Are you still getting screened out by the gatekeeper? Are you still getting interrogated with questions like: “Will he know what this call is about?” “Is she expecting your call?” If you are, then cha …
Hope you’re enjoying the NFL playoffs. A client and I were talking about that Bear/Eagles game a week ago, and (besides the Bear’s kicker—I do feel bad for him), we were talking about that last scorin …
Happy New Year! If you’re like most people, then you’ve got a lot of goals in a lot of areas, don’t you? If you are feeling overwhelmed with all you’re going to accomplish, you may be wondering where …
I don’t know why tie downs aren’t used more by sales reps selling over the phone. I was listening to an experienced rep the other day just pitch and ad-lib to a good prospect, and at the end of the ca …
Many sales reps still have trouble handling the initial resistance statement: “We’re all set,” or “We already have a dealer/supplier/vendor for that.” If you struggle, too, then you’ll love the proven …
I was having breakfast with a client in Denver before a training program I was giving, and we were talking about the importance of asking questions and listening. He told me that a few years ago he wa …
How would you rate your cell phone company’s customer service? To get the answers to these questions, we conducted a survey and here are some of the words consumers used most often: Dread Frustrated A …
Let’s start with the obvious: Sales reps talk too much. Whether it’s nervousness, fear, inexperience, or just the conviction that if they stop talking the prospect will say “Not interested” and hang u …
One of the biggest mistakes I still hear sales reps making is pitching the gatekeeper or receptionist in hopes of them being so impressed that they will put them through to the Decision Maker (DM). Ye …
What do you say when you get this objection while prospecting? If you’re like many sales reps, you accept this stall and become a willing participant in the follow up drama that ensues. And you know h …
Years ago, they used to say you had just a couple of minutes to make a good impression when selling over the phone. As the Internet got popular and email lost its luster, they said you had just a minu …
It happened just now. Phone rang at our office and I picked it up. It was a guy who read my latest book, Power Phone Scripts, and wanted to know how to handle a situation/objection he was getting. Cal …
Learn the top strategies, ideas, ways and examples on how to increase sales qualified leads with the top open ended sales probing discovery questions for qualifying prospective clients. Ahhhhh….. The …
Learn the best outbound B2B telemarketing sales appointment setting tips, techniques and strategies for making effective lead generation cold calls over the phone. Nothing is more frustrating than mak …
Find out why sales is a numbers game and why using a daily phone cold call lead activity tracker and prospect management system such as a team goal tracking spreadsheet or calendar is vital to success …
How to Make B2B Cold Phone Calls for Sales Learn the art of top B2B cold calling opening scripts, tips, techniques and best practices on how to make effective, successful cold phone calls that really …
Being an inside sales manager is tough these days. Technology (which is supposed to make your job easier), is overwhelming and there are just too many new data points technologies allow us to measure: …
If you’re an inside sales manager, then you know all about metrics. In fact, whenever I consult with new clients, the owners and managers automatically begin showing me their call monitoring reports. …
As a homeowner, I’m always having to fix something. Those of you who own homes know exactly what I mean. I’m in the habit of getting a variety of quotes for the big stuff, and it’s amazing how some co …
On Facebook last week, there was a very brave soul who was making cold calls live. I clicked over to hear him doing it (he sells SEO services), and as I watched I noticed he was making one crucial err …
Learn the top secrets of closing the sale with proven training, techniques, rebuttals, responses and tips of effectively handling and overcoming the most common price objections. Of all the objections …
Discover sales training with best tips, rebuttal techniques and responses on how to go about handling and overcoming most common objections in phone cold call prospecting. Prospecting by phone can be …
Learn the best ways on how to increase, improve and boost your sales process performance with more effective tips, techniques strategies and ideas including top closing lines and assumptive questions. …
Discover effective openings and sample outbound cold calling phone telemarketing sales pitch scripts including the best tips, techniques and examples ever written for closing calls. If you close sales …
With all the technology out there, some people like to say that cold calling and prospecting are dead. But just ask account managers and inside sales managers if they still have to prospect and cold c …
