Salespeople often ask multiple questions in one run-on sentence. Here’s why and how to stop. A sales manager I worked with called the habit of asking multiple questions in one run-on sentence “nervous mouth.” It drove him crazy when he observed sales reps ask two or more questions in a row rather than asking them … Continue reading One Question at A Time, Please
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Almost every sales person has heard about the ABC’s of selling. That is of course...Alway Be Closing! Unfortunately, many sales people mistake this sage wisdom to mean they should always be asking for the order. That may have been the original intent of the “old school” sales dog that came up with that sage bit of … Continue reading The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With A Single (Next) Step.
Fortunately, a simple fix improved my sales performance, personal relationships, and effectiveness. In the1990's, when I was working as a sales manager at MCI Communications, I was made aware of a bad habit I had developed that almost cost me my job. The VP of Sales I reported to pointed out that I interrupted people … Continue reading Listen Up Sales People…This One Bad Habit Almost Ended My Career – It May Be Hurting Yours Too.
Rookies work hard because they have to. They know if they don't make the cut, they'll be shown the door. Do you still have your rookie spirit? Fear of failure drives rookies to study, practice, ask questions, request feedback and simply work harder. Once a rookie fights their way up the learning curve and earns their … Continue reading Never Lose Your Rookie Spirit
Underperforming sales reps turn their sales manager into a nanny, nag, or worse still, a narc. Top sales reps know how to leverage their sales manager to make them even more effective. If you are one of those sales reps who is constantly making excuses for failing to meet quota, while you secretly know that … Continue reading 3 Reasons to Love Your Sales Manager
You finally set the meeting. It was confirmed by your contact's Executive Assistant. You are on for 10am tomorrow morning. Are you ready? Pilots are trained to go through a pre-flight checklist in preparation for every single flight they take. It doesn't matter if this is a 20-minute shuttle flight or a 12-hour transoceanic flight, … Continue reading The Importance of a Pre-Meeting Checklist
The Carrot Principle by Gostick & Elton asserts that “The Basic Four of Leadership” (Goal Setting, Communication, Trust & Accountability) are accelerated when purposeful recognition is employed by leaders. Below I will summarize the impact of recognition on each of the Basic Four. Goal Setting Accelerated One of the powerful ways that recognition reinforces goal … Continue reading The Carrot Principle – Why recognition is like “Miracle-Gro®” for your sales team.
In 2007, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton published “The Carrot Principle”. Its premise and supporting data show how managers using purposed-based recognition (specific, task-based & timely acknowledgement of a job well done) gain a competitive advantage. They also: https://ssl.google-analytics.com/ga.js Have lower turnover rates Achieve enhanced business results Are seen as much stronger in what they … Continue reading How to Engage Your People, Retain Talent and Accelerate Performance
How the CEO of Herman Miller, Inc. changed the way I view delegation. Max De Pree became a well known as a successful business leader as CEO of Herman Miller - the primary innovator in the furniture business for 60 years and regularly included among the top twenty-five firms on FORTUNE's list of most admired … Continue reading The Leadership Wisdom of Delegating
You are only fooling yourself when you ignore your key sales metric. Every sales person has a key activity number they know they need to achieve in order to meet their quota or self-imposed sales goal. They just may not realize it yet... We all want signed contracts, so that is the ultimate number we all … Continue reading To Thine Own Self Be True
