Xsell Systems

Sales training speakers, as well as other individuals in the sales world, are often confused as to what is a consultative salesperson. They may know when they find one, yet it is difficult for many to describe what it truly means. Sales training articles that properly describe the term pinpoint consultative selling on the dialogue that takes place between the customer and the seller. In order to achieve this, one must prepare himself or herself for this important interaction that takes place. Become an Expert with Your (and Other) Services or Products Sales skills training will teach you to know your product. When you think about it, how can you expect to sell something if you do not know what it is...

One of the greatest things about fall for many people (myself included!) is that it's football season. Each weekend all over the country, hundreds of thousands of adults and children play the game, using highly structured offensive and defensive systems and procedures designed to achieve specific purposes. The best teams practice hard in order to execute their plays perfectly during the games. So, at the risk of inflicting sports analogy pain, here's my point: Football players and fans don't question the need for detailed systems and structure in order to win. But why do so many salespeople think that structure, systems, and procedures are somehow inappropriate-even demeaning-in sales? Your Sales...

One way to look at the performance of sales personnel particularly those on the road is to establish a series of metrics that give the manager a good idea of what and how they are doing BEFORE the results come in. Typically a sales manager on seeing below target results will exhort his teams to 'get out there and redouble your efforts' as if doing more of the same thing will improve results. Typically the metrics for sales people involve three main areas: - The quality of what they are doing. This comes down to their skill levels and understanding of what is expected of them. Have the team been adequately trained and are they putting into practice regularly what they have been taught? - The...

We limit ourselves when it comes to selling and business development. Here is another story from my networking association meeting the other night. This article can help you or your people overcome self limiting sales beliefs and develop more business faster. Back to the two ladies I talked about in my previous story, after I asked my favorite question. "So ladies, what are your major issues as it relates to business development during this economic down time," here is what happened. I started giving my suggestions about what they could do about the low price issue (see previous story.) As I'm talking, one lady is sort of listening as the other is checking out all the other people to see if there is...

Before you do anything, have the likely expectations of your people in mind. They will tend to define a good manager as one who:o Is positive and enthusiastico Has vision (sees the longer /broader viewo Achieves their own goalso Is well organisedo Making good - objective - decisionso Delegate appropriatelyo Provides good - honest - feedbacko Is fair and has no favouriteso Is open-minded and curiouso Listens (and is available to listen)o Knows and takes an interest in staffo Encourages/supports staff developmento Communicates wello Shows confidence and gives credito Keeps people informedo Acknowledges own mistakes/weaknesseso Shares experience Similarly, people will have firm views on the type of...

In the movie, The Replacements, Keanu Reeves plays a quarterback, Shane Falco, hired along with an entire team during a pro football strike. During a locker room scene, the coach asks the players what they fear on the field and Falco answers, quicksand. "You're playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move... you can't breathe... because you're in over your head. Like quicksand." Like a sales slump at times. So what do top salespeople who rarely get caught in a sales slump do differently? It's like getting out of quicksand: 1- Stop fighting and...

Are you ready to bring your Alarm Company to the next level? When it comes to realizing success in the alarm industry, alarm company owners and managers are always looking for ways to set themselves apart from their competitors. In an industry that has been around as long as ours has, you could rest assured that if we are going to succeed we need to be constantly looking to set ourselves apart from our competitors. As the consumer landscape shifts faster than you may have ever bargained for, it is easy to join the ranks of alarm company owners and managers that are forced to cut corners in order to stay ahead of the curve. Our first inclination is often to re-invent the wheel, because we need the so...

If your selling geography is limited, meaning you have a limited number of prospects to call on, then you simply must make the cold call count. One way to make your cold calls count and set yourself apart from all the other salespeople is to gather information on your prospects. But, how can you get the information you need? Ideas for gathering information before the cold callo Go to the prospect's company website. Read their mission statement, learn about their goals and objectives, ascertain their financial situation, and look for areas where they could benefit from your product or service.o Read their annual report and absorb as much information as you can.o Search newspapers for articles...

Do you or your sales people often take the knocks toheart? Maybe your team lack that ongoing motivation tokeep on going and working through the numbers andnot taking each sales opportunity as a separate event? Well, here is a useful acronym that you and yoursales people can use. Use it every time you cannotget through to that decision maker, every time someonesays no or just if you feel a little down. SWSWSWSW "What's that?!" I hear ya! Here's what it stands for: SOME WILL SOME WON'T SO WHAT SOMEONE'S WAITING Let me take you through this: SOME WILL Some people will want to buy your product orservice. The match between their wants andwhat you can offer will be a perfect match anda sale will be made...

Lease options became popular in the 1970's and 1980's and were created to circumvent "Alienation Clauses" found in mortgages. The definition of an Alienation Clause is Language in a mortgage or trust deed that allows the lender to call the loan immediately due and payable in the event the owner sells the property or transfers title to the property. Almost every loan today contains an alienation clause, which means title cannot transfer and a buyer cannot purchase subject to an existing loan without triggering a due on sale clause. The basic premise of a lease option is the buyer pays the seller option money for the right to later purchase the property. The buyer and seller may agree to a purchase...

Imagine your are about to give a speech. You've done months of research. The meeting room is filled to capacity. You wait anxiously as the Master of Ceremonies (MC) begins to introduce you. The MC says, "Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to introduce our next speaker. I don't know much about him. But, I think his speech has something to do with public speaking skills." Imagine how you feel as the speaker. What might be going through your mind as you take the stage? How do you think the audience feels? Does it make a good first impression? The words used during your introduction need to create a positive first impression. Don't leave that introduction to chance. Take control and write a powerful...

We are living in the world where information dissemination is the core of any activity of life, either business or personal life. In today's world a business manager has to deal with a lot many personal as compared to a few decades back. A company has to promote products and label, and market franchise. whether you are in the marketing business or in any other field the importance of presentation cannot be overlooked. take this site for example if they don't use best designs and good looks with great images they won't attract any visitors to their site and will lose a lot of traffic too. So for them it is very imp that they push a very good first impression on their user. because if the user is...

A memorable speaker is someone who stands out. Their remarks carry weight and substance long after the meeting is over. Want to learn to add impact to your next presentation? Then work on incorporating the following three tips into your upcoming presentations. These are strategies that expert speakers use to add impact by: 1. Drawing Upon Imagery, 2. Conveying Facts With Clarity, 3. Inserting Examples Into Remarks. Let's work through each of these techniques to see how they will highlight your remarks for more compelling commentary! 1. Drawing Upon Imagery Images are powerful devices that are often used by speakers to add impact to their words. Since imagery engages the right side of the brain, a...

Have you seen the latest MasterCard commercial where everything is flowing precisely as plan in the florist shop, until some jerk tries to pay with that cumbersome old means of exchange...CASH? As soon as he pulls out the currency...everything screeches to a halt. The system is smooth, but can't handle any variables. There is NO flexibility. Over the years, I have had many opportunities to observe professional trainers and sales people. They often offer their information to their clients in a "canned" or scripted format. Take for instance the technical trainer who presented his program, exactly the same way, every time. It didn't matter to him whether the participants were new-hires or experienced...

As a business owner and/or manager you should ethically exploit every opportunity to make money from your existing customer list. Don't sell them garbage that has no value. Sell them additional products that serve their needs. Just because you sell cars to your clients doesn't mean that you can't also sell them car mats, car washes, oil changes, and new mufflers. The great thing is your business doesn't even need to sell these products for you to make money. You can form a joint venture with another company that does sell these products, and split the profits with them. You can also sell your clients other products that aren't related to what you sell. There is a catch though: you must have built up...

In any business job you may be asked to deliver a presentation. So what do presentations accomplish? Well, for one, they inform and make things clear to individuals within the company or organization. The main purpose of a presentation is to provide verifiable facts and figures in order to determine the course of action the company should or could take towards a particular goal. Making and delivering presentations can be tricky. It requires you to have meeting management skills, research abilities, and creativity. Goals must be set and defined so presenters can prepare better and gauge the presentations success in the end. Follow these general guidelines and training tips so you can give an...

This is not the 1990s, and selling in 2010 is going to require additional and different skills. Total long term growth and success selling depends on incremental steps, not giant leaps and bounds. Read this article to gain one additional tool in your arsenal to sell better in 2010. Selling on the Margin It does not get any simpler than those four words: selling on the margin. That is your tool: run your business with those four words in the back of your mind: your competitive advantage and ability to succeed in selling means to sell on the margin. Here is a General Example: The winning horse in a horse race does not need to win by a mile, just by a nose. If the horse wins by much more than a nose...

Telemarketing sales is a great way to earn a large income at a home telemarketing job or call center. Working in a professional sales environment is key to earning lots of money. When working in a call center, nothing is more rewarding than making sales. The energy in a phone sales room is often very exciting. But for those who have not mastered their telephone sales skills, it can be the worst experience of their life. Cold calling techniques, closing sales techniques, and professional selling skills are all very key factors when working in a call center or from a home phone sales job. I remember my first day on the job many years ago. There were these top closers in their own offices making...

Since I conduct sales training courses for a living I like to observe the sales techniques of salespeople when I'm making purchases. Recently I witnessed a popular sales closing technique that will kill your sales and you need to know about it. Here's what Happened The other Saturday my wife Mary and I were out shopping for a new television. We were planning on getting a 52 inch screen TV. After some rather extensive negotiations with several managers we finally got the 65 inch TV we really wanted at a price we were happy with. We were also going to need some IT people to come out from the electronics company to set up our new TV with our computers and "other stuff" (other stuff is a technical term...

I heard it on a regular basis for years - "I want to get into medical sales. I can do what you do." And I would always say, "Of course you can." Anyone can get into medical sales and succeed - if he or she has the right skills. The truth is, most people don't have the right skills. But they can learn them! One of the constants of training medical sales people, that is people who have already been hired and are representing medical companies, is when I ask, "How many of you feel that you have professional sales skills." Usually, the majority of the class will raise their hands. I then asked the question, "How many of you use questions to control a sales presentation?" Again, several of the...

Recent sales training articles have expressed the importance and difference of rightsizing and cost-sizing a business, in opposition to downsizing. Downsizing cuts away resources and employees, getting rid of assets and employees in order to make it. Rightsizing, inextricably linked to cost-sizing in terms of financial resources, seeks to spend less, to make processes more efficient, and to redirect ineffective assets and resources in a more productive manner. Improving Outside Aspects of the Organization Sales and marketing training experts will inform you a great deal of a business's efficiency is within its processes and the manner in which resources and employees are handled. However, sales...

The adage of not putting all of one's eggs in one basket certainly applies to the topic of sales. With a great deal of competition and a deep target audience for many to reach, sales training methods have recognized this reality. From Chicago sales training to sales and marketing training forces around the globe, the Law of Large Numbers is an important concept to understand. Creating a robust sales funnel is not about settling with your current customers, or by not playing an active role in acquiring new sales leads. Sales training is all about this concept, which can help transform your current endeavors into something much more rewarding. Follow these seven steps in order to strive after this...

The first stage of the sales process is to make sure you are speaking to a buying client. There are methods to convert a non-buying client into a buying client. There are also ways to speak to a non-buying client to increase the odds that he or she will become a buying client in the future. This article focuses on moving a client who wants to buy something to buying your product. More to the point, it focuses on moving the client to the position where your product is the only alternative available. By doing this, you can set your stress management techniques to the side, and focus on turning the selling process into the buying process. You may not be able to use all the fancy techniques you have...

With one simple change to your sales closing techniques you can bring out the majority of real sales objections, and smoke screens, at the start of a sales meeting. By making a simple change to the traditional sales process you will only be faced with objections related to your products or service when you try to close the sale. These are objections that you can overcome. Objections to sales that are related to the buyer, or their company, are not in your control and can be very difficult to resolve. Make more effective use of your sales time because you will know from the start of the meeting whether the buyer can buy from you. Think abut the difference that will make to your sales conversion rate...

Every business, whether small or large, needs some training to enhance sales and to build a reputation among the general public. Sales being the core of the business, to enhance it will add up the growth of an organization. On the other hand, training is very essential for the newbie to start a small business. In order to compete in today's highly competitive market, the small business owner must be a salesperson who is also consultant, customer service agent, problem solver, an educator and a sensible negotiator. Some of the factors that greatly influence sales are competitors, effective sales techniques, promises on the product, powerful marketing techniques etc. To overcome these criteria and to...

"Repetition is the mother of all skill." - Tony Robbins, author of Unlimited Power. In sales seminars and sales training programs I often talk about the difference between sales skills and sales techniques. Sales techniques are something external to you, they are something that you hear or that you know. Sales skills are something that you own, they are yours through hard work and practice. And, what's more, they won't abandon you in even the toughest of markets. When I speak at sales conferences many salespeople sit back, cross their arms and ask for "the advanced stuff". They tell their boss that they don't need sales training because they already know it, they've heard it all before... Take...

What is the difference between education and training? Education develops the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling; to qualify by instruction or training for a particular calling, practice, etc. It focuses on the individual and his or her ability to make a contribution.* Training gives the discipline and instruction, drill, practice, etc., designed to impart proficiency or efficiency. It focuses on a specific, finite task.* Let's take a closer look at how education builds from one level to the next: Pre-school: provides a good foundation in personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and creativity that enables individuals to become more confident and...

Yep, I said it. Sales people are cowards when it comes to performing the single most important selling skill - Prospecting. I have spent the last 28 years working with salespeople, both in training workshops and, more importantly, in the field making sales calls one-on-one. It is amazing how gutless sale people get as they spend more time in the field. I would think the opposite would happen, but it isn't so. Here is the typical scenario I have found. Perhaps your know someone whose career has taken this route. When a young salesperson starts out they are full of enthusiasm and a deep-seeded need for clients - the perfect combination. They Prospect like crazy, don't know the "art of selling...

For the last few days I have been having a long weekend staying in Grassmere in the Lake District. Beautiful. And for once the weather has been beautiful too. Mid afternoon today I was sitting drinking a tea in Bowness by Lake Windermere and a little family (Mum, Dad, two year old boy) arrived to have refreshments too. They looked hot, thirsty and ready for tea. Mum sat down and Dad asked her what she wanted. "Tea," she replied. He then turned to the boy, "Robert, what would you like?" The two year old, wearing blue shorts and a white t-shirt and still standing up puffed his chest out, looked his Dad in the eye and stated, "Feed ducks!" Dad looked straight back at him and asked again, "What would...

To get the best sales results out of your training investment, a sales development training program needs to be focused on your product's, or service's, unique value proposition. What unique value or benefit does your product or service have for customers? Ensure that your training program provides information that your sales staff can use in sales planning and sales calls. Customize the training program to focus on the specific needs of your unique sales staff; by customizing for your own staff you will increase training effectiveness. All training needs to be developed with specific objectives in mind: 1. Do you need to train newly hired, but experienced, sales people? For example, for newly...

Employee costs skyrocket when you are in a high turnover situation. Searching, recruiting, and training of new hires all add up quickly to in many cases thousands of dollars per employee. Add in recruitment firms and you could easily be in the tens of thousands of dollars for 1 new sales representative. And then they have to stick. How do you keep from losing that new sales employee? How can you reduce the overall turnover in your sales department? How can you reduce turnover and reduce these new hire costs in one shot? As an ex-sales manager who has managed hundreds of sales employees over the years the one thing that new hires want and need when they come on board is training. As a sales manager...

Too many salespeople are asking about a slowdown in the economy and how that may hurt their sales performance. Well, I'm not an economist but as a sales trainer and professional salesperson, I've been through a few hard economic times in the past. So, this slowdown is not something new. Do you know what got me through other hard economic periods? Using top-notch sales skills, selling strategies and proper product positioning. "Increase Productivity" Positioning Some products allow individuals and corporations to be more productive. Corporations and individuals have to become more productive when the economy starts to slide. If corporations and individuals are not doing something about being more...

The challenge facing many sales managers and business owners is the transfer of selling skills that made them a top sales producer to their sales team. When you take on the role of a sales manager, it's no longer about what you can produce; it's about what you can get others to produce. In the words of Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." Hard working sales managers and business owners invest hours in coaching and training their sales teams. In far too many scenarios, their efforts fall short. The sales team doesn't consistently execute their new prospecting and selling skills...

