I never spent any time in D2C sales. As a consumer, though, I have experience, and I find some aspects appalling, others irritating, and a few fascinating. Since direct-to-consumer sales is a business model based on the sale of products to the end customer without intermediaries, I get to interact directly with the producer or manufacturer, either in person or through their own eCommerce channel.
Read MoreThe vast majority of products and services in B2B address a need that is already addressed. The customer is spending on a solution today, their current ‘habit.’ And the job of a salesperson is to change this habit. It requires the proverbial ‘better mousetrap’ or at least the appearance of a better mousetrap.
Read MoreSales productivity is typically measured in sales revenue per salesperson, individually and as an average over a team. This is a straightforward approach that can be further enhanced by including factors like e.g. hours worked, profitability, percent of target, or lead conversation.
Read MoreYes and no are very strong and bold words to use. Especially when most of life falls somewhere in between the two extremes. And when the answer to a question sometimes involves something more complex than is immediately obvious.
Read MoreSales trap: Assume you know what they want. Problem: If you assume that you know what they want or where they are in the sales cycle, then you start asking questions and giving information that may not fit with where they are at.
Read More"Just tell me the price." "How much does it cost?" "All I want is your best price." "Can you just give me the price?" "How much is it?" "All I am looking for is a price." "What is your best price?" "How much?"
Read MoreBeyond their qualities, skills, and character traits, here are a few demographics: they tend to be younger (most sources place the average between the late thirties and early forties), they have a technology background, and they were not in business during the last recession in 2007/2008.
Read MoreWhat if we encounter decision fatigue with our doctor, with the admissions officer handling our application, or when fundraising for a startup? What if we observe it with ourselves? After a day of many decisions, we are less patient when asked to make another, we take less time to consider the impact, and the decision turns out to be not as good as those made earlier in the day.
Read MoreCapital investments are postponed. Operating costs are constrained. And, perhaps most importantly, headcount is reduced. It’s a tried-and-true response to an economic downturn.
Read MoreTo be deliberate means to think or talk something through carefully — it also means weighted and measured, the pace and art of careful decision-making. If you choose deliberately, you make a very conscious, intentional, well-thought-through choice.
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