Many sales folks I visit with consider social media just another “mouth to feed.” What I am about to share with our readers is the “sales side” of social media. I’ll start with a true story. From 2008 to 2010, I was part of a prestigious Top 10 group comprised of 12 like-minded business owners and sales professionals who met once a month at my training center. Our homework each…
Q: I recently launched my new company and am thrilled with 23 new clients in three months! Who should my next hire be: a sales professional or support staff? A: Congratulations! What a great “dilemma” to have so quickly. Most readers are probably assuming they know MY answer to your question already since this is a “Sales Answer Man” advice column. Well, that’s not the answer I’m going to give…
Q: How do I best motivate and manage an independent representative sales force and keep them focused on my product line? A: Working for a company that primarily sells through independent sales representatives is a fairly common dilemma. These reps typically not only represent your company, but other companies’ products and services. The advantages of using independent sales reps are: They have current relationships with multiple clients (end users). They…
Q: How do you nurture a lead along when the prospect is not ready to buy yet? What tips do you recommend? A: I really appreciate your using the word “nurture” in your question. One of the three most important words in professional selling is nurture, nurture, nurture! Most salespeople feel pressure to push, prod, convince and cajole their prospects into doing something. In essence, they transfer the pressure to…
Q: “We sell our services to many companies with multiple influencers in the decision process: co-owners, partners, etc. Sometimes they have differing needs. Should we approach these prospects differently than single decision makers?” A: Congratulations on selling to larger, more complicated clients – you are working the mature market segment! At Sandler we talk about the “stairway to success.” Step 1 of the stairway might be an owner who has…