Quick: Can you tell me, in three sentences or less, exactly what AI is and how it is going to impact your sales career or company? If not, then don’t feel bad. It’s kind of like when the word “cloud” …
There has been a lot of talk recently about “Objections.” What they are, how to prevent them, how to deal with them. That’s great, but you may be asking yourself: What do I actually say or do to overc …
Written by: Alan Fendrich Most companies interview salespeople to find out if they are persuasive. And they come away from the interview saying, “They really handled themselves well in the interview.” …
Lately, I’ve received quite a few emails and phone calls from people asking me if I can help them find a phone sales job they can work anywhere in the world. I spoke with a woman last week who, appare …
Last week I was speaking with a service provider who wanted to joint venture with me. They have a CRM solution they wanted to me to market to my list of subscribers. After the initial conversation, ne …
If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know I work in a variety of industries and with many different companies in those industries. At first, when new companies are going to engage with me, …
I was on the “Sell or Die” podcast with Jeffrey Gitomer a couple of weeks ago, and he asked me a good question. He said this question would cause me to think a bit and then he asked, “Mike, how many o …
There is a lot of talk these days about how cold calling sucks. And I agree—it can be brutal. When I started my career in the financial industry, I had to make more than 150 cold calls every day. Some …
Greetings from Chicago! I’m here this week presenting at the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) Leadership Summit. If you’re attending the Summit, then make sure and say hello …
The words “cold calling” still make sales people sweat. I was on the phone with a client just a moment ago, while writing this, and he told me the biggest problem with his sales team is call reluctanc …
We’ve all been there: you’re in the middle of something and your phone rings and it’s a sales person calling. You know instantly how the call is going to go just based on the first few sentence …
In my book, Power Phone Scripts, I reveal the secret of sales: 90% of selling situations are recurring selling situations, which means if you want to become a superstar sales person, then you hav …
How do you feel about this opening? People either love it or hate it. Some sales people think it’s a more courteous way of speaking to a new prospect, that it shows respect and separates you fr …
Seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? I mean, who can double their income in just 90 days?! Those were my thoughts when I first heard the top inside sales trainer at the time, Stan Billue, cla …
Are you still ad-libbing a response to the “your price is too high,” objection? This is perhaps the oldest objection in the world, I mean think about it: In ancient Egypt (4,000+ years ago), at …
I was talking with a client last week about some of his new employees. He told me that some of them are struggling to get through to decision makers, and he thought it was because they were “pitching …
As the next week rolled around, I was very motivated to meet with my boss and find out what the missing ingredient to performance was. I had spent a few weeks identifying all the things I could do – t …
The week after my first session with my boss was very interesting. I took his advice and began asking myself if I could do a variety of things. Could I actually become the top producer at the c …
I remember my first sales job out of college. It was working for a company that sold investments – limited and general partnerships – to high net worth individuals around the country. My job was to ma …
Have you ever wondered why some people excel in sales, while others don’t? Have you ever questioned – if most other things are equal, like if you all have access to the same leads, the same sal …
Want to make 2018 your best year ever? Want to instantly improve your ability to handle the objections you get, day in and day out? (And, by the way, that you’re going to get all year long.) I …
Being in sales is kind of like being a professional football player… In football, each result can either be celebrated (or not) for a very short time. If you win the game, you get about a day t …
The holidays are upon us and guess what? The teams I’m working with are still getting the stall, “I need to speak with (my partner, my boss, purchasing, etc.).” Oh by gosh, by golly, you’d thin …
When was the last time you read the classic book: “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens? If it’s been a while, I highly recommend it. Dickens is a superb story teller, and there is a reason this is …
Not feeling it this year yet? Regardless of what’s going on, I’ve got a sure way to help you get into the holiday spirit. I call it: “Get into Gratitude.” This is a sure way to get into t …
The only thing worse than getting the competitor stall at the end of your presentation (something like, “Well, we’re looking at other quotes…” etc.) is not knowing how to handle it. In my new b …
Thanksgiving is in one day, and the holidays are right around the corner. As we work to close the year strong, many of us begin thinking about our goals for 2018. And, more importantly, we begin think …
Want to get your emails returned? Who doesn’t… Many of us would settle for just getting our emails read! Let’s face it: prospects get hundreds of emails per week and there is a slim chance they are go …
What’s the number one blow off prospects use these days? “Can you email that to me?” If you think about it, that’s the perfect stall. They aren’t saying no, and it implies that you will need to talk t …
How do you deal with the “I need to speak to some references” objection? Do you cave in and happily send your prospect two or three clients who are satisfied with your product or service? And i …
Ahhhhh….. The NFL football season is underway. We are a few weeks in, and there is still hope for all teams! Players and coaches are watching game and practice film to find ways to help players …
Saw these average salaries quoted in USA Today last week: Physicians are the highest paid salaried employees in the U.S.: $187,876 a year. Pharmacy managers are second at $149,064 per year. Third are …
The debate of whether to open your calls asking, “Did I catch you at a good time?” or “Is this time still good for you?” (for presentation call backs), is alive and well – unfortunately. Just last wee …
I hear a lot of sales reps’ recordings, and when it comes to dealing with objections, you’d be surprised by the mistakes I hear! One of the biggest mistakes I hear is reps not even hearing their prosp …
Most sales reps hate getting objections. Their hearts sink into their stomachs, their palms start to sweat, and they start wondering how they’re going to pay the rent. Sound familiar? When sales reps …
Having trouble motivating your team? You’re not alone. Every member of your team has different skill levels, interest levels, and different ways of learning. Because of this, not everyone will …
Let me ask you a question: Do all of your leads end up buying? Of course not. Next question: Out of ten leads that you set up to pitch a demo to, how many of those ten end up buying? If you sai …
This is one of my favorite sayings, and I love to use it during training or during a speaking event. I ask the audience how many people think that practice makes perfect, and you should see the hands …
Every month, I get emails from my readers asking me how to deal with gatekeepers. They tell me the most frustrating part of prospecting is actually getting through to the decision maker. They get inte …
“First we form habits, then they form us.” –Bob Moawad, Edge Learning Institute I just worked with a great inside sales team in Louisville, KY (hi Kathy, Darryl and the team!), and this week they beg …
Let’s face it — prospecting by phone is hard. It doesn’t matter if you’ve done your social media homework on LinkedIn and found a distant cousin in Utah, if you’re making, fill in the blank here (“une …
I once heard a joke that goes like this: “The only reason there are matinee movies in large metropolitan cities is for commission sales reps who have hit their comfort zone income early in the month.” …
Today’s article contains some scripts right from Power Phone Scripts that teach you how to deal with an objection you probably get often: “We’ve already got a supplier for that.” Variations are things …
Let me ask you this: If you just met with a really hot prospect, how long would you wait before you followed up? A day? A couple of days? A week? Here’s my experience with a couple of real estate agen …
Whatever You’re Thinking, Think Bigger. –Tony Hsieh, entrepreneur You’ve probably heard the expression that “Life is a self-fulfilling prophesy.” Nowhere is that more immediately apparent …
“You must be single-minded. Drive for the one thing on which you have decided.” –George S. Patton Jr. U.S. Army General I don’t know about you, but I’m a big multi-tasker. This is especia …
“Hard work pays off. I am so annoyed at my father for being right about that.” –Lena Dunham, actress This quote sure struck a chord with me. I can still hear my own father telling me how import …
“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney When I read this quote, I immediately resonated with i …
Last week I was speaking with a new prospect who had called in to inquire about one of my inside sales training programs. I went over her needs, matched up my training to fit those needs, gave her pri …
You hear it all the time — if your price is higher than your competition you’re told to “build value.” You’re instructed to stress the quality, the warranty, the features, etc. But your prospects have …
Okay. So I’ve been in sales longer than some of my clients have been on the planet. I’ve made thousands and thousands of prospecting calls, and thousands and thousands of closing calls. I teach, train …
Years ago, Stan Billue – the top inside sales trainer at the time – made a claim that every sales rep could double their income in 90 days by doing one thing. Intrigued (and highly skeptical), I liste …
