Last week I was talking with a VP of sales, who had just returned from a “big deal” sales pitch across the country. Expecting that his team was to present a multi-million dollar sales proposal to the senior executives of the prospect, he found instead a disjointed quasi-meeting. The meeting started 90 minutes late. The chief […]
What should happen when you first meet with a new prospect? Here are five tips to make that first meeting a good one.
Isn’t thought leader just old biz jargon? After all, the term’s been knocking around for years, like “headhunter” and “game changer” and “team player.”
But no, for a B2B company today, being known as a thought leader demands your attention. And fortunately, through social media, becoming a thought leader gets easier for small and midsize companies than ever before.
Social media platforms and spaces foster conversations among companies and their customers in unprecedented ways. In the B2B space, we’re just starting to figure out why do we want to have conversations, what’s their value, how to conduct them, and how to how to nurture them over time. How can your company talk to your […]
If you’ve been in a room with me for more than an hour or so, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ve heard me say the title to this blog post. If you’ve been in a sales meeting or a goal setting session with me it is certain that you’ve heard it. The words lead right to an important thought – in order to be truly successful you have to have some big goals. You’ve got to Think Big, Act Big, and Own It.
New York City: The Big Apple filled with big buildings, big businesses and big egos! The line “If you can make it here you can make it anywhere” is a mantra. If NY bravado does one thing it is to keep people from thinking small. Everyone has to be prepared to be on a razor sharp competitive edge all the time.
What would you pay to sit down for coffee with the Chief Procurement Officer of Coca Cola and learn about how they buy? If you’re trying to sell to Coca Cola, you’d probably pay a pretty penny. What would he likely tell you? “Be Different,” said Ken Carty in this 2010 article by Inc. Magazine. His other basic advice? Get in early. Do your homework. Follow the process. Want more insider info on how to sell to big corporations? Here are links to all the articles published by Inc. Magazine.
In a post-recession economy, small businesses need a fresh set of tactics and tools in order to reposition themselves for growth. Here’s how.
Playing a bigger game makes partnering for success a “must”, yet few amongst us has ever made that happen in a healthy and sustainable way. Let me list a few of the new and different things successful partners do. How to partner for growth……5 basic steps towards success.
In today’s world “instant gratification” is a very strong mindset. It seems we may not have learned enough from the economic collapse of the past few years. “Instant gratification” is especially prevalent in the sales world these days, as well. It seems that the teachings of “getting to no” in conjunction with management pressures to close deals today have created a sales professional that is only interested in spending their time with prospects who are ready to buy now. Effective prospecting in sales has become what day trading is to the stock market – no one is investing for the long term.
Today’s prospecting behaviors involve finding someone who is ready to buy, submitting piles of proposals, or responding to RFQ’s (Request for Quote) that have little chance of being won.
Many small businesses need to look bigger and act bigger in order to secure whale-sized business. Whales prospects are afraid of doing deals with businesses that look like a Mom and Pop shop. Is this you? Solopreneurs and small businesses now have the advantages of technology to make them look and act bigger in order to win the bigger sales. (Being more efficient and eco-friendly can’t hurt either).
Podcast about how to locate and befriend key advocates for your company.