| Savvy
Selling Columns
BusinessWeek has published
150 + of my Savvy Selling columns.
Here are many of them.
You
are welcome to read and print
copies for your own personal
use. They are copyright-protected
so you may NOT reprint them
without contacting
us and getting my written
permission FIRST.
For
the complete list, go to www.businessweek.com
and in the Search box, type
Michelle Nichols.
My
last column
Wisdom from 25 Years in Sales
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
Improving
Your Selling Skills:
Out
of the Corner and On to Your
Team
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
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
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
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
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
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
Try
talking to prospective customers
about their pets. It can be
a great way to make a quick
connection
Using Accessories to Upsell
To
boost your sales and profits
with existing customers, consider
adding a few extras to your
product lines or services
Getting
Past the Gatekeeper
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
Offering
your customer the same information
in different ways can help get
your message across and close
the sale
The
Pitch for Speed
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
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
Successful
salespeople acknowledge customers'
questions and worries, then
use the answers to close more
sales
Fear
of Selling
Don't
let it stifle your sales potential.
Here's how to keep eight common
phobias from holding you back.
Great
(Sales) Expectations
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
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
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
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
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
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
Six
strategies to help you persevere
while you're working to achieve
a Big Hairy Goal
Listen
Up for Better Sales
To
improve your selling, improve
your listening skills.
Softening
Them Up (Overcoming the Price
Objection)
Nine
fresh ideas to overcome the
price objection.
Five
Ways to Build Customer Trust
Building
trust builds sales. Here are
5 paths to more customer trust.
Classic
Selling Mistakes
A
refresher course on some basic
sales techniques like don't
push or insult your customer.
The
Case of the Reluctant Customer
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
How
well do your sales presentations
compare to this perfect sales
pitch?
Lose
Customers the Easy Way
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
Successful
sales programs require strong
referral systems AND continuous
marketing. Learn how and why.
The
First Task - Respect Yourself
If
you want your customers to respect
you, teach them.
From
Tales to Sales
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
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
Getting
Prospects to Say "I Do"
Anatomy
of a Sales Strikeout
Cultivating
Your Turf
A
Hands-on Guide to Staying in
Touch
Giving
it Your Personal Best
The
Holy Grail of Sales
Face-to-Face
with a VITO
Nervous
Before Your Presentation?
When
Customers Want Kickbacks
The
Art of Managing Expectations
David
vs. Goliath, the Rematch
Laugh
All the Way to the Bank
What
Counts: Need, Money, Urgency
When
Value Means More Than Cost
Networking
With a Laser Focus
Snooze
Your Way to Success
The
Goldilocks Strategy
The
Pen Is Mightier Than the Word
Balancing
Family and Work
Relationship
Rules for Salespeople
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
Six
simple lessons for all working
parents to help balance selling
and family, learned the hard
way.
Creating
a Legacy to Treasure
-
Growing
Your Business
Selling
Deep vs. Selling Wide
Do
you want to sell to more customers
or sell more within your current
accounts? Both approaches have
advantages
Keeping
the Chorus in Tune
If
different departments are pushing
different messages, customer
confusion will result. Here's
how to build harmonious teams
Four
Reasons to Thank the Competition
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
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
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
Solid sales skills can translate
to success in eight different
career paths. Here they are.
Selling
in a New Place
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
To
increase sales, you must first
attract, hire and retain great
employees.
A
Primer in CRM
There
are several considerations in
choosing a CRM but don't forget
your customers while doing so.
Finding
Your Way on the Web
Keeping
Customers Reliably Satisfied
The
Recipe for Sales Success
Click
Your Way to a Sale
Holiday
Gifts That Score with Clients
Building
Connections with Your Customers
and Employees
Connections
that Close Deals
Two
new books on building connections
with customers.
Pull
Together -- Or Fall Apart
Why Connections Trump Contacts
The
Write Stuff for Selling
-
Do you want
more ideas and information on
how to grow your sales?
Click
here to check out my sales tools.
- or contact
us today!
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