Colleen’s Blog

I've seen it happen over and over again - chances are one or more of your team members are guilty of doing this too... Picture this, you have a prospect that is interested in your product or service. It seems that bringing them on board as a new client is more or less a done deal. Your rep continues to sell to them anyway. They keep piling on and highlighting features and value that your prospect doesn't necessarily even need. The prospect begins to back off, they go from being interested and engaged to hesitant. The prospect decides they need to think about the decision...you never hear from them again. What happened? The sales rep fell into the "oversell trap" and lost a potential client as a result.

They're hitting and exceeding their targets with no signs of slowing down. Should you even bother to coach your top sales performers? I've been working with executives for the last few years on sales coaching practices. I've noticed that many executives are on the fence about whether or not to coach top performers. Let me clear the air.

In Venice last week I learned that locals are leaving in droves. Yes, the water is rising (by 1.5 meters since the city was founded). But the encroaching tides are not the cause for the exodus. Instead, it is high real estate prices.  Only 57,000 locals remain in the city. The bakers are gone; bread is now imported from the mainland. The butchers are gone, the families are gone and the schools are closing. In multiple Piazza’s we saw 1-2 lone children playing in what were once bustling communities.  The city has become a location for “day visitors” as our guide called them, as most tourists don’t even spend the night. Homes are being bought by foreigners who rarely visit, and workers in the hotels and shops commute in and back every day leaving the restaurant patios away from St Mark’s empty. The nights, while peaceful, are somewhat eerie. And it got me thinking.

You cannot grow your business with a particular client if you're relying on a singular point of information. Growth comes from not only the quality of contacts, but also your quantity of contacts in a particular organization. If members of your sales team are not diversifying their contacts within an organization, it's time that you ask them to start doing so. The truth is, your team needs to be increasing their engagement or "infiltration" with their clients if you have any hopes of growing your business within your existing customer base. What's the best way to begin practicing this? Start building an organizational chart. When a member of your sales team meets with a buyer, either in person or on call, get them to ask this one simple question: