Recognize Four Sources of Customer Urgency

Look, the truth is, b2b sales people all want the customer to have a sense of urgency when working with us. It simplifies the sales process because they are pushing to get things done.

So why are there times when the customer seems to be moving at the speed of a Glacier?

A lack of a sense of urgency to engage with you is due mostly by a lack of need for having a sense of urgency. What you need to see from your customers or prospects is one of four sources sparking a sense of urgency on their buying cycle.

Here are four sources of customer urgency…

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Eight Words or Phrases Hurting Your Credibility

Okay, finally my world is getting back to normal after the lost of my computer. There appears to be bad people in many places. However, this is not the subject of the day.

In recent discussions with various buyer types I have learned they have “red flagged” certain words or phrases and immediately assume the b2b sales person is only trying to “sell” them a product or service. They go further and state these terms in their opinion is fluff or smoke for the b2b sales person’s mirrors.

So, I began to ask about the words they believe are negative relative to building a trust based relationship. Some of the terms are obvious and a couple truly surprised me, yet, I feel these buyer types were truthful and if it is their perception – then it is real for them.

Here are the eight words you may want to stop using when talking with your customers today…

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Eight Ways to Build Customer Loyalty

Been hearing a lot of chatter about Customer Loyalty and whether it is as important as some make it out to be. Well, Grasshopper (there I go showing my age again.), yes, customer loyalty is about the  most important thing that can happen to you.

If you are not focused upon developing long term customer loyalty – well, I bet you are starting from zero business every month.

Customer loyalty means you have a consistent flow of sales created by these loyal customers who would not and will not buy from anyone but you. And, here is the kicker for that statement – most of the time, when asked why the do business with you, they cannot explain it easily – they just know your are the best for them.

So, if you are going to focus on building and developing customer loyalty, there are about eight points you must master if you want a book of loyal customers.

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Three Things Your Don’t Do in the First or Second Meeting

I keep watching b2b sales people continue to shot themselves in the foot and admire their marksmanship rather than not shooting themselves in the first place. There are several things you should not be doing – that is if you want to win an account and grow your revenues.

Several of these don’t are rooted in the old Traditional Model of Selling which is based in large part on using Presentation Skills to win a sale. Note the difference of my statements – win an account or win a sale. If you are into the short term mindset of selling you will do these things because – well that is how it has been done for decades.

The real winners are the b2b sales people who know they want a long term business relationship some therefore, their game is to win the account. In order to win accounts, these b2b sales people change their old habits and focus finding and developing a business fit between the customer and their company.

So, wondering about the three things that are definite No-No’s in the world of building business relationships?

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Your B2B Buyers Have Changed Tactics – Are You Ready?

Looking into the competitive environment of b2b sales, I began to notice both subtle and major changes in the way our b2b buyers function and treat us. These changes will have an impact upon our b2b sales success in the future.

Have you noticed some of the changes happening in the way your b2b buyers are using your services as a b2b sales person. I know the boomer b2b sales people have seen the changes occurring during the past decade as I have. And, our success has been hampered by these changes – usually in the form of losing old customers and constantly being hammered on price comparisons.

How and Why are these changes happening in our marketplace. How and Why are these changes happening to you? And, more importantly, do you have a sales strategy to change the game?

Here are the Big Seven Changes in Tactics and Methods used by our B2B Buyers…

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Four Signs You Need Training or Coaching

Every once in a while I notice some b2b sales people who believe they have arrived and no longer need to go to any form of training, sales development or even be coached.

This is a common issue and one you need to watch out for assuming you want to truly be the one of the best b2b sales people in your company or in your industry.

These are higher standards of performance and require a different mindset for sales success. One of the most important elements for your long term b2b sales success, is to constantly improve your selling skills – and I am not referring to product knowledge or objection handling here.

It takes practice and continuous learning to move into the upper level of b2b sales superstars. Development is the key to move to the next level. Yet, a large number of sales people have a habit of avoiding opportunities to improve their skills and competencies.

Then there are the four signs you are in serious need of re-energizing your sales skills. Here are the four signs you will need to watch for in your daily sales routines…

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Are You Using Gap Analysis to Win B2B Sales?

Unless you are a naturally born product pusher, you should be aware of the power of gap analysis.

This tool is one of the primary techniques used by the B2B Sales Superstars. What is really great is it is a simple process. It is basically a five step process.

Yes, three steps and you can get a customer focused upon the possibilities for success due to listening and buying from you.

Here is how this simple “Gap Analysis” works…

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Are You Looking Past the Next Sale?

I find most b2b sales are only focused upon the immediate sale opportunity coming their way. Is this the way you look at sales opportunities?

The best sales people – including the b2b sales superstars – have a longer time horizon. They look at the next sale as the first step in a series of sales opportunities.

In fact, I have a friend who is always telling me how he looks at every customer with a three year INITIAL time line in mind. If the customer appears to be a one sale only – he passes on the opportunity. Could you do that?

What factors are in play to cause you to want to look into the future when evaluating a potential sales opportunities? Let’s take a look at what I’ve learned…

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Ever Hear This? – “Let me Think about Your Offer”

This week I am going to address several questions I get from you – the readers of these sales tips.

This first question is about what you will do when a potential customer says to you – “Let Me Think about Your Offer.”

There are several ways to respond to this statement, unfortunately, most are rooted in the traditional sales model where a sales person is in some form of combat with the buyer. Things like…

  • You have agreed to everything we have discussed, what is it you feel you need to think about at this moment?
  • This offer has a limited time period, are you sure you want to risk missing the deadline for ordering?
  • Is their someone else you need to talk with to move forward on this?
  • If so, can I meet with them also in case their have some questions about this offer?

That is just a short list of possible responses using the traditional model of selling.

The real reason for any delaying tactics on the part of a qualified buyer are based upon three things. These are the three – with the third reason being the most likely reason.

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Top Ten Reasons B2B Sales have Communication Issues

I guess I have been watching too much David Letterman with his famous top ten lists. However, the purpose of his lists are to create humor and laughing. My list of Top Ten Communication Issues for b2b sales people is of serious concern.

Often when traveling with a b2b sales person and being an observer of the sales process I have seen the Good the Bad and the Ugly of Communication with customers. GEEZ! It really is not that hard or difficult to gain rapport with customers and have great communication.

However, the difference between bad communication and good communication is due to the choices made by the sales person. That is correct. The B2B Sales Person is the key to the Communication Success of their customer relationships.

You can begin your journey to successful and effective communication by knowing what causes poor communication and eliminating as many of the causes as possible. So let’s begin with the Top Ten List of Communication Issues or Barriers…

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