The Top 7 Sales Blunders

Written by Kelley Robertson


Continued from page 1
5.Not being prepared. I remember calling a prospect expecting to receive his voice mail. That meant I was completely unprepared when he answeredrepparttar call himself. Instead of asking him a series of qualifying questions I simply responded to his questions, allowing him to controlrepparttar 127153 sale. Unfortunately, I didn’t progress any further than that initial call. When you make a cold call or attend a meeting with a prospect it is critical that you are prepared. This means having all relevant information at your fingertips including; pricing, testimonials, samples, and a list of questions you need to ask. I suggest creating a checklist ofrepparttar 127154 vital information you will need and reviewing this list before you make your call. You have exactly one opportunity to make a great first impression and you will not make it if you are not prepared. 6.Neglecting to ask forrepparttar 127155 sale. I recall a participant in one of my workshops expressing interest in my book. I told him to look through it but at no time did I ask forrepparttar 127156 sale. Later, I heard him express this observation to other participants inrepparttar 127157 program. If you sell a product or service, you haverepparttar 127158 obligation to askrepparttar 127159 customer for a commitment, particularly if you have invested time assessing their needs and know that your product or service will solve a problem. Many people are concerned with coming across as pushy but as long as you ask forrepparttar 127160 sale in a non-threatening, confident manner, people will usually respond favorably. 7.Failing to prospect. This is one ofrepparttar 127161 most common mistakes independent business make. When business is good many people stop prospecting, thinking thatrepparttar 127162 flow of business will continue. However,repparttar 127163 most successful sales people prospect allrepparttar 127164 time. They schedule prospecting time in their agenda every week. Evenrepparttar 127165 most seasoned sales professional makes mistakes from time to time. Avoid these blunders and increaserepparttar 127166 likelihood ofrepparttar 127167 closingrepparttar 127168 sale.

Copyright 2004, Kelley Robertson

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, and employee motivation. He is also the author of “Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers.” For information on his programs, visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com. Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine available at his website.


A Requiem for the Sales Meeting Super-Jock

Written by John K. Mackenzie


Continued from page 1

Win or Else!

Myopic obsession with winning exacts a price: It atrophiesrepparttar psychic muscle required to sustain self-worth duringrepparttar 127152 rejection episodes all sales people must deal with.

When winning isrepparttar 127153 only option sales reps are permitted to consider, failure becomes an abhorrent personal malignancy: often perceived as a form of corporate sedition.

The transgressor is branded unclean, unworthy, and unpromotable. Year-end bonus dollars, along with company-paid Disneyland trips, vanish. The convicted party's family slinks into seclusion as a scarlet F is sewn on their clothing. Decontamination and status restoration can take years.

An Idea Whose Time Should Never Have Arrived

Duringrepparttar 127154 70s and 80s superstar scenarios gave sales reps a voyeuristic view ofrepparttar 127155 individuality that mass marketing techniques denied them. But today's market fragmentation and lifestyle diversity no longer justifyrepparttar 127156 need for sales people to be force-fed surrogate achievement stories.

Ifrepparttar 127157 only way you can exemplify winning qualities is to employ paid testimonials -- transparently alien to selling, and patently impossible for your audience to attempt -- then you (and your company) have a problem. Instead, try for something your sales force can identify with.

If you can't find a good internal achievement story to build on, try this one: "I'm going to tell you how I lost one ofrepparttar 127158 best accounts I ever had, and what it took to get it back!" Inrepparttar 127159 minds of your sales force, this will qualify you for beatification: above and beyond even that given unto Lou Holtz and Joe Montana. Amen. _____________________________________ Additional sales meeting monographs can be found at: www.thewritingworks.com/memos.html

John Mackenzie is a combat-qualified, self-employed, corporate communications writer/director. A 30-year veteran of conference-room script changes, he put two kids through college while underwriting dozens of Prozac prescriptions. More can be learned by visiting his website at http://www.thewritingworks.com/


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