Colleen’s Blog

I don't know how many of you visit my LinkedIn profile page, but I encourage you to go there because there's a really active conversation going on around a number of my posts.

Referrals don't work. That's what a client of mine recently told me.

I spent a couple of days this week with a client rebuilding their sales process and specifically, helping them define what the qualifications, needs, and solutions portion of their sales process is.

I have to be really blunt here. You're not going to make 2018 "your year" in sales if you're still holding on to clients that are doing nothing more than giving you frustration, headaches and simply won't be profitable this year.

Does your sales team know the difference between conversation and combat? Far too often, salespeople will get into verbal hostilities with their potential buyers. They hear a question or an objection and automatically go on the defensive! This is not a trait you want to see in one of your sales reps. You're simply not going to close a sale with a customer you're also arguing with. The last thing you want is for your sales rep to "win" the debate and have your customer sit back and shut up. This is a sign of apathy and it won't lead to anywhere positive for the sales rep or your organization. Want your sales team to be successful?

I want to talk to you about how to kick off this year by having your best first quarter yet. One of the ways we have to do that is to get really focused on three things. Brought to you by the Adobe Document Cloud.

If you're a loyal reader of this blog, you're probably aware I don't believe that sales need to slow down just because a market does. Are you noticing your team is consistently producing disappointing results and selling less than perhaps your competition? Let me fill you in on an approach which might make all the difference in your sales team's success.

Picture this...you call into your bank for support. Upon dialing the number, you're prompted by a machine to enter in your card number and other details. After this, you're transferred to a rep who then asks you for those exact credentials again. That rep, who can't properly answer your inquiry, transfers you over again to another rep who asks you to verify yourself one more time. It's frustrating just to think about it, right?

I want to have a quick conversation with you about something that often doesn't get discussed when we're talking to sellers, top performers, and sales leaders. It's a mandatory discussion that we have to have on a regular basis.

Is your sales team doing enough to build their current relationships? When you close a sale with a new client, you create a new relationship that needs to be nurtured. All too often, salespeople make a sale and then move to the next prospect. When a salesperson continues this trend long term, their client retention is going to fail...it’s inevitable! I hope you’re helping your team think ahead and make a plan to increase their sales in 2018. But, as you know, client retention is just as important as client acquisition. Here are a few tips to help you maintain and build your current relationships in the New Year. Be sure to pass this information off to your entire sales team so that they can develop their relationships: