The Marquee Account

Problem:  Tony was looking for advice on how to sell a high profile prospect who was constructing a large new distribution center in his territory.  Tony’s company sold and installed voice and data cabling and new construction was its primary market.  Tony said that the buyer insisted that the business would go to the vendor [&hellip

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The Holiday Mentality

Problem:  Peter asked a question that the entire training class felt was appropriate, given the time of the year.  He wanted to know how he could make the most of his time between Thanksgiving and Christmas since business was traditionally slow over the holidays.  He was wondering what administrative tasks he could focus on that [&hellip

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The Gridlocked Prospect

Problem:  You’re in that familiar, albeit uncomfortable, position of having to chase a prospect that told you they were “interested”.  But, based on their failure to commit, it appears that they are not.  Initially, they seemed very convincing regarding their interest in your product or service (as they nearly always are).  Since then your tactic [&hellip

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The $10,000 Question(s)

Problem:  During a recent coaching session with a group of clients, one of the participants brought in a short article about a new book on selling, one that suggested that there are seven questions that a salesperson must be able to answer in order to close the sale.  Of course, the article didn’t tell the [&hellip

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Surrogate Authority

Problem:  The majority of Pamela’s prospects were Fortune 1000 companies that were headquartered outside her geographic territory.  Unfortunately, most of the people who had final decision-making authority on her product were at headquarters and she often had to deal with local decision influencers who could not make the final decision.  She was frustrated by this [&hellip

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Stump the Gatekeeper

Problem:  Sara was becoming increasingly frustrated in her efforts to reach the decision makers when she was prospecting.  Time after time access was blocked by the gatekeepers and information gatherers.  It often seemed like there was a conspiracy to keep her from speaking to the top-level people.  She had tried various tactics, but nothing was [&hellip

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Sleepless in San Diego

Problem:  Marcia was a successful life insurance agent, but she suffered from insomnia every time she made a sale.  When we asked why, she replied that about 40% of the time, when she closed a deal, the new “client” would call her the next day (but usually not during working hours) and leave a voice [&hellip

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Set the Trap… for Yourself!

Problem:  Jack had been with the company for only two years, yet he was considered their most technically competent salesperson. He was the “go to guy” when the other salespeople needed someone to talk to about solutions, specifications, and competitive information.  He was an expert when it came to product knowledge.  Yet he had the [&hellip

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