Download your copy of The People First Productivity Solutions eBook “What Is Team Effectiveness and How Can We Get Some for Our Team? Stat!” A working definition of team effectiveness so the team knows what it’s aiming for Why team effectiveness matters so much Team tools and resources to boost your team’s effectiveness Clarity is… Read More
What Is Your Competitive Edge?
To differentiate yourself and gain an advantage that boosts sales, you need a competitive edge. Without a distinctive competitive edge, your buyers will commoditize you. Unless you have a well-defined edge that is meaningful to your buyers, you will lose sales to competitors who do. So what is your competitive edge? Contrary to popular belief,… Read More
What Language Are You Speaking?
In selling, the single most important thing you must do is to be understood. You can’t sell if the buyer doesn’t see a clear and compelling link between what he or she needs and what you have to offer. No matter how obvious that link is to you, it’s no good unless you convey that… Read More
What Leaders Can do When They Have “I Trouble”
When it’s hard to see things clearly of you can’t quite understand what’s happening in your relationships, it may be because you have I trouble. You may have I trouble if you experience symptoms like these: you feel lonely or isolated even though you have loving people in your life, people get frustrated with you… Read More
What Makes Some Sales Trainers So Much More Effective than Others?
It’s not the content. Put the same sales training program in the hands of two different facilitators, and you may see vastly different outcomes. It’s not the time spent as a frontline seller. While direct experience lends credibility and an ability to empathize, a history of carrying a bag is no guarantee a Sales Trainer… Read More
What Your Buyer Is Begging You to Do
It’s been said before: Less is more. I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid. A confused mind always says NO! But research and buyers are saying it louder, more clearly and more emphatically than ever before. Your proposals need to become easier to read and simpler to understand. Gone are the days of impressing buyers with… Read More
What’s the Real Cost?
(This article originally appeared on Deb Calvert’s blog) Your days are packed. You are doing everything you can to stay on top of everything that’s asked of you. You have quota to make, leads to pursue, account issues to attend to, orders to place, reports to submit, and so much more every single day. It’s… Read More
When One Door Opens, Another Door Closes
Alexander Graham Bell said “when one door closes, another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” What he says is true. But as leaders, this is a paradigm we can challenge. I’d like to see… Read More
Where’s Your Sense of Urgency?
(This article originally appeared on Deb Calvert’s blog) This isn’t an article about creating a sense of urgency. Most sellers do a pretty good job of setting deadlines, dangling special incentive carrots or offering price discounts for a limited time only. Marketing departments and sales managers help when the urgency needs to be dialed up… Read More
Why Buyers See Sellers as Self-Centered
One of the negative stereotypes about sales professionals is that we’re all self-centered. Buyers fear getting taking advantage of by self-serving sellers who will resort to any and all means of trickery to line their own pockets. I’ve worked with thousands of sellers, and I’m convinced that most sellers don’t think that way. The vast… Read More
Why Should I?
This is the last in our series this month about connecting in the workplace. In our previous posts, we examined how to make the most of sales meetings, ways to improve interactions with support team members, how to focus your individual and team efforts externally instead of competing internally, and the importance of managing up… Read More
Why Your Prospecting Isn’t Connecting with Your Prospects
In today’s competitive marketplace, sellers often struggle to connect with their prospects. Buyers are bombarded with so many marketing messages in a single day that it can be challenging for sellers to break through all the noise and simply connect. If you share this struggle, join your on-air sales coach and host Deb Calvert for… Read More
You’ve Got Sales Enablement. Now It’s Time for Sales Ennoblement
Sales enablement means different things to different people. It’s a catch-all term that’s become important in many sales organizations. According to Brainshark, nearly 32% of companies now have a formal sales enablement department. Sales enablement is well-established. But is it enough? To enable means to make someone able or to make something easier. Giving people… Read More
Your Buyers See Through Your Superficial “Caring”
(This article originally appeared on Deb Calvert’s blog) It’s time to stop faking it. Set aside those social niceties if you expect them to stand alone. Stop being a sycophant. Stop pretending you care. Buyers do not like superficial or artificial interactions with sellers. You’re damaging your own credibility and giving our entire profession a… Read More
Your Choice: Transactional Or Transformational Leadership
Are you a transactional or a transformational leader? Transactional leadership is about managing work. It’s the day-to-day management of the work that needs to get done. Transformational leadership is about leading people. It’s the development of individual potential and the engagement of employees that drives emotional commitment to the work. Businesses need both transactional and… Read More
Your Product Won’t Sell Itself
(This article originally appeared on Deb Calvert’s blog) What you sell matters. Sellers who are looking for a new job take into account whether or not they’ll be able to sell the product(s) required and apply to companies with products they feel they can proudly represent. Sellers often leave jobs when they are asked to… Read More
Your Words Reveal Your Intentions
You’ve read the books, attend the training, done the drills… You know it’s a good idea to showcase your buyer’s needs and to maintain a customer focus. Even so, your inner voice and motivations are all about making the sale, earning the commission, hitting your quota and doing your job. So what’s coming through to… Read More