Past posts at SalesTeamTools.com

At the bottom of our home page we list our top 10 posts, measured by page views. We only added that feature in late January, so I’ve seen that the top 10 has remained pretty consistent since added.

So…I thought I’d add a link to a handful of posts for newcomers that give you a better flavor for the type of content we like to add here, that have also proven popular, judging by page views, but haven’t quite cracked the Top 10.

• - High Activity Selling
• - Setting appointments, part 1
• - 10 minutes better spent
• - Qualifying prospects
• - Building rapport
• - 10 account management fundamentals
• - The Sales Process 2.0
• - The one closing technique you need to know
• - 11 bad behaviors of salespeople
• - 11 ways we deny ourselves of success
• - Locked in

Hope you enjoy the posts and articles and keep coming back. Feel free to browse our archives, our free resources (more are coming very soon), and to contribute your own best practices by commenting wherever you like.

Now go sell something.

Tough selling

Think your sales job is tough? Difficult decision-makers? Wishy-washy buyers? You don’t know how well you’ve got it. Try this role…

Selling season tickets for the Kansas City Royals has got to be among the toughest inside sales jobs around right now. Your product has offered very little of value for 10 years. In fact, it’s been a laughingstock. This year’s product is already atrocious, and by all accounts it will be for the indefinite future.

Think twice before quitting simply because “it’s hard to close a deal in this industry.” Focus more on your full attention and effort and see what you can accomplish.

One-step shopping

Are you easy to do business with, really? We love telling customers we’re a “one-stop shop.” What about helping them “one-step” shop?

Here is a series of follow-up, fundamental questions you should ponder to become more streamlined in your sales and service process.

• Do you respond to phone calls within minutes or a couple hours…or the next day?
• Are you, or is someone in your company, accessible by phone before- or after-hours? How about weekends?
• Do you give progress reports on bigger projects you’ve undertaken for customers…or do you keep customers wondering what the status is?
• Do you fully explain your pricing and other terms?
• Do you walk new customers through their first invoice?
• Do new customers receive a welcome kit that includes specific contact information for future sales, support, accounts receivable and emergencies?
• How often do you ask about anticipated needs?
• Can customers return or exchange products easily?

Read the full post

Choices

When you get right down to it, everything we do is about choices. How we spend our time. Who we call on. Whether we succumb to our feelings on any given day, or stick to our gameplan.

If sales is truly a profession for you, you’ve got to regularly make the right choices. Not sometimes. All the time. There’s a great post over at Adrian Savage’s blog about choice-making. Check it out.

Just catching “The Indie Virus“… (details on “The Indie Virus” are here…)

[tags]choices, the+indie+virus[/tags]

Genius Insight

I’m all over Jim Rohn’s insights. I mentioned in a recent post that I’d take talent over experience. So would Jim, I believe.

In a recent newsletter article Jim wrote, he makes it simple: “Good people are found, not changed.” A bit more from Jim:

Read the full post

Goal Clarity

I was speaking with a group of sales professionals recently about goals. The “speaking with” turned into “committing to” as we discussed where they wanted to finish this year. Very interesting responses.

Some individuals were crystal clear about what they want to accomplish this fiscal year. They have a specific percent of quota they expect to hit. They know what total volume of sales they will reach at a minimum and what level they’d like to surpass. Though this exercise didn’t dive into it, I’m certain they know what they’ll need to do to achieve their goals. Kudos to those who took ownership of what they want to accomplish in life. They seize control, they take action. They are single-minded in their purpose. Hard to derail individuals like this for any length of time. Read the full post

Locked in

I’ve talked about Initiators and Finishers. In fact, you’ll notice at the bottom of this page they are among my most popular posts.

Initiators and Finishers are nearly always found in the larger group of professionals who are locked in. By “locked in,” I mean they are fully, continually engaged in the pursuit of excellence. Read the full post

The one thing you sell

Can you tell me what you sell in a short but powerful way? You better learn how.

In these days of “global marketplaces,” mission statements, techojargon, and legalese, salespeople too often get caught up explaining the entire scope of their product or service. This confuses buyers. Buyers want simplicity. They want the bottom-line. Some may enjoy the stories behind the vendors they work with and the products and services they offer. But only if they sense a key benefit first–a powerful, impactful statement about what’s ultimately in it for them.

Think about the single most important benefit or message you can send buyers or their companies, and weave that into your cold calls, your introductory statements in face-to-face meetings, and in your marketing materials. Read the full post