Sales management has always been a balancing act between supporting people to achieve more, and pushing them to go beyond what they think they are capable of. In today’s environment of motivating, enc …
Don’t you hate it when you get back to your prospect, you’re ready to give a great pitch, you need the sale, and…and….they tell you they looked it over and they’re not interested! Wait a minute! You w …
“It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” –Paul “Bear” Bryant It took a long time for me, as a struggling sales rep, to understan …
Thoughts are things. As true as the law of gravity, this is one of the fundamental laws in the universe. Whatever you believe with feeling, you bring into your life. And like gravity, you don’t …
Once you realize that you CAN do nearly anything anyone else is doing, and that you can succeed at a very high level doing it if you choose to make it a priority and decide to invest the time and effo …
Can you become a top sales producer? We all know who the top sales producers are. Every company has them. If you look at all the producers in your company, I’m sure they are ranked in production from …
Whether you’re a fan of Tom Brady or not, you’ve got to agree he’s a winner. In fact, if he and the Patriots win this week’s Super Bowl, he will break the tie with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana of wi …
I read a great quote from Picasso (yes, the famous painter) the other day, and it really resonated with my sales philosophy. Here it is: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an arti …
Back in the office after two weeks on the road training in CA, and during both weeks – in L.A. and Oakland – it rained! My wife tells me I can no longer say it doesn’t rain in CA. It does, and I was t …
If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about it? This is one of the most basic of interview questions I use for prospective sales reps, and the answer reveals so much about …
I was having breakfast with a client in Denver before a training program I was giving, and we were talking about the importance of asking questions and listening. He told me that a few years ago he wa …
Let’s face it, sales can be a hard profession. If you’re on a commission only basis, then you know how easy it is to go from hero to zero at the beginning of each month as your quota starts over. …
Can you name the one or two best sales managers, or business owners you ever worked for? If so, how did they make you feel? What qualities or traits did they have in common, or which ones do you most …
Staring at a list of cold names you have to call can be discouraging. Calling those names and leaving voice mails that never get returned is also discouraging. And finally reaching someone only to be …
Now that you have resigned from the company club, you can use that time and energy to do the one thing that will have the most impact on your performance and your life: Find ways to build up your atti …
These last two parts of my series will focus on the one characteristic that is perhaps the most important of all. You’ll find this characteristic in ALL top performers, not just in top sales producers …
Treat all gatekeepers with courtesy and respect. If you have to make cold or warm calls to prospects, then you probably have to deal with your share of gatekeepers. These can be receptionists, …
Top Characteristic Part Six is difficult for many sales people to develop and practice, yet it’s one of the most important of skills to cultivate. And it is: Top Characteristic Part Six: Learn t …
In today’s ongoing series of the “Top Ten Characteristics of Top Sales Producers,” I’m going to give you a powerful way to open your closes. This is a technique that top producers use all the ti …
In today’s ongoing series of the “Top Ten Characteristics of Top Sales Producers,” I’m going to introduce you to one of the main differences between the Top 20% of sales producers versus the other 80% …
Last week, in Top Characteristic Number Two, I introduced the concept of scripting out the very best responses to the selling situations and objections you get into 80 to 90% of the time. I urged you …
I’d like to thank many of you for your emails and comments regarding last week’s article on the first characteristic of making a commitment to doing whatever it takes to be a top sales producer. For t …
If you’re reading this article right now, then chances are you want to perform better in your sales career. It shows that you’re willing to take the time to search out tips and techniques that will gi …
Most sales reps hate getting objections. When they get them, their hands start to sweat, their heart takes the elevator down into the pit of the stomachs, and they start wishing they had gotten that g …
If you’re struggling to get your voice mails returned, then you’re not alone. Industry stats show that less than 10% of voice mails to new prospects are returned. Because of this, finding the right vo …
Social media is all the rage right now and for good reason: We are all social beings and with virtually unlimited access to reviews, opinions, updates, people, information, etc, it would be fooli …
