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December 4, 2014
5 Ways to Stop Making Yourself Miserable in Your Sales Job
Stay in control and make things happen.
Sales work isn’t easy. As a sales coach, I’m sensitive to the inherent struggles of sellers. In an age of economic pressures and empowered buyers, your challenges are significant. It’s difficult and frustrating when you feel you don’t have complete control and the ability to change the circumstances.
There are, however, certain habits and choices you may be making that actually make your job even harder than it has to be. These are things you CAN control. Here are the...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on December 4, 2014
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October 10, 2014
3 Types of Questions You Should Avoid Asking in Sales
Quality questions can make the difference between stalling out and advancing the sale.
After conducting research with sellers and buyers for over 20 years, I’ve concluded that there are five kinds of questions sellers should avoid.
1. Avoid Asking “If I Could…” Questions
This is an obvious set-up. The seller asks a question to fabricate a conditional commitment. Then the seller proceeds to deliver on the condition he or she set up with an expectation the buyer will proceed.
When nearing a close or in response to a sales...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on October 10, 2014
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July 23, 2014
Selling in a VUCA World
How do sales professionals adapt to rapid change?
Ever feel like you have whiplash as a result of the jarring changes and conflicting directions you’re getting from your customers and your company?
You’re not alone.
The swift acceleration of change and the constant struggle to keep up with it (let alone get ahead of it!) causes everyone, at times, to feel like the silver ball inside a pinball machine. Your sales leaders and support departments are in reactive mode, zinging around at lightning speed as they accommodate and...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on July 23, 2014
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June 10, 2014
The Great Divide Between You & Your Customers
Take a look at your sales process & find where it gets stalled.
In sales, we are experiencing an embarrassment of riches and yet we are impoverished.
Just look around the offices of most sales organizations. You'll see computers, telephones with headsets and auto-dialers, mobile devices, CRM systems, and numerous apps and software programs that support selling activities in every conceivable way.
Needing to beef up a particular skill? Well, take your pick of the myriad of training programs, seminars, books, podcasts and other resources that are easily...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on June 10, 2014
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April 10, 2014
There Is No One-Size-Fits-All in Selling
When people prescribe the only solution they know, a lot of malpractice is likely to occur.
We are all looking for the magic bullet.
And when we find something we like, something that seems to work, we can become rabid advocates for what we believe is the magic bullet.
But when it comes to sales methodologies, there is no magic bullet and no one-size-fits-all solution. No one training program fits every sales situation, every customer, every company or every seller. That's why we should be adapting and not adopting the latest, greatest techniques.
Recently, I surveyed...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on April 10, 2014
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January 21, 2014
Are Sales Enablers Disabling You?
Sales people should be selling…so why overload them with other tasks?
On average, salespeople spend less than 35% of their time actually selling.
This finding, reported in Clearslide’s "4 Reasons Why It’s Time to Reboot Technology,” is not a big surprise to most sales professionals. But it certainly gets the attention of sales managers and senior sales leaders.
No one wants it to be this way. Everyone knows that more time spent selling adds up to more goods and services being sold. More revenue. More profit. So why is this the...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on January 21, 2014
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December 12, 2013
New Year, New You, New Sales Approach for 2014
Complacency is the enemy of high achievers. Don’t let it be yours.
As 2013 fades into 2014, what are you planning to do differently as a seller in the new year?
Nothing? That would be a mistake! The profession of selling is changing rapidly, and you need to up your game if you want to continue being successful in sales.
Sellers who stagnate find themselves struggling, often after it's too late. Don't be one of those statistics – the once great seller who can't seem to get back on top. Complacency is the enemy of high achievers. It's much easier to stay on...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on December 12, 2013
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December 2, 2013
In Sales, You've Gotta Be Soft on the Outside and Hard on the Inside
The single most important lesson any seller can learn.
You know those types of people we refer to as marshmallows? They have a tough exterior, something about them seems hardened or brusque. But when we get to know them, they turn out to be softies. Actually sweet. They have a squishy inside because they care about people. That's just not what they show at first to the outside world.
Effective sellers do well to be the opposite of these marshmallow types. If you can be soft on the outside, empathetic and compassionate and interested in your...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on December 2, 2013
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November 5, 2013
Are You a Pushy Salesperson?
Don’t let your fear of being pushy compromise your effectiveness.
There’s a fine line between assertive and aggressive when you are a seller. Most sales people err on the side of caution because they want to avoid being thought of as the stereotypical, pushy seller. I suppose that’s why one of the most common questions I hear in sales coaching and training is “won’t I seem too pushy?”
While I appreciate the sentiment and understand how no one wants to be THAT salesperson, this has become an exaggerated fear. As such, it is severely...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on November 5, 2013
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October 15, 2013
Asking Questions with Purpose – Tools for Effective Selling
An Interview with Deb Calvert, author, executive coach, facilitator, Master Sales Coach, Master Trainer and expert in Sales Leadership and Productivity Solutions.
I am inspired by my recent discussion with Deb Calvert, President & Founder of People First Productivity Solutions. Inspired by the way she depicts the simplicity of selling, a topic that so many of us stress over, struggle to achieve, over complicate and most importantly…need to build our businesses. Her curiosity and tenacity over the last 25 years to document sales methods-what works, what doesn’t and why, has brought her to a point where we can all benefit. No matter...Continue reading
By Dan WoodsPosted in Sales & Business Development on October 15, 2013
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