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October 8, 2013
“Why wouldn’t you buy our product?”
Learn to counter-balance a customer’s concerns. Don’t confront them.
It was an unusual sales approach. At a county fair, a lady on a solar energy booth grabbed me as I walked past, and without introduction, popped the question:
“Why wouldn’t you invest in solar to reduce your home energy bills?”
My mind then promptly produced several excellent reasons for precisely why I wouldn’t buy solar to reduce my energy bills, and these reasons all came to me despite my notorious passion for inflicting all sort of green gizmos on our...Continue reading
By Peter PaskalePosted in Communication Skills on October 8, 2013
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August 20, 2013
What Is World Class Customer Service?
10 “Must Haves” That Buyer’s Expect From Your Sales Force
Professional sellers know that it’s both easy to do and imperative not to do. Taking a customer for granted and assuming current customers will always be customers is short-sighted and irresponsible in selling. When customers begin to feel unappreciated, as if they are just one of many and only as valuable as their last order… It’s then that customer dissatisfaction can lead to customer attrition.
Keeping customers starts with keeping customers satisfied.
But top...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on August 20, 2013
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July 30, 2013
Market Share: Getting (and Keeping) Your Piece of the Pie
What will you do when faced with new competition?
For any type of product in any given market area, there’s a limit to how much business there is to go around. That total number is the “whole pie.” It’s determined by the buyers in your market area, by the demand for the product you sell.
Let’s say you sell haircuts. You and every other salon, barber shop and beauty parlor in your zip code are competing for the limited number of customers who will get haircuts each week. That number of total haircuts represents...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on July 30, 2013
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June 18, 2013
10 Surefire Ways to Get More Callbacks from Your Sales Prospects
If buyers avoid your calls, your process may be part of the problem.
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
It's not your imagination. It isn't only you. There isn't some new problem with your product, your company, or even your sales process. What's changed, for you and virtually every other seller, is your buyer. All buyers are immensely more empowered than they have ever been at any other time in history. In fact, buyers are so empowered that many don't even realize when and why they need sellers. That's why they avoid your...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on June 18, 2013
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May 23, 2013
3 Sales Strategies for Small Business – Get Started Selling!
You are responsible for your company’s growth, here is where to start.
By Robert (Bob) Walters, President & Founder of RH Walters Associates
Most small to medium-sized business have a lot in common in terms of one or more individuals having an idea, creating a product, developing a service and building a business around it. What they also have in common – for the most part – is a lack of real sales experience. But the belief system that drove the founding of the business can be turned into a sales advantage and form the basis for building out...Continue reading
By Robert WaltersPosted in Small Business on May 23, 2013
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May 12, 2013
The Difference Between Price & Value: Create A Profitable Balance
Learn to close more sales without discounting price.
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
It is imperative that every professional seller understand the difference between price and value. Many do not. Instead, sellers often use these words interchangeably. They use words like “value” to signify the cost of an item. This blurs the lines between value and cost or investment.
When value and price are thought to be one and the same, the inevitable result is that value gets diluted.The other components of...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on May 12, 2013
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April 9, 2013
Is Your Sales Pitch Working? 6 Steps to Open More Sales
Learn to differentiate yourself from other sellers and develop new customers.
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
I’ve met and worked with over 10,000 sellers in my career. I can only remember two who truly loved the work of genuine cold-calling. In the past few years, sellers seem to like cold calling even less. That’s because empowered buyers see fewer reasons to accept cold calls. In fact, buyer research says that buyers would prefer not to interact with sellers at any stage of the buying process.
That news is both sobering...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on April 9, 2013
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March 19, 2013
Three New Approaches to Making Effective Sales Calls
When Does Persisting become Pestering?
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
Auto dialers and CRMs, along with Sales Managers everywhere, are being questioned by Sales Reps due to escalating expectations & monitoring systems requiring more aggressive prospect follow-up. Most Sales Reps remain skeptical, feeling that following up too soon or too often will look pushy.
Usually, it’s the sales reps who win on this one. They may, if pressed, make the call, but they will choose not to leave a...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on March 19, 2013
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February 12, 2013
Take Pride in the Profession of Selling
Why did you choose a career in selling?
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
Ever notice how often professional sellers will express a certain shame or reluctance in admitting their job title? Someone says “so what do you do?” and the seller responds almost apologetically or sheepishly instead of with pride. And when you ask people “why did you choose a career in selling?” the response is almost always that selling was not their first choice.
Let me play back a recent conversation...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on February 12, 2013
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January 7, 2013
Before You Respond, Make Sure You’ve Got the REAL Objection
A Seller’s Guide to Averting Rejection
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
There are, of course, right ways and wrong ways to respond to buyer objections. This blog post doesn't go into that. Instead, this post focuses on a fundamental first step that most sellers forget when responding to an objection.
Unless you take this critical step, no response to the objection will really be adequate. You’ll lose valuable time and blow “hot air” no matter how eloquent and technically correct...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on January 7, 2013
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