Matthew G. Sikich II is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Sales Training". You can find complete information on Matthew G. Sikich II and his products by visiting The 5 Buying Habits.
You pass up more opportunities each day than you could ever handle. Anyone who wants to be a top producer knows there are two aspects to sales success you need to succeed. First, you have to recognize opportunities others overlook. Second, you need to understand the opportunity well enough ... Views: 618
Why don't prospects buy? It's no secret they don't buy because they feel buying is too risky. And they have a very valid concern. With the wrong decision they can get locked into products that are completely wrong for them and too costly to walk away from.
It’s your job to ... Views: 618
If you believe that line your sales and marketing plan is headed for zero results. Here’s why most ads don’t work: people don’t read ads, you have your picture in the ad and no one cares, your ad doesn’t say anything that interests your potential readers, and your ad doesn’t have a valid reason ... Views: 618
Affiliate marketing has been an incredible opportunity for people around the globe. While some affiliate marketers earn a few extra thousand dollars each month, others consistently bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars each month. However, as more people have begun marketing affiliate ... Views: 617
Whoever coined the phrase, “It’s a jungle out there!” must have been a sales rep. Why? Because some days you’ll encounter more difficult customers than there are animals in the jungle. When hacking your way through the dense underbrush to get to the sale, the trick is to ... Views: 617
Your handshake says a lot about you. It can convey confidence, warmth, and honesty, or it can signal weakness, uncertainty, and disinterest. Either way, it sends a subtle yet powerful message about who you are, that is not lost on prospective buyers. Use these pointers to make sure your ... Views: 617
I don't mean the hyper-active jumping up and down talking too much enthusiasm of a person who lacks self-control. I do mean your energy and the way you control that energy, and how it's conveyed to potential buyers. It’s been said many times and it’s still true that the first ... Views: 616
Here's my advice - forget about sales training.
Why? Because sales professionals have to get past all the old-school "Same-o Lame-o" sales approaches to break through to generating real business results.
If you’re a solopreneur, consultant, business owner, or independent professional, you ... Views: 615
How often have you started a call to a friend, family member or business associate with the phrase, 'How are you?' I'm willing to bet the answer is a lot. I know I say it frequently. It's commonly used as a greeting, as a 'hello.'
Because 'How are you?' is so commonly used, how often have you ... Views: 614
When customer retention is falling or returns and cancellations are increasing it doesn't take a genius to determine something is terribly wrong. The exact reason(s) these bad things are happening may be related to actions taken by someone other than you. It really doesn’t even matter ... Views: 614
In your sales training program have you been told that if you want more referrals you just have to ask? If you’ve been asking you may have experienced some problems with just asking, such as: the people you’re asking don’t really feel comfortable referring you, the people your asking are at a ... Views: 613
What beliefs are you holding, that are holding you back in your career sales training? Mr. and Mrs. Claus are found dead on the floor. They are found in a locked room. On the floor is broken glass and water. There is an open window and a table in the room. How did Mr. and Mrs. Claus die? ... Views: 612
Public speaking offers a unique path of opportunity. Not only will it provide exposure in numbers but develops a rapport with the audience of credibility, knowledge and proficiency. The ability to offer information in an authentic and genuine manner develops confidence in the speaker, and ... Views: 612
The first thing to know when focusing on your sales development, sales training, and coaching, is to know that everybody is selling. It might not be a product or service they are selling, but everyone sells everyday. If somebody wants something from you then they will be selling to you. They ... Views: 611
While sitting under my hat in our 1933 Packard before we knew we won one of the second highest awards at the Annual Concours d’ Elegance of the Eastern United States; Bethlehem PA, I got to thinking about hats and selling.
