Posts from — November 2009

“Colleen – how can I get more referrals?”

This is the most common question I get when conducting prospecting workshops. My most common answer is: “What have you done to deserve more referrals?”

Referrals are the most powerful tool in any sales person’s arsenal. A referred prospect is much more likely to be ready to listen to you, trust what you say and – ultimately – to buy from you. Referrals make your job easier, and help you sell more with less effort and in less time. What else could any sales person ask for?

The best salespeople prepare thoroughly before every call. This principle is so simple that it is often overlooked. The hallmark of the true professional is thorough preparation, reviewing every detail, before every sales meeting. The very best salespeople are those who review their presentations and study the details of their products and their sales materials repeatedly prior to every new sales contact.

The Customer’s Situation…
The salesperson with the best knowledge of the customer’s real situation will be the one most likely to make the sale. The more time you take to thoroughly understand your prospective customer and your prospective customer’s situation, the more likely you will be in a position to sell at the critical moment.

Seeing as this is the end of another calendar quarter, I suspect many of you may be feeling what I like to call the “end-of-quarter blues.”

On the one side, you’ve got pressure from your manager to close deals now! On the other, you’re getting the brush off from clients who want to call you back next month or next quarter instead.

Stuck right in the middle? Yup, you guessed it – its lucky old you!

The end of a period is a time when your prospects have other fires burning bright. Often, they use those other priorities as an excuse to put buying decisions on hold – especially if you’re selling to publicly traded companies.