How you approach the sales process depends on what you are selling, whether it is a small ticket item, big ticket or perhaps a service. Each has its own unique target market and as such must be tweaked to meet the needs and expectations of your prospects.

This is the topic Malcolm Fleschner covers as he shares his advice with readers at SellingPower.com.

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April 23, 2008

Don't Procrastinate

The phrase, “there are a lot of excuses not to do something” was on the TV the other night and it is true. We can find lots of reasons to procrastinate, but that won’t advance us in our sales career now, will it?

Lee Salz shares with readers at Manage Smarter the diatribe from a fallen sales hero. Find out what you can do, by not buying into what you cannot.

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Follow-up Required

Follow-up is not optional, it is an important part of the sales process. You can’t love em’ and leave em’ or they will find someone else to steal their heart for the next sale.

Dean Morley, sales trainer, shares with readers at MyIDAccess the steps to take for a successful follow-up.

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April 22, 2008

Automated Sales CRM

If you think you can maximize your time spent building a sales career without using some type of automated CRM you are fooling yourself. Manually tracking, researching and setting up sales campaigns would drive you crazy and waste a ton of time.

Jeremy Cohen shares with readers at Sales and Marketing how the newest CRM technology could help you ramp up your sales volume by taking on some of the most tedious administrative work.

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Get Creative, Sell More

You might think that creativity is a characteristic reserved for artists but being creative in sales is as easy as discovering a new way to contact clients that gets their attention. Being creative, brainstorming alone or with a group can help you open up new markets sell in and get your products in front of more people.

Sam Harrison shares with readers at Manage Smarter ways to get in touch with your creative side and how your sales career can benefit.

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April 21, 2008

Selling Pains

Sales experts teach many different sales strategies, what is best for you? Only you can figure that out. There are too many variables to be depending on one type of selling strategy. You need to learn as much as you can about them all and then use what works best for you.

Jeffrey Gitomer shares with readers at Crain's Detroit how one man’s pain should be viewed as a positive gain.

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Selling Gratitude

When you are truly grateful for the customers you have and the sales you make, it will show. That gratitude that shines through gives your customers a unique experience. It’s a great way to differentiate you and build customer loyalty.

Tom Richard in his column Selling Points shares with readers at The Toledo Free Press a personal observation of how gratitude transformed a buyer into a loyal customer.

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April 18, 2008

First Do No Harm

Great salespeople understand the rules of engagement. Help your client be more successful and he will be back again and again. Jeff Thull shares the five critical skills necessary to become a sales superstar with readers at Industrial Distribution.
First and foremost, Thull says to research and be prepared. Learning how to diagnose the client's problem and then being able to quantify that problem in dollars are the next two steps Thull examines. Then, working with the client as a partner solidifies the relationship. Last but not least, the mind-set of a salesperson must be one that helps you approach your client with a "How can I help you?"
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