Selling Skills Archives

How to Build Customer Intimacy One Conversation at a Time

by Kathleen Redd

I walked away from last month’s Association of Briefing Program Managers (ABPM) annual spring conference more convinced than ever that customer intimacy is the key to customer loyalty. Let me explain why, and also what you can do to build longer-lasting, more satisfying relationships with your customers.

by Kathleen Redd

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills, Teaming

Can Your Sales Team Get Executive Buyers to Say Yes?

by David Mears

Executives today are making or influencing more and more buying decisions (especially when it comes to technology). Is your sales team ready to engage executives in conversations about the business challenges that keep them up at night? This is where traditional sales training fails. Here’s how you can fix it.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Are Acronyms Hurting or Helping Your Communications?

by Brad Holst

I’ll be the first to admit that the proper use of acronyms can benefit listeners. First and foremost among the benefits is increased memorability. But, overusing acronyms unconsciously can be damaging and abusive to listeners. Here are 3 keys to using acronyms effectively in your communications. And, don't miss the fun and illuminating Mental Floss video on what many of our most-loved acronyms and initials really stand for.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Selling Skills

Where’s the Fire in Your Belly?

by Steve Mandel

When you present to senior executives, you expect scrutiny. You know they'll be evaluating whether what you have to say is of value to them. But, there's something else they're looking for from you.... And, it's further proof that when the stakes are high, both what you say AND how you say it can make all the difference.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presenting to Executives, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Selling Up: What Executives Want

by Steve Mandel

Even though you yourself might not be an executive, you must come across in a manner that demonstrates you're confident, credible, and someone who understands the executive's world. Here's how to project executive presence when selling up.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, Presenting to Executives, Selling Skills

Tough Questions: Keep Your Cool Under Pressure

by Steve Mandel

Everyone has had to deal with questions that are difficult, asked in an angry voice, or just plain hostile. And, when you're caught off guard by such questions, it's easy to be thrown into a panicky state and not answer well, jeopardizing your credibility. Here's how to avoid losing your cool under pressure.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills, Selling Skills

What if Your Salesforce Asked Better Questions?

by Brad Holst

By asking better questions, your sales team can engage in stimulating and productive customer conversations. A recent book demonstrated how a lesson from the elementary classroom applies to Fortune 1000 sales executives.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Are Your Sales Reps Presentation-Ready?

by David Mears

While customer-driven dialogue should be the goal of every sales meeting, make no mistake: there are key “moments of presentation” during these conversations that can determine your success or failure. The best sales people know when they need to shift gears and jump into presentation mode, and they do it well because it's a skill they've practiced.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Sales Leaders: What is Costing You?

by Brad Holst

Search the internet for pipeline mortality and you’ll only get a handful of hits and not one of them will have anything to do with the sales process. But my colleague David Mears, Mandel’s Chief Sales Officer, loves to use this term. The meaning is fairly obvious – it describes the potential deals put into the sales pipeline that never close, either lost to competitors or inaction. And David believes that many sales leaders are willing to accept pipeline mortality rates that are needlessly high and costly.

by Brad Holst

Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

6 Essential Sales Communication Skills

by Greg Madsen

Help your sales professionals master these six Moment of Truth Readiness Communication Skills needed to ensure that they're game-time ready and prepared for any interaction—virtual or face-to-face—with today’s buyers.

by Greg Madsen

Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

What Successful Sales Conversations Have in Common

by Greg Madsen

For an interaction with a customer to be productive, three things must happen: (1) Customers must understand what you’re saying. (2) Customers must see the value in what you’re offering to them. (3) Customers must trust you, the person in the room speaking directly to them. Ensuring these three things happen takes more effort than you might expect—but the payoff is worth it.

by Greg Madsen

Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

9 Sales Questions to Help You Close Deals Faster

by Steve Mandel

On any sales call, your goal is to get as much valuable information as you can from the client—information that can help you recommend a relevant solution or service, build trust, and close the sale more quickly. Here are 9 questions to help you gain the insight and info you need to build better relationships with clients and close deals faster.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

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