http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com Building Performance Profits and People Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:48:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Ever notice two people whispering to each other and as you get approach them, they suddenly stop talking?  How do you feel?  Uneasy? Confident?Annoyed?  Curious? Well, when I saw this quote by the actor Erroll Flynn I thought - this is so true in business! It isn't what they say about you, ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/the-whispers-tell-the-truth/ TGIF -  Thank God It's Friday!  Do you feel like that this week? You don't have to.  Let's make today - FUF!  Follow-up Friday.  Fridays are great days for follow-up.  Many people are at their desk today trying to wrap up their week and tie up loose ends before the weekend starts. It's often a ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/follow-up-friday/ Every effective sales training course teaches sales professionals to ask open-ended questions.  These are the questions that start with who, what, why, when, how, etc.  Why are open ended questions so universally taught? Because: They solicit great information Get the person talking Allow you and them to find out if there is an opportunity Can show ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/the-3-is-of-open-ended-questions/ You know the saying, 'I learned everything I ever needed to know in kindergarten?' One of the kindergarten lessons on fire safety can be very effective in working through customer complaints and objections. Yesterday a speaker shared a joke about two men who were chatting about their lives over drinks.  The first man ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/customer-objections-stop-drop-roll/ What does it take to be successful in the sales world?  Intelligence, drive, a good work ethic, being customer and company focused, knowing 'how' to sell in your industry and so much more.  Yet all of this can be boiled down to two broader items:  confidence and competence. In my sales training courses, ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/confidence-andor-competence/ Once a week we have a Smörgåsbord night for dinner at my house.  (Somepeople might call this leftover night - we don't.)  It's the time when we gather all our little tidbits of this and that food and have a FEAST!  Well, today is a sales Smörgåsbord.  Lots of little ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/a-smorgasbord-of-sales-tips/ It's Monday morning.  I'm tired.  The weekend was long and ended with a funeral for a 39 year old mom with young kids.  What an energy zapper.  And I have a long To Do list for today including an important sales call (aren't they all important?). How about you?  Ready to ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/pep-and-productivity/ Great Expectations is more than a Dickens book - its a powerful force in business life.  It drives customer loyalty, frustration, sales and so much more.  'Managing expectations' isn't good enough anymore...driving and exceeding expectations is the 'real' differentiator of pros from rookies.   Don't get me wrong, managing expectations is important.  But matching expectations ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/great-expectations-get-real/ Ever been in a conversation with a customer or prospect that missed the mark?  Whether we are responding to objections, trying to communicate value or understand their situation, a key component of being an effective communication is to match intensity. Matching intensity is not an easy idea. It was first explained ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/intense-communications/ What happens when you hear an objection?  Do you freeze?  Do you run?  Do you get defensive?  There are many ways to respond to objections - and most will kill your sale!  But when you listen to the objection and respond appropriately, the sale will live on! My energetic and unbelievably ... http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/responding-to-objections/