What Should You Do With Stalled Sales Opportunities?
Stalled sales opportunities account for between 10 and 15% of most sales funnels, yet little is written about stalled opportunities and the implications for both the sales representative and the sales manager. They are the dirty little secret of sales. Let’s consider for a moment “what” constitutes a stalled opportunity, “why” opportunities stall, and “how” […]
The Four Coaching Challenges Sales Managers Face
When a sales representative or account manager is promoted to a district, region or team sales manager, they often face challenges they’ve never considered before. For example, how much time do I spend “managing up” to my boss and the senior staff versus “managing down” to my team? Managing up can be problematic because it […]
Check List for Handling Discount Demands
Recently we were asked by a client to develop a brief but interactive negotiation workshop that provided insight into handling the objection “your price is too high…we need a lower price.” In preparation for the session we developed a detailed case study that outlined the exact business scenario that their sales force was experiencing daily. […]
Concession Strategy in Complex Negotiations–Planning Your Give-And-Take: Part 2
In “Concession Strategy Part 1” we explored what goes into a concession strategy, the importance of detecting your counter-part’s approach to negotiation (collaborative vs. competitive) and four guidelines for conceding. In Concession Strategy Part 2 we’ll focus on the five skills you should develop or refine to become a better practitioner of “win-win” negotiations. It […]
Concession Strategy in Complex Negotiations–Planning Your Give-And-Take: Part 1
Consider this situation. Your manager offers you a newly created sales management position that includes an increase in salary and a $30,000 bonus. As you reflect on the offer you realize that if you earn your bonus, your total compensation will increase but not markedly since you are paid a salary plus commission now and […]
Best Practices with Strategic Accounts
For every sales organization there are very large accounts that require extensive company resources. Whether you call them “key, national or strategic accounts” does not matter. Loss of even a single important account would create a significant revenue or profit shortfall that would be difficult and time consuming to replace. For many sales executives, effective […]
Lesson Learned: No Response! Why?
In a recent sales workshop a participant asked us for some help to solve a problem that perplexed her. We asked for some context before she asked her question. Here is the scenario she (we’ll call her Sally to protect her identity) painted for us rather graphically. Have you ever found yourself in this situation? […]
Handling Disruptive Negotiation Tactics: Defusing Anger, Threats & Ultimatums
During the lunch break for a recent negotiation workshop a participant asked “How do you handle a customer who seems friendly during the sales process but turns into a monster when negotiating?” He shared with us a story of a mild mannered executive who was engaging and value-focused throughout the sales process but became aggressive, […]
Three Deal Killing Blind Spots in Negotiations
One factor common to all sales professionals is the nagging suspicion and doubt that surfaces in our thoughts as we approach negotiating a close to a major deal. Have I answered all my customer’s questions? Is my price low enough or has someone else brought in a low-ball number at the last minute? Can I […]
The Sales Representative’s Checklist for Collaborating with Procurement: Part 2
Do you see view procurement as a threat and necessary evil that must be managed carefully on each sales opportunity or do you view them as an ally that can help you facilitate the procurement process? Last week in Part 1 of this blog we described the changing role of procurement and the lens of […]