A Common Dilemma In a discussion about sales strategy and training with a large, national company executive last week, I learned that they are struggling with a VERY difficult decision - They are trying to decide which direction to go with their sales training, and consequently, with their sales and sales management strategy. Do they make the commitment to go with a sales strategy and related training that focuses on implementing a highly-structured process? Or do with they go the "other direction" and go with a sales training and implementation methodology that focuses primarily on "relationship skills?" (People) He said, "We're looking for the next great sales idea. We've spoken with all of the...

Success in sales requires solid knowledge of the markets you are selling to, a good understanding of how your products or services contribute to your customers success, your ability to express the value of what you sell to your customers (product/service knowledge) and of course good sales skills - the ability to listen, understand prospect needs, build trust and present solutions. One skill often overlooked in sales training and sales literature is the skill of thinking strategically so you can develop a sales strategy along with identifying corresponding tactics to implement the strategy - in other words, an actionable plan to achieve your sales goals over a defined period of time. Let's take a...

Is the YES word ingrained within your selling skills? Did you know that Yes has far more emotional value to you than your prospect? Why not consider a new word that far better emotionalizes the sales process and work with you to improve sales? Are you possibly thinking that this lady has lost her crackers, is she off her rocker? Everyone in sales knows that the word YES is what you as the professional sales person is after. Get more "YESSES" sales gurus shout from mountain top to mountain top. Attend any sales training workshop or seminar and your eardrums will be pummeled with that all desirable word YES and how you must use it as part of your sales skills. However, if YES is such a great meaning...

The "Purple Pill" If you could give your sales force a "Purple Pill" that would boost their effectiveness by 25% or more, would you do it? No prizes for guessing how a typical sales manager would answer this question! Sales professionals are high-energy, fast-thinking, opportunistic people. If they are good, they often shoot from the hip and take calculated risks. They can be called mavericks and that's a good thing. It takes a little "maverick" in the blood to be effective in the world of professional sales. Most are willing to try anything that offers the potential for a fast boost, a quick sale, increased value, or the strengthening of their relationship with their customer. Too often, however...

Many sales people, from those with experience to newcomers to the industry, go to sales seminars hoping to learn the tricks to get rid of the many struggles associated with selling. The more hopeful amongst them are aiming to find the holy grail of selling techniques which will close every sale in record time. The organisers of these seminars are to blame for making promises that these dreams will be fulfilled but for most of the attendees, after the initial buzz has worn off they find themselves right back, or even further back than they were when they started, and usually quite a bit out of pocket as well. There is the usual euphoria associated with these events where by the highly skilled...

If you are in any way responsible for sales coaching field sales professionals, then here is probably the single best information you will ever get for growing your corporate sales. One word - Prospecting. For over 30 years I have been training field sale people. I work initially with their sales managers, sales coaches, whatever the title. One thing I have learned is that everyone is very well trained in selling skills, but few, if any, are trained in Prospecting skills. So what happens when sales begin to lag or volume isn't growing? They conduct sales skills training once again! A few weeks ago I lead a 4 hour discussion with a group of sales trainers on the East coast. The focus of the...

I often get requests by sales mangers for negotiation skills training for their sales people when in fact upon further investigation their people usually need consultative selling skills training first. You cannot negotiate effectively if you cannot sell effectively first. Both are processes which need to be learned and applied in the correct order. However over 90% of sales people follow no logical process when selling or negotiating leaving their sales at risk. Everybody negotiates all the time, at work, at home, and as a consumer and as a sales person. For some people it seems easy, but others view the process of negotiation as a source of conflict to be resisted and avoided if possible...

When making contact with a prospective customer for the first time, it becomes an expedition into the unknown: no salesperson knows what the reaction will be and whether the meeting will be fruitful or not. Fear is the natural response to this uncertainty. Deliver sales training sessions to help overcome these emotions to develop their self-confidence. The first step on the way to becoming a successful salesperson is to recognise this fear, concede that it exists and learn to control it. Therefore try to analyse, with your salespeople, the possible causes of their fear: Lack of skills: anyone lacking skills is also lacking in self-confidence. Those who do not have self-confidence develop fears. The...

