Influencing the Sale

How to drive the emotional decision

Sell Differently to Corporate and Entrepreneurial Accounts

Most b2b sales people charge into an account and sell the same way to everyone. Well, this is fine if you…

  1. Sell only to one type of person, or
  2. Sell only to corporate accounts or to entrepreneurial accounts.

However, one size DOES NOT FIT ALL in sales.

This is the main reason I continually tell my clients – the b2b sales position requires the most sophistication of all the jobs in an organization. Why? Because the b2b sales person has to be flexible and open to all types of people and circumstances – in both the customer organizations as well as within their own organization.

Read more…

Four Major Mistakes when Dealing with Gatekeepers

Recently a sales team I was working with raised the question of how to deal with the Gatekeepers of the world. In previous training sessions they had been taught some of the old traditional techniques and tactics designed to overcome or by pass the gatekeepers.

The more we discussed the situation, the more I realized there are probably a number of b2b sales people making major mistakes in dealing with so called Gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are people who you need to nurture a relationship with if you want to be successful in your b2b sales efforts.

So, what are the four major mistakes made by old school b2b sales people? Here are they are, so simply avoid using these tactics if you want to win your b2b sales accounts.

Read more…

Vision, Vision Who Has a Vision for b2b Sales?

I keep getting a question from sales executives and sales people regarding the value of having a vision. Is having a vision all that important in b2b sales?

And, the answer is a resounding “yes” if you want to be a b2b sales superstar.

So who has to have a vision and why? This is the simple part. There are two people who must have a clear vision of their future. Those two are…

Read more…

Three Important Follow-Up Sessions for b2b Sales

For b2b sales people, the standard follow-up note, email or text is not enough if you are going after a really big project. While the standard follow-up is a good start, there are three additional follow-up procedures making the difference between success and failure.

The big three follow-ups include…

Read more…

3 Ways to Simplify the First B2B Purchase

Many times a b2b sales person will charge a new account using a frontal assault tactic, pushing a complex solution on the first time b2b buyer. Talk about some bad MOJO.

This direct or frontal assault tactic is high risk and will cause you to lose more often than win.

If you want to win more sales opportunities, then you will want to use any or all of the three ways to simplify the first time purchase by a b2b sales buyer.

These three ways are…

Read more…

Once More – Reduce Risk to Win B2B Sales

One of the main issues or reasons for either “no decision” or “we’re going with competitor x” is directly related to the decision maker feeling your solution or offering is too risky.

Even if you feel you have the absolute best solution, if any undue risk or perception of risk raises it ugly head in the final moments – no dealt is coming your way.

Why does risk rate so high in the decision makers minds?

Read more…

Critical Variables Impacting the Buying Decision

Through the years of selling to major accounts and assisting my clients in selling to major accounts or as we like to say today – business to business selling (B2B sales) – I have found five major or critical variables that impact the decision to buy or not. So today’s B2B Sales Tip is about How the Buying Decision is impacted.

The buying decision is a focal point for b2b sales people; we want to know who will make the buying decision so we can move forward in the sales process. Yet, these five critical variables continue to play havoc on our knowledge of how the buying decision will be made.

So, here are the Five Critical Variables to the Buying Decision…

Read more…

Sixteen Tips for Getting Long Term Customers

Today, I see sales people working really hard yet, missing the point of keeping customers for the long term. Long term customers are usually the most profitable and most fun to work with due to the confidence and shared respect with the main players in the relationship.

However, how do you get those long term customer relationships? It is something that goes higher than low price. It is more than a cleaver marketing idea.

It deals with the ability to connect to another human being in such a way, they like and respect you AND have a desire for interdependency with you and your company. This is ultimate in trust. And, as you know Trust must be earned.

So, here are sixteen performance tips to gain more long term customer relationships…

Read more…

Three Ways to Turn Off Prospects and Lose the Sale

Today, I am sharing something that should be a no-brainer for all sales people. Yet, I see and hear the opposite behavior more than I should if the objective is to win an account in your business to business selling activities.

Unfortunately, a number of sales people get angry when they lose an account they have been working on and usually they expected to win the account. Thus, when surprised the emotional impact is to reactive rather than think about the consequences of spontaneous combustion!

Tip for the Day – Reaction is usually negative. Response stays positive due to the role of thought before action.

There are three things you need to think about before responding and focus upon remaining positive. These three areas are as follows…

Read more…

7 Reasons You Talk too Much

Talking too much is a curse for effective sales people. It opens the door to “winging it” strategies – er – mistakes which haunt a sales person as the customer or prospect remembers everything you say – even if you don’t.

Will investigating the cause of talking too much I discovered seven actual contributors to this “condition.” Personally, I had written off talking too much to a particular behavioral style – which is the big picture reason for talking too much. However, I found these seven reason will impact any of the behavioral styles of selling.

Here are the seven reasons you talk too much…

Read more…