“No Sense Prospecting In The Summer”
And other lies that we tell ourselves I hear them all the time from salespeople. Excuses why they aren’t prospecting in the summer months. “It’s a waste of time.” “I can’t get in touch with anyone.” “Everyone’s on vacation.” “People just don’t make decisions in the summer.” Let’s look at why you shouldn’t take a […]
Does “Like-Ability” Lead to More Sales?
If your customer likes you, will it lead to more sales? The link between “Like-Ability” — being liked by your customer — and increases in sales, is a hotly debated topic at live workshops that I lead. Some of the comments that I typically hear are: “Selling is all about relationships. My customer […]
Do You Procrastinate? Don’t Put Off Reading This Article!
By Michael Caron, President, Northbound Sales Congratulations for reading this! Procrastination has been appropriately called the “silent killer of careers” yet few people have ever had formal training on how to overcome this immensely costly habit. All of us procrastinate to some extent but while managing this problem is a constant challenge to me, I have […]
The Power of Testimonials
Having a salesperson say your company is good is very different than someone else saying it. Most companies vastly underutilize testimonials. It’s a big mistake because the fact is that they are very powerful in building credibility and trust in your product. Just as importantly, they provide proof of performance. A study by Yahoo revealed […]
Six Steps to Negotiation Success
If you stay cool and follow these steps, your negotiations will produce agreements that last. Contrary to what some think, negotiation isn’t something that only takes place at the end of the selling process. We are actually negotiating and laying the groundwork for further negotiation throughout the sale. When the customer has agreed that your solution […]
Happiness Can Lead to More Sales
Research study shows clear link Many of you reading this heading might think that it reads backwards. That is, it should state that “more sales will lead to greater happiness!” This notion is intuitive with almost all salespeople receiving a shot of endorphins (the happiness hormone) when they close a sale. A recent study concludes, […]
3 Sales Success Ingredients
There are some common ingredients among top sellers. Sugar and spice and everything nice is what the nursery rhyme says little girls are made of but what are the ingredients for sales success? There are three as well, but you can’t simply buy them at the grocery store like you can sugar and spice. The three […]
How Texting, Social and Email Overload Saps Your Focus and Energy
Being “on and available” all the time can kill your focus and energy. Because nobody’s invented a Star Trek style transporter yet, smart phones are probably the coolest mass market gadget in the world. They are a wonder of technology and give anyone the ability to communicate with us by voice, email, social media or […]
Should You Leave a Voicemail When Prospecting?
Why you need to leave a voicemail every time. I’m frequently asked this question and my typical response is, “Why wouldn’t you?” The answers I get back range from “They’ll never call me back so why bother” to “If I leave a message, they’ll know why I’m calling the next time and won’t pick up.” Both […]
Objection Handling: 3 Steps to dealing with “I’m happy”
It’s one of the most common objections you’ll get … and one of the most difficult to deal with. You’ve Heard It Before: Objections come in different sizes and shapes which makes objection handling a difficult skill to master. You will get different objections when prospecting than you will when presenting solutions and you need […]