I had a landscaper install a new sprinkler system the other day, and as we stood under the warming sun waiting for his crew to set up he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a sale …
I want to share a simple concept with you that can help you grow your business, close more sales, make more money and be more successful in just about everything you do. The good news with what I’m ab …
I know, it’s a catchy and kind of a trick title, isn’t it? And when I ask audiences what they think it is, they guess things like: “Asking for the sale!” “When would the customer like delivery?” “How …
Three Simple Rules for Success in Sales If you want to know what truly separates top performers in sales, then look no further than these three simple characteristics below. Each and every top profess …
Everyone loves to be helpful. Because of this, you have a great opportunity to learn more about your prospects and clients if you learn how to ask the right questions at the right times. Here are some …
According to CEOInsights.com, over 48% of inside sales companies surveyed reported that they missed their monthly revenues goals more times in a 12-month cycle than they reached them. Other sales indi …
Ask any manager, V.P. or business owner what one of the biggest challenges they face in making their revenue numbers and they’ll tell you it’s in identifying, hiring and retaining good sales reps. …
One area many sales reps struggle in is how to requalify existing accounts, or prospects they haven’t spoken with in a while. Let’s first establish the need to do this, and we’ll address exactly how t …
First, let’s start with the real problem which is that most sales reps just don’t know how to really engage and talk to people. That’s really the bottom line. Most sales reps are more interested in pi …
Today it seems to be harder and harder for sales reps to qualify for interest and to identify buying motives. One thing making this so difficult is the decision tree: often there are many different le …
As you know, I often get emails from readers of my ezine, “Secrets of the Top 20%”, asking me how I would handle various selling situations and objections. Someone sent in a request asking me how …
If this were a perfect world, when prospecting and qualifying we would always get to speak with the decision maker and, while questioning them, we would discover that they were looking for our solutio …
If you’re in B2C sales, then you’ve no doubt gotten the objection, “My relative handles that for me, and I wouldn’t be interested in changing.” In B2B sales, this objection often manifests as, “We’ve …
As I’ve suggested before, it’s always a good idea to requalify your prospect at the start of your demo or presentation. Doing so allows you to anticipate objections and position your presentation to s …
You hear it all the time: “I/we can’t do anything now because the _________ (fill in the blank with market or economy, or company, or industry, or budget, etc.) is down.” And the crazy thing is that s …
How many times have you seen a commercial (either a TV ad, a public billboard, ad in a magazine, etc.) for Coca Cola? Perhaps I should say how many times a DAY do you see one? Now you’d think that peo …
I was talking to a real estate agent the other day about the importance of disqualifying leads, and he told me an interesting story about their office’s top producer. He was talking to her one day and …
I receive emails from my readers all the time asking me how to handle various objections and resistance statements. A common request I get is how to handle the initial resistance statement “We a …
Welcome back to the office, how do you feel? Overwhelmed? Under pressure already? If so, then you’re not alone. Most company’s management and sales teams are under immediate pressure already to begin …
One of the objections I always get from sales people who don’t want to use scripts is that they sound so, well, like scripts. I tell them that if they sound like they are reading them, sure, but …
Call in leads can be tricky. Because reps often equate the implied interest of a call in to being “qualified,” they often skip some important steps. This can happen to all sales reps and e …
Let’s face it, sales can be a hard profession. If you’re on a commission only basis, then you know how easy it is to go from hero to zero at the beginning of each month as your quota starts over. You …
Catchy title, huh? “Boost your sales using just this ONE word.” Wouldn’t it be nice if there was just one magic word that could really increase your sales? There is… Before I tell you what …
If you sell a product or service with many add-on’s and options or choices, then it’s easy for your prospect to get overwhelmed and want to “think about it.” Many sales reps actually make it for …
I know, we’ve already been through this objection, but sales reps always want more input on it so here it is: The bottom line is that when someone says they want to think about it, it means they aren’ …
I don’t know why tie downs aren’t used more by sales reps selling over the phone. They serve several crucial functions, including: Getting confirmation that the point you just made was understoo …
