Professional Services Marketing & Selling

There’s a problem among sales managers that’s reaching a critical level. They have forgotten the primary job and responsibilities of the sales manager. As a result, the sales culture is a mess and performance is steadily dropping. Listen as Mike Weinberg, author of Sales Management. Simplfied., discusses how sales managers can stop this trend and create a high-performing sales team.

The secret to successful improv comedy is the same strategy that keeps sales conversations moving forward. It’s all about saying “yes and.” Listen as Michael Port, author of the book Steal the Show, explains how sellers can use that tactic, why you must rehearse in order to be spontaneous, and the best way to close a deal.

Sales experts have said the phone is the best sales tool. It can be even more effective, however, when used along with email—when you use email to familiarize prospects with your product and company. By essentially pre-selling, they will be 80% sold when you talk with them on the phone, says email specialist Ben Settle.

If you think professional services firms are exempt from using artificial intelligence to automate services, you are in for a big awakening. As new technology is developed and buyers’ needs shift, firms are changing delivery models and their sales models. And those that don’t change will be in peril, says John Dillard, author of Microslices: The Death of Consulting and What It Means for Executives.

Doing great work for a client is no longer enough to ensure the client will buy from you again when the need arises. Great work is expected and doesn’t set you apart from the growing competition. To keep clients buying from you, RAIN Group's Ago Cluytens suggest you do four things.

Online tools such as email were once considered the best prospecting tools. That is no longer the case. The phone has reclaimed the title as the number one prospecting tool for sales teams. Listen as inside sales expert Trish Bertuzzi explains why the phone is the top tool and what to say during conversations to get buyers to want to learn more.

Having a CRM to enable your sales team is just table stakes. Today, sellers need advanced tools to help with their sales efforts—tools such as predictive analytics software, cloud-based document software, and esignature software. Listen as Monte Wilson, Vice President, Head of Americas Field Operations for Digital Media at Adobe Systems, discusses how those types of tools help companies win sales—and close them faster—and develop longtime relationships with customers.

In sales situations, 59% of the executives who make buying decisions don’t want to meet with a salesperson. That doesn’t mean salespeople aren’t needed. It means their role has changed. They’ve become guides in what’s become a very processed-driven selling system. Listen as Tom Searcy, author of Life After the Death of Selling, explains sellers’ new roles and what sales leaders must do to ensure their teams perform well.

When 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers, it’s critical to retain and grow those accounts. The best way to manage those key accounts is through a Selling Center, a permanent team committed to the account that maintains and increases the value of the relationship over time. Listen as Carl Herman and Joël Le Bon, authors of Key Account Management, explain how to improve your key account management.

Buyers want personalized messages and conversations with salespeople. Generic selling just won't do. To have those conversations, companies must enable their sales teams, says Aberdeen Group's Peter Ostrow. They must give sellers the tools, content, and support that allow them to speak to a specific persona, vertical, or even company.

You probably know everything required to sell more. The problem is you don't implement those tactics because you worry you are bothering your clients or you think you don't have time to do them. Both of those are misconceptions you need to get past. Listen as Alex Goldfayn, author of The Revenue Growth Habit, three unimposing things you can do now to increase revenue.

The average B2B salesperson uses only about a third of their time to actively sell. That means there's much more they can do to be more efficient, complete more sales activities, and win more deals. Listen as Matt Heinz discusses what salespeople can do right now to be more productive and sell more.

In sales, you have to move your prospects where you want them to go. You do that by using power language that gets them to agree to a series of small things. Listen as Mark Rodgers, author of Persuasion Equation, discusses how to use power language, and the Principle of Nudge to persuade customers to buy from you.

If you're trying to sell something, don't try to sell to people using logic. It's a waste of time. You need to connect with buyers on a subconscious and emotional level, says Erik Luhrs, aka The Bruce Lee of Sales and Lead Generation. If you can do that, you will increase sales volume and decrease sales cycle length.

Products and services are more complex. We use different media to communicate. And we communicate less face to face. As a result, our communication is often boring and superficial. It does not include intuitive information or the experiential aspect of what we're trying to say. Storytelling can fix that, says Annette Simmons, author of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins.

Hostage takers and your customers have different wants, but how you communicate with them to get to your desired result is the same. The goal is to keep the person talking. In this podcast, Mark Goulston, author of Just Listen, explains how to keep customers talking until they sell themselves on your solution.

