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Selling Columns
Most
RECENT Savvy Selling column
Wisdom
from 25 Years in Sales (November
2, 2007)
After six wonderful years writing
for BusinessWeek, I'm moving
on to new challenges. I'll leave
you with some important lessons
I've learned
ARCHIVE
- Savvy Selling Columns
( BusinessWeek
has published 125 + of my Savvy
Selling columns. Here are the
last few year's worth.)
Improving
Your Selling Skills:
Out
of the Corner and On to Your
Team (October 19, 2007)
Direct sales is a tough gig
for someone with no experience.
What should you do when your
boss plants a "Dunce"
on your sales team?
Use
Your Super Selling Skills
(October 5, 2007)
If
your sales could use a jolt,
here are eight techniques to
help you identify your superpowers
and put them to good use
The
Upside of Change: Increased
Sales (September 21, 2007)
Seven
strategies to help you use changes
to your advantage by being a
better salesperson and a better
sales-team leader
Explaining
What You Sell (September
7, 2007)
The
products you sell or the company
you represent may not be familiar
to a prospective client. Consider
these tips on how to get your
message across
Get
Motivated to Do More With Less
(August 24, 2007)
A
Colin Powell speech got me thinking
about force multipliers. Here
are five ways to get more done
with what you already have
How
to Rebound After Losing a Sale
(August 10, 2007)
Develop and execute a follow-up
plan to evaluate why you didn't
get the order. You'll polish
your skills and ultimately close
more business
Using
Fido to Clinch the Sale
(July 13, 2007)
Try
talking to prospective customers
about their pets. It can be
a great way to make a quick
connection
Using
Accessories to Upsell (June
27, 2007)
To
boost your sales and profits
with existing customers, consider
adding a few extras to your
product lines or services
Getting
Past the Gatekeeper
(June 13, 2007)
Barriers
to new customers range from
wariness of salespeople to workplace
restrictions. To reach these
potential buyers, prove your
relevance
I
Repeat: It Pays to Repeat Yourself
(May 17, 2007)
Offering
your customer the same information
in different ways can help get
your message across and close
the sale
The
Pitch for Speed (May 4,
2007)
If
"time is the new money,"
consider these six time-saving
benefits you can offer to prospective
customers on your next sales
call
The
Two-by-Four Closing Question
(April 27, 2007)
Selling
is a series of steps. One way
to convince customers to take
those steps is to whack them
between the eyes with a simple
question
Overcoming
Clients' Six Biggest Fears
( April 5, 2007)
Successful
salespeople acknowledge customers'
questions and worries, then
use the answers to close more
sales
Fear
of Selling (March 15, 2007)
Don't
let it stifle your sales potential.
Here's how to keep eight common
phobias from holding you back.
Great
(Sales) Expectations (February
15, 2007)
What
a seller intends to deliver
and what a buyer anticipates
to receive can vary widely.
Here's how to head off potential
problems
Company
Tours: A Personal Way to Sell
(January 19, 2007)
Giving
prospects a tour of your business
facilities could catapult your
sales proposal to the top of
the heap and win the order
Spin
Control for Salespeople
(December 15, 2006)
You can
prevent bad buzz and encourage
positive word of mouth by following
these seven steps when dealing
with prospects and customers
Dealing
with Sales Disasters
(December 1, 2006)
Playing
good defense on sales calls
means being able to quickly
recover from a mistake and close
the deal
You're
Never Too Young to Sell
(November 2, 2006)
Here
are 12 ways to develop your
skills and overcome prospective
customers' concerns when you're
starting out in sales
A
Cold-Calling Classic: Handling
Handouts (October 19, 2006)
Every
company needs new customers.
Here are 5 tips to be better
at cold calling - and what to
do when prospects ask for handouts
before they buy.
It's
Not Just About Sales Goals
(October 5, 2006)
Six
strategies to help you persevere
while you're working to achieve
a Big Hairy Goal
Listen
Up for Better Sales (September
14, 2006)
To
improve your selling, improve
your listening skills.
Softening
Them Up (Overcoming the Price
Objection) - (August 24,
2006)
Nine
fresh ideas to overcome the
price objection.
Five
Ways to Build Customer Trust
- (August 3, 2006)
Building
trust builds sales. Here are
5 paths to more customer trust.
Classic
Selling Mistakes - (June
30, 2006)
A
refresher course on some basic
sales techniques like don't
push or insult your customer.
The
Case of the Reluctant Customer
- (May 19, 2006)
If
you sell any type of professional
services, here are ideas to
overcome the objection "I
think I should do it myself."
Dreaming
Up the Perfect Sales Pitch
- (May 5, 2006)
How
well do your sales presentations
compare to this perfect sales
pitch?
Lose
Customers the Easy Way -
(April 21, 2006)
A
funny sales adaptation of "How
to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"
to remind you how easy it is
to lose your best customers.
How to Increase Your Customer
Base - (March 3, 2006)
Successful
sales programs require strong
referral systems AND continuous
marketing. Learn how and why.
The
First Task - Respect Yourself
- (February 17, 2006)
If
you want your customers to respect
you, teach them.
From
Tales to Sales - (February
3, 2006)
To
improve your selling, use more
stories along with the necessary
facts. Stories are more believable,
memorable, visual, portable,
attention-getting and more!
Prioritize!
It's a Matter of Urgency
-
(January 20, 2006)
To
sell more, analyze all your
selling duties by how urgent
and important they are and focus
on those that are urgent AND
important.
From
the Mouths of Babes - (December
16, 2005)
Getting
Prospects to Say "I Do"
- (November 18, 2005 )
Anatomy
of a Sales Strikeout - (November
4, 2005)
Cultivating
Your Turf - (October 21,
2005)
A
Hands-on Guide to Staying in
Touch - (October 7, 2005)
Giving
it Your Personal Best -
(August 19, 2005)
The
Holy Grail of Sales - (August
5, 2005)
Face-to-Face
with a VITO
- (July 1, 2005)
Nervous
Before Your Presentation?
- (May 20, 2005)
When
Customers Want Kickbacks
- (May 6, 2005)
The
Art of Managing Expectations
- (April 22, 2005)
David
vs. Goliath, the Rematch
- (April 14, 2005)
Laugh
All the Way to the Bank
- (March 4, 2005)
What
Counts: Need, Money, Urgency
- (February 18, 2005)
When
Value Means More Than Cost -
(February 3, 2005)
Networking
With a Laser Focus - (January
21, 2005)
Snooze
Your Way to Success - (December
17, 2004)
The
Goldilocks Strategy
- (November 19, 2004)
The
Pen Is Mightier Than the Word
- (November 2, 2004)
Balancing
Family and Work
Relationship
Rules for Salespeople (July
27, 2007)
To
improve your relationships with
both customers and family members,
maintain a balance by sticking
to one set of standards
Keep
the Big Picture in Mind - and
Heart
- (July 21, 2006)
Six
simple lessons for all working
parents to help balance selling
and family, learned the hard
way.
Creating
a Legacy to Treasure
- (July 22, 2005)
Growing
Your Business
Selling
Deep vs. Selling Wide
( June 1, 2007)
Do
you want to sell to more customers
or sell more within your current
accounts? Both approaches have
advantages
Keeping
the Chorus in Tune (March
1, 2007)
If
different departments are pushing
different messages, customer
confusion will result. Here's
how to build harmonious teams
Four
Reasons to Thank the Competition
(February 2, 2007)
It
can you help you better define
your product or service, improve
on it, energize you, and educate
potential customers
Selling
Strong in the New Year (January
5, 2007)
You
can align your annual sales
goals with your personal goals
to sell more effectively using
this six-step planning guide
Sales
Incentive Plans: 10 Essentials
(November 17, 2006)
How
to create a plan that works
for both sellers interested
in earning more and business
owners and managers pushing
for profits
Eight
Career Paths for Salespeople
(September 28, 2006)
Solid sales skills can translate
to success in eight different
career paths. Here they are.
Selling
in a New Place -(June 16,
2006)
Once
you've decided to move your
business to a new locale, here
are ideas on how to resume profitability
as quickly as possible.
Great
Employees Make a Great Business
- (March 31, 2006)
To
increase sales, you must first
attract, hire and retain great
employees.
A
Primer in CRM - (March 17,
2006)
There
are several considerations in
choosing a CRM but don't forget
your customers while doing so.
Finding
Your Way on the Web - (September
23, 2005)
Keeping
Customers Reliably Satisfied
- (June 3, 2005 )
The
Recipe for Sales Success
- (March 18, 2005)
Click
Your Way to a Sale - (January
7, 2005)
Holiday
Gifts That Score with Clients
- (December 3, 2004)
Building
Connections with Your Customers
and Employees
Connections
that Close Deals - (June
2, 2006)
Two
new books on building connections
with customers.
Pull
Together -- Or Fall Apart
- (December 2, 2005)
Why Connections Trump Contacts
- (September 9, 2005)
The
Write Stuff for Selling
- (June 17, 2005)
Do
you want more ideas and information
on how to grow your sales?
Click
here to check out my sales tools.
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