What is good selling?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Sales Assessments, Sales Coaching, Sales Pioneer, Sales Research, Sales Skills

Like many people, I have always been curious about what makes “great sales performance”. This is a perplexing question that has been asked and attempted to be answered by many people over the years.

Also, are great sales people born? (most people believe this to be true – but it’s not). What does it take to be an elite sales performer, and can anyone learn how to sell well?

Many people have looked for one magic quality, one key ingredient that distinguished top performing sales people from all others- a magic ingredient with which only the special are anointed.

Here are some of …

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Professional Visitor or Professional Sales Person?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Call Reluctance, Prospecting, Sales Coaching, Sales Results, Sales Skills, Sales Training

I am seeing a lot of time wasted by sales staff aimlessly chatting with clients.

How often are you left with the feeling that your sales people are seeing clients, but beyond the “hello” and general chat, nothing of substance is happening?

I call it the phenomenon of “professional visitation”.

Often the cause can be isolated to a sales person’s reticence to ask the “hard questions”. Preferring to operate at a more superficial level, there is little chance the sales person will ever become involved in negotiating their way through customer demands and price issues.

Contact time with customers should always be productive. It …

Professional Visitor or Professional Sales Person? Read Post »

You can’t improve salespeople without improving sales management first

By / / Coaching, Sales Coaching, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Results

I am constantly appalled at the lack of effective sales management in companies these days. Not a week goes by in which I don’t see a company make the mistake of focusing exclusively on salespeople in trying to improve sales performance.

Experience has shown that sales managers are even more critical than sales people for creating durable performance change. Really proficient sales supervision can do wonders to improve the skills, strategies and competencies of average salespeople.

Myth: The best sales person makes the best sales manager.

Fact: Selling and managing are two very different positions with different demands and expectations.

Most exceptional sales people …

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