Referrals are a salesperson's biggest competitive differentiator. The produce the highest quality leads and can shorten the sale cycle. The problem is many people don't ask for referrals or they don't know how to ask for them. Listen as Joanne Black, author of No More Cold Calling and a leading authority on referral selling, discusses how to ask, as well as how to get started creating a referral system.

Buyers are frustrated. Often sales reps are unprepared for meetings and unable to answer buyers' questions, causing the rep to lose the sale. To remedy that, companies need to gather insight about their buyers, create buyer personas, and use the information to help buyers, says Adele Revella, author of Buyer Personas.

Email is still an effective sales tool—if it's done right. The problem is it's very easy to do wrong. Listen as David Traub, author of The 10 Second Sale, discusses six things you should include in every email that make people want to not just open your email, but reply to it.

Traditionally sales professionals participate in the sales process from start to finish. Some companies, however, have found a different structure works better. Following a model, in which sales professionals specialize in certain aspects of the sales process, they have increased sales closes by 300%. SalesLoft's Sean Kester explains.

Things have become more competitive for sales professionals. More people are vying for sales positions. Plus, selling itself has become more challenging with competing companies targeting the same customers. The best way to become indispensable in either situation is to be recognized as an expert in your field, says Dorie Clark, author of Stand Out.

Each person on a sales team is different. Depending on a person's role and outputs, he has different skills requirements and training needs. That means companies need a training program that addresses each person's unique qualities. A model that has proved successful is a sales university. With it, companies can create a curriculum that addresses core sales skills, as well as skills required for each sales role, says RAIN Group President Mike Schultz.

When it comes to generating referrals, you need a system. It doesn't have to be rigid system, but it must be a process that allows you to influence the referrals you receive. Using Vickie K. Sullivan's three-step system, you can guide your referral sources and ensure you received qualified leads.

Lean Thinking, long used to improve manufacturing and production processes, has found a use in sales. By implementing Lean Selling strategies, companies have been able to reduce sales waste, increase sales closures, and shorten sales cycle times, says Robert Pryor, author of Lean Selling.

LinkedIn is the most powerful social media tool for sales professionals. Most decision makers are members, and you have ungated access to them. The key is to be proactive in your use of it, says Melonie Dodaro, author of The LinkedIn Code. You can't simply create a profile, collect connections, and wait for buyers to come to you.

Sales organizations usually sell to the user-buyer, where all of the talk is about features and benefits. Sellers feel comfortable doing that. But when they only do that, they miss the other type of buyer within the company—the C-suite. To ensure your chances of winning the sale, you need both sides on board, which means you need two value propositions, says Skip Miller, author of Selling Above and Below the Line.

Technology has created a new type of gatekeeper—noise. The constant sales emails, social media requests, and text messages generate so much noise that decision makers often delete or ignore them. Because of that, salespeople need a multi-pronged approach to get appointments with decision makers.

Sales has always been thought of as more of an art than science. That is changing as more data about sales teams is available. Rather than simply trying something and hoping it works, teams can apply data and metrics and predict success.

You have a great product, but these days that isn't enough to keep customers returning. Customers want to be a part of something bigger. They want to connect with a company's story—their message—and they want to be a part of a community, says Noah Fleming, author of Evergreen. To achieve that, companies must have three qualities: character, community, and content.

The "key of all keys" when maximizing sales with existing accounts is expanding the value you offer. It goes further than your value positioning statement, however. Listen as John Doerr explains the other things high-performing firms do to expand the value they offer and grow business with accounts.

When it comes to identifying sales leaders, executives need to look beyond a person's ability to sell. Do they inspire people? Can they establish a clear vision? Can they get priorities of focus driven through an organization and cascaded to the front lines? Specifically, strong sales leaders have five qualities, says Scott Edinger, co-author of The Hidden Leader.

People have long held negative perceptions of sales, making the idea of loving a salesperson laughable. The truth is many customers do love people who sell to them—if those people have certain qualities. Listen as Jack Vincent, author of A Sale Is a Love Affair, explains what it takes to win a customer's love.

Whether you are a salesperson trying to get an executive to buy your product or you are a sales manager trying to approval for a new procedure, the important thing is to understand the executive's perspective. When you know what they want out of meetings, you will lead memorable meetings that prompt them to take action in your favor rather.

In a world where buyers often think competing products are virtually the same, the salesperson is the differentiating factor. It isn't enough for a salesperson to simply explain the features of what he's selling, he must provide value. Listen as Scott Edinger explains how top salespeople provide value and how companies can support them by having a sales-oriented culture.

