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Change First

I get frustrated by salesreps that seem set in their ways. I’ve been trying to show one particular team recently that a little tweak can make a huge difference to their performance. But they all prefer to stay doing what they’ve always done. They have a core product

Low Volume Opportunities

I’ve been helping a 10-strong sales team sell a new product lately. Each one had to nominate 5 accounts where they thought they could sell it. I then helped by recording for them what happened when they pitched it. A few months in, there is now a problem. Very

Avoid Hairdresser Syndrome

A playful “discussion” between two programmers recently (in a sweet way, as they’re so precious about how their code looks!) reminded me of a trap that sellers should be conscious they don’t fall prey to. I heard it once referred to as the ‘hairdresser syndrome’. Ever gone into

The First 3 Slides

How many ‘corporate overview’ presentations have you delivered? There comes a point in most sales campaigns when the prospect wants to know more about your firm. My early selling days allowed me to select any from around 100 of the old 35mil projection slides. My elders and betters reckoned 45

Tooth Comb Qualification

When I make business-related purchases, I secretly hope to pick up a selling tip from the hopeful vendor. One such case occured in Cape Town, not a place exactly brimming with dynamic business vibes. It’d had been a touch too long between discussions between me and vendor Peter. When

The Generation Divide

I blogged recently on “latch-lifters [http://salespodder.com/know-your-latch-lifters/]” after one of many conversations I’ve enjoyed with the wonderful to speak to Steve Anderson. The other day he told me about a success he’d created after three years ago one of his senior contacts at a customer moved

Overcoming Worn Down Buyer Cynicism

A customer of mine sell big ticket printing kit and software. It’s the highest price tag in the market, and customers luckily get what they pay for, as it’s considered ‘the best’. They’re addressing an issue at the moment with RoI business case presentations. It appears that

Opposite Extreme Bags A Whale

When I first started out reppin’, my (much older) sales colleagues used to talk of landing their “whale of a deal”. Breaking into ‘corporate’ acccounts took up a lot of our idle conversation time. There was often frustration that the highest paid reps would be given named accounts to hunt

A New Spin on SPIN

One of my customers many moons ago paid to join the Huthwaite ‘spin selling’ programme. Then later, they left the fold. Wanting to keep some of the best bits on-board, they evolved their use of the concept. They now call it NPINS. The idea is that the initials still stand

Tiler No Grout Slouch

How often do you pick up a sales tip from a builder? Raging Man Utd fan Salie is turning out to be a winner. He’s renovating my pad in Cape Town. I must admit, I’m having a bit of difficulty trying to “manage” the process. When the workmen