How many times do you get the objection, “Well, let me talk to my (partner, boss, manager, spouse, etc.)”? In any kind of sale, this is one of the most common objections or stalls prospects use. …
When I began my sales career all those years ago, I was told that at the bottom of all successful sales was a transfer of emotion – my manager told me that I was either transferring my positive feelin …
Have you ever had a prospect who plays his feelings on your product or service “close to the vest”? Someone who simply won’t share much of their opinion one way or the other? Or should I s …
One of the biggest mistakes many inside sales reps make is pitching the gatekeeper. For some reason they feel compelled to pour their pitch on the first pair of ears they get, and, unfortunately …
I’ve been listening to sales rep pitch their products and services for over 25 years now, and there are still words, phrases and techniques that send shivers down my spine. And I’ll tell you now they …
We all face competition. There is always someone who can do it cheaper, or faster, or better (at least in the mind of your prospect). Because of this, prospects – and even customers – are …
We’ve all been there – you call your prospect back at the appointed time for your presentation and they tell you any of the following: This isn’t a good time, OR They only have a few minutes, OR They …
How are you at organizing your day? Do you find that the “small things” like organizing your office, organizing your laptop, checking in with old customers just to see how they’re doing, distract …
I received an email from a reader who said that he sometimes gets the objection from the gatekeeper of, “I am sorry but he/she does not take outside calls, he/she only responds to emails.” He as …
How do you open your closing presentation calls? Have you scripted out the best opening, or do you wing it? Do you let your prospect take the lead, by asking if this is still a good time f …
Let me give you a quick, easy to use, technique that will make your closes shorter and more effective. The technique is to confirm your answers to any buying question – or any objection – that you get …
One of my readers sent me two objections he’s struggling with and they are: “We need to do some research first,” and “I don’t make a decision on the day,” or the variation: “Do you expect me to make a …
I was speaking with another training company about perhaps joint venturing on webinars together. They would give a webinar to my list of subscribers, and I would then give one to theirs. After the ini …
What do you think the most important skill of a Top 20% producer is? Persistence? Work ethic? Time management skills? Closing skills? Tenacity? Certainly all of these skills are present with any Top P …
Want to make your presentations instantly better? Then invest some time and change your closed ended, weak closing statements and questions into powerfully persuasive assumptive statements that lead y …
Qualifying prospects during the initial call is one of the most important things you can do in sales, but for anyone who’s done it, you know that what’s difficult is asking a series of good questions …
Of all the objections sales reps get, the “price is too high” is still number one on the list. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean think about your own purchases – whether you’re in the market for …
I was working with a client the other day listening to one of their rep’s qualifying call, and when the rep presented the cost of the product and asked if that fit within the prospect’s budget, the pr …
Years ago when I first learned how to close sales over the phone, my manager got all the sales reps in the conference room and drew a big circle on the board and put a bull in the middle of it. …
A while ago, my wife and I renovated our new home, and as part of this grueling process we had to get many quotes from all different kinds of people. This ranged from window replacement people, …
One of the most effective ways to deal with objections or stalls is simply to ask questions and isolate them. This works because many objections you get when closing are not actually objections at all …
Qualifying for budget, or handling objections around budget and money, are areas most sales reps feel uncomfortable in. To start with, I’ve heard many sales reps tell me that bringing up budget …
How do you currently handle it when your prospect gives you the stall, “I need to think about it”? If you’re like most sales people, you might give a wimpy, half-hearted response and then ask wh …
The stall, “I need to speak with someone” is as old as “The price is too high” objection. Despite it being around before all sales reps working today were born, most still have trouble overcomin …
So many closing situations now come down to pitching to and trying to influence an influencer, that it’s time to teach the proper way of doing it. A couple of things first. An influencer is defined as …
If you’re selling one of the more popular products or services on the market (and who isn’t?), then you probably run into this blow off all the time. Like most brush offs, prospects like to use this b …