How you use your sales hat is critical to your results. Here are ... Views: 611
You don’t know how to gain the interest of your prospects. You use marketing to effectively gain the interest of your prospects so they reach out to you wanting to know more about how you can help them. You can use the shot gun approach to marketing which is what the average agent ... Views: 609
New information is an essential part of your sales and marketing strategy. What new information are you looking for? You should be looking for new information: to improve your own marketing and sales skills, about your product or service, about what’s going on in the world, and information ... Views: 607
Persistence is good, but not if you're persistently doing the wrong things. That's just being pig headed and stupid. But you do it because you allow yourself to be mislead into thinking that sales is a numbers game and that if you just keeping doing it you’ll eventually get what you ... Views: 607
Win or lose, how diligent are you in placing a call to get feedback from your clients about why they did or didn’t choose you? There is so much to learn — whether to identify strengths you hadn’t even recognized as such that you can use to win future business, to know what ... Views: 606
I’m told that parts of Southern Europe are littered with ‘T.I.R.E.D.’s’ (Thirty-Something Independent Radical Educated Drop-outs) – people who have walked away from big jobs because they just “weren’t happy…”
Salespeople should be as far removed from ‘T.I.R.E.D.’s’ as it is possible to be. ... Views: 606
Is your sales training program helping you to be a proactive seller or a reactive seller? A reactive seller isn’t really prepared for, not now. Consequently when a reactive seller is faced with buyer resistance or objections they aren’t prepared to develop a positive alternative for the ... Views: 606
The guidelines of the public sale
Regardless of whether on the internet or even traditional, online auctions are very well-liked and also have already been a significant appeal with regard to entrepreneurs in addition to typical people also it been around so far as it's possible to find in ... Views: 603
Her name was Cindy, but around the office, she was better known as "Solitaire Cindy." Whenever I walked by her desk, the Solitaire screen on her PC was running. Frankly, it bugged me. Why should Solitaire Cindy game her day away while I busted my hump in my job, along with my fellow employees? I ... Views: 602
You think you need a killer presentation and it’s killing your insurance sales success. Your insurance sales success is never about a “presentation”. The only person a presentation is helping is you. You may be using it as a crutch so you don’t forget anything, and so you have something to ... Views: 602
I’d like to introduce you to a radical new thought. In the old sales mindset, you’ve probably been trained to focus only on making the sale. You approach your cold calls with the idea of moving things towards a sales event.
But think about what this does to your cold calls. Before you even ... Views: 602
Everyone loves the Internet and what it can do for increasing sales for many businesses, but even with all of the advancements in technology, nothing works better for lead generation than getting out there and meeting with others in person. Although there are advantages to Internet lead ... Views: 600
Cold calling would never be my first recommendation for success, but there are times when you may have no alternative. So, why not learn how to do it well if you have to do it anyway. There are a few simple things you can do to do it better and have greater success.
If ... Views: 600
Your insurance sales manager is on a mission to build champions. Make sure his or her mission is in your best interests. It’s not uncommon for insurance agents to be forced into master mind groups. I say forced because your attendance and participation is mandatory. Master minding can be an ... Views: 597
Sales Success in Challenging Times
This article has come about because of the need to provide quality information on the sales process to the myriads of sales people who want to improve their sales and make a lot of money in sales but don’t have a whole lot of information as to how to ... Views: 597
If your sales aren't hot you may be frustrated and confused. You know the sales and marketing systems you're using are working for others, but they aren't working for you. How or why can that be?
Because you’re reading this article I’m pretty confident that you have at ... Views: 596
Insurance sales success is a real challenge that few can achieve. Why is it so hard, and how can you make it easier for you? Insurance sales success is so hard because you’re asking people to make decisions to avoid a pain that might not happen, and they don’t want to think about, and that ... Views: 595
Can’t you tell when somebody wants something from you? I certainly can. And it usually feels inconvenient and intrusive.
So you can understand, then, why potential clients will often run for cover when your cold call is only about "making the sale."
