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You're new to sales, and you dream about some day being the CEO of your company. How can you begin your journey to the top? The first step is to [...]

Tell the prospects exactly what you can do for them -- and tell them now! Why is it that so, so many letter writers can't control their fingertips? We get [...]

These 9 steps will gel you hack in stride It's August and you know firsthand why these are called dog days. Everybody's out of town on vacation and you have [...]

Wealthy clients know what they want and demand confidentiality and services There are similarities between selling big ticket items such as high-end real estate and mega-yachts and your average industrial [...]

You say yes, the boss says no -- who's right and who's wrong? Like all employees, sales people want more from their jobs than a paycheck. They want responsibility, autonomy [...]

When you ask a customer an open-ended question about your product such as, 'Great new feature, don't you think?' you are gathering information about the product that may reveal potential [...]

Postcards are a simple, effective and inexpensive way to gain new leads. Because of their size, they float to the top of the stack of mail and the lack of [...]

If you give small accounts the same treatment and TLC as larger accounts, you may be in for a surprise. The client may be unhappy with their current product and [...]

You can transform the most skeptical, impatient or downright ornery an excellent source of friendly, loyal referrals. Anyone who knows your client will be impressed by your ability to satisfy [...]

To be sure to get responses to your telephone calls, a reader recommends attempting to reach the person two times. After the second failure, fax a note explaining specifically why [...]

You can change his name, but don't ignore him PALM BEACH, FLA. -- Larry Latimer, senior vice president with TBS Consulting Group in Atlanta, Ga., was staying at a Holiday [...]

Enhance your ability to reach goals, manage people In a survey of 1,100 executives, more than 80 percent said they were dissatisfied with their career progress and level of effectiveness. [...]

How do you manage the accounts you have already sold? In many cases, the most grueling and demanding part of dealing with customers is not in the sales process. It's [...]

You've crafted a solution that provides value to the customer and you're going to the meeting with a win-win proposal. Most customers want a win-win agreement, too. They acknowledge your [...]

1. Every sale is not a good sale. About 35 percent of all sales are bad sales. In one way or another, they leave the customer disappointed or the seller [...]

A 11 salespeople remember the highlights of their sales calls. They can easily recall who they met with and whether the meeting was fruitful or a bust. However, one of [...]

Most sales organizations and salespeople still follow the basic four steps of the conventional sales process: prospect, qualify, present and close. The conventional sales process is the most widely used [...]

When you've just ended a prospecting call that's left you feeling upset, frustrated or anxious, pause for one moment and try changing your perspective of the experience. Instead of labeling [...]

'It costs too much' is probably the most common objection salespeople hear. Learn to show prospects why your product is worth its cost. * Ask customers why they think the [...]

Get your prospect's attention by opening properly. Your opening should tell prospects the following: 1. Who you are. Be brief and direct. You don't want to lose your listener. 2. [...]

When you have trouble getting through to a decision-maker, use these techniques. * Call early. How early? Start between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. You have a better chance of having [...]

If knowledge is power, the Internet can easily make purchasing professionals drunk with it. Information that used to be the jealously guarded domain of sales executives has never been easier [...]

A great deal of your communication is not spoken. Many messages you convey are through your body language. First impressions are important to customers. How you dress, the way you [...]

A common business mantra states, 'It's not what you know, but who you know.' True salespeople take this one step further. They proclaim, 'It's not who you know. It's who [...]

Knowing about your competitors, and being able to relate why your products are better, is vital to succeeding in sales. When learning about your competition, concentrate on these areas: * [...]

Customers need to know you care, want their business, and that you will remain interested, supportive, and patient as they go through the decision-making process--even though this may take longer [...]

But first, practice, practice, practice. First impressions are important, so keep in mind you only have one opportunity to make a positive first impression. Sales coach Deb Haggerty suggests the [...]

In these uncertain economic times, you have an opportunity to help your customers and reinforce their loyalty. As a regular practice, you must keep track of your customers' fiscal years. [...]

If your audience is comprised of fewer than 20 people, encourage people to ask you questions anytime, not just after your speech is over. Don't blame anyone else for anything [...]

When you're listening to a prospect or client, go beyond what he's saying. Listen for the idea behind the facts you're hearing. Ask yourself, 'Why is this person telling me [...]

'Selling is a science, not an art. It starts with the marketing. If you do that right, the selling part is actually minimal,' says David Bullock. It's this attitude that [...]

There's nothing more frustrating for a customer than trying to buy complex equipment from unknowledgeable salespeople. Yet that's precisely what many corporate buyers experience when they must wait for a [...]

The market is unpredictable, clients are difficult to deal with, and your sales manager is asking, 'What have you done for me lately?' So what's a sales professional to do? [...]

Sales coach Tim Connor of the Connor Resource Group shares these tips: 1. Start with a plan of what you want to do as well as why you want to [...]

As technology continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate, products are becoming obsolete more quickly. That means that for many sales and marketing representatives, what was a best-seller yesterday may [...]

The jeans you wear are branded. The company you run or work for is branded. And you--yes you--are branded. In fact, you are multi-branded. That's the good news. The bad [...]

Branding is still the key to helping customers determine which products and services they will purchase,' according to Marc Braunstein and Edward H. Levine, coauthors of Deep Branding on the [...]

If ever there were one key to what separates top 'consultants' from middle of the road 'salespeople,' it would come down to one word: follow-up. Contrary to what some customers [...]

Effective sales professionals solve problems to help customers reach goals. The best way to do that is to keep the process simple. It's always good to brush up on the [...]

You are the link between your customers and the fulfillment of their needs. To take on this role, you've got to know everything about your products, including the features of [...]

When you pitch a new product to a customer, you can bet that his first thought isn't, 'I bet it would help this salesperson out if I bought this product.' [...]

When John Livesay was a competitive swimmer in high school, he learned a valuable lesson--focus on your own progress, not that of your competitors. During one crucial swim meet, 'The [...]

Everyone likes to get something for free--especially your customers. But freebies aren't just about spreading a little goodwill, they are a great way to offer add-on value and pump up [...]

There is no better way to earn clients than with the help of others. While cold calling and telemarketing are necessary, what separates the good sales reps from the average [...]

What's the best way to win competitive sales opportunities? Get there first; set the buying requirements; and become Column A on the customer's evaluation chart. In other words, preempt the [...]

You're proud of the way your company exercises social responsibility through ethical practices and support of worthy causes. But do you let world customers know about your efforts to make [...]

Almost every day of your life you are involved in many negotiations--and that doesn't even include all of those you participate in during your selling process. Yet despite the fact [...]

You may already know that you can't always close the deal using the same old selling tactics. But it can be a challenge to break out of your comfort zone [...]

If you spend all of your time watching your competitors, you'll pull your concentration from your own selling strategies. A salesman for W magazine, John Livesay learned that lesson early, [...]

Planning goes well beyond having everything you need to close a deal on a sales call. It's more than role-plays and expecting the unexpected. Planning starts at the beginning of [...]