Colleen Stanley
Two Types of Salespeople to Avoid
“Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.” This popular phrase has been attributed to Confucius. No, he wasn’t in sales, but his advice is great for the sales profession. Research shows that you will capture the mood, attitude…
Sales “Death by Inches” is Afoot When You’re Complacent
[embedded content] Joe Marciano, an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under head coach Tony Dungy, had a saying that always resonated with the latter: “Death by inches.” What was he referring to? “When a team is winning, coaches have ...
The Two Skills Your Sales Team Might Be Missing For Effective Negotiation
[embedded content] What can a person learn about sales from a former FBI hostage negotiator? Quite a bit, it turns out. I am reading Chris Voss’s book, “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As if Your Life Depended on it.” It’s a great title and man...
Sales Teams: The Competition is Outside the Building, Not Inside the Building
Effective sales leaders always seek ways to grow consistent and sustainable revenues. Sometimes it’s as simple as making sure your sales team recognizes who the true competitor is -- and it’s not members of their own sales team. I frequently remind sal...
Building a Strong Sales Culture Is Everyone’s Job
[embedded content] Sales leaders have the responsibility of establishing great sales cultures. Great leaders set the tone and environment for how their sales team members will interact with each other, prospects and clients. It’s up to them to create a...
Is Your Sales Manager Creating Turnover?
You are a CEO or business owner that is frustrated with the revolving door in your sales department. Turnover is costing time because you’re constantly interviewing candidates, money because of missed quotas, and unhappy customers, who are tired of see...
3 Tips for Unseating the Incumbent
[embedded content] You’ve had a prospect on your target list for months, but can’t crack the code to unseat the incumbent vendor. And what’s really frustrating is that you know the incumbent can’t provide the value you and your company can offer. Sever...
Three Reasons Your Sales Team Isn’t Hitting Quota
It’s fourth quarter, and your sales team is racing to meet this year’s target AND set up Q1 of next year. As the sales leader, it’s important for you to help your sales team run to the right opportunities. Salespeople struggle because they slip into...
Is Sales Easier Or Harder Than 20 Years Ago?
Is anyone besides me tired of hearing complaints from salespeople about how much more difficult sales is today than 20 years ago? The usual complaints are, “The prospect is more educated, no one is picking up the phone, there is a ton of competition.” It’s...
Are You More Committed To Success Than Your Prospect?
I’ve been in the business of developing sales forces for 18 years. I really struggled my first year. But then I ran an appointment with a very sharp executive. He taught me a valuable lesson when he shared what he told his team: You...
Are Your Salespeople a Competitive Advantage or Disadvantage?
Are Your Salespeople a Competitive Advantage or Disadvantage? It’s no secret that the Internet has affected the sales profession. Buyers are more educated and more comfortable buying large-ticket items, both products and services, through the Internet. Amazon is one of the leading retailers in...
Is It Time For Your Sales Team To Pick Up The Phone?
Busyness is the enemy of relationships. And I am seeing an increasing trend in salespeople sending emails and texts to customers, often on a topic that could and should be covered with a 10-or 15-minute phone call. Salespeople are confusing contacting a customer with...
What’s Your Sales EQ?
We live in the information age. Salespeople have access to more information than ever to help them succeed, such as webinars, podcasts and a gazillion sales books. So with all this knowledge, why do sales organizations still face the same selling challenges as 20...
Does Your Sales Team Have Referral Aversion?
The sales manager is conducting the weekly one-one coaching session with her salesperson. As they review the sales activity plan, she notices a gaping hole: the salesperson isn’t asking his best and most satisfied clients for referrals. When pressed, the salesperson replies, “I forgot.” This...
We’re Happy With The Existing Vendor
It’s the sales managers weekly one-on-one coaching session with the salesperson. They are examining the salesperson’s once full sales pipeline---that is now empty. The salesperson’s explanation: “Everyone is happy with their existing vendor.” News alert! Of course, your prospect is happy with their existing...
Does Your Sales Organization Train Like A Garbage Company?
Verne Harnish has a great new book, Scaling Up, where many examples of best practices are discussed on how to scale your business rapidly and profitably. Of course Chapter Five, which focuses on training and on-boarding, really grabbed my attention. Harnish shares stories of...
Disrupt This: Why Technology Can’t Replace Great Salespeople
“Disruptive technology” is the new buzz phrase in business. It’s described as innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually displaces earlier technology. Companies invest dollars in R&D (research and development) to remain relevant, be disruptive and not turn into...
One Easy Way To Close More Business
There are hundred books written on how to close more business. Ask questions to insure you know the prospects goals and challenges. Read their personality style and adapt your communication style to create trust and likeability. And of course, ask for the business! The...
The New Excuse – “Buyer Is 67% Of The Way Through The Buying Process”
I am really tired of salespeople acting like a tired old porch dog. They are sitting on the sales porch, waiting for the prospects to contact them. They’ve repeatedly heard the message that the buyer is 67 percent of the way through the buying...
The Number One Thing That Will Motivate Your Sales Team
Sales managers are hit with information from all sides on how to create high performance sales teams. Hire the right people, create compensation plans that drive behavior, incentive programs, provide consistent feedback and the list goes on. With so many choices, it’s hard for sales...