Does every sales person have his own ‘style?’
By Dave Kahle “I have my own style of selling.” That is a remark I have heard a number of times, usually from relatively inexperienced sales people. What they usually mean is something like this: “I...
View ArticleThe Purpose of a Purpose
By Dave Kahle I was up against the wall, with no options. Almost literally between a rock and a hard place. Here’s the story. I had left a very secure sales position for one of a lot more...
View ArticleQ & A for Sales Managers — 100% Commission
By Dave Kahle Q. Dave, I’m finding it difficult to manage my sales people in our straight commission environment. Any suggestions as to how I can get them to do what I want them do? Here are some...
View ArticleAre you serious about your job?
By Dave Kahle “I wish my people were more professional,” executives and managers often commiserate to me. Even with those who don’t voice it, that unspoken yearning often hovers just-under-the-surface...
View ArticleDeveloping Your Sales People
By Dave Kahle Which of these issues are worrying you these days? Keeping the good sales people you have? Motivating your sales people? Stimulating your sales people to become more productive?...
View ArticleQ & A for sales managers — goal setting for personal improvement
Q. I agree with your position that sales people should set goals for improving themselves every month. As a sales manager, can you give me a more specific idea of what kind of goals I should be...
View ArticleDealing with Difficult Customers
A difficult customer – someone who is angry or upset – can be one of the most challenging and rewarding encounters for most companies. If your people handle the situation well, you will often gain a...
View ArticleQuestion and Answer for Sales Managers
Q. How many appointments or conversations per day or per week should a sales person make in order to be successful? A. I have no idea. How’s that for an answer that you’re not expecting? OK, you...
View ArticleMyths of Business2Business Sales #1: “Great Relationships”
The world is full of sales people who claim, quite proudly, to have great relationships with their customers. If that were true, it really would be great. But unfortunately, “great relationships” is...
View ArticleHow to Deal with the Sales Person Who Has Leveled Off — insights for sales...
Every manager has, or will, confront this troublesome issue. It’s arisen in every workshop for sales managers or branch managers I’ve done. One or more of your sales people has leveled off. Their...
View ArticleBest Practices for B2B Sales People – #45 Listen!
A study of the behavioral characteristics of the best sales people was published a few years ago. One of the not-so-surprising conclusions was this: The best sales people “listen more constructively”...
View ArticleQ & A for Sales People: Motivation
Question: I find it difficult to stay upbeat and positive all the time. I have a tendency to get down on myself when something goes poorly and then find it hard to look forward to the next sales call....
View ArticleBest Practices for Sales People #44: Asking Questions
Best Practice #44: Is good at asking questions as a means of facilitating every step in the sales process. A study published a few years ago identified the top five behavioral characteristics of the...
View ArticleQ&A for sales managers: The right time for sales training
Question: I wanted to do some sales training last year, but it just wasn’t the right time for it. We had too many things on our plate. Looking at our calendar this year I am coming to the same...
View ArticleDo you have a directable sales force?
Not long ago I was speaking at a national sales meeting for a large regional distributor. The regional vice president for the company’s primary manufacturer was at the meeting, supporting the efforts...
View ArticleStrategic Planning for Sales People
Strategic planning for sales people is not often a phrase in the avrage sales force’s repertoire. Unfortunately, the all too common description of the field sales person’s modus operandi is “Ready,...
View ArticleQ&A for Sales Managers: Number of sales people
Question: What is the ideal number of sales people that a sales manager should manage? Answer: Good question. As is commonly the case, my answer begins with “it depends…” It depends,...
View ArticleQ & A for Sales People: Happy with the Current Supplier
Question: When we get through to the person we want to talk to, we most often hear that they are happy with their current supplier. How can we overcome that? Answer: You are encountering the classic...
View ArticleCapturing the Impenetrable Account
How do I sell to an account that is firmly in the hands of a competitor – an impenetrable account? In one form or another, I hear that question at almost every sales seminar I teach. It’s a great...
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Best Practices for Sales People: #47 — Is guided by an intentional sales process
All too often, sales people are directed by the urgencies of the moment: A lead pops up, a customer calls with a problem, or some paperwork needs your attention. They find themselves busily pursuing...
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