Archive for November, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 26, 2009
To all the visitors of this blog, I just wanted to wish a happy Gobble day and hope everyone is doing well. Also hope that y’all find some great deals on Black Friday!
Dressing for dollars
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 11, 2009
Your company has changed with the time and has relaxed the dress code. For many sales people, business owners, and C-Level executives the polo and khakis are the norm. For comfort levels this is fantastic, but there are many down sides to business casual. I’m going to touch base on why and how to dress professionally and how it can help increase your performance.
Why dress up
Sales professionals are change makers. To get new clients you need to have them change the way they are doing things. It’s hard to change things if you can’t get noticed. The benefit of everyone going business casual is that not many people wear suits anymore. You will be able to not only stand out from your competition but also generate instant credibility by wearing a suit. Like it or not, but a lot of people’s perception of you is based on appearances and attractive people are more successful in life.
Simply dressing up will make you more attractive. When you look good, you feel good and when you feel good you will be more confident with both your skills and the situation. Buying is an emotional act and buyers want to feel like they are making the right decision. Working with a confident, calm person can help ease any insecurities they have about making a change.
Not only does wearing a suit make you confident it also keeps you in line. There is no beating around the bush here but many sales professionals like to talk and can sometimes veer off on tangents that may or may not be appropriate. By dressing casually you are more likely to revert to your “at home” persona which may get you in trouble. Your attire will subliminally remind you that you are on “pay time” and to remain focused on your prospecting and sales activities. Read the rest of this entry »
Be your own market
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 7, 2009
Ran across this video about a soda shop owner on Mises.org and thought it was interesting.
Closing the deal
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 6, 2009
Late last night my wife and I decided to put an offer in on a home and it got me thinking about how we finally came to the decision to purchase a house, and the sales process of the Realtor. There are many steps involved in the sales process and the close is one of the few that you see tangible results. But the bigger question is, “How do I become better at closing?” To find that answer you may actually have to look at different aspects of your sales technique to improve on the close.
As a sales person I wish it was so easy as to walk into a customer’s office talk with anyone there and simply ask them, “Do you want to buy my product/service?” To which they would quickly and emphatically answer “YES!” Unfortunately, life does not work that way and when people want a closer or hunter what they are looking for is someone who knows how to listen to their customers and take them through the appropriate sales steps.
There are a lot of ways to close the deal, but if you cover these steps you should be well on your way to see a higher percentage of closes with your prospects. Read the rest of this entry »
Subscribe by e-mail
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 4, 2009
So I’ve added a few changes to the website. The first one is you can now register to this blog – it’ll help you become a better commenter. The other is if you are not down with the whole RSS thing, you can now subscribe to the blog via e-mail updates. All you need to do is click on the tab noted above. Now if you choose to register you can manage the e-mail subscription with a few preferences like e-mail format and categories. If you choose not to register you can still subscribe, but won’t have those features.
Happy subscribing and if you find value in this blog please tell a friend.
Finding the perfect sales job
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 3, 2009
Finding the perfect job can be a life long journey. For those that don’t know, sales people tend to be jumpy and look for new career paths frequently. While out in the field sales reps run across a lot of companies and a lot of other sales reps. Frequently the grass will look greener on the other side. Reps change jobs in hopes of better salary, better support, more leads, and more perks. But those criteria should all take a back seat to my top reason to change jobs.
I am fortunate to have worked with a lot of brilliant people and Ken Kumpe is probably the most insightful person I have ever met. I would like to pass along a lesson he taught me about searching for new opportunities and what to look for in a company. I remember vividly eating wings for lunch with him when he said, “Eric, when looking for a new opportunity don’t concern yourself with the income, benefits, and other details – focus instead on the people. Once you have found a company where the people fit, all the rest will come.” Read the rest of this entry »
How to get laid!
Posted by Eric Bandholz in Ramblings on November 2, 2009
Yup, I got you – sex sells! A good friend of mine and sales extraordinaire Mark Burrell use to always tell me how closing a new account is very similar to finding the perfect lover. In this post I’ll explain the different phases of a business relationship and how you can get laid as much as possible with as many different partners as you can (in a business sense of course). The beauty of sales verses your personal life is that you will have less stress while managing more relationships and of course, the more the merrier.
- First Impression – Your first impression is always very important. In a business sense you must always be on your game and prepared for that first impression. You never know when or where it might happen. Some keys in sales for this are to: dress professional, stay away from religion and politics, be well groomed, and to be interested in the client. Read the rest of this entry »
