Fitting Prospecting Calls Into Busy Schedules
Let’s be honest: “I didn’t have time to prospect” is the sales equivalent of “the dog ate my homework.” Technically possible. Almost never true. Yes, in a perfect world you’d have pristine, uninterrupted prospecting blocks—headphones on, CRM open, dialing like a machine. But in the real world? Your calendar gets hijacked. Internal meetings pop up. […]
How to Beat Parkinson’s Law
Before I describe what Parkinson’s Law is, let me give you an example that you might be able to relate to. If you give yourself the whole day to clean out the garage… congratulations, you’ve just booked yourself a full-day event. Coffee breaks. Rediscovering old hockey sticks. “Organizing” a box of wires you’ll never use […]
A.I. Can’t Solve Your Skills Problem
Welcome Northbound’s Newest Team Member
Kristy McGraw is Northbound’s new Business Development Representative and brings tremendous sales experience from several very competitive industries. Her specialty is prospecting for new clients where her skill & tenacity will be put to good use in helping Northbound expand. Kristy hails from our nation’s capital, Ottawa, but because training can be delivered remotely via […]
If You’re Not Tracking It, It’s Just a Wish
Let’s start with a hard truth: hope is not a sales strategy. Yet every year, thousands of salespeople wake up, “feel busy,” talk to a few prospects, update the CRM when they remember, and assume the quarter will magically work out. Then they act shocked when it doesn’t. Sales is a performance profession. And in […]
New Year’s Resolutions: Why Most of Them Die Faster Than a Cold Call on Friday at 4:59
By Michael Caron, President, Northbound Sales Training At Northbound Sales Training, we don’t call them resolutions but every year at around this time, I hear salespeople set their sales goals for the year. And every January, I hear sales professionals of my clients make the same bold resolutions.“I’m going to prospect every day.”“I’m going to […]
Presenting Like a Pro(ish): Tips for Salespeople Who Want to Actually Keep Their Audience Awake
Let’s be honest: most sales presentations fall somewhere between “mildly forgettable” and “I wish I had faked a dentist appointment.” But in B2B sales, delivering an engaging face-to-face presentation is one of the most powerful ways to build trust, demonstrate value, and prove you’re not just another person with a deck full of stock photos […]
Why Winging It is for Birds: The Power of Prepping Your Sales Calls
You wouldn’t walk into a job interview without researching the company, right? And you wouldn’t show up to a blind date without at least a quick social media stalk (don’t lie, we all do it). So why on earth would you dial into a sales call with zero preparation? I’ve been on too many calls […]
How to Turn Problems Into More Sales
Consultative selling, the powerful selling methodology that emerged in the early 90’s, is based on the idea that to sell something, you have to be able to demonstrate how it’s going to solve someone’s problem, challenge or issue.
6 Language Mistakes to Avoid in a Sales Call
Your Words Are Important – Choose Them Carefully! 1. Eliminate the grunts: Um and Ah and Uh! Be comfortable with the silence and resume speaking when the thought is there. People who use “um” to illustrate their thought process may appear less sure and less knowledgeable. 2. Sorta, kinda, shoulda – what? These words make […]