In my last segment, I talked to Joanne Black author of No More Cold Calling. It was a great discussion about the power of referrals to translate into revenue. If you missed the interview, check it out here.
Now, on to my conversation with Kelley.
Kelley is President of The Robertson Training Group and Fearless Selling. He is passionate about helping sales people master their sales conversations so they can close more deals and make more money. He is the author of two books, a blog a weekly newsletter and his articles have appeared in magazines and websites around the world. Kelley was also named one of the top 50 Sales Influencers on 2012 by Top Sales World.
As I do when speaking to the all of the sales masters that I am interviewing, I am reminded of some very basic principles to selling that remain true no matter the time or the circumstance. I think that our ability to hold relevant business conversations that are focused on what the buyer needs and not what we want to sell will continue to require salespeople to have strong interpersonal and communication skills. After all, what good does it do for you to…say, use the internet and social networks to do some homework, if when you walk in the door, you default to a sales pitch rather than an actual business conversation.
In my interview with Kelley, we talked about…
- What happens once you secure that meeting with your prospect. Kelley will coach you on the things that you absolutely must do and/or be aware of before holding that meeting.
- The mistakes salespeople make when they first open the conversation with new prospects.
- Establishing rapport and whether or not it was still a high priority when it comes to closing a deal in today’s sales environment.
- Why salespeople need to adapt their sales approach to each customer or prospect and tips for what to do.
- How social fits the landscape and how smart salespeople are using it.
Another excellent conversation, if I say so myself <g>. Kelley reminds me that no matter how much sales experience we have, we most grow our skills and adapt to changing times. Don’t assume that what used to work is a viable sales strategy now. I’d love to hear your comments about the interview and your key takeaways.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW