None of us in sales escapes the occasional “no.” The power lies in understanding what each customer or prospect means when they say it. Once you know that, you’ll know what to do about it. Here are five typical reasons a customer/prospect says no and the appropriate solution for each: Reason 1—Bad Timing No matter how powerful your value proposition is, the customer is not going to say yes if the timing isn’t right. Solution: Make sure you did everything to...

Do you get frustrated when your prospects or customers do not return your calls? I know I do. I may be a Sales and Leadership expert, but when I don’t get a return call, I still review what I said to figure out what I need to change in order to get better results. Remember: Your customers and prospects are just like you. They don’t have enough time to get everything done that they have to do. They are in meetings, running on deadlines, solving problems, and...

Does your organization know how to support a sales hunter?  As a Sales and Leadership expert, I have noticed that this relationship can be a complicated one—on both sides. Below is a letter written by a hunter to management that addresses typical issues hunters face. The letter is meant to raise issues hunters should address to gain the support they need. But the letter is also meant to highlight management issues, alerting them to what they need to do to support the hunter. Dear Manager, You...

When is change the ingredient necessary to success? Do you have the guts to call for a change the way Nick Saban did in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship? His quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who has been working for him for two years and amassed a record of 25 and 2 wasn’t producing in the first half and the team was lethargic. At halftime, Nick Saban made the kind of decision that leaders are paid to make. He decided...

When my 23-year-old daughter Amanda started her job in New York City on October 1, she decided to join the company gym and be there at 6:45 every morning. That means leaving for work every morning before 5:45 a.m. to drive the 30 minutes to catch the 6:15 ferry to the city. I figured this wouldn’t last long. Boy did she prove me wrong.  Come rain, shine, snow, or hangover, she is on the ferry at 6:15 a.m. I take my hat off and salute her. This is discipline...

For the past thirty-five years I have used option selling to help close business. and neuroscience reveals why this works so well. It boils down to choices, engagement, stress, and risk aversion. Traditionally, sales people go for the trial close and just offer one solution. If the prospect does not feel the risk is low enough to do the deal, or if it does not address all of her needs, she will opt for the answer of no risk, which is...

Whenever I give a keynote or work with an executive team, and an audience member finishes a statement or an exercise, I urge the rest of the group to give that person a hearty round of applause. In my work as a Sales and Leadership expert, I’ve discovered that doing so changes the energy and dynamics of the group. Try this right now, on your own. Clap your hands together repeatedly very softly for 30 seconds.  Done? Did you feel any change in your attitude...