Sales and Marketing

The place to address time frame and urgency issues is in the questioning phase of selling – which should happen before you present and propose. Always remember, 80 percent of your chance to win or lose the sale happens when you’re asking questions.

Certain body postures will not only make you look more confident but also help you be more confident. World-class athletes, musicians and other performers maximize their confidence before they begin their competition or performance. Do you?

Research your competitors and find out what they are doing to serve their customers. Then take it up a few notches. Your company, employees and customers will all benefit.

Referrals are wonderful and a great way to build your business. Ask for them the right way, give them the right way, and handle them the right way – and you will get them for years to come.

There is a way to achieve steady, trackable growth that can explode into an industry-changing force — and it starts with a series of small experiments to search for a single replicable sale.

Don't wait for your organization to communicate a purpose that your team can latch onto. Take the initiative now to engage the hearts of your team so they will develop a passion for their work. Be bold.

Evaluations are a great tool for improvement, but too many of the evaluations don’t cover the important areas that salespeople should be evaluated on. Worse, they can be too complicated. Here’s a simple four-point evaluation that can work for any salesperson in any industry.

Because buyers are now so well-informed when making purchase decisions, they no longer have use for being “sold to” in the traditional sense. Organizations will accomplish more by allowing customers the space to make their own assessments and providing the resources they need to make an educated decision.

By following these five steps, your sales force will win more new business, and that new business will likely be of better quality than you’re getting now.

Comfortable customers buy; one of the most uncomfortable moments for a customer is when a new salesperson takes over their account. Here are five ways to take the discomfort out, and keep their business intact.

Consumer optimism levels are the highest in the more than two years that consumer sentiment has been measured by the National Association of Convenience Stores.

A strategic media relations program takes advantage of the growing hunger for information and creates an ongoing gateway for organizations to share their stories and news in a way that engages the public and truly differentiates themselves from competitors. Here are three ways to make it happen.

Good companies and organizations know that inspired employees and satisfied customers are their best sales and marketing engines. In the premiere San Francisco Bay Area Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition, the results were clear – great companies abound and deliver on their promises to employees, customers and communities.

The proximity-based networking app Reach is offering 10 tips for those looking to make strong, long-lasting business relationships in the new year.

“Be Prepared.” That’s the Boy Scout motto. So many sales are lost not because the customer doesn’t want to buy, but because the salesperson isn’t prepared to sell. Here are key steps in the sales process that define what it takes to make it happen.

Benefit Corp legislation has been proposed in the Michigan legislature since 2010. Nationwide, 27 states have adopted the business designation that makes social and environmental impact part of your articles of incorporation. Another 14 states are expected to pass the legislation in 2015. Is Michigan missing out on investments and new companies that want to form as Benefit Corps?

Small business owners often don’t realize the potential value they have with their present client base. By listening to their customers and asking the right questions, a whole world of new business can be discovered.

When a candidate sells themselves as having a “great Rolodex,” what they really mean is, “My Rolodex is full of contacts – and I have no desire to make any more.” You don’t know if those contacts are still on the job, have moved on or changed to other departments. Worse, when it becomes apparent that the salesperson needs to make new relationships, it won’t happen.

Don’t let inefficient contract workflow and a lack of communication derail even the most promising of partnerships. Streamlining the contract process can save time and money and ensure that the energy put into closing the sale pays off.

Understand this: A straight commission pay plan will not allow you to compete effectively for sales talent. Your company must gain and retain top sales talent, so combining salary and a mix of rewards and incentives is key.