Consider This Before Your Next “Free Giveaway”
When your giveaway is read – or listened to – they should say “wow…this free information is so great I can’t wait to see what I’ll get when I work with her.” Don’t Let
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.
When your giveaway is read – or listened to – they should say “wow…this free information is so great I can’t wait to see what I’ll get when I work with her.” Don’t Let
Avoid sales urgency because most buyers react negatively to the “opportunity method”. Chances are, you’ve all heard a version of it at least once before: “If you really want this one, grab it now,
Traditionally, a great interview with a sales director often leads to a decision to extend an offer that is based more on gut-feel, rather than on knowing the prior behaviors of the candidate that
All companies want to win more sales. More sales equals greater profits. So why has winning more sales become the unreachable dream? The first place to start is by looking at your sales people
While there’s no “magic bullet” for selling in a down market, there are several key steps you can take right now that will have an immediate impact on your business. As a professional sales
Here’s a fresh look at landing that new sales position and it’s only six steps! Even in this brutal job market and without a lot of experience, take the steps below with passion and
Japan used the philosophy of TQM and the concept of continuous improvement to set and achieve ambitious national goals. Quality management best practices developed quickly in Japanese plants and became a major driving factor
Are Your Prospects Reluctant to Respond? I get a lot of requests for voicemail scripts and email scripts that work. Seems as if prospects still aren’t returning calls and everyone seems to be reluctant
Selecting the right SWAG for your booth (or selecting not to provide any premiums at all) can be tough, but hopefully by identifying and explaining these seven categories, you will be better informed and
If you lead with features of your product or service instead of benefits, your main objection from the client will be cost. When you uncover their needs and then present the benefits of your
The Game of Successful Techniques Every so often, a person comes along who changes their field of study in a major way. Louis Pasteur changed the world of medicine with his introduction of the
My question to sales managers who buy into the premise that more coaching delivers better sales is “if you are not out there coaching your reps, then what are you doing?” Most first line
Can’t stomach cold calling? Steal Jeb Blount’s 13 proven alternatives to picking up the phone that build real pipeline and actually work.
When should you ask questions on a cold call? Questions come after you’ve earned the right, when you’re gathering information and qualifying, and they lead the conversation only when the prospect contacted you first.
To prospect for new clients, stop making random touches and run a consistent five-step system. Work this system every day and you gain control of your pipeline, along with the peace of mind that
Salespeople fail at cold calling for five common reasons. Fix them and the phone starts producing appointments again.
Email response rates are collapsing because decision maker inboxes are stuffed with automated, AI-written slop. This is exactly why the phone is more powerful today than it was ten years ago.
Quick Summary Cold calling anxiety is not a symptom of weakness. It’s human and natural to feel fear when you cold call. You are interrupting a stranger who was not expecting you, and everything
Fear of the phone is quietly draining sales pipelines, and the reps who win are the ones willing to stop hiding behind email and LinkedIn and simply make the call.
Salespeople seek a magic window that makes cold calling easy. When prospects answer happy, say yes without a fight, and book the meeting themselves. So, is there a best time to call?
Short Answer Yes, you can make cold calling fun, and it is worth doing, because the reps who enjoy the phone are the ones who stay on it. Fun is not a personality trait
So, what is the front line sales manager’s job? Simply stated, it’s maximizing the performance of each person on their team. The only way sales managers achieve their goals and make their numbers is
In the chaos of daily priorities managers often forget their most important responsibility: Developing their people. Overlooking this core leadership imperative sub-optimizes the performance of their team. A manager’s primary job is to develop
People don’t learn by listening to the words you speak. They learn by watching your behavior. They learn from what you do, the actions you take, not your words. Make sure the lessons you
The most dangerous lie that salespeople tell themselves (and anybody else who will listen) is that they lost the opportunity with their dream client on price. Salespeople—like all other groups of people—lie to themselves.
Developing a deep knowledge of your sales landscape helps you sell more in less time. English navigator Henry Hudson learned the hard way in the 17th century what can happen when you don’t know
Characteristics of a resilient, sustainable business include leadership that understands the difference between working “for” and working “with” their employees. Consider these glum facts: Only one in eight workers worldwide are engaged at work,
Salespeople and sales managers are caught up in their own version of Ground Hog Day. They keep using the same approach, having the same conversations, which are leading to the same outcomes. Sales Ground
Working smarter with people entails three key activities: assigning the right number of people, identifying roles and planning compensation strategically. Sure-fire Ways to Work Smarter with People Your sales force is defined by the
Data can do more than tell you facts about your own business. It also can reveal important information about what’s going on with your competitors in the marketplace. How to Be Data Savvy In