Sales Articles

Of ODM in -and not in- govt., and your customers not  believing you

Does your customer believe you? If your customer is struggling to understand you, he doesn’t believe you. Take the ODM party and its case of muddled messaging over joining the broad (Mercy Tarus calls it, fraud) based government. Have you noticed how hard-pressed the ODM party is, to explain themselves? “Are you still in the

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Even in this Gen Z led world, use cold calling shamelessly. Here’s how

Is cold calling dead? The short, surprising answer to most sales people, is no. Does cold calling work? Oh, yes. This is the cold truth. Cold calling is alive and kicking; hale and hearty. And it is ruthlessly efficient. But first, what is cold calling? Cold calling involves sales people reaching out to potential customers

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How to sell your product features as customer benefits

Receiving a certificate after a training means different things to different learners. Compliance. Recognition of Achievement. Brand association (Trained by…). Proof of competence (Credibility). Proof of attendance. A promotion. And more. What’s the sales lesson here? Well, the certificate is one feature of the training. The meaning the learner gives to it is the benefit.

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Sell like a politician – master the power of benefits-driven selling

Politicians really nail benefits driven selling. I’ll use them today to articulate the importance of pitching benefits when selling. Politicians know what their voters (prospects) want to hear and they articulate it with crystal clarity. If only they followed through. (Sigh!) Alas! as political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi once said: “A politician has no principles. An

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Are your salespeople aligned to your competitive selling strategies?

“What are you competing on? And what do you pitch?” To the former, the average sales person is clueless; possibly because he was never told, but much more likely because he has resigned to sales resistance. Which is why, to the latter question, assuming he’s honest enough, he’ll say, “Price.” More accurately, he’ll lament thus:

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Does your after sales service bolster or butcher your sales efforts?

Dear Business Owner, does your after-sales service bolster or butcher your selling efforts? I’m assuming here you have an after sales service. And if you don’t, keep reading. And if you do, is your after sales service as effective as yoursalesservice? Or, do your customers suddenly become children of a lesser god once they’ve bought?

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Hunting and farming in sales: Why you need a plan and how to create one

If you farm and hunt than you need a plan. If you are required to acquire customers (hunt) and nurture customers (farm), then you need a plan. Generally, most salespeople have a component of each; but, some roles, like Strategic Account Management, have these responsibilities specifically embedded in their jobs. Without a plan you will

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Here’s how humility and curiosity can drive your sales success

If you don’t get it, it’s OK to say so. If you don’t know, it’s OK to admit it. “Kuuliza si ujinga,” the Kiswahili proverb advises. Directly translated: “Asking is not stupidity”. Admitting you do not know does not imply you’re stupid. To the contrary, it demonstrates humility, and invites teaching. And humility is the

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