Category: Uncategorized

On this day in 1975, the movie Jaws was released in movie theaters. (Cue the haunting music.) For many, Jaws is still in their minds when they dip into the open waters.

Forget the beach a sec…you ready for some numbers?
1. The original movie won 3 Oscars.

2. It took $7 million to make and grossed $478 million (nice!).

3. 695,539 IMDB folks give it an 8.1 rating out of 10 (super solid).

So why is that big, bad, fictional shark important to you, you revenue beast?

Not sure! …it’s Friday in the summer. You deserve a mini break from the skills and habit reminders.

Do you think ALL of the companies that received money from your clients in Q2 nailed it?

Of course not.

Many of them botched something or another with your target accounts. In fact, right this second, one of your buyers is ticked off at one of their vendors…YOUR competitor.

It’d be a shame if you didn’t try to capitalize on that opportunity.

Whether you do formal QBRs with your key clients or not, use the end of Q2 to survey them and uncover the truth about who is performing strongly and who has mud all over their faces.

Can you turn a “no” into a “yes”?

Can you dig through a brick wall with a plastic spoon and find an order?

Can you move a buyer’s mind just enough through collaboration on a work-around?

No seller on the planet has mastered objection handling (OH), but the good news is you don’t have to master it. You merely have to understand and use a few basic techniques that shrink the buyer’s objection.

You look forward to your weekly sales meeting because you’re happy to see your peers and learn about anything that might help you sell better. Heck, you might even get inspired along the way.

…and then, the meeting starts, and so does the daydreaming. Pffft….all good intentions are out the window.

The good news is you have successfully diagnosed the problem: you just don’t care to listen to other sellers engage with your manager about their deals.

YAY, it’s account review season!

If you’re preparing for your upcoming Q2 review with your manager, ensure you’re tight on each account’s Objections and Obstacles. (Moving forward toward Q3 greatness will be harder without that knowledge.)

And if the review has already taken place and you’re executing against your plan, forge your strategic path based on known O&Os.

Keeping the Two Os top of mind as you work your accounts means you’ll qualify business and find buyers more efficiently than sellers who don’t embrace deal-breaker issues.

The week is over. Forget it. Let it go.

There’s nothing you can do to change that bastard buyer who jerked your chain or that dork in your XYZ department who messed up a renewal proposal for a client.

Weekends are about breathing, and being happy for being able to do just that.

As Mom Terry says in today’s quote, just be happy.

You’re cruising along in a big pitch meeting when your manager hijacks the meeting and starts rambling down No Value Highway.

Yikes. What do you do?

Try this: Seize an opening and say, “Thanks for that…you bring up some good points; do we want to stay on that track or get back to #2 on our agenda?” (Thank goodness you use agendas in pitch meetings!)

Managers add tremendous value, but sometimes they, too, get overexcited in meetings. That’s ok, they’re human.

There’s not much you can do about what happened in the past, but you can control the future.

How’s Q3 looking? …for both your revenue quota and your skills goals?

As you prepare for another 90-day combat term, remember the classic sales mantra: manage your performance, not your results.

“Results” is represented by your quota goal. Your performance relates to your activity goals…and that’s where you focus on your skills.

By now your manager has dropped your Q3 revenue quota on your head, but today and this week should be spent solidifying your Q3 skills goals.

43 different ways to close business??? HA, made you look…” There’s no magic wand that will help you close business.

But if you follow this formula, you might see a difference in your close rate:

Closing = value presentation + qualify + objection handling ➗ constantly.

More or less.

You can “ask for the business” all you want, but unless you apply the above formula frequently throughout the funnel, you won’t earn high close rates.

A big part of success in selling is based on making it simple for your buyers.

Make it simple for them to understand your value.

Make it simple for them to understand you.

If you can distill the complexity of your offering and present it in a way that makes it easy for the customer, you will win the communication game.

This means cutting down your words and translating for your customers.

Buyers don’t have the time, energy, or interest to cut through the complexity you unintentionally create.