As firms work to generate new leads, close more business, and charge fees they deserve, one thing can make all of those easier to accomplish: a Visible Expert. Listen as Lee Frederiksen explains the benefits of having Visible Experts on staff and how to develop your own expert.

Most people start their sales presentations by thanking their audience for the time and talking about themselves. If that's your approach, stop. If you want to capture their attention, start by saying something nice about the audience—something they are proud about as a business.

Selling isn't easy, but it is simple. It calls for following these three steps—making every touch count, being absolutely responsive, and clarifying your offer. Those actions are at the very heart of selling, says Andy Paul, author of Amp Up Your Sales. Master those, and the rest will come easily.

Companies have access to an incredible amount of customer and prospect data. With proper tools and analysis they can uncover buyer trends that can help generate high-quality leads and convert more leads into customers, says Russell Glass, co-author of The Big Data-Driven Business.

For many businesses, the danger is that customers make buying decisions based solely on price and they end up in commodity hell. To prevent that from happening, you need to create products that are experiential and cause people to have an emotional reaction to them. You need the secret sauce: empathy, says Jon Kolko, author of Well Designed.

Whether you are a sales leader or customer service manager, all business leaders face four common challenges: innovation, talent management, communication, and globalization. Listen as Alan Cutler, author of Leadership Psychology, explains those challenges, discusses challenges unique for sales managers, and offers advice for motivating employees.

When you know how to use LinkedIn, it becomes a powerful sales and lead generation tool. Listen as social selling Kevin Knebl explains how to use the social media network to prospect for new customers, as well as attract buyers to you.

When you are a widely known expert on a topic, your and your firm's opportunities increase. What was once a passion of yours becomes highly sought-after expertise that people are willing to pay high fees for. To get to that level, though, you have to increase your visibility. Listen as Lee Frederiksen, co-author of The Visible Expert, explains the qualities of visible experts and the process to become a visible expert.

Government contracts: it's great work if you can get it, many contracting firms say. It's the getting it that can be challenging, for often agencies stick with their preferred vendors. Listen as David Frazier, author of A Survival Guide for Government Contractors, discusses how to get initial government contracts and the pros and cons of doing contract work for the government.

Thanks to the Internet, buyers are more informed than ever when they go to make a purchase. It's tempting, therefore, for salespeople to go for the quick sale when customers call. After all, they've already done the research and they're ready to buy. There are repercussions to going after the quick sale, though. Listen as Mark Hunter, co-author of Advisor Selling, explains what they are and why B2B salespeople should consider following an advisory selling approach.

Making sure sales teams receive qualified leads can be a challenge. The problem can be alleviated if marketing teams take these three steps in their online marketing campaigns: focus on measurable objectives, focus on the customer, and monetize engagement with prospects. Listen as Scott Armstrong discusses each of those, as well as explains what to include in an online marketing program.

Salespeople are often taught to offer buyers rational-sounding reasons for them to buy something. The reality is decisions are made on an emotional and unconscious level. And sellers can use language patterns to affect buyers' decisions. Listen as Peter McLaughlin, author of Becoming the Customer, discusses how to use language patterns alongside sales techniques to persuade customers.

Lack of confidence can be a huge detriment when negotiating deals with buyers. But even if you have all of the confidence in the world, you might still make a mistake that negatively affects the outcome. Listen as Mike Schultz discusses the two most common mistake sellers make during negotiations, as well as offers advice to improve your ability to negotiate deals.

People often mistakenly think that by providing a lot of information, buyers will make a decision based on that information. The truth is you could have really impactful information, but if you don't direct people to take action, that information has no influence. Listen as Juliet Huck, author of The Equation of Persuasion, discusses the difference between informing and persuading and explains how to be more persuasive in your presentations and conversations with buyers.  

For a business to grow, it must have a strategy and that strategy must be aligned with sales. The problem is often companies don't have a strategy, or if they do, there's a gap between that strategy and what their sales teams are doing. Listen as Frank Cespedes, author of Aligning Strategy and Sales, discusses what make a good strategy, how to reduce the gap between strategy and sales, and how to improve financial performance.

You can't assume because you do good work that clients are going to find you and hire you. You need a marketing system that will work for you seven days a week, consistently generating new leads and nurturing those leads. Listen as Mark Satterfield, author of The One Week Marketing Plan, discusses how to create a system in just five days that does that, as well as builds trust and credibility.

