Category Archives: Soft Skills
Amplify Your Sales Game: Mastering Communication Skills
“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” the prospect says with slight frustration. You’re perplexed, knowing you diligently followed up with phone calls, emails, and LinkedIn messages for the past six months to secure this appointment. If you’ve ever experienced this bewildering scenario, you’re not alone. Communication breakdowns can leave sales reps scratching their […]
Selling With Laser Focus
Be cautious of distractions disguised as opportunities. At some point in every sales professional’s career, we have chased an opportunity that turned out to be nothing more than a distraction. In modern selling, the number of daily distractions is limitless. It’s no wonder sales leaders are constantly struggling to get more done. Today there is […]
Sales Lessons From Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is widely regarded as one of the most successful businesspeople of our time. While he may not be directly involved in B2B sales operations, there are valuable lessons that B2B sales representatives can learn from his approach to investing and his overall business philosophy. In […]
Navigating the Dunning-Kruger Effect in Sales
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which people with less skill, experience, or expertise overestimate their ability and knowledge. It was first coined by Cornell University psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger. Their 1999 study focused on logical reasoning, grammar, and social skills. It found that the bottom quarter of participants rated their […]
Leveraging Mindset as Part of Your Sales Approach
Today is the most important sales presentation of your career. If you close the deal, you’ll shatter past sales records, secure long-term profits for your company, and likely be considered for that promotion. If you lose the deal, six months of effort will be wasted, and you can kiss that promotion goodbye. How you perform […]
5 Common Sales Mistakes to Avoid
Every lost sale starts with good intentions. While selling, the best intentions cannot counteract sales mistakes. No matter how great the product or service is, sales mistakes prevent reps from reaching their potential. When selling, sometimes prevention is the best cure. Selling is not getting any easier. In complex sales, the sales rep often has […]
How Biases Can Affect Sales Outcomes
A sales rep recently complained, “We had the better solution and price, and we still lost the sale.” These missed opportunities leave sales reps wondering if the prospect was even listening during the presentation. When prospects don’t listen it’s not their ears that are closed, but their subconscious mind. Unconscious bias is something everyone has. […]
Sales Lessons From a Neighborhood Lemonade Stand
Recently, I learned a few valuable lessons about selling from a neighbor’s lemonade stand. As a sales trainer, getting schooled in sales by three eight-year-old girls was not on my schedule, but these lemonade stand entrepreneurs reminded me why I love sales. This article explores these timeless sales principles that even kids understand are important. […]
Sell With the Confidence of Your CEO
More than one CEO has said, “If prospects just knew what I know, every prospect would become a client.” When CEOs (or founders) talk with prospects, their closing rate is extremely high. This is a common sales challenge for companies. Transferring the knowledge and experience from senior leaders so the sales team can close at […]
