Colleen’s Blog

Did you just do a double take? Stop trying to close sales...isn't that counter-productive to our sales success? You heard me right. Salespeople should not be attempting to “close” sales with clients. It’s all in the definition. Closing is something you do to a person. While it may be just a term, the language is completely one-sided. It implies that you are going entirely for the win regardless of what’s right for the customer. Salespeople who approach prospects with this kind of self benefiting mentality are almost never successful in their long term endeavors. Depending on their abilities and experience, they may in fact convince the prospect to do business with them, but long term, mutually beneficial relationships are rarely ever fostered. This breed of selling creates the "pushy" and "aggressive" stigma that clouds our entire industry. It puts everyone, including well-wishing, value focused salespeople at a clear disadvantage with prospects. Do your fellow salespeople a great service and avoid ever approaching a prospect with only your own interests in mind. Sales closing techniques that have amusing terms or names are often methods that you should not be using. For example:

What puts a smile on your face and reminds you of how much you enjoy the field you’re in? For me, it’s reassurance from my readers and clients. The feeling you get when you realize you’re making an impact on people is indescribable. Here’s a quick message I received in regards to a meeting request: “Yes, let’s meet face to face for sure!  I might even ask for your autograph since, with how much I watch your amazing videos – you’re kinda like a sales training celebrity/hero to me” Receiving messages like this is nothing short of an honor. When you’re doing what you love, and sharing it with the masses, receiving positive reinforcement (even when you don’t request any) is inevitable. ← Click To Tweet

Do you ever feel as though you're not doing quite enough for your client? You've delivered everything that you promised to deliver, and the client seems to be happy with the services and products you have provided them. Still, you just can't shake this feeling that not enough is being offered to them by you and your team. It's quite a natural feeling. In a world where client retention is such an important metric in the success of your business, it's completely normal to feel a little bit uneasy about where you stand with your clients. Even if they haven't been given any reason to feel on edge, many sales leaders and business owners struggle with the possibility that they may not be providing enough value for their clients. Is there a solution? Of course there is!

I received this cold email on Saturday from a “National Accounts Executive”
How many mistakes can you spot?

Price discounts can be a touchy subject for people. Some sales leaders will never give a price discount, and others will go as far offering a discount to the client before it is even requested. It's true, if you MUST give a discount, you should always be asking for something in return. However, before you even think about providing a client with a discount, try and come up with an alternative solution instead. Consider the following alternatives you can offer the client before automatically handing them a price discount.

My big sales message from this trip so far is a personal one. Just when you think you don’t need to learn anything….think again!