http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/ Free Articles on Sales & Sales Management Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:13:17 EST en-us http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/forecasting/Setting_Sales_Quotas_and_Targets.shtml Forecasting Every year sales managers go through the exciting ritual of deciding who is going to sell how much and then trying to convince the sales team to actually accept the challenge. It's never an easy task but there are some ways to make it less painful. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/forecasting/Setting_Sales_Quotas_and_Targets.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/management_leadership/Tough_Sales_Management_for_Tough_Economic_Times.shtml Management / Leadership It doesn’t matter if the economy is bad around the world, around the country, around the block, or around your industry or market, managing for tough economic times means that some difficult decisions have to be made, and you’re the person who has to make them. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/management_leadership/Tough_Sales_Management_for_Tough_Economic_Times.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/management_leadership/Sales_Managers_Are_Irrelevant.shtml Management / Leadership If you're not becoming irrelevant to your sales team, you may be redundant! Is irrelevancy the latest flavour-of-the-month sales management style or the way of the future? You'll be surprised at what this article uncovers. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/management_leadership/Sales_Managers_Are_Irrelevant.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/forecasting/A_Simplified_Method_of_Forecasting_Sales.shtml Forecasting Trying to get accurate sales forecasts from the field is a continuing challenge. The key word here is accurate. Here's a simple method to help your people sharpen their forecasting skills while staying on top of their opportunities. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/forecasting/A_Simplified_Method_of_Forecasting_Sales.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/telephone_selling_voice_mail/The_Telephone_-_Sales_Tool_or_Club.shtml Telephone Selling / Voice Mail Telephone selling differs from "telemarketing." Because telephone selling is something that every salesperson must do from time to time, we should learn to use this selling tool properly and like any tool, there are right ways and wrong ways to use it. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/telephone_selling_voice_mail/The_Telephone_-_Sales_Tool_or_Club.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Remove_the_Doubt_and_Make_the_Sale.shtml Sales Presentations Like any good craftsman, you need to have the right tools in your tool belt if you are to do the best job you can. This article explores three tools that you can use to remove the doubt in your prospect's mind and make the sale. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Remove_the_Doubt_and_Make_the_Sale.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Fear_Sells_So_Sell_Fear.shtml Sales Presentations Most purchases involve a risk of some kind on the part of the purchaser. It becomes a matter of determining which risk is likely to move the prospect to make a buying decision in your favour. The answer may surprise you. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Fear_Sells_So_Sell_Fear.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Selling_the_Sizzle.shtml Sales Presentations Remember the old saying, Sell the sizzle, not the steak? Well, it's still alive and well but not used by many salespeople. Most of them are still trying to only sell the steak. How boring! http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Selling_the_Sizzle.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Setting_Price_Expectations.shtml Sales Presentations This article is intended for salespeople for whom price is not their prime selling tool — salespeople who sell a quality product or service at a fair but, not necessarily the lowest, price. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Setting_Price_Expectations.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Dealing_With_the_Long-Distance_Buyer.shtml Sales Presentations It's extremely frustrating for a salesperson to not have direct access to the key decision maker. Trying to make a sale under these conditions is a bit like trying to push a string, it's difficult but not impossible. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Dealing_With_the_Long-Distance_Buyer.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Predatory_Pricing_in_a_Competitive_Market.shtml Sales Presentations How do you handle situations where your main competitor is always undercutting you by 20 percent or more? It's a question that might be asked by any salesperson who is in a highly competitive market. Unfortunately, it's also a question for which there is no easy answer, but here are some ideas for you. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_presentations/Predatory_Pricing_in_a_Competitive_Market.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_approach/Getting_the_Prospect_to_Return_Your_Call.shtml Sales Approach In the past, salespeople had to find a way around the "screener," the person who stood in the way of you reaching the decision-maker. Today, voice mail has taken the place of the traditional screener but the same techniques that work with a screener will work with a voice-mail system. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_approach/Getting_the_Prospect_to_Return_Your_Call.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_approach/Dress_for_Success.shtml Sales Approach How seriously do you want to be taken? If you want to be taken seriously, you better look the part. Dressing appropriately not only affects how seriously some people will take you but it can impact your credibility with the prospect. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_approach/Dress_for_Success.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_approach/Why_Should_I_Buy_From_You.shtml Sales Approach Try this test the next time you're considering a purchase. Ask the salesperson, "Why should I buy from you?" Don't be surprised if the person breaks into a foreign language that sounds something like this, "Um, uh, I, we, oh, let me see, ah, we, well um…" Most salespeople simply aren't equipped to answer this fundamental question. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/sales_approach/Why_Should_I_Buy_From_You.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Stop_Talking_to_PWOTs.shtml Qualifying / Questioning Why do so many salespeople spend time on PWOTs (Potential Waste Of Time)? In some cases they haven't learned to recognize one. In other cases, they don't have anyone else to talk to and would rather spend time with a PWOT than do cold calls or other forms of prospecting. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Stop_Talking_to_PWOTs.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Don_t_Talk_Turkey_With_Turkeys.shtml Qualifying / Questioning You know who I'm referring to — the prospect that isn't going to buy from you no matter what. It might be because he doesn't need or want whatever it is you're selling or perhaps you've rubbed him the wrong way and he simply doesn't want to buy from you. The only problem is, he won't tell you that. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Don_t_Talk_Turkey_With_Turkeys.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Stop_Watering_Dead_Plants.shtml Qualifying / Questioning There is absolutely no doubt that persistence is a key element for sales success. But where does persistence stop and being a pest begin, and when is being persistent just plain dumb? Find the answer here. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Stop_Watering_Dead_Plants.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Dealing_with_Information_Seekers.shtml Qualifying / Questioning What do you do when you hear the words, "My boss has asked me to get information and pricing on (whatever it is you sell)?" Your heart sinks, that's what happens. It sinks because you know that you're dealing with information seekers and that's an even greater challenge than dealing with the infamous gatekeepers. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Dealing_with_Information_Seekers.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Know_Who_You_re_Talking_With.shtml Qualifying / Questioning The person who answers the phone may not be a prospect or even a suspect. It might just be someone who may have absolutely no interest in what you're selling. Stop wasting everyone's time and find out who it is you're talking with and/or who you should be talking with. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/qualifying_questioning/Know_Who_You_re_Talking_With.shtml http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/organization_selfdevelopment/Measuring_Up_to_Success.shtml Organization / Self-Development How do you measure up? Are you as good as you could be? Are you as good as you should be? Do you even know how good you could be? Here's a way to find out. http://www.salesforceassessments.com/artman2/publish/organization_selfdevelopment/Measuring_Up_to_Success.shtml