It's the end of the quarter for a majority of sales people which means it's reality check time on how close your actual sales were to what you forecasted. Forecasting is a difficult process fraught with errors but its important to your success to get it right. In this episode Joe and Mike talk about why the forecasting process often goes astray and what sales people and sales managers can do to improve their forecasting accuracy..

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Because of its direct impact on the bottom line hiring the right sales reps and sales managers is critical to the success of any company. However, there are few challenges as daunting as selecting people with the potential to be top performers. In this episode Joe and Mike discuss how to go about selecting top sales reps and sales managers including identifying the characteristics that are most important in determining their potential for success.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

WAre you tired of wasting your time following up on supposed sales leads that turn out to be nothing but a waste of time? Are you tired of Marketing complaining that those hard to get leads are never followed up on? How do you get your marketing department to qualify “leads” before sending them on to you? In this episode Joe and Mike talk about how to revamp your sales lead generation, qualification and follow up process to streamline the process, increase your sales and make more money.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

What do you measure to predict future sales performance? Is it the number of cold calls made? The number of face-to-face visits? The number of opportunities in the pipeline? Those gauges are important to monitor but how realistic is it to rely on them to forecast sales? Do those measurements actually help you figure out "the dollars in the door"?

In this episode Joe and Mike talk about the pitfalls of relying on traditional methods of predicting sales results and in some cases how measuring them can negatively impact your sales. They will also discuss what sales people and sales managers should be looking at and offer a method to determine if you are focusing on the types activity that will lead to "the dollars in the door".

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Part 3 of a three part series on Selling in a Tough Economic Times.

In tough economic times elite sales professionals follow a few basic behaviors to assure top performance. In this the final episode of the series "Selling in a Down Economy" Mike and Joe Interview Tim Wackel, founder and president of The Wackel Group, about the top three key sales strategies you should be deploying right now to ensure your success!

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Part 2 of a three part series on Selling in a Tough Economic Times.

There are a few basic behaviors that top salespeople should follow in tough economic times to sustain their performance. First, make your customer's goals your personal objectives. Demonstrate how your product or service will advance their ambitions. Only propose solutions that solve their business problems! Second, justify all proposals with payback beginning in the current fiscal year. In tough economic times every customer will be looking to save money. Third, and perhaps the most important, reduce their risk! This is especially acute in a down economy. No one wants to take on additional risk when times are tough.

This week Mike and Joe talk with Jeb Blount, author of PowerPrinciples and founder of SalesGravy.com about Understanding Your Customer's needs throughout this turbulent period. 

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Part 1 of a three part series on Selling in a Tough Economic Times In sales there are many things we can control. The economy is not one of them! Even the Federal Reserve Chairman is having a difficult time with the economy. We do however have total control over the one thing that will separate the top sales performers from the nonperformers and that is our attitude.

Attitude drives behavior and if you maintain a positive attitude you will outperform over 80% of your peers. Optimistic sales people will perform better than their negative peers by nearly 40%. You have control over your mind. This week Mike and Joe talk about Maintaining A Positive Attitude through this tough economic period. Additionally they have an with interview Rocky LaGrone, founder of The Training Group.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Many of the most successful athletes, performers, and business professionals have coaches. But did you know many of the most successful sales professionals have coaches too?

A good sales coach can really help sales professionals hone their skills and MAKE MORE MONEY.

A personal sales coach can help you identify your strengths, overcome weaknesses and guide you to become the top professional in your industry. A good sales coach will become your mentor and partner. Together you set goals and design plans to meet your business objectives.

A sales coach will give you encouragement and feedback, celebrate your victories, and keep you focused to minimize your losses In this episode Joe and Mike talk about why Sales Coaching is important and how to select a good coach.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

It's May already and if your company has a calendar year end that means you are already 5 months into the sales year. When was the last time you looked at that sales plan you put together at the beginning of the year? In this episode Joe and Mike talk about why it's important to review your sales plan right now and offer some key strategies to help you update your sales business plan.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Did you ever have to split a commission with someone in another territory who tried to lay claim to a deal you closed? Did you ever have someone try to take credit for a deal closed in your territory? What do you do? In this episode Joe and Mike talk about sales turf wars – what can happen, how they affect the organization and how to avoid them.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Did you ever have to split a commission with someone in another territory who tried to lay claim to a deal you closed? Did you ever have someone try to take credit for a deal closed in your territory? What do you do? In this episode Joe and Mike talk about sales turf wars – what can happen, how they affect the organization and how to avoid them.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Negotiating Strategies for Sales Professionals

Did you ever get the feeling right after you closed a deal that you could have made the deal bigger? And how many times have you run into the bully from procurement when its time to negotiate? In episode three of a three part series on negotiating Joe and Mike discuss how to avoid leaving money on the table and how to deal with procurement bullies.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Negotiating Strategies for Sales Professionals

The best chess players are the ones who think several moves ahead and consider every possible countermove their opponent can make. The same is true for professional negotiators! The better you plan for an upcoming negotiation the better your chances of getting the deal and making more money. In episode two of this three part series on strategic negotiating Joe and Mike discuss why it’s important to plan for every negotiation session and how Professional Sales people utilize a deliberate negotiating Strategy.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Negotiating Strategies for Sales Professionals

Do you say the words "discount" or "negotiate" whenever someone asks you about price? Are you offering a discount before the prospect asks for one? If so you are negotiating with yourself which is NEVER a good idea. In episode one of this three part series on negotiating Joe and Mike discuss how to avoid negotiating with yourself and offer other advice that will help you become a better negotiator and maximize the size of your deals.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Using references as part of your sales process!

Do you leverage existing clients to help you close new business? In this episode Joe and Mike discuss how to turna good client into a good reference and how best to utilize references during the Sales Process to help you close more business faster.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Sales Referral Generation and Referral Utilization

Sometimes the most direct way to get into the door is through someone else. Do you know how to get a referral? Do you know how to leverage a referral to get access? In this episode Joe and Mike discuss how to get and use referrals to get access to the right people and generate more sales.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Sales Networking through Social Networking Technology

Are you leveraging Social Networking to drive more sales? Is your marketing department using Web 2.0 to get you more leads? More and more organizations are utilizing social networking technology to make more money. Shouldn't you be doing it too? In this episode Joe and Mike discuss the diferent technologies they use and are aware of and how to utilize them to close more business.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Hiring Sales People and Sales Managers

Hiring the right sales people and sales managers is a life or death decision for many organizations. Hire right and you thirve. Hire wrong and your revenue disappears. In this episode Joe and Mike discuss their thoughts on how to go about hiring the best sales people.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Discovery Questions
Selling Strategies for Sales Professionals

Do you know how to navigate through a long discovery meeting? Do you know how to end a discovery meeting? In this final part of a three part series on discovery Mike and Joe tell you how to structure the discovery meeting, how to finish it and offer lots of tips that will help ensure you have a successful meeting.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Discovery Questions
Selling Strategies for Sales Professionals

Do you know what is the most important information a salesperson needs to know about a prospect or client? Do you know how to get that information? In part two of this three part series on discovery Mike and Joe talk about what information you need to focus on when doing discovery, the types of questions you need to ask, how to leverage your knowledge to barter for the information you want and how to know definitively whether or not you’re talking to the right person..

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Discovery Meetings Selling Strategies for Sales Professionals

You got your first meeting with the prospect. Now what are you going to do? Most sales professionals will tell you about the value of doing discovery but how many of us actually do it effectively? How many times have you or a sales person you know gone in to a discovery meeting only to make a sales pitch before knowing what the prospect’s problem really is? In part one of this three part series Mike and Joe talk about how to start a discovery meeting, the value of keeping the discovery door open and how to identify when its time to move to the next phase of the sales cycle.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

Selling Consulting Services as a Sales Professional

There is a big difference between selling products and selling services. As a sales professional its important to understand what those differences are. In this episode Mike and Joe talk about the unique characteristics of selling services and strategies sales professionals can utilize to increase your chances for success.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

It's undeniable that if you don't know where you are going you're never going to get there. So how can you attain your personal sales goals if you don't define what they are? In this episode Mike and Joe talk about how to go about defining your sales goals for the year and then translating those goals into a territory plan.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

A changing of the guard. For salespeople, the begiining of a new year often means change – change in territory, change in accounts, etc. Taking over someone else’s territory and finding opportunities in previously unsuccessful prospects can be tricky but also very rewarding. In this episode Mike and Joe discuss how to go about finding and working opportunities in previously worked but currently inactive accounts.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog

If your company's year end was December 31st you might be thinking its time to relax. The year just finished so why not take it easy for a while. WRONG! You're in sales to make money. Its time to get busy. Its time to RELEASE THE HOUNDS! In this episode Joe and Mike give you some ideas about what you should be doing right now to get your year started right.

Sales Podcast and Sales Blog