3 Types of Salespeople - Which are Best at Growing Sales?

Yesterday, we were in a small seaside village and in a nautical gift shop, I read this sailing quote:

"The pessimist complains about the wind.  The optimist expects it to change.  The realist adjusts the sails."

Translated for selling:

"The pessimist complains about the prospect.  The optimist expects him to buy.  The realist adjusts the sales strategy."

Supermarkets Shifting Ad Strategies to Meet Sales Goals

The printed weekly circular has long ruled as the tool of choice for supermarkets to lure shoppers through the doors. But as shoppers spend less time perusing the traditional newspaper, supermarkets are changing their ad strategies. Not surprisingly, these stores are placing greater emphasis on online tactics.

Losing IS An Acceptable Outcome If ….

It is true that during the earliest part of my sales career, I was fortunate enough to work for companies who took sales team development very seriously. They understood that if I was going to develop into the valuable asset they expected me to become, they would need to invest in me, and polish me, rather like a diamond producer cultivates their gem.

It will therefore not surprise you to learn that one of the first guiding principles I was taught was the absolute necessity to always work to “win-win” principles, not only within the sometimes hostile negotiating environment, but also in any commercial interaction that I may be involved with.

Be ruthless about preparation

(MoneyWatch) Panic. Fear. Frustration. Inevitably, someone on your sales team is going to stand up just before you approach a potential customer and say, "I think we've got this all wrong. We have to change this whole thing or we might as well not bother pitching it."

You can almost count on fearful emotions bubbling up. And these panicked salespeople win a lot more often than you would think. The fatigue of working through the process just starts to wear people out. The frustration of not being able to get it perfect will cause people to give up on their current path and start over.

Entrepreneurs' Biggest Sales Mistakes

When an entrepreneur decides to start a business, there are typically several important tasks at the top of his or her To-Do list, such as writing a business plan, choosing a name, and obtaining financing. Once the company is up and running, most founders obsess over perfecting the product or service, and perhaps devote energy to secondary tasks such as building a website.

Too often, there's a task that's far down this list of priorities that deserves to be much higher: Making the company's first sale.

The Power of Meeting In Person

Everybody is busy these days, including salespeople. That's why many are shifting to virtual meetings, emails, phone calls, and even texting as a way to communicate with prospects and customers. Yet none of these communication tools can match the face-to-face meeting's personal touch. While virtual contacts can be a quick and easy way to stay in touch, periodic physical meetings are still a necessity.

Four Tips for Creating an Effective Lead Scoring Program

Most companies dream of being flooded with leads. And why wouldn’t they? More leads provide more chances to close deals. But high-lead volume also has its drawbacks: Your best prospects might be falling through the cracks because your salespeople are scrambling to keep up with everyone.

Fortunately, lead scoring programs can help deal with all that scrambling. They provide actionable scales for deciding when an opportunity is sales-ready.

Collaboration: Changing the World for the Better

The following is a guest post from Jacob Morgan, author of the Amazon best-selling book, The Collaborative Organization, which is the first comprehensive strategy guide to emergent workplace collaboration.  He is the principal of Chess Media Group, blogs at Social Business Advisor can be found on Twitter @JacobM.
I believe that Collaborative Organizations can make the world a better place.
According to a Gallup poll, around 71% of employees at American companies are not engaged in their jobs.  Engaged employees feel a connection to their company and work with a sense of passion.  How sad is it that so many employees (at least in American companies) are not passionate about the work they do and don’t feel connected to their companies?

The Six Golden Rules of Satisfying the Unhappy Customer

The focus of all modern management thinking, and strategic business practice, has to be the customer. Keep your customers happy and your sales will continue to soar. Neglect them, or take them for granted, and your bottom line will suffer accordingly.

What To Do When Your Clients Waste Your Time

Sometimes your biggest time drain can be your existing clients. I am not talking about the time you spend with your clients executing after you made the sale. That is no waste of time! And I am not talking about the time you spend working together on what’s next and pushing their business (and your business) forward. That’s where the action is in becoming a strategic partner.

I am talking about the time your client wants to spend making small talk, shooting the breeze, and solving all of the world’s problems.

