Developing 20/20 Hearing: A Skill That Can Boost Sales
Successful salespeople are better listeners than talkers. Instead of talking about how valuable they are, they carefully listen for how they can be of value. Here are three steps to help salespeople develop “20/20” hearing: 1. Tune in totally. Before meeting, decide to listen 80% of the time and talk only 20% of the time. […]
The Secret to Winning Back Customers
There’s a difference between lost customers and dead customers. When looking for new business, we ignore lost business. A New Jersey-based consulting firm estimates that the closing ratio for new prospects is 5% to 20%, but the potential to regain lost customers is 20% to 40%. Here are five ways to create your own customer […]
Instead of “Shooting from the Lip”
Helping difficult customers often means overcoming your first impulse. Turn “shoot from the lip” responses into tactful, helpful ones. 1. “I can’t help you with that.” Instead try: “I need more information to determine the best way to help you.” Don’t jump to the conclusion that you can’t help your customer just because their question isn’t […]
Recognize the Stages of Customers’ Decision-Making to Sell More Effectively
If your complaint is that it takes customers forever to make up their minds, maybe you don’t fully understand the decision-making process. Recognizing which stage a customer is in will help your sales strategy. Deciding to decide. Before customers select a product to purchase, they have to make up their minds to buy in the […]
You Can’t Afford Not to Prospect
The jury is out about whether good salespeople like to prospect or can do it well. But the bottom line is that without new business, salespeople are gambling. Here are some ways to go about prospecting successfully. Allow time to prospect. Set aside a fixed number of hours for making cold calls, and stick to this […]
