by Bill Caskey on October 21, 2009
Why do we sales people feel like we have to smile when we’re in front of a prospect? Answer? We shouldn’t.
I was called on last week by a guy who seemed like an OK chap. But he never stopped smiling. It was some kind of a “put on” smile. Pretty obvious.
He seemed overly enthusiastic–and you [...]
by Brooke Green on July 29, 2009
We teach a class called MasterMinds (www.caskeymasterminds.com), and it seems that on a regular basis one of our clients is ticked off at a prospect. Why? Because the prospect has lied to them, lead them down a wrong path, or given them busy work and then not come through with business. After talking our students [...]
by Bill Caskey on March 26, 2009
You are a leader—whether you’re in a position of leadership or not. In many companies, the leadership is not provided by the “one in charge” but by everyone else. So as a sales professional, you need to be in an “attitude of leadership.” Thus, we asked Kevin Eikenberry to be on this week. He wrote [...]
by Bill Caskey on February 13, 2009
Forbes said it a few months ago and now the Jobfox report says it: The profession of sales is where to be.
This is from July of ‘08, but thought you’d like to see it. Virtually every client we have in our training business is hiring good sales people–not average ones–but good ones. So the lesson [...]
by Bill Caskey on January 15, 2009
Asheville, NC is a haven for retirees. And the city is hurting right now because of the market crash. Retirees are just not spending money–so stores are closing.
Sad, but a reality. But out of the darkness, a sliver of light.
Here’s what one guy, who had lost half his assets ($500,000), said: “At first we were [...]
by Bill Caskey on December 21, 2008
I work with many companies on Value–what is it and how do we give voice to it? In that work, I find many companies go about the process wrong. As sales trainers we are giving more and more attention to the role “sales message” plays in the sales process.
We find that most companies are miserable [...]
by Bill Caskey on December 12, 2008
Here’s a recent rant by Tom Peters.
“Instant, mindless cutting of … training or sales force travel in the face of a downturn is often counterproductive – or, rather, downright stupid. Tough times are golden opportunities to get the drop on those who respond to bad news by panicky across-the-board slash and burn tactics that de-motivate [...]
by Bill Caskey on December 2, 2008
Daryl Mather, over at Consulting Pulse, asked me to answer a few questions via email that he posted last week.
This site is mainly for consultants/professional services providers, but my belief is that selling services like this is just the same as selling products. There are things to do…and things to avoid.
How do I close without [...]
by Bill Caskey on November 22, 2008
Was talking to a client’s sales force today on a training conference call and the idea of “changing the game” came up. I’ve always been a proponent of changing the sales game–so the prospect doesn’t treat you like they do all other reps that call on them.
What came out of that call was that there [...]
by Bill Caskey on November 18, 2008
I’m not a big fan of The Office. I find most of their skits to be tedious.
But occasionally they come up with a good one–like last year when Michael (Sales Manager) spoke to a group of college business grads. Quite funny.
And then last week, Michael conducted a sales role play I think you’ll find knock-down [...]