Sales pipeline management

The ways companies have their sales reps track and report on their sales pipelines are sometimes interesting, sometimes ridiculous, nearly always subjective.

We’ve all had systems where percentages are used. 25%, 50%, etc. But can you really state that you’re 25% of the way to closing an account without asking your prospect, “At this point, would you say we’re about 25% of the way to closing this deal?” You can’t ask that. Because 25% is usually a hunch, a whim. It’s subjective. Read the full post

The first ninety seconds

The first ninety seconds of almost any meeting will make you or break you. Job interview. Initial sales appointment. Sales presentation. Public speaking engagement. Even the sales letters you send out. You master those first five minutes, and by master I mean completely own them by what you look like, do, ask, and say, and life is good. Lazily fail to capture them and you will die quickly…and maybe never know it, since your audience will rarely tell you directly.

As a sales professional, you owe it to yourself to choreograph, then flawlessly orchestrate, those first ninety seconds to both your advantage and your audience’s.

public speaking, master moments

Salesteamtools Book Club #5

Selling Power Magazine

Sales is a profession, like any other. In order to be considered a true professional, though, you’ve got to continually hone your skills and knowledge. And no self-respecting sales professional should be without a subscription to Selling Power.

An issue doesn’t go by that’s not worthwhile. Subscribe now.

Top 10 business virtues

How creative are you at getting in the door with top prospects? One subtle approach I’ve taken is to send a little gem of a book with my business card and a personal inscription on the blank inside cover. One book I’ve used in the past is Wisdom, Inc., by Seth Godin. Read the full post

Professional-grade focus

Read this article and tell me if you have this level of focus in your daily work…

focus, professionalism

On comfort levels

It’s well known that you will avoid those things that require getting out of your comfort zone. I fear many people are letting their comfort zones shrink to unreasonable levels, however. I see three big reasons why they do this. Read the full post

Finishers

The world needs more Finishers. Finishers get things resolved. They’re not always creative idea generators, nor are they the best project managers. But they can bring things to a close. Read the full post

Initiators

The world needs more Initiators. Initiators get the ball rolling while others stand around talking about the ball and ball-rolling dynamics. Read the full post

Networking pays off, again

Just found an interesting post by David Lorenzo, mentioning how a friend secured a position with a new employer after bumping into him at the grocery store. In a different context, it strengthens my point that going the more effective, but less common, route of networking (over cold calling) to develop your prospect base pays off.

And a couple other high quality posts by David that reinforce many of our philosophies here: Who Sets Your Goals? and A Day in the Life.

Very good stuff here, David.