Posts tagged as:

Sales

Sales IQ: What Assumptions Can You Make About Your Audience?

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When I say “Sales IQ,” I’m referring to the presumed intelligence level of your audience that you’re projecting when you deliver your sales pitch. Obviously there are a few ways to go. Here are some thoughts on intelligence (related to your solution) and engagement.

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Key Performance Indicators: Paralysis by Analysis

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Some thoughts on best practices for Sales & Marketing benchmarking. What’s essential, and can it go too far?

I’ve had mixed results over the past few years working with both Sales & Marketing organizations that have recognized the need for tracking metrics & key performance indicators (KPIs). As staunch believers in CRM, we have…

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Yes, YOU Can! Sell Even When No One Wants to Buy

Sales people need to buck up and shut up. Get low to the ground, focus, and hustle. The pity party needs to stop if you want to live through this recession. We all need a refresher here and there, and I am helping by giving a huge wake-up call to all you whiners! Together we will get through this downturn, but it’ll take focus, determination, and love for sales. Do it. Just sell.

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Product Review: SalesView by InsideView

This week I’m reviewing another tool that aims to help Sales and Marketing professionals get smart about their customers and prospects. By automating micro-level account research, SalesView by InsideView has taken some of the pressure and busywork off of CRM users.

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The Professional Confessional: Getting Ahead of Yourself

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Every Tuesday Mike offers up the biggest mistakes, oversights, blunders and bonehead moves he commits in the fast-paced world of software-as-a-service, where he’s a Marketing Manager moonlighting as a Sales Account Executive… “This is extremely embarrassing, and unfortunately completely true. However, in the spirit of this column, I must come clean. Last Friday, I stayed at work beyond 5 PM to help…”

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The Professional Confessional: Confessions of a Marketer Moonlighting as a Sales Rep

Each week Mike offers up the biggest mistakes, oversights, blunders and bonehead moves he commits in the fast-paced world of software-as-a-service, where he’s a Marketing Manager moonlighting as a Sales Account Executive (at the same company.) Perhaps, in the process, we may learn a thing or two…

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20 CRM Blogs You Need to Read

Chris Bucholtz posted a list of 20 CRM blogs you must read, based on insight, readability, and frequency of posting. Here’s the shortlist…

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Do You Have a Good “Airplane Speech?”

This article comes from John Hirth, a sales process training consultant. When asked the question “what do you do?” responding with “sales training” leads to either misunderstanding or “objections” that will need to be overcome. I’ve learned to respond with something that is somewhat vague and non-specific but that does a good job of creating interest and starting a conversation…

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How to be Great at Sales

I used to think that there was this huge chasm between the average and the top performers on a sales team. While the results may be separated by a lot of white space, the effort required to generate is relatively close. The key difference is the top performing sales executive can have an intelligent conversation with a prospect on a range of topics relevant to the prospect’s business, the average performer can only speak about their solution…

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15 Tips for Confident Cold Calling

Cold calling is an area of selling that many sales and business people can be very uncomfortable with. Here are 15 tips (of 23) that will help you maintain the right sales attitude and be a more confident and successful cold caller…

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Confusing Your Customer? Good Work

It’s your job to educate the customer, right? Maybe not. A truly educated customer might know more about your business than you know yourself. By contrast, a confused customer always needs your help to sort things out. So it may be in your interest to keep your customers a little bit confused…

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