Posts filed under 'Sales'
Guest lecture opportunity
Cool news for me and a way for me to give back to others!
I’ll be guest lecturing at the University of Washington in the Michael G. Foster School of Business in the Winter Quarter. On January 14th, 2010 I’ll be a guest of John Castle in his year-long entrepreneurship course, Creating A Company. I’ve done this before with John’s classes and it’s always fun and invigorating. The students are great and eager to learn. I’ve discovered that practical sales training with tips and techniques is something the students do not get in business school and past feedback has been that it is highly valued. I’ll let you know in January how the experience goes.
© 2009 Peter E. McDowell
PERFORMA Business Development
Different View/ Better Results
email me to request getting my e-newsletter!
Web @ http://www.performabusdev.com
Blog @ http://petemcd.wordpress.com/
Connect with Pete on biznik, Contribution Networking Party, Eastside Entrepreneurs, Facebook, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter.
Add comment November 3, 2009
Is Sales Training really important?
Businesses typically spend 80% of their time & $ for sales training on product and industry training and 20%, or less, on developing sales competency or mastery. Basic industry and product knowledge can be picked up in relatively short time. Obviously, deeply knowing the ins and outs of an industry and your company’s products takes time. But, basic knowledge is often very sufficient to get out into the market place and sell. That’s why new and inexperienced sales people can achieve at least some level of success.
Sales mastery- being extremely good at having multiple sales conversations with an account and controlling the sales process- is much harder but produces far more beneficial results for the customer and provider/supplier. The ability to effectively build relationships and work toward a win-win solution by understanding the totality of a business and personal environment in order to solve problems takes continual learning and discipline. Without this total or global or holistic approach to the sales process it is very easy to sell a product or service for the wrong application at the wrong price (or value). Poor ‘salespersonship’ usually produces poor and costly solutions for both parties.
© 2009 Peter E. McDowell
PERFORMA Business Development
Different View/ Better Results
email me to request getting my e-newsletter!
Web @ http://www.performabusdev.com
Blog @ http://petemcd.wordpress.com/
Connect with Pete on biznik, Contribution Networking Party, Eastside Entrepreneurs, Facebook, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter.
Add comment October 30, 2009
Look Outside
Get out there and make your mark, make it happen. Business is nothing if you’re not bringing in the sales, whether it’s the direct sales force model that so many other businesses use or if you use resellers or independent agents or reps. Sales must be brought in and every owner and sales manager is responsible for making that happen. Companies should be sales focused first and foremost.
Continue Reading Add comment October 28, 2009
Relationships Matter- Lesson One with Seven Tips
Relationships are what make everything hum and are the foundation for moving the sales process forward. A poor or marginal relationship may result in business if a seller is one of the very few with a product or service that the buyer must have. In the competitive world of many similar choices…
Continue Reading Add comment October 9, 2009
Clarity and Specificity
Perhaps you have the same challenge as me. I’m always challenged on how I can be clearer and more specific in my words, both written and verbal. It’s critical because everything that I communicate has to be well understood. It must be so crisp and to the point that instantly, people ‘get it’. Frankly, I have a lot of improving to do in this regard. I’m going to be reworking and simplifying my simple web site once again, because I think the messaging can be much better.
I got thinking about this today because I had had received an email from a business friend that, for me, wasn’t as clear and specific as it should be. The person was asking for my feedback on the wording of a communication. Now, it may be that I didn’t process it well. But that’s the point. I didn’t get it. Kudos go to my friend for taking the time to reach out to me (and others) and ask for feedback.
This may be something for you to think about also. Is your marketing message clear and specific? Is your sales conversation clear and specific? Are work order instructions in your company clear and specific? Are job descriptions and expectations clear and specific? They should be. If they’re not you may be wasting valuable resources- money and time.
© 2009 Peter E. McDowell
PERFORMA Business Development
Different View/ Better Results
Web @ http://www.performabusdev.com
Blog @ http://petemcd.wordpress.com/
Connect with Pete on biznik, Contribution Networking Party, Eastside Entrepreneurs, Facebook, Konnects, Linked In, Plaxo and Twitter.
Add comment June 24, 2009
