Archive for Author: lmye-admin

Build bridges instead of walls to be a better salesman

“Build bridges instead of walls. Bridges rhyme with the fluidity of human interaction; walls, don’t” Unfortunately, in the process of human interaction (selling),we build walls instead of bridges. Sometimes because we are human; sometimes because we are inexperienced and, sometimes, though regrettably, because we are indifferent. This article is not for the indifferent; depleting sales

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Win with an unfair selling advantage by getting in early with the buyer

“Getting in early with the customer means being proactive, not reactive; generous, not selfish; relational, not transactional. It also propels your career and usefulness.” I’m told that by 4.30am you will find owners of business on the road with traffic nowhere in their sights, nor thoughts. By 5.30 am, MDs have driven to work, traffic

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Putting buyers’ interest first puts you in a winning position

Fighting to be in a scoring position will mean letting go of sales sometimes. Which is fine if that was the only way to assist the buyer get what he needs. “Always fight to be in a scoring position.” So, a Director of Business Development reader friend of mine used to tell the players of

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Simplicity is king when selling to prospective buyers

“When I first heard about the cloud, I thought the information was held somewhere in the skies.” I was told this by the CEO of a thriving I.T solutions firm. If you know what ‘the cloud’ in computer terminology means, you must be laughing. Don’t! That’s how you lose sales. By assuming buyers know, and

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Forget closing the sale! Just get the appointment

“You can’t sell to everyone, and because you must sell to someone, you don’t want to pick anyone. Prospecting remains the most important step in sales. All others cannot manifest if there’s no one to work them on.” So, forget closing the sale; just get the appointment. What is the most important skill in selling?

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Research and explore to find out your buyer’s hidden need

“Research and explore to get close to the need with the focus of a rifle than hope for the best with the pellets from a shotgun” The umbrellas are on sale in the streets. With the chronic blackouts lately, lanterns and emergency lights are too. Hawkers seem to always have just what you need. And

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How to sell to different segments in the organization

It is the consummate seller who is able to resist the urge to volunteer (unnecessary) details of what the product can do. A business to business sale many times requires the presentation to be done across different cadre before it is consummated. Few sellers do this. Many, for lack of trying; others for lack of

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How sellers in charitable organizations can quickly embrace a commercial outlook

Trapped between charity and commerce, charitable organizations strive to embrace a quasi-commercial outlook. Therefore, it is imperative for their salespeople to morph at a faster rate. When the dire credit crunch happened in the West a few years back, many charitable organizations were forced to interrogate how they do business. Before, donor money would flow,

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Debt collection is in itself a formidable salesman

To thrive, sellers must take debt collection in stride. Or would they rather Finance does? If the ultimate objective of sales is to generate income, then debt collection is in itself a salesman. A reader friend of mine told me of an interesting experience he had a few years back. When he joined this firm

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