I Hired the Last Person who Cold-called Me

Every so often Brains on Fire gets a ring from a bright young mind who wants career advice, and where possible I field those calls because my age puts me a bit closer to the desperate job-searching stage of life than other people on our ship.

Most people have the same agenda when they call – I’ll be the first to tell you that the majority seem to view the introduction and career advice as an insignificant formality on their mission to ask for a job. If you ask the right questions, though, you can tell the genuine knowledge seekers from the paycheck hunters.

Are The Customers Finding You Actually The Customers You Want?

Much of what I discuss with customers and leaders of businesses is the idea that they must be findable.  Being findable is becoming easier with blogs, social networks and other applications.  Being findable is not as difficult as it once was given what we have been taught about search engine marketing and the people that have dissected the search game and engines like Google, Bing, Ask and Yahoo.  The question remains, are you being found by the customers that you want?

Turn Your Company Into an Innovation Incubator

You've built a team of top-notch employees, but can you make them think like entrepreneurs? Here's how to create a source of profitable business ventures that keeps on giving.

Most businesses are based around a core product, a core customer segment, and a set of strategic assets. The management team develops growth goals and organizes the team around achieving those goals above all else.

Branding Your Business Through Social Media - 3 Keys to Getting Started

Gone are the days when having a highly ranked web site was enough to make waves and attract new business. Just like people, company brands now need to communciate, to "network" and to reach out beyond their normal comfort zone.

This shift means moving from the two dimensional apect of a static web site, to the three dimensional realm of engagement and interaction. It starts by identifying the type of social media sites that best reach your target audience. Here's how to start...

Social Media for Business Takes Time

Many companies thinking about getting into social media to grow their business are stymied from the beginning because of the overwhelming challenge that faces them.

Those of you in that very position right now: I have great news for you. Everyone started where you are right now. Don’t be put off by what lies ahead. A solid social media presence is like any other successful thing: It takes time to build.

The 2011 Social Media Marketing Report said that 58% of the 3,300 marketers surveyed are using social media for more than six hours per week, while 34% invest 11 or more hours weekly. 15% spend more than 20 hours a week blogging, tweeting, etc.

Do You Believe You Can? Or Do You Believe You Can’t?

In conversation with one of “me learned chums” this week, the subject of success came up – or more precisely, just what it is that makes some people more successful than others – and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that I have very strong views about this.

I believe that one of the defining and most significant qualities of the most successful people we know is confidence. It is their inner belief that they can achieve anything they want to achieve, and enjoy as much success as they wish – however they personally define success.

How not to lose that big deal you just won

(MoneyWatch) In sales, the deal is never done until it is done. So what if you've actually landed the big contract? Only rookies think that is the end of the matter.

Before you pop open the champagne, you have to endure the claw-back efforts of the incumbent vendors, the fears of internal staff, and the normal bumps and bruises of a new client relationship to navigate.

In short, you can still easily lose a deal at this point. Here's how to ensure that doesn't happen:

The Key to Generating Business Changing Referrals

Most sellers want referrals.  Almost all sales trainers preach the need to generate ‘em, usually by saying something like, “all of my clients give me four or five great referrals to their friends and family, while I’m filling out the paperwork, just write down the names and phone numbers of four or five people who might need my services,” or, “by the way, do you know of anyone else who might need my service?” or the equally vapid, “who else do you know that I can help as I’ve helped you?”

Basic Business Networking Tips

Salespeople can and do succeed without ever building a network, but these salespeople are probably working ten times harder to generate sales than their colleagues who do practice good networking. A solid business network will bring you leads... help you set up meetings with otherwise unreachable people... and even give you a few shoulders to cry on when things aren't going well.

All Business is Definitely NOT Good Business

“Emerging” salespeople typically believe that all business is good business and to an extent, I can understand this viewpoint: If you are trying to make a name for yourself; being put under pressure by your sales manager to get “runs on the board” plus earn the respect of the more experienced and successful members of the team, it is difficult to walk away from any opportunity if you believe you have the remotest chance of winning it.

However, it is essential that more seasoned professionals fully understand both the value and importance of rigorous objective qualification – not just at the front end but right the way through the sales cycle.