Colleen’s Blog

How long do you typically take to get back to a prospect upon receiving an inquiry from them? Anything longer than 24 hours is too long. Your customers are busy people. By taking too long to respond you’re letting go of an otherwise potentially easy sale.

Most companies take a reactive approach to client retention and that is the wrong way to think about this issue.

This year, my team and I have had the pleasure of working on some really interesting projects.

The best salespeople are constantly looking for ways to improve. They are not staying static for extended periods of time because, let’s face it, if you’re not moving forward - you’re moving backwards! There’s almost nothing better than reaching (or exceeding) all of your sales goals for the year. A certain feeling of accomplishment is natural, and should be embraced! However, will you be satisfied if your numbers stay the same and stagnate? Are you doing anything to improve upon your past accomplishments? The answer for many salespeople is no. They often work hard to create temporary success and soon after end up in a worse situation than they were before because they allow temporary accomplishments to hinder their work ethic. Here are two things you can do to improve upon your current success:

I talk often about a new performance-management culture taking hold in today’s B2All marketplace. To meet that challenge, not only must selling skills change, leadership skills must evolve too. Your sales manager’s number-one job now is to teach and refine the skills of sellers to help them hit their peak and stay there. So, what’s the best way to make that happen: by simply turning your existing top sellers into leaders? Not so fast! 

Always be prospecting. Why do I say that? I can tell you that in 25 years of selling, I have never met a sales problem that can’t be solved without good prospecting skills.

Thinking back to my post on Monday, another lesson we can learn from Mykonos is the value of adding value. Adding value, especially when it is not expected, creates a lasting impression in your customers minds and keeps them coming back. Even more, it converts your customers into evangelists bringing you more customers at little advertising costs. For example:

After a week in Mykonos, Greece, I’ve determined that Myconians are the most hospitable people in the world. And, I believe that the best investment any hospitality business can make is to send their people to Mykonos for observational training. The way locals interact with their customers is outstanding. It's memorable. And, it's definitely profitable.  Here are 4 general observations: