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.
Punch is a powerful beverage.
Leaders at companies drink it and invest in major acquisitions. They expand overseas. They purchase zillion dollar new technologies for their companies. And they embrace all sorts of management philosophies and methods.
As sellers, we all have punch. But it’s ... Views: 1080
People often ask us, “What separates the best from the rest in sales?”
It always reminds me of what a great business guru once said. “Want to know the secret to making 10 million dollars? First…start with 9 million dollars.” (Thank you, business guru Steve Martin.)
Assuming you don’t have ... Views: 1121
“So, what do you do?”
Such a simple question that lands so many sales and business professionals in hot water. Hang around any conference and listen to how a bunch of “What do you do” conversations unfold, and you’ll hear some pretty anemic attempts at answers.
The answers are painful to ... Views: 1073
Online Sales Training has been on the verge of breaking through to the mass market for many years. With some of the recent technological advancements and the changing dynamics of the business world due to the global recession, online sales training is set to take a massive increase in adoption ... Views: 957
Online Sales Training has been on the verge of breaking through to the mass market for many years. With some of the recent technological advancements and the changing dynamics of the business world due to the global recession, there is set to be massive increase in adoption in 2009/2010. Many ... Views: 906
Have you have experienced the absolute pleasure of listening to a true professional salesperson closing a sale on the telephone.
There is nothing like it and it really is something you must aspire to.
There is no stress or anxiety in his voice, just a smooth confident flow which you just ... Views: 920
Unfortunately, many average salespeople leave the closing of a deal purely to chance. Sure, they make some sales but if you compare their end results with those of a professional you will find there will be a massive gap. Professional and successful sales people always have a plan in place ... Views: 953
The main step you must take for successful sales planning is most definitely preparation. As with anything in life, to be successful you must have a written game plan.
Lets not pretend it's easy, because it is not.
But just because it is not easy does not mean you should put it ... Views: 951
One of the most important skills that any salesperson must utilize is to set out a strategy to achieve your objectives and to plan in advance how you intend to manage your time and sales territory to reach the end goal.
It is often said that time is the most valuable asset of any sales ... Views: 1156
You know how important it is to make plans which will propel you towards your goals but what is equally important is actually talking to your customers. Everyone one of your customers will have different requirements. Make sure you take time to listen to their requirements and decide how you ... Views: 916
It is a known fact that sales people hate planning. Let's be brutally honest here, most of us hate planning. Even though most sales people are motivated by actually taking action they wrongly assume that the time it takes them to plan their leads and administration is time that they just cannot ... Views: 947
You should really try to look at cold calling in a different light because it really can make a big difference to your personal and business success.
I know what you're thinking, How can this be so important?
There is a common misconception that cold calling is an unskilled job, a job that ... Views: 1174
The most straightforward way to avoid rejection in your selling activities is to try and make sure that your sales prospects are as qualified and as receptive as it is possible to be.
It is highly recommended that you spend time to research and prepare for your clients before you make the ... Views: 940
In an ideal world you would be getting a steady stream of enquiries all day long from people who were interested in the product or service you are selling.
Unfortunately this just does not happen and you have to go out and find your sales prospects, and if you like it or not one of the most ... Views: 1292
There are many points where it is possible for a sale to stall but the main three are as follows
1.After you have made the initial presentation,
2.The initial proposal
3.When the contract has gone to the legal department for verification.
As the last point is really not a matter for ... Views: 949
The people who make the decisions in any company, large or small, hate cold callers with a passion and they consider them to be one of the biggest time wasters that they know of.
They will often refuse to take your calls because they assume that you will just be wasting their time. End of, ... Views: 1015
What can you say about a minute? That is what can you say about a minute other than it being 60 seconds.
Well, what you decide to do with that minute can have a profound effect on your sales career.
If you want to be successful, which I'm sure you do, then you must realise that every ... Views: 861
Are you having trouble closing leads?
If so you are amongst the many sales people who find this most important part of the sales process to be a big problem This really is one of the most tricky things that salespeople face.
It is so important that you learn how to deal with your prospects ... Views: 924
Everyone can probably remember a cartoon or television show that makes them laugh every time they think about it.
And every time we think about it, it makes us laugh again and we tell all of our friends that they have go to watch it as soon as they get a chance.
This kind of Humour, you ... Views: 905
Many sales people, from those with experience to newcomers to the industry, go to sales seminars hoping to learn the tricks to get rid of the many struggles associated with selling.
The more hopeful amongst them are aiming to find the holy grail of selling techniques which will close every ... Views: 970
It does not matter if you are salesperson of the year or if you are in the first week of your sales career, you will definitely come across a period of time where you will encounter a steady stream of 'No Thanks'
During these challenging times it is very easy, despite the salespersons amazing ... Views: 898
Master sales people are adept at using a strategy called framing to communicate with prospective clients. Framing ensures their sales messages 'cut through the clutter' and distinguishes them as the credible sales resource for their product or service.
Framing is not a difficult skill and it ... Views: 5185
The sales world is changing and you should be aware of the impact of the changing tastes of consumers and how it can effect your business.
Do you know what makes a millennial tick?
The Millennials:
Other wise known as the Generation Y, the Echo Boomers and the Net Generation, they are ... Views: 887
Using Behavioural economics To Increase Sales
In the course of my reading around the subject of sales, I always look to find new and innovative ideas to make a difference to my clients. One of the most fascinating areas that has emerged in the last few years is that of behavioural economics. ... Views: 854
One of the single biggest areas that delegates on my sales training want to cover when we look at cold calling and appointment setting is CONFIDENCE. When we set goals at the beginning of the day almost everyone wants to walk out of the door more confident in their ability to make cold ... Views: 1029
The way You approach cold calling will have a big impact on the success You have. If you're constantly saying to yourself
"They won't be in"
"They will be in a meeting"
"They will have just come back from lunch"
"They won't want to talk to me"
"They are probably ... Views: 1474
I was at an event recently and one of the scheduled speakers failed to turn up. Never being short of something to say or a desire to help other business owners I volunteered to do a 10 minute 'open floor.' When asked what the most pressing sales challenges in the room were, One of the other ... Views: 915
I was at an event recently and one of the scheduled speakers failed to turn up. Never being short of something to say or a desire to help other business owners I volunteered to do a 10 minute 'open floor.'
When asked what the most pressing sales challenges in the room were, One of the other ... Views: 864
It's all about price!! Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. And did I say - Wrong! If your attitude and mindset about your products and services before you start the day is: "Well it's a commodity marketplace and everyone buys on price" Then you have lost all chance of making any valuable sale ... Views: 768
We are faced with uncertain times and many people are fearing the worse about their ability to sell their products and services in his recession. It may not be easy but there are some proven ways that, if you work smart, will guide you in the right direction.
One of the key areas that I have ... Views: 869
Negotiation and Negotiating Skills are some of the most sought after sales training courses. People seek out negotiation tips, negotiating strategies and scour the web for processes to win against the 'other' person in a negotiation. It may come as a surprise to you but your own worst enemy in a ... Views: 1034
In my previous two articles, available on this site, I looked at how you as a service business can articulate your USP. So how can you pull this all together?
If you can develop an angle on your uniqueness and as to why someone should be speaking with you then it should be the focal point of ... Views: 735
In part 1, I demonstrated it's not all about sales training. Sometimes sales can be increased by developing your companies uniqueness.
Believe me, I know how hard this process is and for some companies they believe they can never find uniqueness. To those I ask
"If you can't articulate why ... Views: 776
It's not always about sales training. The most common mistake I see with Services marketing is the 'it's all about me syndrome'. All of a company's letters, web site, and networking interactions are all about the company and what you can do. Without being too brutal here, most people do not ... Views: 883
Last year I was in the process of selling my House and had invited a number of Estate Agents around to show me why they should be get my business. The process was an eye opener and one that left me totally unimpressed with some of the Agents I met. They were there to sell me on the benefits of ... Views: 824
Last year I was in the process of selling my House and had invited a number of Estate Agents around to show me why they should be get my business.
The process was an eye opener and one that left me totally unimpressed with some of the Agents I met. They were there to sell me on the benefits ... Views: 1235
Ever know anyone who you knew could do something but still didn’t do it?
We know a lot of people who could succeed in sales – they have the knowledge, they have the skills, and they know the process, but they don’t actually succeed because something else is holding them back.
Our most ... Views: 916
A colleague of mine who’s a young serial entrepreneur has a sign over his computer. It reads, “Goal: Own the San Francisco 49ers.” And it has a date that’s not so far away.
When we talk I always ask about progress. Last week I asked him, “Can you at least buy the 22ers yet?”
Interestingly ... Views: 997
Many of us truly don't like cold calling. It’s one of the most dreaded of all sales process, to cause the most denial.
But you can find fantastic methods to think in a different way about cold calling. We are able to take away the unfavorable experience that’s typical for both caller and ... Views: 1412
Telemarketing Tips, Closing Incoming Telesales for Call Centers
Interest and credibility are the keys to successfully leading incoming callers to buy your products or services. When someone calls into your business, be it your, receptionist, multi-person phone bank or home office with an ... Views: 2290
Hearing the objection "I'm happy with my current vendor" from a prospective customer is a wonderful thing!
Why? There are two reasons for a customer to tell you "I'm happy with my current vendor", and both are good. The first reason is that bad sales people out there have trained him to use ... Views: 2987
Zig Zigler said : Motivation doesn’t last – well neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily!!
Makes sense doesn’t it?
Yet how many times do we start doing something ‘positive’ only to find maybe a week or so in we’ve lost the ‘motivation’; we don’t ‘have the time’; we’re ‘too ... Views: 1001
Interest and credibility are the keys to successful cold calling and outgoing phone selling.
With cold calling, you have to develop interest within the first 7 seconds. When the prospect first answers, this is not the time to tell who you are or where you're from. You may think this ... Views: 4199
Recently, a window company rep called me and asked if I was interested in having a free, no-obligation sales call. I explained that we had replaced all our windows five years ago and that I was not interested. She got very annoyed and was adamant that I must want to replace some of the windows. ... Views: 929
How are you coming across with the people you meet? How do you present yourself? What happens when you walk into a room? What does the person see and feel about you? Who are you? You have to be comfortable with who you are and what makes you “You”!
Who Are You?
A study was done by a group of ... Views: 1493
During my 25-years in corporate sales life I sold both products and services. Sales people who inform me that they sell a service and that is more difficult than selling a product and it is a different sale, constantly approach me. I ask them how their business is going and they usually say – ... Views: 876
When I was growing up I lived in a small town. There was a real community to the town. My family’s community included rural and town people, church members, schoolteachers, community business and political leaders and friends. Everyone looked after and kept an eye out for members of the group. ... Views: 988
Are you still playing your sales game the same way you did three years ago? Are you doing the same things you have done for years? Are you struggling and can't figure out why? Are you having the same success you enjoyed in the past? What are you doing to change your "Game"?
Why Change?
I was ... Views: 871
Social Media is here to stay; so what are you doing with it? Facebook, Twitter, Jigsaw, LinkedIn and blogs are just some of the many sites that are available for you to use in your business. The question is – Are you using these tools. I don’t think you need to be using them all – they can ... Views: 717
How do you measure your success? When do you know when you have been successful? What is your vision of success? 85% of all lottery winners are bankrupt 5 years after they win the lottery. Obviously money did not make them more successful. Where do you keep that file folder with your written ... Views: 1374