Colleen’s Blog

It's time to forget about the idea of an "ideal buyer." That's right, forget about it. Times have changed.

Want to know two things that never go together when it comes to salespeople? Low confidence and high sales results. Seriously, have you ever seen a sales rep who sulks in the corner all day, talks about how tough it is to make sales, lacks overall self-esteem but simultaneously still manages to be the top performer in the company? Suffice to say that's a rhetorical question. It simply doesn't happen. Methods and strategies are great, but are you focusing enough on your sales team's confidence level?

Home fitness is all the craze these days. You know, those big, bulky machines that supposedly deliver amazing results or those 90 day programs that make you fit and healthy? Don't worry, I'm not about to bash anything that can increase your fitness, health and overall well-being.

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.

This common error costs more sales than most sales leaders are willing to admit. Here's the thing, you could possess the most talented sales team in the world, equipped with sales reps who know how to ask the right questions, overcome objections, negotiate effectively and it will still do you no good if these reps don't ask for the sale. Why then, are so many sales leaders being nonchalant about the fear of asking for the sale? This doesn't have to be a matter of intimidation!

We can discuss sales strategies, ideas, tips and methods to no end. However, at times even the best salesperson struggles to achieve results not because of a weak strategy, but because of little to no focus on their productivity. Let’s cut to the chase. The best way to get your team to achieve true productivity in their work day is to get them to cut off all inbound access. Now, before your jaw drops too low, let me clarify...

Are you or members of your sales team having trouble getting past gatekeepers? I've noticed a trend. In my latest workshops and training working with top sales performers, one issue that keeps coming to the surface is how to get past gatekeepers. It's an obvious struggle. If you can't get to the individual who has the power to buy and sign purchase orders and checks, it's going to be a long and tough road to making sales (and that road can very well lead to a dead-end). So, how can salespeople get past gatekeepers? There are three important points that you need to consider:

A key distinction between top sellers and top sales leaders is that top sales leaders must be excellent team players, whereas top sellers do not. Leaders must be team players. Why? Because they must believe that the whole team:

Your sales team could be too isolated! A couple of years ago, I was working with an organization and we brought their entire sales team together in one room. One of the first things we did is we asked each individual on the team to begin sharing examples, ideas, thoughts and success stories. We wanted to determine whether those success stories aligned with the goals and values that the company put forth. Something interesting happened though. We began hearing phrases like: