based on net profit as opposed to gross revenue. So how do you keep your cost of sales down? In this episode Joe and Mike discuss techniques and approaches to reduce the cost of sales.
SRP 090511 Getting a Sales Job â Perfecting The Interview Process. Part 3 of a 3 part series In this economy its very tough to find a good
sales job.With companies downsizing
there are a lot more candidates than there are jobs to fill.That's why if you are looking for a sales
job its more important now than ever to use a deliberate, strategic approach to
getting it.In part three of this three
part series on getting a sales job Joe and Mike discuss how to prepare for the
interview process.
SRP 090503 Getting a Sales Job - Finding the right opportunities and dealing with recruiters. Part 2 of a 3 part series
In this economy it's very tough to find a good sales job. With companies downsizing there are a lot more candidates than there are jobs to fill. That's why if you are looking for a sales job its more important now than ever to use a deliberate, strategic approach to getting it. In part two of this three part series on getting a sales job Joe and Mike discuss how to find the right opportunities and how to deal with recruiters.
SRP090427 Getting a Sales Job - Assessing your qualifications and resume building. Part 1 of a 3 part series
In this economy it's very tough to find a good sales job. With companies downsizing there are a lot more candidates than there are jobs to fill. That's why if you are looking for a sales job it's more important now than ever to use a deliberate, strategic approach to getting it. In part one of this three part series on getting a sales job Joe and Mike discuss how to go about assessing your qualifications and building a resume.
Mike is out sick this week so we are taking a week off so he can get better. Let's have some fun with him and send him a get well e-mail.
SRP090413 How much is it? The fundamentals of pricing what you sell
If you're fortunate enough to sell something that allows you the flexibility to negotiate price, it is important to maximize the deal while making it more attractive to the buyer. In this episode Joe and Mike discuss various aspects of pricing products and services that you should consider before preparing your next sales proposal.
SRP 090406 Discovery IS the Sales Process â The Discovery Centric Selling Process â Part 4 of 4 Its seems like someone comes up with a new,
improved sales process every week.The
problem is hardly any of the people who write them are actual working sales
people or sales managers and their ânew processâ is usually just a rehashing of
the same old stuff.In part four of
this four part series Joe and Mike discuss how to complete the discovery
centric selling process and walk you through some real life examples of what
the process looks like.
In part two of this three part series Joe and Mike share with you a sales process that they have been experimenting with in the field - in actual sales situations - with early indications showing a marked improvement in sales close ratios
It seems like someone comes up with a new, improved sales process
every week. The problem is hardly any of the people who write them
are actual working sales people or sales managers and their ânew
processâ is usually just a rehashing of the same old stuff.
In
part two of this three part series Joe and Mike share with you a sales
process that they have been experimenting with in the field â in actual
sales situations â with early indications showing a marked improvement
in sales close ratios.
SRP090316 Discovery IS the Sales Process - The Discovery Centric Selling Process - Part 1 of 3
It seems like someone comes up with a new, improved sales process every week. The problem is hardly any of the people who write them are actual working sales people or sales managers and their "new process" is usually just a rehashing of the same old stuff. In part one of this three part series Joe and Mike share with you a sales process that they have been experimenting with in the field - in actual sales situations - with early indications showing a marked improvement in sales close ratios.
SRP 090309 Every Sales Person's New Worst Competitor and boy are they tough! Part 2
He's Here! He's new in town but he's big and he's bad and as far as competitor's go he is your absolute worst nightmare. If you are in sales, any sales, you have a new WORST competitor and you better learn how to deal with it quick!. The recession has created new competition. It's the competition for budget dollars! In part two of this two part episode Joe and Mike discuss what you need to do to compete and win the battle over budget dollars.
He's Here! He's new in town but he's big and he's bad and as far as competitor's go he is your absolute worst nightmare. If you are in sales, any sales, you have a new WORST competitor and you better learn how to deal with it quick!. In part one of this two part episode on the new competitor Joe and Mike discuss who the competitor is and the steps you need to take in the qualification process to help you overcome him.
Early stage Pipeline Development is Critical to Your Success Through Out Each Stage of the Sales Life cycle.
The bigger your pipeline the better you become at qualifying out bad opportunities, the better you become at focusing on the things that make you the most money, the better you become at negotiating and the better you become at closing. A week sales funnel is the root of all evil. So what should you do now to maximize the size of your pipeline? In this episode Joe and Mike discuss how to go about increasing your sales funnel so you can close more deals and maximize your commissions.
If you're like most sales people it happens to you in almost every sale. Even though it's so common many sales people are unprepared and even fear dealing with it. The result is often to discount your price when you don't have to.
In this episode Joe and Mike discuss how to deal with pricing objections successfully so you can close more deals maximize your commission dollars.
In this episode Mike and Joe talk about the unique characteristics of selling consulting services and strategies sales professionals can utilize to increase your chances for success.
SRP 090202 Death and Taxes - Our Annual Tax Show â What sales people should consider before filing their taxes
Sales people are an odd breed in many ways and one of those ways is in how they file their taxes. Because sales often involves travel, entertainment and other miscellaneous expenses its important that sales people know how that affects their taxes. In this episode Joe and Mike talk about the different options available to sales people to lower their taxes.
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