Articles on managing sales and service
Rating prospects helps you project new business, and indicates where you should focus your efforts. This article is an overview of what does not work well, followed by what does. We begin with this advice: Detach rating prospects from your pipeline. […]
Do not rate prospects you’re marketing to, keep these in a prospecting bucket. Do not rate prospects who have only scheduled the first sales conversation. Only rate prospects with whom you’ve had at least one actual sales conversation. Apply points as you uncover information and/or as things change. This lets you rate prospects throughout the process. [...]
Percentage, schmercentage… Are you using percentages to indicate likelihood of closing? Here’s why to stop: […]
Reports of phone phobia among younger people are numerous. Is this scourge affecting Millennials and the alphabet generations the same way it ails older people? The answer is yes and no. The no part is that the end result is the same: not making calls, or being less successful with calling. However, the reasons behind fear [...]
I’ve covered problems with the concept of “warm” calls at a tactical/caller level elsewhere. This article heads to the C-suite to cover one and one-half strategic problems summed up this way: “warm” brings “cold” with it. […]
“Personality” assessments have been positioned as business tools for many years. From Myers-Briggs, to DiSC, to the recently popular Colors, these supposedly help us better understand and communicate with others—including sell to them. Before covering why such tools are often counterproductive in selling, I want to address their unintended darker side. […]
