Sales Motivation Blog

Read Mark's latest thinking and comments about consultative selling, sales development, and sales motivation techniques.
Learn current, practical, and easy to implement selling tips developed from his extensive experience as a sales training leader and sales motivation speaker. Every entry is designed to help you develop your professional selling skills.  Many of the entries come from the sales training seminars and sales training programs delivered by Mark Hunter.  Read more....

Telephone Selling Skills with The Sales Hunter

Phone Selling Success Strategies - Listen to Mark Hunter share his insights on how you can increase your selling skills with the telephone.  A sales training audio must  from Mark Hunter and Lorman Education Services.  To order....

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Sales Motivation Blog

Read and comment on Mark's latest consultative selling and sales training program / sales training seminar tips and insights.  Hear are just a few of the comments from the Sales Motivation Blog....

Sales Training Program: Great Probing Questions

When you are seeking additional information from a customer, consider asking, "What goals are you trying to achieve?" Once they answer, immediately follow it with," How are you going to achieve them?"

Consultative Selling: Selling to Big Companies

Closing a big sale has never been easy, and when you're trying to close one with a large company, it can be even more difficult. This past week I shared the stage with Jill Konrath, a fellow sales professional, at the Ball State University Sales Symposium. Jill has written a best-seller titled Selling to Big Companies (Kaplan Press) and I highly recommend it. Jump over to Amazon.com and pick up a copy today!

Sales Training Program / Consultative Selling: Stall Tactic

Next time you stall out in a presentation, try asking, "how can I help you achieve your goals?" Not only will it help you refocus your thoughts, but it will also communicate your desire to see the customer succeed.

Consultative Selling:  What's Changed?

What's changed about the customer you're currently calling on?  If you are unable to determine any of their differences since you last met, then you really haven't taken the time to understand your customer.

Sales Training Program: Your Response to an RFP

Never respond to an RFP (Request For Proposal) with a proposal. Rather, show your confidence in your ability to service them by providing a document titled a "plan" or "working agreement." This does not mean you are giving away your "secret sauce recipe."  Keep the content the same as you would for an RFP, but change the name.

Sales Training Program: Sell the Benefits

Price is only a factor when you have not done a good enough job of selling the benefits.  If you haven't sold the benefits, you haven't done a good enough job of listening.  There is a direct correlation between the price you get and the listening you do?

Sales Motivation:  Listen for a Change

Listen for changes in your customer's voice.  A change in their vocal pitch or tone will often come just prior to them either throwing out an objection or agreeing to an offer.

Sales Training Program: Listen with Your Eyes

Listening begins by giving the customer eye contact. Looking them in the eye communicates that you are attentive to what they are saying.

Sales Motivation: The Three Letters of Cold Calling

The three letters of cold calling are "CIC." They stand for Client, Industry, and Competitors. Make sure you know who the client is, the industry they compete in, and who their competitors are before you call on them.

Sales Training Program: What Have You Learned?

What have you learned this week about the industry you're a part of? If you aren't continually educating yourself, you will soon find that you are no longer being viewed as an industry expert.

Consultative Selling: What Not to Ask the CEO

When selling to a CEO, never ask him how his business is doing. The CEO expects you to already know! By asking a general question of this type, it communicates that you haven't done your homework.

Consultative Selling: Sound Like a "Solution Provider"

When you are calling on a new large client, remember you will always be referred to as the person who you sound like most.  If you're selling high-tech products, you'll get referred to the IT department if you sound like a "techie." However, if you sound like a solution provider, you'll be far more likely to find yourself speaking with the end user.

Sales Motivation: Vacation Reading

Use your vacation time to do some reading about your industry. Then, when you return, be sure to update your key customers with some of the insights you picked up.

Sales Motivation: PG & J Selling

Have you ever considered that your customer is like a PB & J sandwich? In sales, PB & J stands for Perception, Belief, and Justification. The perception your customer has of you and your company becomes their belief and justification for why they do or do not buy from you. Ponder how you can correctly communicate who you are the next time you're eating lunch.

Consultative Selling: Google Alerts

Do you have a customer you want to keep track of when they are in the news? Go to www.google.com/alerts and enter the name of the company. Google will send you an email anytime its search engine picks up the name.

Sales Training Program - Selling Skills - Sales Motivation - Consultative Selling - Consultative Sales Training