Most people sense that cold calls are ... Views: 594
Top producer’s don’t become top producers by being “also rans” in the business. Sales is risky business, and if you want to succeed you need to be willing to take some risks. Now I’m not talking about willy-nilly risks or life threatening risks I’m talking ... Views: 592
CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN LIKE THE “PROS”
A business plan is like a blue print. Without one, the structure of your business becomes unsound, without focus and a haphazard project. Every sales professional, no matter what the basis of his or her business is, must build a business ... Views: 592
There's plenty of competition for the price shoppers, and you don't want to play that game. Price shoppers are the worst clients you could ever ask for, so why would you ever want to attract them? But that’s exactly what you’re doing when you offer to quote someone insurance. ... Views: 592
You probably think creativity is something those artsy aesthetics types have. You may be surprised to know that creativity is a learned skill. And you may be ever more surprised to learn that creativity can be a skill that leads to improved sales techniques.
Creativity is just a thought ... Views: 591
Everybody likes to buy, because buying is fun. If you don’t believe this, try to find a parking space at a shopping mall, or a seat at an auction, this weekend. However, while buying is fun and exciting, nobody likes to be sold. The truth is: the best salespeople don’t ... Views: 589
Are you tired of hearing "no" and "not now" when the answer should be "yes"? Accept responsibility and start getting "yes". There are three reasons you’re being told “no” and “not now” when the answer should be “yes”.
The first reason is ... Views: 587
The secret of sales success
There are number of books written in sales and marketing but all the tricks, techniques and methods narrows down to only few principles. You would have heard over and over again that sales in a number game. Do you know why?
Because sales is not about calling 20 ... Views: 585
The Law of Reciprocity
The Law of Reciprocity means to give and take mutually, to return in kind or even in another kind or degree. The law of reciprocity simply means that when someone gives something you feel an obligation to give back.
Stephen Covey, author of “The Seven Habits of Highly ... Views: 585
I can’t count the number of offers I get from desperate insurance agents offering a free insurance review. What’s the objective of these offers? To get an appointment and then beat the other guys price, right? What on earth are you thinking? Do you really want to deal with price shoppers? ... Views: 583
When someone calls to ask about your product or services, you know exactly what to ask, what to say, and how to follow up. Are you as confident, and effective, responding to an Internet inquiry? Without the benefit of talking with the prospect directly, the contact can feel colder than a cold ... Views: 579
Time is money….there are only 24 hours in a day and everybody is allotted the same amount. How time is managed makes the distinction between true sales success and mediocre performance. Big Ben in London has a poignant quote regarding the importance of time inscribed at the base of the clock ... Views: 578
Many sales professionals never consider the opportunity to do workshops and presentations in front of the public. If you are one of them, then you are missing a golden opportunity.
Public speaking and doing workshops is my number one strategy in capturing potential clients. Speaking allows ... Views: 577
You became a financial advisor because you wanted to help people, but you aren't getting enough people to help. Now you find that you're struggling to get appointments and sales are few and far between. You know people need what you have and that you can really help them. So, what’s ... Views: 576
Has a prospect ever told you they wanted to buy, and then changed their mind? Or they bought and then almost immediately backed out of the deal, wanted a refund, or canceled their premium. Were you left wondering how that could happen when they seemed so excited and on board?
If ... Views: 575
The ugly truth is that most salespeople have poor or non-existent follow-up. And you have all kinds of excuses for why you don't do it. Let’s take a look at them, and you’ll begin to understand that a lot of your sales struggles are the result of your behaviors rather than your ... Views: 573
There are two ways to make it in this business, the hard way and the smart way. Most agent’s think if they just work hard enough and pay their dues they’ll make it. Yet the statistics prove that’s far from the truth. Working yourself to death doesn’t get you wealth. ... Views: 570
How many times have you met with a prospect, heard what they said, and then offered a solution only to be told “no”? More often than not, right? Well you may be causing yourself to get a “no” when you should be getting a “yes”.
Of course, you ... Views: 570
The second reason you can’t sell is because you don’t understand why your prospects don’t want what you have. You have exactly what they need it’s as plain as day yet they just don’t get it. How can that be? Are they just stupid or lazy or what? None of the above, you are approaching things ... Views: 569