More New Info Coming

First, I want to thank everyone who continues to come to this site. Your confidence is most important to me. Second, the past couple of  weeks have been a challenge for me to find time to write new material for you. Between health issues – flu and minor surgery – and the need to do … Read more…

Neuroscience and the b2b sales process

When I began to learn about how the brain works due to the research being used in the neuroscience studies, I began to see the light. Which light is that? The light at the other end of the tunnel indicating a train is coming and I need to pay attention.

Now must b2b sales people are still following the same old sales “tracks” laid down in the last century. They continue to hang in there using these old methods since they did work for the b2b sales people in years past. And, in some industries the old tracks still work with some old school or commodity based buyers.

Yet, the more progressive companies – both sellers and buyers of progressive companies – no longer tolerate the practices of the old b2b sales tracks. They want something new and better for the real world of today.

Okay, what is different you are thinking? A good thought or question.

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Are You Optimistic or Pessimistic?

Based upon your answer, you could be setting yourself up for future success or future downturns.

I know the above statement sounds very absolute – like an either – or situation. True is it is fairly close to an absolute issue based upon both experience and some high performance research.

Now, before I get too far into this b2b sales tip and my comment box gets full of objections, I will say I have found some exceptions. The key word here is “exceptions” rather than a norm.

The key point here is optimistic b2b sales people usually are more successful in the long term than their evil twin the pessimistic b2b sales person. Now, I use the term “twin” for a specific reason. When a b2b sales team have all been trained in the new b2b sales model and have equal quality accounts to call upon, then they are twins relative to the opportunities presented.

However, the truth is the optimistic group usually out performs the pessimistic group over the long term. Why? Because they miss more opportunities due to things like destructive self-talk, slip of the tongue events with buyers, and a lack of positive energy to demonstrate and energize the buyer.

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Increase Your Connections to Make B2B Sales

I’ve been observing and reading other sales experts rail on about how the sales cycles are increasing in length, how hard it is to get an appointment with a real decision makers, and how no one is returning a sales person’s phone call these days. Is this true for you too?

Personally, I had seen these things impacting our sales results over the past four years – the Great Recession seemed to accelerate the trend.

Yet, I have noticed one factor that seems to be gaining strength in our world of impersonal attitudes being displaced by the corporate wizards of purchasing.

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Do You Really Know How People Decide to Buy?

How about a provocative question to start the week? Yet, it is a great question to ask of sales people.

Do You Really Know How People Decide to Buy?

I know you will answer with many of the same answers I have used during the years of b2b selling. Here are many of the typical responses to this question…

  • It was the logical thing to do
  • It was based upon the hot button
  • It solved their problem
  • It had real value add
  • It was the low cost solution
  • It was the safe choice

Okay, once again, focus upon the real question – How Decisions are Made – rather than what you sold them.

Now if you are like most people (and I was included in this group until a few years ago), assumptions were made based upon our experience in selling, what sales trainers had told us and other externally driven answers. However, precious little thought time was devoted to learning how the decisions are made.

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Barriers to Overcome to Get Decisions to Buy

To continue the theme of why it is getting harder to be successful in b2b sales today, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify the barriers to decision making for you.

Most of these barriers are connected to the major theme for the decision makers today – job security. With the possible exception of the Great Depression in the 1930’s job security has never been this important – across the board.

Therefore, new strategies and focus must be added to your b2b selling skills box of knowledge. It is a time for wisdom to take a higher position or ranking in the minds of b2b sales people.

So, here is my list of barriers to the Decision Makers…

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Are You Helping Your Buyer to See, Hear or Feel Your Solution?

Well, Are you helping your buyer to see, hear or fell your solutions? For that matter, are you truly communicating with your buyers or customers – the way they want to be communicating?

I have found most b2b sales people have no idea what I’m talking about when I discuss the importance of See, Hear or Feel. The technical terms for these are Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic.

These items are critically important if you want to fully engage your customers during interviews, presentations and any other points of interaction. The key is to understand that everyone has a preferred method or language they use when communicating or just thinking about things in general.

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10 Reasons – Why People Buy

While looking through some old notes during the holidays, I found this handy list of 10 reasons or basic needs used by people to buy. And, I thought you may find the list interesting and helpful when selling to the individuals within an organization.

Here are the top ten reasons – Why People Buy

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