Jim Pancero

Have you noticed most sales reps today do not think or plan enough moves ahead? Most don’t even know until the Fall what they still need to do to achieve their annual quota.

It used to be how often you contacted a buyer was defined by their sales volumes. But today things are more complex. One of the best things you can do is to just ask customers how often they want you calling and bringing new ideas.

Are you and your leadership team able to do business or conduct blind shopping studies of your competitors? It could be a great way to increase your competitive awareness as to why they’re winning business and what you need to do about it!

Though cell phone video capabilities have existed for years, most salespeople are not taking advantage of this technology. The goal is to use your cell phone to capture more images of your products being utilized and satisfied customers talking about why they like doing business with you.

There’s an old 1950’s selling concept called “WIIFM’s.” It was a simple acronym that stands for “What’s in it for me?”

How many of your reps follow a “Ready – Fire – Aim” selling philosophy? Most are so action oriented they only think one selling move ahead.

Effective questioning skills are the foundation of all persuasive communications. There are three questioning structures your team needs to be utilizing:

There was an old sales training exercise used for years called the “Match Test. The test involved a sales rep lighting a match and then, before they burned their fingers, having to deliver their complete message of uniqueness of why a buyer would want to buy from them.

How aware are you of the physical comfort zones you have between yourself and your customers? Being too far away from a buyer could be seen as being aloof. But if you stand too close, you could be seen as pushy and aggressive.

Is there any seasonality to your team’s selling efforts? What can you do prior to a season’s start to coach, remind and fine-tune your team’s selling skills and messaging?