Pain Symptoms

Sometimes it’s easy.  Sometimes the prospect simply gives you a description of his problem on a silver platter (at least as he understands it).  But sometimes it’s not so easy.  When it’s not, you must be prepared to initiate the pain discussion to determine whether or not your prospect has an issue you can help [&hellip

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Matching & Mirroring

Consciously communicating with someone in a style that is similar to theirs is called matching and mirroring.  It is a subtle communication expressed through body language, tonality, and words. Remember, all things being equal, people do business with people they like…and they like people who are “like” themselves. Matching and mirroring is not designed to [&hellip

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Active Listening

People need to trust you in a selling situation.  Without trust, people will not feel comfortable opening up to you and sharing their concerns, fears, and hopes.  And if they won’t open up and have a meaningful discussion about  their business issues with you, you’re unlikely to win the business.  Being seen as a trusted [&hellip

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Working With Gatekeepers

A gatekeeper is someone in the organization who has the responsibility of deciding who gets to talk to the boss, and who does not.  Typically this person has the title of Executive Assistant or Administrative Assistant and is an insider as to what’s going on in the company.  They are very skillful at sorting out [&hellip

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Prospecting Campaigns

Every successful prospecting campaign starts with identifying your best sources of prospects.  What are the best places to look for those folks that are your Ideal Prospect? Fishermen have learned that it’s important to move from spot to spot to insure they improve their “luck.”  Like a fisherman, you should explore as many places as [&hellip

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Making the Most of Your Time

There are 40 hours in the average workweek; 2080 hours in the year.  How many of them do you waste?  If you’re like most people, perhaps as much as 25% of your time could be spent on more productive activities.  With better time management, you can increase your income substantially. What’s your time worth?  If [&hellip

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Selling Has Changed. Have You?

Years ago, the typical sale was transactional in nature.  Low value deals were consummated in one meeting.  Products were seen as commodities and were sold that way.  The pressure on the seller was tremendous since he knew he usually had but one chance to close the deal.  If he didn’t get the business, his competitor [&hellip

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They Won’t Return Your Calls

“I can’t get him to return my calls.”  Sales managers hear this all too frequently from their salespeople.  The “hiding” game is played on a daily basis in selling.  Prospects seldom seem to live up to their commitments to return calls, regularly placing salespeople in voice mail purgatory. Salespeople, frustrated by their inability to get [&hellip

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Break the Rules & Win More Bids

Many companies are frustrated by the RFP (Request for Proposal) bidding process.  More than in any other type of sale, the buyer is in total control of the process.  The opportunity to meet with the prospect and gain information is limited, and often one supplier has the inside track and the others are just “column [&hellip

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Handling Buyer’s Remorse

Occasionally, a sale falls apart after it’s been made.  In other words, the parties had agreed to do business, but something happened at the last minute to derail it.  Usually buyer’s remorse occurs when the purchaser has “second thoughts” about his decision.  Something just didn’t seem right and he got cold feet. Buyer’s remorse is [&hellip

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