Lynn Mcinturf

Has this ever happened to you? You’ve finally obtained the appointment. You’re looking forward to meeting with the prospect and asking questions you carefully prepared in order to qualify the opportunity. You arrive at the appointment on time (or start the video conference on time) . . . but before you can ask your first question, the prospect says, “OK, take it from the top. Show me what you’ve got.”

And the meeting goes downhill from there.

To be an effective salesperson, you must be an effective communicator. You must be able to decode your prospects’ statements and explanations and cut through ambiguous (or even misleading) language. By asking good questions, you will keep prospects talking, exploring, and explaining their thinking and feelings – and focused on the topic at hand and moving the conversation in the direction you want it to go.

It's extremely difficult to establish bonding and rapport with a prospect by means of the written word alone.  Use email to take the conversation offline and book more appointments and meetings.

Aberdeen's research shows that companies who integrate sales processes into their CRM outperform competitors in their markets and end up with more folks hitting quota and seeing their revenue grow faster on a year-over-year basis.

Once you’ve identified a goal that really matters to you, you’ll be more likely to attain it if you put the power of visualization to work on your behalf.

Visualization is only one part of the goal-setting process, but it’s a vitally important part.

Is everyone on your sales team speaking the same language?  When you ask your sales rep, "Hey, how did that call go?" and she responds, "It went well."  What does well mean? The sales manager may have a different interpretation of "went well" than the sales rep.  There is no room for wishy-washy words in a bottom line.  Ninety-four percent of sales organizations do not have a common process.

Launching a discussion about features usually leaves prospective buyers cold. Create and practice a statement that helps you engage with others about the desirable outcome you’ve delivered to other customers.

The summer months can be some of the most challenging for a sales manager, company president or business owner.  An all-too-common mistake is abandoning process. Help each team member stay focused and not lose ground during the summer months. The teams who see summer as a slow-down period lose ground in Q3.

Do a Reality Check on Your Sales Forecast - If inactive prospects have snuck into your pipeline, now is the best time to clean them out. Remember – only active, qualified prospects who are currently in discussion with you, and moving through the sales process, should form the basis of your sales forecasts.

Sometimes prospects make comments or ask questions that make us think the sale is over. As sales people, we get so conditioned with these responses and oftentimes throw in the towel too soon. There is a way to determine if in fact the sale is over or if you just need to force the decision.