Sales Tips

Five Self Made Destructive Mindsets

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Often I am asked by a sales manager to coach a sales person who is not meeting their performance goals or standards. Sometimes I’m told straight out that the sales person has lose their motivation or drive to be successful.

After assessing the individual and reviewing all the data and information provided by the sales manager, I begin the coaching process. Using questions to open up dialogue and trust, an interesting pattern begins to unfold, the sales person has the skill set and knowledge to be successful, yet their results indicate another issue.

A majority of the time I find three major factors in play…

  1. The Sales Person is Missing a Key Skill which can be developed.
  2. The Sales Person is a total Mismatch to the Sales Position thus a lack of performance.
  3. The Sales Person has a set of beliefs or a pattern of destructive mindsets which need special coaching. ( refer to Winning Mindset for Sales )

When working with sales people in the third group, I have found five self made destructive mindsets causing the majority of the poor performance. Here are the five most common self-made mindsets…

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Five Blockers to Buyers Attention

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Often I’m asked about the use of AIDA methods when calling on b2b buyers. While it is true you should be using a questioning method in the b2b sales world, gaining a buyer’s attention is still an important element in the b2b sales world.

Since you do need to call on more than one buyer or influencer within the customer or prospect’s company, you need to be aware of the five blockers to the buyer’s attention. This is really important for the first time you meet a new person in an account.

Why am I talking about attention? Because if the customer or prospect is not listening or thinking about what you are focused upon – then all your effort is wasted.

So here is a key b2b sales tip – how to recognize and deal with the five common blockers in the minds of customers or prospects. These five include…

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Four Negative Buying Decisions

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When I began to look into what buyers and decision makers actually did after I had made a sales presentation, I began to notice different types of decisions that were not the usual “yes” – we want you to start on…

Then I expanded my search for answers by observing my sales clients activities and doing some back checking after proposals or presentations were made – what was the actual decision.

After researching the actual results or decision-making process of buyers, I found four types of negative buying decisions. I want to share these four negative decision patterns with you so you can effectively prepare counters to these actions during your sales process. (That means before you make a sales presentation.)

So, here are the four negative buying decision patterns…

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Tips for Selling in Hard Times

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During these economically difficult times, sales people and managers are asking the same question – “How do we create more results in today’s environment?”

While there are no silver bullets or 6th cavalry to charge in to our rescue this time, there are some things sales people can focus upon to improve their opportunities during this period. Following these four key tips will also position you favorably when things automatically improve.

Here are the four key tips for selling during hard times…

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Sales Tips – Be a Low-Risk Provider

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In the world of B2B sales you will find yourself selling to a group, team or committee rather than a single buyer. This is the true meaning on complex selling. Why is it complex? Because you are dealing with a number of people – each possessing their own personal agenda regarding the buying decision.

So here are sales tips that will get you a higher probability to increase sales in your territory. It is the key to selling to large or mid-size corporate structures.

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Sales Tips and Sales Techniques of the Week

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Okay, here is a quick sales tip for learning about competitors activities. Or to learn who else is calling on your clients. I have used these direct sales tips in several industries and have taught clients to use this sales technique to learn who is active with your customer or prospects.

Here is the key sales technique – Check out the visitor logs at the main desk. This is a great source of information about who is activity visiting the account.

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Budget Authority During Tough Times

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Here is a very important sales tips for the understanding what happens during economic downturns. This rule applies to any company or organization experiencing difficult economic times. The cause could be the overall economic conditions like a recession or industry meltdown or it could be an isolated company issue. The key is understand that authority … Read more…

3 Fatal Flaws of B2B Selling

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Through the years of working with sales people from many different industries and all levels of performance, I have found three fatal flaws for sales failure. While these are primary observations of B2B Selling professionals, you could probably find these same three in other forms of selling.

So let’s review the list of the top three fatal flaws of B2B selling:

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