Small businesses live and die by their ability to turn leads into paying clients. A single lost client, delayed proposal, or missed follow-up can create cashflow losses. Meridian Engineering Meridian Engineering, a nine-person firm, faced the classic sales problem:...

Owners and salespeople say, “They are overwhelmed by the follow up required to sell.” Following up is hard and requires consistent, thoughtful touches at key points.  The data says it can take 12 touches to make a sale. The more people you meet, the more follow-up...

What are the best questions to ask when qualifying prospects? How can you phrase questions so you don’t sound aggressive and offensive?   Qualifying Prospects Many of us chase prospects thinking they are likely to buy. Often, we are disappointed when they don’t....

How do you know when marketing and sales are not aligned? Ask your sales funnel. A sales funnel shows whether marketing and sales are aligned by: Revealing lead types. Showing lead movement across funnel stages. Identifying where leads consistently stall. The funnel...

CRMs come in all sizes and shapes which can be confusing. As a business owner or VP of Sales, the right CRM will have significant impacts on your sales pipeline.   What is a CRM? How do I know if I need one? What should I know before getting one?    CRMs –...

What is your reaction when someone says, “I can sell my service to everyone” or “I don’t need a sales process”? I doubt the first unless you sell soap. On 2, buyers benefit from an organized selling process that makes buying easy.     What can you do to improve...

Overcoming buyer objections starts before the objection is voiced, and salespeople can use several sales strategies to surface and resolve concerns early. How can you “preempt” objections?    Objection Handling Principles   Expect objections. They signal...

For professional service companies like Edemco, a team of six, including three sales reps, the decision to implement a CRM wasn’t taken lightly, said Edith Demona, Edemco’s owner.  Edemco’s team felt growing pains as it managed client service, marketing, and sales. ...

Your personal touch is the reason buyers buy from you. As a seller of goods or services, connecting personally with your buyer builds the relationship needed to increase sales conversions.   Personal Touch Obstacles   Hurdles that reduce personalized...

At Executive Management (EM), a consulting company of 10, the pressure to keep sales running smoothly is overwhelming. Edith Myers owns EM and will tell you,  “Selling consulting services isn’t a walk in the park.” Edith and 3 sales reps feel the pressures from...

As a business owner or VP of Sales, prospect follow up is a constant pressure. Many sales teams are overwhelmed and lack sales processes to lead prospects to buy.   Often, business owners and sales teams use spreadsheets, phones, and sticky notes to manage and...

More Sales, Less Risk – Sounds like a TV commercial! Roberts Public Relations found itself in a tough spot: sales had declined for two years straight. Robert, the owner, and two sales reps juggled marketing and sales tasks, without formal processes.  The Struggles...