How about a year end check-up?

Weekly Sales Tips

Words of wisdom for this week.

“No man is free who is not master of himself.”
~ Epictetus

As we head towards a new year why not a little self-evaluation when it comes to your selling behavior. The following concise list represents 40 critical sales ideas for your consideration that can contribute to your consistent and long-term success. There are obviously many more than 40 – sales do’s and don’ts – that could have been included.

This list contains what I believe are those actions, that when practiced or eliminated
will help you rise above the rest of the field and beat the competition, while successfully serving the needs of your clients and yourself.

DO

1. Compartmentalize the issues in your life and career.
2. Spend regular time in self-improvement and reflection.
3. Ask for the business.
4. Close a relationship, not just the sale.
5. Study the competition.
6. Know your product/service better than anyone.
7. Set goals and monitor your progress.
8. See rejection as a tool to learn about yourself.
9. Sell value not low price.
10. Keep accurate and consistent sales records.
11. Cultivate your support staff.
12. Work hard as hard to keep the business as you did to get it.
13. Listen more than you talk.
14. Tailor your sales message.
15. Listen between the lines.
16. Carefully observe early prospect/client signals.
17. Let poor prospects go earlier rather than later.
18. Get information before you give it.
19. Focus on what you want not what you don’t.
20. Keep your ego out of the sales process.

DON’T

1. Talk too much.
2. Give information before you get it.
3. Give redundant presentations.
4. Assume everyone buys for similar reasons.
5. Be afraid of rejection and failure.
6. Waste time on unimportant non-sales issues.
7. Promise a little and deliver less.
8. Sell low price.
9. Assume all sales resistance is negative.
10. Try and do it all yourself.
11. Give product focused presentations.
12. Deal in negatives; what you can’t do.
13. Spend time with poor prospects.
14. Advertise your willingness to make concessions.
15. Assume selling and negotiating are the same.
16. Lose control of the sales process.
17. Just cultivate your client organization contact.
18. Cold call before you have done some research.
19. Assume a verbal yes, means yes.
20. Assume you will have the business forever.

Why not check your typical sales behavior against the above lists.