Basic Sales Strategy

(This is Part One of a five-part series)
Last week, I had the honor to speak at the National Medical Alliance sales conference in Dallas. My client, Jeff Worrell of Advantage Medical, is one of the founders of the alliance and asked me to talk to their network about some modern selling strategies.
I always start speeches [...]

{ 2 comments }

To some of you who are extremely product focused, that question may sound odd, but it’s really not.
I spoke last week at the National Medical Alliance conference, which is an amalgamation of medical supplies/equipment distributors who call on physical therapists. We did several role plays where we stressed the importance of finding out “a doctor’s [...]

{ 0 comments }

In our sales training seminars, we’re often asked, “What can I do to differentiate myself?” This seems to be an extremely common issue for salespeople. With the accessibility of GOOGLEized information, prospects already know a lot about you and your company before you ever talk to them live. The problem is, the information they find [...]

{ 3 comments }

I’m in a Starbucks right now. I don’t drink coffee, but the person I’m meeting does, so here we are. For breakfast I ordered Starbuck’s PERFECT oatmeal. I don’t know exactly how long they’ve had it on the menu; I think it was new in late summer. I’ve had it 8 or 10 times now. [...]

{ 3 comments }

This situation occurs in about 1 in 3 sales training sessions I conduct. It’s one of my favorite (not really) things to hear from salespeople:
I GOT THE VERBAL!
You got the verbal? You got nothing.
If you’re a professional salesperson, you probably already know this. If you’re new or struggling, here’s the tip:
IT’S NOTHING UNTIL IT’S SOMETHING.
Deals [...]

{ 0 comments }

If your product is that good, why do you seem so desperate to sell it to me? Did you ever think that conversation was going on in your prospect’s head?
You see, we get in trouble here for bringing politics into our posts. But with the action in Washington right now, it’s hard not to use [...]

{ 1 comment }

I have four kids. Their ages are: 6, 4 ½, 3, and 1 ½. If you’re looking to relax in peace and quiet, stay outside of a 50-mile radius of my house. I love my kids dearly. One of the attributes I love most about these little munchkins is their pure, unadulterated, naked curiosity.
My [...]

{ 1 comment }

I just got a call from a client whose customer just informed him he’s leaving. After 15 years, and one major incident, recently–over. Done.
He called me asking how to save it. (No one ever calls me when things are going great–only when things are coming undone–but that’s for another post).
My Advice
Don’t go in with a [...]

{ 0 comments }

My client, Jeff Jones, told me in a meeting this week that this is his motto: You tell them nothing until they tell you everything. I love the sound of it.
The idea here is that you, as a sales professional, should never lead with a brochure. In fact, you should never lead with “all of [...]

{ 0 comments }