By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
The salesperson who claims to “like” prospecting hasn’t ever done it. How can anyone “like” a process that produces such an arena for rejection? When salespeople say they like prospecting, what they might mean is this: “I don’t mind paying the price of prospecting to reach my objectives.”  Many salespeople haven’t reached that stage. If you’re still at the stage where prospecting means dialing a number and hoping the line is busy… don’t worry. You’re okay. You just haven’t learned to focus on the end result. 

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Have you ever noticed that some people jump to quick conclusions, don’t like to get bogged down with details, and like to take the 30,000-foot view of issues?  Or that others prioritize making and keeping friends?  Or that still others just don’t like change and conflict, and want to avoid making decisions?  If you’ve ever noticed people who fit those descriptions, then you’re in a good position to expand your repertoire of selling languages!

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Have you ever volunteered a price reduction before someone asked for it?  Have you ever felt less than okay about yourself because somebody didn’t decide to buy from you? 

​If you answered “Yes,” you should be aware that you let your buyer into your personal headspace, where the buyer didn’t belong. ​You chose to become emotionally involved in the sales process. And you know what? That usually doesn’t end well.

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Have you ever sat in front of a prospect and thought you should say something – but didn’t?  If you’re like most of us, the answer to that question was “Yes.” You cut that thought short and chose not to put it into words. You recognized that you weren't confident enough to say what you wanted to say, because you thought it might jeopardize the sale. In that instant, your gut was talking to you and telling you about something important that needed to be communicated. A little voice inside you was telling you, “Say it, say it!” The problem was you didn’t know how to communicate what you wanted to say without.

by Tommy Hilcken, Tommy Hilcken Productions

​Managers tell salespeople that their attitude controls their sales. Therapists tell couples to change their attitudes towards each other to improve their relationship. Doctors advise patients that when there’s no further treatment option, “now it's up to you. Have a positive attitude.”

But despite how frequently we use it, “attitude” is a most misunderstood word.  What does “attitude” mean?​

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
​Sometimes salespeople are a little surprised when we share a simple, time-tested selling principle: a prospect who is listening isn’t really a prospect.  What on earth does this mean? Isn’t it a good thing when someone listens to what we have to say during a sales call?  Maybe, maybe not. Think about it. Who’s doing the talking and who’s doing the listening?  If we’re running our mouth 90% of the time during that sales call, and the other person is doing all the listening, that means they’re not engaging, which means we don’t learn anything, and we don’t understand what their issues are!​

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
​​How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, when a prospect tells you “Let me think it over?”  If you answered anything other than a 1, there could be a problem. You may want to consider implementing a classic Sandler selling rule: “A decision not to make a decision is a decision.”  Think about it. If we’re completely okay with a prospect telling us, “I need to think this over,” or “You’re close, but we need some time to evaluate,” or “We’ll let you know” – what does that really say about us as sales professionals?

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
It’s time for a 21st-century reality check: We all live (and sell) in a ridiculously fast-paced environment. We all have more platforms, more information, more commitments, more conversations, and more priorities to address than we can comfortably handle. That’s kind of our defining trait these days: data overload and compressed timelines. As a result, we are sometimes spread too thin, which means we are prone to miss things, perhaps important things, that are going on in someone else’s world. 

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
​One of the classic selling rules David Sandler developed and shared with salespeople sounds a little harsh…but it’s true. Sandler warned us that “All prospects lie all the time.”  Maybe that sounds combative, but if we were to tweak the rule just a little bit, we could see past that and understand what Sandler was getting at. Suppose we were to say “All prospects are protecting themselves all the time.” Would that be clearer? Sure it would. Well, if we step back, we’ll realize that the two formulations are saying exactly the same thing.

by Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
We have all been in situations where we are on a sales call, and we get the sense that the other person has checked out of the discussion for some reason. Maybe there is an uncomfortably long silence on the phone. Maybe we can see the other person looking disengaged, making faces, getting distracted, or checking their phone.

The question is, what do we do then?

by Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
When you know you’ve lost the business, what do you usually do?
 
We have all been in that position. We thought we had something. The deal fell through. We know it’s over. The buyer made a decision. We have to say something. The question is, what? There should be a go-to move in this situation, something we do consistently, as part of a process. So: Does that go-to move exist? 

by Chris Reardon

While business leaders everywhere are asking what will be the future of work in a post-COVID world, one workplace expert maintains we have been through this before and simply need to adapt as we have in the past. Bhushan Sethi, global head of people and organization for PwC, recently spoke about the future of work and what it will look like after the pandemic passes at a virtual forum hosted by the chamber.

by Edward Ramirez, ED.S., M.S.O.L, MCEDC
The Morris County Economic Development Corporation is committed to assisting businesses succeed by adhering to our mantra, to create, innovate, and grow.  We offer a variety of resources, such as peer-to-peer forums, counseling services and professional development opportunities, developed especially for solo-preneurs, entrepreneurs and small business owners.  We have a passion to serve and to see our business community succeed and thrive!