Colleen’s Blog

Not hearing back from prospects? Waiting by your phone, hoping it will ring? Being ghosted by prospects can be frustrating, but here's what you can do about it.

Sales lessons are all around us. Often, I keep a keen eye out for new experiences, for the very purpose of sharing what I learned with you! Here are some of the thoughts I'm having right now which could benefit you:

There was an expression that I heard years ago from Alan Weiss, where he said, "Generalize and thrive."

This is a great way to frustrate your prospects. Have you ever been excited to call a brand and inquire about their services, only to have a horrible experience?

Today, I have a challenge for you. I want you to throw out all notions that all micromanaging is bad because in fact, micromanaging your sales team can be a good thing.

I've been thinking a lot about the state of sales, especially its state in the future. Here are some of my predictions and musings.

It goes without saying, but sales can be one of the most stressful professions out there, period. Your sales team is constantly feeling the pressure of hitting targets, keeping clients happy, ensuring the delivery of what was promised, and the list goes on. There can, as a result, be a natural tendency for sales professionals to "oversell" in an attempt to close more deals and hit their targets.

The other day, I got a call from one of my long-term coaching clients. He was excited because he had just blown away his sales numbers. He had a 7 million dollar quota and he closed 10 million, but he was also furious about being reprimanded for not putting in as many miles as the other field sales reps.

Did you just do a double take? Don't close sales...isn't that counter-productive to our sales success? You heard me right. Salespeople should not be attempting to “close” sales with clients. It’s all in the definition.

The best behavior that you can exhibit in order to retain the vast majority of your customers is a healthy sense of paranoia.