When a customer says “I want to think about it” or “I need some time to think it over” it’s one of the most frustrating expressions a salesperson can hear. You feel helpless, or if you’ve been poorly trained, you lapse into some manipulative dialogue that proves you’re both a crappy salesperson and you’re only there for the money.
What CEOs Want to Talk About. HINT: It Ain’t Your Product.
Everyone tells you to meet with the decision maker. Everyone tells you to meet with the CEO.
Business Plans, Five-year Spreadsheets, and Other Fairy Tales.
I have no business plan. I have no spreadsheet with five years of projected earnings. There are two reasons: Most business “plans” never come to fruition, and five-year sales projections are about as accurate as political polls.
You are the essence of your reactions and your responses.
I tweeted: “Resilience doesn’t start with experience – it STARTS with attitude – your attitude.”
Dynamic speaking and presentations are NOT an option.
I give more than 75 presentations a year at annual meetings and sales meetings. There are always other presenters. CEOs and VPs of everything from finance to marketing. Most of the speakers are (to be kind) less than compelling. Most of the speakers (to be unkind) are boring.
Arranging the meeting is more important than the meeting.
I had a business meeting in my office last night. Saturday night. The meeting started at 8 o’clock, right after a 2.5-hour dinner. There was no beer, no wine, and no alcohol at the dinner. This was business. And everyone wanted to be at their best. And did I mention it was Saturday night?
Percentage of Sales Success. How Low Can You Go?
“Jeffrey, I have to make 50 cold calls a week.”“Why?”“My boss said I have to. Everyone has to.”“Why?”“Because we’re trying to make new contacts and more new sales.”