Colleen’s Blog

I was interviewed by one of Canada’s national magazines on the University education for sales people, as well as why there weren’t many sales programs offered and what courses should be offered for people who want to pursue sales as a career.

Far too often sales reps get into combat with their customers over questions and objections and you can get into combat if you want to win the sale, you have to stay in conversations. So how do we do that?

Mike Tyson once said, you know, everybody has a set plan they're going to use until they step in the ring and they get punched in the face. It may be a strange reference when talking about sales but it's more applicable than you think. We get punched in the face proverbially of course with every sale call we make, meaning a question comes in from left field that we weren’t prepared for, the prospect or the customer says something that we weren’t prepared for and being unprepared is a terrible mistake to make in sales.

I have been spending a lot of time in workshops so far this year and the number one thing sales reps ask me is how you move beyond the pricing objection and here is what I’m discovering.

It’s been an exciting week addressing Sales Leaders from across North America. Here is what I have learned:  1. Money is not the best tool to ensure your team hits quota, accountability is. 2. If your company is consistently not hitting their sales goals, it’s the sales leaders fault. 3. Both preventative and contingent coaching are required for the best sales results.

I’m always amazed at how much one can learn about business success just by the act of travelling. Here is what happened over the last 30 days, and the lessons you can use to profit from it. It's a valuable exercise to use your own experiences as a customer to improve your own business' customer service. Why not learn from the mistakes of others?

After a much needed, quiet three weeks at home, I started to travel for myself and clients in late January. Here is the round-up of the good, the bad, and the unexplainable. Use the lessons to elevate your own customer experiences. They could make the difference between a loyal client and a lost one.

You may periodically see images on my Facebook page or my website of me with my Harley Davidson. Especially with the weather warming up, it’s just about time for me to take my bike out of the garage and start riding again. It’s more than just the thrill of riding a motorcycle that gets me excited. I originally failed my first motorcycle exam and became discouraged. After passing the exam in my second attempt, there is a sense of triumph every time I hop on my bike. With another motorcycle season just around the bend, I can’t help but connect the parallels between motorcycles and sales (are you surprised?). With my particular situation, I was able to learn two lessons that you can implement in your sales strategy.

There are sales lessons on every corner, all you have to do is look for them. Here are a three from this week.