A question that is often asked on sales training courses is 'how should I dress?' I think this is a vitally important question. You see a prospect will subconsciously have a perception of you built up in their mind in the first 30 seconds to 1 minute of a sales call. The old saying you only get one chance to make a good first impression is vital. Sales training courses will tell you that these first introductions are vital and we all know the importance of the firm but not wrestle mania type hand shake as opposed to the wet fish hand shake. We also know the importance of eye contact although we must always consider that all cultures are not the same and eye contact, handshakes etc may not be correct...

Coaching sales staff members on consultative selling methods To establish a strong administrative system based on a "coaching culture" can help build a more successful practice. Coaching staff members on consultative selling methods, then establishing a strong administrative system based on a "coaching culture" can help build a more successful practice. Coaching-from sports to business management-is recognized as one of a manager's most important activities along with recruiting, motivating, and assigning accountability. In order to help people capitalize on their strengths and overcome personal obstacles to attain their next level of expertise, a coach must focus on high return on investment (ROI...

There are many ways in which a company can improve its profits. For example it can cut costs, if there are any left to cut; suppliers can be squeezed if there is any juice left in the orange; acquisitions, mergers and disposals are other ways of increasing profits; and of course let us not forget restructuring and refocusing, the favourite terms in press releases, as companies try to convince analysts that the extraordinary charge on their P & L was justified. Most if not all, of the above are expensive, some extremely expensive, some are short term and some potentially dangerous. In our opinion there is another way, and maybe it is taken for granted - and that is to sell more, sell better, and...

Whether you need a one-day training seminar for your corporate staff or a consulting and training for a major organizational project, there are scores of trainings that you can pick according to your training needs and requirements. Most organizations offer seminars for the entire gamut of corporate aspects and can tailor-make these seminars for your organization's specific demands. One of the most popular corporate training seminars is the sales training seminar. These seminars address individuals as well as corporate teams and help sales organizations become more productive in their communications with customers. The seminars aim at imparting skills which boost sales and focus on the entire...

Do you want to increase sales especially with a slowing economy? Consider, these 3 simple letters if this is your goal. So what are these three simple letters? The first one is A. Since A is the beginning of the alphabet, this is letter is quite important. For it sets the tone of this sales coaching tip that being action. Without action, your goal to increase sales will simply not happen. You cannot wish or hope for sales. You, as the sales professional, must take action from finding those potential prospects, to qualifying them, to securing their commitment, to delivering the sales and to conducting the follow-up. So much in sales is dependent upon action. There is a favorite little story...

Few marketers will question the value of sales leads generated by direct mail and other direct response methods. However, a poorly integrated lead generation programme can actually reduce the overall productivity of a salesforce. This is a true story and only the company name has been changed The case of Newco & Co. illustrates the phenomenon. Newco manufacture a range of specialist industrial washroom equipment; they offer service contracts to maintain the equipment and supply their wide range of hygiene disposable products. The market combines extreme competitiveness with a marked lack of glamour; therefore Newco have chosen to dedicate a specialist salesforce to concentrate on opening up new...

A friend of mine was hired as President of a building supplies distributor in the Midwest. The company was profitable but they seemed to have run into a brick wall once they reached the fifty million dollar mark in sales. This can be quite a challenge for any management team. It is not an uncommon problem. Sales in many companies may from time to time hit a brick wall and become stagnant regardless of the overall size of the revenue stream. My friend told me that his entire sales team seemed to have lost their passion. Rekindle the Passion Sounds easy but exactly how you rekindle passion. Is there really such a thing as rekindling passion? The answer to that question is yes. Passion is a result of...

There are well-defined moments in the sales process when you absolutely must ask for the order. You can't afford to have these precious moments slip through your fingers but unfortunately, that's exactly what happens to too many salespeople. I have some advice that will protect you from becoming one of those salespeople. The key is to make closing automatic and you do that by knowing exactly when you must ask for an order. "Always Be Closing" Unfortunately, too many salespeople were mislead into believing that "Always Be Closing" represents the "ABCs" of salesmanship. Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth. You can't always be closing because asking for an order is only one of the steps in...