Lessons Learned in B2B Sales

I am often asked how I maintain consistently high sales to continuously exceed quotas. The answer - the ability to self-diagnosed.  Here are the steps I share with you to determine where I need to tweak my sales process to maintain a strong pipeline and consistent sales.  1. If I am not closing deal... It means I am not setting enough appointments with decision makers who are interested in buying from me. Diagnose why you are not setting enough quality appointments. Are you setting appointments with non-decision makers? Are you not setting expectations that you would like do go business and close a deal? Are you failing to set a specific follow-up time so that you become a bother? 2. I am not getting to a point where I can even establish follow-up appointments... My sales pitch and sales cadence are not working. Am I asking enough questions during my sales calls to uncover the client's needs? Am I truly listening to my client so that I can demonstrate my in...

I recently explored the importance of using unique verbiage in our sales conversations to increase our credibility, competence, and ability to convey meaning with fewer words. Shortly after beginning my first corporate sales job, I was handed a portfolio that was completely new to me. I was asked to spearhead our Electric Utility vertical. Admittedly, I was nervous because I don't have an Engineering degree, I didn't have contacts in that industry or any real concept of what utilities needs were. However, within 3 years of taking over the portfolio we grew from two products to eight products, expanding outside of just utilities into the greater energy arena. In order to quickly become a (remedial) subject matter expert in this space and have natural, authentic conversations I needed to have a deeper understanding of the fears, passions, and needs of my prospects. 3 Tips to Make Yourself a Sales Natural 1. Develop a passion by educating yourself. I was already passion...

I a recent Morning Motivational Meeting we asked ourselves - "Why are Gatekeepers so Frustrating?" The better a gatekeeper is at their job, the more likely they are frustrating to deal with. Why? Because their job is to make sure that all callers are screened and to limit the number of cold calls or even warm calls that their boss takes on a daily basis.  A phrase we often hear in sales is Overcoming Gatekeepers - I take issue with this phrase because you don't ever "overcome" a gatekeeper if they don't intend to connect your call to their boss. Instead, I propose we circumvent gatekeepers. Below are a few of my top techniques to make the most of every phone call. Techniques to Circumvent Gatekeepers 1. Ask for a better time to reach the decision maker and let the gatekeeper know you will call back versus leaving a message and hoping the prospect calls you back. Clearly, this technique can only be used a limited number of times, but is a good w...

Emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient   (EQ)  describes a person's ability to recognize his or her own and other people's emotions, to understand the powerful effect of these emotions, and to use that information to guide thinking and behavior. Why is having a HIGH EQ helpful in sales? 1.     Because, by definition, sales is emotional! 2.     Emotions are particularly important in sales because we need to use them to connect with our customers & prospective customers on a deeper level. 3.     EQ makes our conversations more authentic. We sound like real humans rather then telemarketers or generic sales people. 4.     Minimizes miscommunication and misunderstandings. How do we create EQ? 1.        Awareness. Listening for buying signals and responding to them. 2.         Listening. If you don’t li...