
How to Entertain Business Etiquette When Dining for Profit
If you pay attention to the details and make every effort to see that your clients have a pleasant experience, they will assume that you will handle their business the same way. Before long
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.

If you pay attention to the details and make every effort to see that your clients have a pleasant experience, they will assume that you will handle their business the same way. Before long

The Right People for Sales There is a saying, mostly used in the world of athletics; “You can lose with great people but you cannot win without them.” Clearly this theory applies to many

The problem with many sales managers is that they aren’t expected to get on the phone and sell. And the problem with that is how can they teach and coach something they aren’t doing

People are in “holiday mode” and many businesses are in a holding pattern, waiting for budgets to be released in the New Year. These ideas should give you enough to keep you busy in

So you now own an iPad or other type of tablet and you’re wondering if you should use it on a sales call. Here are 6 quick rules to consider: 1. Don’t use it

A Surprise Opportunity with The Ultimate Decision Maker I was having breakfast with a client, Spike Count of the Baxa Company, in Denver right before a training program I was delivering, and we were

A compensation plan that works. When it comes to how businesses pay their salespeople, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s especially true for Microsoft’s diverse partner companies. Each has its own business model, margins and
To build a quality relationship with your prospect, you must sell three things in a specific order. Step one sell yourself, step two sell the quality of your company, and step three sell the

There are many ways to go about creating a defined sales process and training program and one of the best ways is to break down what your Top 20% are doing. They obviously have

When Do Executives Buy? When do the C-level executives make the decision to buy? When they believe that your solution brings new “opportunity” to their company. Most executives are decisive. They evaluate their decisions

Hiring good salespeople is one of most important tasks a manager faces. Few decisions are more essential to the success of your company than who represents your products and services. The time and money

Your objective as the salesperson is to get the customer to share with you at least three reasons they need what you’re offering. One of the three should be time sensitive. The customer’s time-sensitive
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
Having A Common Sales Language Prevents Miscommunication The language we use is key to the success of all sales organizations. Most companies share a common corporate language, and that lingua franca is English. Even
On this episode of the Sales Gravy podcast, Jeb Blount (People Follow You) sits down with Leigh Cantrell and Rob Matura who are Regional Vice Presidents at Cigna to discuss the keys to leading
In today’s world there are few barriers to career change. Top sales talent can walk out of your door to another career opportunity at any time. This puts more pressure on sales leaders than
5 Leadership Skills to Weather Any Economic Storm The storm clouds are brewing once again. We don’t quite know what is in store for us economically, but what we do know is that we
Three Sales Habits That Close More Business Let’s take a look at the top three sales habits of top producers and examine the neuroscience and emotional intelligence skills behind the development of success habits.
Leaders Must Be Authentic Communicators These five tips for authentic communication can help build trust within an organization, especially when it starts with leadership. Whether it’s holding open dialogues, or sharing stories and passing
Are Sales Contests Worth It? Sales contests and promotions should be conducted with one thought in mind: Changing behavior to achieve a desired result or outcome. There are a few things to keep in
Sales Skills: In Class Vs. Out In The Field One of the biggest challenges for most organizations is helping salespeople execute in the field what they’ve learned in theory in the classroom. It is
Leading A Dysfunctional Sales Team? Here’s How To Fix It Maybe you inherited a dysfunctional sales team, or inadvertently created one. Here’s how you can turn it into a high performing sales machine. Ridding