How to Tackle the Challenges of Prospecting to Fill Your Pipeline
By Tammy Shaw Let’s face it. Prospecting isn’t fun. More than 40 percent of sales professional list prospecting as the most challenging aspect of their job. However, understanding how important this first step is to closing sales is essential to hitting quotas. And looking at statistics may help salespeople decide what they’re doing right […]
People Not Numbers
By Tammy Shaw As a sales professional, you’re focused on numbers. They rule your career, but the most successful salespeople learned early to treat prospects as people, not numbers. During each “touch” – whether an email, handwritten note, text, phone call or meeting, focus on the prospect and let them know you care about the […]
Cyber Security Is a Critical Responsibility
By Tammy Shaw Cyber security isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a reality for individuals and organizations across the planet, especially when employees bring their own devices to work (BYOD) and with gig workers who connect to your system. That and other internal priorities may open up your organization to hackers. Cloud systems tout their […]
Do You Need a Sales Mentor?
By Tammy Shaw Whether young, new to sales or a seasoned veteran, every salesperson needs guidance. Even the best of us need a successful and wise colleague to approach when the going gets tough – someone who’s been there before, persevered and found success on the other side. A mentor can help teach, guide, expand […]
Tattoos – Make or Break for Job Candidates?
Tattoos – make or break for job candidates? By Tammy Shaw Should tattoos disqualify job candidates from a position? Experts and HR professionals disagree. In a 2016 poll, three out of 10 people in the United States responded that they had one or more tattoos, 50 percent more than in 2012 when two in […]
Sales and Ego
Anyone who’s read a sales blog knows that a great salesperson listens more, talks less. When you talk, where is your focus – on you or the prospect? Most humans like to talk about their good points, awards, strengths, and successes. That’s referred to as a “healthy ego.” But how the ego effects sales is […]
People, Not Numbers
People, not numbers The death of performance reviews may be closer than you think. The fast-changing dynamics of managing people have some major companies ditching annual performance reviews. Market forces and technology changes make yearly reviews to correct employee behavior and skill an anachronism and a change toward employee development a better fit for […]
Walk Away from a Sales Relationship That Just Isn’t Working
All sales leads are not equal. There may be times when you must walk away to better prospects if the sale isn’t on its way to a close. It’s hard. You’ve invested time and energy in research and expended resources to get close to your target. It’s like a relationship. I once worked with a […]
Trying New Selling Tactics
Sales can get repetitive and even the top sales professional can become bored or discouraged. Insurance isn’t exactly a “sexy” product. So, why not try something new – for your mental wellbeing and your bottom line. Social media isn’t going away. If you’re a late adopter, there are plenty of fresh ways to attract customers and […]
Apps Help Business Travelers
With everyone on social media, actual travel has been eliminated. Right? Travel is still a necessity in business, whether the cost is to a company or an individual ‑ and is expensive. Some HR managers and salespeople are turning to Airbnb and other applications, not only to save money but, to give travels a comfortable […]