Solve Your Sales Quota Problems by Picking Up the Phone
I was delivering social selling training to a company recently when one of the sales reps said the one thing ALL sales managers hate to hear. As a former sales leader myself, it sent
Welcome to the Sales Gravy blog, where salespeople and sales leaders get better every week. We publish new sales training articles and podcast episodes three times a week, covering prospecting, cold calling, objections, negotiation, and leadership, written by Jeb Blount and the Sales Gravy trainer team.
I was delivering social selling training to a company recently when one of the sales reps said the one thing ALL sales managers hate to hear. As a former sales leader myself, it sent
In today’s economy, being the account manager who keeps clients happy and renewals steady simply isn’t enough. Every budget line item is under the microscope. Customers want proof of ROI, so you have to
Overcoming call reluctance starts with understanding why even seasoned sales pros freeze up when it’s time to pick up the phone. They’re paralyzed by one simple fear: interrupting a prospect’s day. That’s exactly what
In 1960, two brothers scraped together $900 and bought a failing pizzeria in Michigan, launching what would become a cautionary tale about sales incentive programs gone wrong. Within months, one brother traded his half
The transition from closer to coach is where most new sales leaders struggle. You’ve put in the work, made the calls, and closed the deals. Your numbers speak for themselves. You were the rainmaker.
Here’s a question that’ll drive you absolutely crazy: How do you sell professional services without giving away everything for free? That’s the burning question from Laura and Adam, attorneys who are struggling with the
If you’re only showing up in one place, you’re not showing up at all, which is why top sales reps are making multi-channel prospecting a priority and leveraging LinkedIn to get ahead. “The reality
Should you use sales scripts to close more deals? That’s the question I get from salespeople who are struggling to hit their numbers and looking for that magic bullet that’ll transform their results overnight.
You know the feeling. You’re mid-pitch, and you watch your prospect’s eyes glaze over—their mind somewhere else entirely. It’s exhausting, demoralizing, and it’s killing your close rate. But what if you didn’t have to
Here’s a scenario that’ll hit close to home: What do you do when you were crushing your numbers just months ago, but now you can’t seem to close anything and your confidence is in
Will AI steal your sales team’s jobs? It’s the question haunting every sales floor conversation and keeping leaders up at night. But here’s the crucial insight: The biggest threat to your team’s sales careers
How can one comp plan mistake sabotage your sales team before they even start? That’s the challenge facing Adam and Laura from the Rossen Law Firm in Florida. After attending one of our Dallas
Why You Should Start Reversing Objections Reversing objections is counter-intuitive, highly effective, and requires superior preparation and courage. You must consider the response that requires the most confidence, preparation, quick-thinking, understanding, and sales talent.
How To Sound Natural Over The Phone If you sell for a living, sooner or later you have to pick up the phone for prospecting, follow up, and sales calls. To be effective, you
The Dreaded “I Am Not Interested” Objection Nothing, absolutely nothing, cuts a conversation with a prospect shorter than a brusque, “I am not interested.” Knowing how to respond to this objection can make selling
On cold calls, to grab attention your message and approach needs to be relevant. There are 5 questions to answer before you make that cold call that will help you develop a message that
The Status Quo Objection A common objection you might run into when prospecting is the status quo objection. Your prospect will tell you that they’re happy with their current provider, or that they simply
‘Busy’ Does Not Mean ‘Productive’ The best account managers know how to stay busy doing the sales activities that are the most productive. Being ‘busy’ only matters if you are taking actions that move
The #1 Trade Secret Of Pro Buyers After a lengthy new client acquisition process, the time has come to submit a proposal including pricing. Countless hours are spent formulating a glorious proposal that details
Prospects Have Objections, You Need to Know How to Handle Them Learning to handle objections is important so that you don’t spend time with prospects who are not going to buy and you ensure
The Power of the Pause When you pause before you speak, it compels your prospect to listen, open up, respond, and engage. Pausing is one of the best kept secrets to influencing buyer behavior.
Engage Your Audience With A Sales Dialogue Here are a couple of tips from the pros for turning those monologues into more of a dialogue in your presentation that keeps your audience engaged and
Salespeople Who Use Stories Win More Business The power of a good story is something we as salespeople can’t afford to ignore. Here’s how and why you need to consider adding the skill of
How Improv Comedians Engage An Audience With Silence Silence is golden on a comedy stage, just like it is on a sales stage. When the players don’t know what to verbally say to thoughtfully
7 Habits That Will Improve Your Initial Meeting Conversion Rates Planning and practicing are key elements for success…If you plan, practice and execute these habits for improving initial meeting conversation rates proactively, you will
Your Prospect Is Stalling. Now What? Top producers know a weak prospect when they hear one, and they would much rather know ahead of time who is leading them on and not likely to
All Salespeople Use Scripts— Even You Sales professionals who are extremely successful have scripts that they use regularly and that they have honed over the years. Many sales professionals claim that they never use
You Must Own The Deals You Lose The sales profession is a cruel teacher. You learn quickly that when you take short cuts, make assumptions, and stray from the basics and fundamentals— you get
Answer These 4 Questions To Guarantee Sales Pipeline Accuracy When the end of the quarter is approaching, what do sales managers want? Easy answers. Which sales that their people promised will close this week?
How To Sound Natural Over The Phone If you sell for a living, sooner or later you have to pick up the phone for prospecting, follow up, and sales calls. To be effective, you
To vet your sales reps and their progress fully, ask them specifically about the progress they’ve made during the time since your last meeting. This allows you to keep a finger on the pulse
In a hyper-competitive industry filled with giants, we need Millennials with superior sales acumen. But as wise leaders, we also have a responsibility towards the well-being of our up-and-coming sales leaders. My husband, Gordon,
Millennials are loyal to the bigger picture. They will help you get what you want if you help them get what they want. But first, you need to know more about what motivates them.
What mountains are your sales teams facing? How might you inspire them to be more engaged in their own success, as well as yours? What can you do together to reach the top of
When considering a merger or acquisition, investigate the sales management processes in place. Over the years of being in business, I’ve discovered a common strategy among consistently successful sales teams. These sales teams thrive
A deeper understanding of naturally recurring patterns of thoughts and behaviors ensures that everyone on the team can maximize their strengths and work in collaboration with others to achieve both personal and professional goals.
You must realize that leading someone does not consist of getting them to do what you want, but putting value on what they want. I’ve been a leader in various organizations and of teams
On this podcast Jeb Blount, author of People Follow You, and Will Frattini, Sales Leader at Zoominfo, discuss the challenges of leading sales teams in rapidly changing environments.
Leaders must never forget that every action they take and word they speak is being analyzed by their people for meaning.