03rd September 2008
As a sales manager, I needed to recruit, train, and monitor the performance of salespeople from time to time. I vividly remember one annual sales appraisal I had for one of my new sales staff. After we had a detailed discussion of her sales performance, ...
03rd September 2008
It is a sweaty August morning, and the first thing you notice when you walk into your sales office is the newspaper lying on your desk with a full-page advertisement saying, "FREE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, FOREVER."
Unfortunately, this ad was posted b...
24th July 2008
The term strategic selling is brought up frequently when describing complex or sophisticated selling. And while there is an element of truth in this, I think it has more to do with the way you approach a sale rather than that the actual sale is actually c...
17th July 2008
The term 'salesperson' had earned a bad reputation in modern times. Even inside organizations, some of the employees are uncomfortable dealing or working with salespeople. Personally, I have been involved in companies where salespeople were generally view...
17th July 2008
BATNA stands for "Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement".
BATNA is not an acronym you see very often but it is probably the single most powerful method of successfully negotiating favourable terms and conditions relating to a sale or agreement.
T...
16th July 2008
Have you heard the story of the Legendary Great White Elephant Hunter (LGWEH)?
The LGWEH heard of the rare white elephant and was determined to hunt it down and add it to his trophies. He set off into the jungle with his team, equipment, supplies and g...
15th July 2008
The concept of 'Win / Win' is not new. It is a timeless principle that has stood the test of time.
But even today in the 21st century, many salespeople ignore it (to their peril).
But firstly, some background. Stephen Covey wrote a classic business ...
09th July 2008
Are you a non-believer of cold calling? Have you ever wondered why there are still companies that use cold calls to acquire new business? Are you one of many people who hang up sooner or later on most cold calls?
It's the so-called 'numbers game' which...
23rd June 2008
"Your price is too high!" This is the queen or the mother of all objections. Any salesperson would get this type of objection at one point or another. Other frequent objections concern product/service details, commercial terms, and performance issues (li...
