Colleen’s Blog

Today, we're going to go over three tips that will help you in your interview process so you know which candidates you shouldn't hire.

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

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?

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?

This is an interview supporting the book launch of Millennials Matter. Q: Thanks for joining us today, Danita. Give us a quick overview what you’re seeing and hearing about the importance of millennial salespeople in our companies.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to sell to everyone that comes into your pipeline. I know, it’s intuitive as a salesperson to sell as much as possible, but effective salespeople know how to pick and choose which prospects to sell to. They know the good from the bad. The reality is, not every prospect is an ideal candidate for your product or service. The sooner you learn this important lesson, the sooner you can focus on the prospects that are ideal candidates for you to work with.

A big mistake that I see sellers and companies make at the end of the year is failing to not plan for the new year. We get caught up in trying to close every single deal we can to accelerate way past our goals that we forget that January is just around the corner.

Is your business experiencing wild swings in revenue? This may surprise you, but putting too much emphasis on closing business is actually counterproductive to increasing your revenues. What?! Let me explain.