How should I assess a sales recruit?

By / / Assessments, Attitudes & Behaviours, Call Reluctance, Recruitment & Sales Recruitment, Sales Talent

Last time I wrote about what we should be looking for in a good sales recruit.

This time we will look at how we go about assessing a sales recruit.

There are a myriad of ways you can assess someone – some are legitimate and purpose built for sales recruitment while other methods wouldn’t stand up in a court of law even if they work for you. 

Let’s take intuition or gut feel for instance.

There is nothing wrong with using your gut feelings or intuition; however, using it as your only source of assessment criteria will make it hard …

How should I assess a sales recruit? Read Post »

What is the correct title for a salesperson? – New edition

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Call Reluctance, Prospecting, Sales Culture, Sales Tips

What is the correct title for a salesperson’s role? What should I call myself?

This is a contentious issue… And a question we get asked frequently.

The answer will depend on why you are asking the question. Are you asking because:

  • You think the title ‘sales representative’ doesn’t adequately describe what you do.
  • You are uncomfortable being called a ‘salesperson’ or ‘sales representative’ for whatever reason.
  • You think ‘salesperson’ or ‘sales representative’ doesn’t represent or position you in the best light as a professional business person to your clients, etc. even though your role involves selling?

    • All of these questions are valid and can present problems …

    What is the correct title for a salesperson? – New edition Read Post »

    Why online prospecting is often lazy and very annoying

    By / / Call Reluctance, Prospecting, Sales Relationships, Social Sales

    This week’s article comes off the back of last week’s topic ‘ Getting prospects to talk to you’.

    It will take a different approach. I have documented the conversation John Smibert and I had in relation to online prospecting. Here it is. Enjoy.

    John: “…I was thinking that subject to the particular company, products and industry that maybe a phone call is not always the first contact these days. The reason this came to mind is that with the advent of social selling many salespeople are having considerable dialog with potential customers before making a phone call – many are …

    Why online prospecting is often lazy and very annoying Read Post »

    Getting prospects to talk to you

    By / / Call Reluctance, Education in Sales, Prospecting, Sales Skills, Sales Tips

    Do you take time to really think about why you are calling a prospect or a client?  Do you reflect on how effective you have been post the call?

    Making prospecting calls to new prospects and existing clients is still one of the most important sales and business development activities you can do on a daily basis.  Even with all the electronic communication and marketing options at hand most businesses still need to have someone prospecting for them to build and forge real business relationships. Top performing salespeople make sure prospecting is part of their daily repertoire.

    Prospecting …

    Getting prospects to talk to you Read Post »

    First Aid Kit for a Sales Recovery

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Business Acumen, Call Reluctance, Education in Sales, Prospecting, Sales Strategy, Sales Tips

    Many of us have been there and some of us are yet to experience the gut wrenching experience when we finally, consciously realise that our sales pipeline and revenue numbers are in drastic decline and we are in deep, deep trouble. We realise all too dramatically that we are having the business and sales equivalent of a heart attack.

    The brutal facts finally hit us hard in our face, our chest, our guts and we realise we may not survive.

    Yet, the causes and signs were there for us all to see. Like a heart attack, a combination of activities caused this …

    First Aid Kit for a Sales Recovery Read Post »

    Some industries just don’t get prospecting

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Call Reluctance, Education in Sales, Prospecting

    I have been prospecting for new business on a regular and consistent basis since 1985.

    For my team and prospecting is a way of life. We could never have developed our respective businesses and reputations without the vital business skill of prospecting.  We both confess that in the early days we did not enjoy many of the aspects of prospecting but we learned how to prospect successfully and we understand that prospecting is like oxygen – it fuels the fire of sales. Without prospects to speak to we cannot do business.

    That is why I find it very interesting that certain industries …

    Some industries just don’t get prospecting Read Post »

    Would You Listen to You?

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Business Acumen, Call Reluctance, Communication, Education in Sales, Sales Culture, Sales Results, Sales Skills, Sales Tips

    Many sales people, especially those new to sales, often take it personally when a prospect says ‘NO’ and fail to persist with their prospecting efforts while others turn prospecting into stalking not knowing how to engage a prospect effectively. Either way, these people are failing to favourably and persistently position themselves with prospects thus limiting their sales opportunities even further. In sales there is a fine line between persistence and stalking a prospect. Did you know:

    Would You Listen to You? Read Post »

    8 Top Tips To Stop Yielding and Start Earning

    By / / Call Reluctance, Coaching, Prospecting, Sales Assessments, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Yielding

    Do you experience difficulties asserting yourself with others in a sales context? Is maintaining positive relationships with clients so important to you that you are concerned these relationships may be damaged if you are perceived as pushy or intrusive? Do you hesitate to prospect, sell or self promote due to a reflexive fear of being considered too pushy, intrusive, or selfish? If you recognise any of these behaviours you might just be suffering from the debilitating behavioural issue known as ‘yielding’ which affects many sales people and keeps them from earning what they are worth. …

    8 Top Tips To Stop Yielding and Start Earning Read Post »

    Like exercise, prospect a little each day and stay sales fit

    By / / Call Reluctance, Prospecting, Sales Skills, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Self Development, Success, Time Management

    Prospecting is considered one of the most daunting jobs in selling. Many people in sales or other roles charged with developing new business, especially with new prospects, find the task of prospecting anxiety provoking and tend to put off the prospecting task in favour of more desirable or less frightening tasks. Yet in their desire to escape prospecting they inadvertently set themselves up for greater issues in the future.

    Prospecting is the oxygen that fuels the fire of sales. Prospecting involves a series of sequential activities designed to:

    • Identify your prospect
    • Qualify your prospect
    • Prioritise your prospect

    Prospecting is therefore a step-by-step process for identifying …

    Like exercise, prospect a little each day and stay sales fit Read Post »

    Exceptional Prospecting and Social Media

    By / / Call Reluctance, Communication, Prospecting, Sales Tips, Self Promotion, Social Media, Social Sales

    With social networking sites and the plethora of online data available, 2011 presents us with better quality prospecting and more qualified prospects. ‘Prospecting and Social Media’ was voted as the Number 4 Sales Trends for 2011. Business networking sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo, and the emergence of Facebook and Twitter as business destinations, give the discerning business or sales person access to quality data where they can research key contacts with an organisation, as well as business activity. Then, when appropriate, they can use this data to make professional connections.

    Smart business leaders and sales people are using social networking …

    Exceptional Prospecting and Social Media Read Post »

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