The Advanced Selling Podcast: Sales Training | Leadership Coaching | B2b Sales Strategy | Prospecting Tips

In last week’s episode Bill and Bryan talked about how to communicate your value. But this week, they talk about that issue when it relates to the current economic climate. As sales strategies, your hosts deal with these questions in all of their current client work with sales forces around the world. The economy is on everyone’s mind—especially salespeople who call on prospects that are fearful. (11:42)

This is an extraordinarily difficult time to express your value to prospects. It seems like everyone is focused ONLY on money (“What does it cost?”). Yet there are ways to alleviate that. If you’re in professional sales today, you must know how to communicate what you do in a way people are compelled to hear more about. Bill and Bryan address tactics to use to sell your prospects more effectively. (13:12)

Today’s question came from a listener through www.askbillandbryan.com, who wanted to know how to respond to customer demands that could not be met. That in turn got Bill and Bryan talking about the various demands that customers/prospects put on salespeople. You’ll learn how to handle these when they come up, and maybe even avoid them altogether. (11:10)

Now that we’re well underway in 2009, we thought it helpful to take more questions from our listening audience.Question #1: How to change your mindset to get into prospecting mode. New business development is critical this year. So Bill and Bryan talk about this. Also, if you had trouble downloading the “2009 Sales Competencies” e-book, then go to http://www.2009salescompetencies.com and you can download it there. (13:56)  

So what do you need to be good at? I know that sounds like a crazy question but it might be relevant. In our sales training business, we believe this: If you’re struggling with ANY part of the sales process, then it’s probably a result of insufficient skill in that area. So, in this episode, Bill and Bryan talk about a few of the new competencies that the salesperson of the future needs to have. Then you can sign up for the rest of them online at www.2009salescompetencies.com. (12:36)

Sometimes we come across a person—a client in this case—who embodies our principles (and does what we say!!). In this case, the Direct Mail Diva (Stephanie Summers), sits down with us and tells us how she’s created a blog that is helping her sales efforts. She’s truly a sales 2.0 type—and you’ll learn from her. Also, you’ll get access to a PDF report on blogging—just for our listeners. Email us at listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com. Put BLOGGING in subject line.Check out Stephanie's blog at www.directmaildiva.blogspot.com.Duration: (13:56)

Salespeople, what’s the number one attribute of the best manager you’ve had? Bryan recently conducted an informal poll, and the answers are surprisingly simple. In this episode Bill and Bryan discuss the attributes of a good sales manager and continue a previous discussion on motivation. (15:00)

Ever wonder if you look like the same old salesperson the prospect sees everyday? I know we all can’t imagine that, but what if you really look do like that? That wouldn’t be so good, would it? Well, in this episode, Bill and Bryan answer a question from the www.askbillandbryan.com website. It comes from a listener who’s concerned that he might be sounding like everyone else. And that frustrates him. (12:31) 

A valuable episode on a problem coming up more frequently these days—how to handle it when the prospect makes crazy demands in the sales process. One in particular is when they want you to come in and spend an inordinate amount of time doing unpaid consulting. Bryan and Bill take an actual coaching example to talk about how to handle this. (14:52)  

Ever wonder if you raise expectations too high for your prospects? So that when you do business with them, there’s no way they can be satisfied? Well, you might do it unknowingly. And this is what Bryan and Bill discuss in this week’s episode. (12:27)  

On this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast: Networking—The 10-Letter, 4-Letter Word. Love it or hate it, it's CRITICAL to a salesperson's success. Networking "diva" Julie Bauke provides a fresh approach to an old topic. (18:16)    Contact Julie Bauke at: www.congruitycareer.com    

Do your presentations leave people cold? How would you know? Salespeople need to be good at presentations. Period. And the rules are changing as well. You’ll need to stop selling and begin educating and connecting with people. Here, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale talk about some tips to use when doing a presentation. They cover a few. Then you can email them at listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com to get the PDF of the rest. (13:10) Other blogs/podcasts mentioned in the podcast: www.sethgodin.comwww.ultimatesaleschick.comwww.salesleadershipofindianapolis.com 

Bill and Bryan go to the mailbag this week to answer two questions from their listeners: How do I ease my way in to new accounts when the account’s been transferred from another salesperson? and How do I have my boss see that this is a better way to sell? Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale address both of these issues. (12:06)

You’ve heard the saying, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Well, if you haven’t heard that, you just did, so consider this your lucky day. Well, we have a cousin saying:  “How you show up, determines what shows up.” Sales trainers Bryan Neale and Bill Caskey discuss the notion of how you show up on sales calls. And they help you get your mind right to do so properly. (12:28)    

Sales managers, have you ever wondered if in your process of motivating people—you actually demotivate them? Hard to fathom, isn’t it?  In this episode, Bryan and Bill review an actual email memo sent out from a sales manager to his team at the end of the quarter. And through their discussion of that, you’ll learn a new, more effective approach to how to movitate your team to get results. (15:56)  

Over the last few weeks, Bill and Bryan have been working on this idea of “What trends are going to affect salespeople in the future?” As they started to outline the things they were seeing in the market, they thought it would be useful to have a podcast focused on that. Now, we must tell you that this podcast is about 30 minutes (longer than our normal episodes). But they felt the information here is vital for a sales team and salespeople to know as they pursue new business in the future. The key element of all this is that if you’re not watching trends, then they can slip up on you and pass you by. So, if your sales and revenues are not where they need to be or could be, then you might be a victim of old thinking. (29:54)

Sales managers—ever wonder why your sales meetings put people to sleep? Well, Bill and Bryan help you by giving you some ideas on what to do at your next sales meeting. Sales / account people? Listen closely to this podcast and then suggest to your manager that these things be covered.  

How you begin a relationship (we’re talking business relationship here) with another person will determine what you both get out of that relationship. Have you even considered the tone with which you begin a prospect relationship? And how do they filter your information? Whatever you say will define the balance of the sales call. In this episode Bill and Bryan help you think through that and give you plenty of tips on how to better begin it.

Lead generation. It’s the very thing that can make your company millions. But, screw it up, and your revenue growth becomes an uphill climb. Bill and Bryan give you some rules for lead generation and the follow-up process behind it that can help you close those sales.

During our sales strategy training sessions, we often hear from our clients, “Hey this sales method works when I’m selling inside my company, too!” The truth is anytime you’re communicating ideas to another person—and you want that other person to take some action--this content works. And we also know that some of our listeners are not even in front line sales—but they are required to make sales internally. For you folks, this is a must-hear episode.