People incorrectly assume content, thanks to the prevalent use of the term "content marketing," is the marketing department's sole responsibility. What they don't realize is salespeople can use content at every stage of the sales cycle to help buyers through the sales journey and ultimately buy. If salespeople share content that adds value and helps prospects do their jobs better, they'll speed up sales process and increase conversions.

Many firms experience boom/bust sales cycle. They go through periods of high sales followed by no sales. But those cycles don't have to exist. They are completely self-inflicted, and companies can easily get themselves out of them, says Colleen Francis, author of Nonstop Sales Boom. Listen as Francis explains what companies can do to break those cycles and ensure consistent sales.

You know the benefits companies achieve from doing content marketing—viral videos, jumps in website traffic, increased number of leads. None of those can be achieved, however, if you don’t follow a few basic rules of content marketing. Listen as Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, explains what those are, as well as discusses content marketing trends you should be aware of.

If you're involved in sales, getting a meeting with a prospect is one of the hardest things to do. And if it involves cold calling, people hate it so much they will do what they can to get out of having to do it. Fortunately, there are ways to turn cold calls into warm calls and improve your chances of getting a meeting. Listen as Tim Hurson, co-author of Never Be Closing, explains what you can do.

Traditional marketing and sales approaches that focus on pushing out a campaign or pushing a particular service no longer work. Instead you need a more direct approach in which you educate prospects, have interesting conversations with them, and solve problems. Robert Rosenthal, author of Optimarketing: Marketing Optimization to Electrify Your Business, explains why the indirect approach is better and why firms can't be afraid to try imaginative marketing ideas.

Most businesses don't to online lead generation well. Their websites have bounce rates higher than 80%. And sometimes they have response rates lower than 5%. They fail to convert visitors into buyers because the websites don't fulfill their need—they don't help solve the problem that sent them to the search engine in the first place. Listen as Helen Overland discusses what successful lead generation websites do that convert visitors into customers.

You can take classes about business and read about how to succeed in business, but it isn't until you hear from business owners about their experiences that you get the whole picture. Their stories bring to life challenges they're dealing with and provide ideas for how similar businesses can address those same issues. In this podcast, Michael Mazzeo, co-author of Roadside MBA, talks about the 100-plus small businesses he and his co-authors met with as research for the book and shares the stories of B2B service firms dealing with the perennial challenge of getting new clients.

The entire sales process is a series of discomforts, such as prospecting, follow-up, and negotiation. Successful salespeople and professionals involved in business development know how to handle those discomforts, though. When they identify them, prepare for them, and work through them they have much greater success than those who refuse to break out of their comfort zone. Listen as Jeff Shore, author of Be Bold and Win the Sale, discusses how to break your comfort addictions and win more sales.

When the average person hears a "no" from a buyer, their automatic response is to think they're not the buyer isn't interested and to end the conversation. The reality is a no is an opportunity to continue the discussion, uncover the buyer's concerns, and possibly turn the no into a yes. Listen as Tom Hopkins, author of When Buyers Say No, explains how to respond to buyer objections and keep the sale moving forward.

You know all of those conferences, trade shows, and industry events where you're supposed to network and meet potential new clients? You should probably skip those and instead create your own "un-networking" group where you connect clients and become an extension of your clients' business development team. Not only will you help your clients, but you will get more business in return, says Derek Coburn, author of Networking Is Not Working.

Many companies do not sound exciting on the surface. When you think of an accounting or insurance firm, for example, you probably picture something rather boring. Chances are, however, those firms are doing some unique and interesting things. It's those things—told through stories—that will help them stand out from others in their industry and draw buyers to them.

The advent of smartphones and tablets has led to a new type of sales force. New mobile technology gives sales reps fast and easy access to marketing and sales materials, while also enabling them to answer prospects' questions and fulfill requests faster. The end result is more deals are closed faster.

The fortune is in the follow-up, but sometimes it might feel like the follow-up is a waste of time—especially if your prospect goes silent. Don't be put off by that silence, says Nancy Fox. Chances are they're busy or aren't ready to move forward. So, until the person says "stop contacting me," continue to reach out to them.

For the most part, professionals still enter a field expecting to do just client work only to eventually discover they also have to bring in new business. College did not prepare them for how to do it, and the idea of selling scares them. With some guidance and practice, however, they can become successful business developers.