Matt Nettleton

Business owners consistently tell us that the number one problem they face year after year is consistently finding, engaging and closing new business AND they know that nothing separates the sales pretenders from the sales professionals more quickly than ability to effectively prospect.

Too often the salespeople you interview have washed out of other companies or job hopped away from positions as draws and guarantees expired. In other words, their history has proven that they will not prospect or cannot close.

Sales leaders can learn some valuable lessons about creating a productive environment from two frogs sitting in a pond catching flies. 

My Mom was a funny lady and during my youth she was constantly throwing riddles at me. Some of her riddles came in pairs and the pairs typically had a point. One pair of riddles has been a huge lesson for me as I have gone through life.

As a sales trainer I spend quite a bit of time talking to businesses about their sources of revenue. Frequently, I find myself discussing not only their training budget, but all of the line items that make up their Cost of Sales numbers. And more often than not, part of that cost is marketing. But as I look at their Cost of Sales, it often reminds me of my mom's riddle. I ask "Why do you spend this money on marketing?" And the single most common answer is "because our sales team doesn't work."

There is a simple question asked by every President CEO and Owner I talk to. It seems to be the only question they really care about and they typically seek the answer to this question with a laser focus...What Training Will Have the Greatest Impact on My Sales Team?

In sales unfortunately, bad habits seem to be more the rule than the exception. Sales people make a sale while wearing a tie and that tie becomes their closing tie, they use a presentation and that becomes their closing deck, they get a certain price and they assume that is the price for all future buyers.

As 2019 kicks off there has never been more technology available to help sales teams hit their number. Start with a CRM you could pick, Salesforce or Pipedrive or ZOHO. Want to get in to social selling? You should try Hootsuite or Postfity or Hubspot. Looking to track collateral you have sent? Conga Collaborate or Proposify or maybe Quote Roller is the right tool....

My goal, which I nailed in 2018, was to read at least 26 books. In fact, I managed to read 28 and I used Audible.com to listen to a few more. I wanted to take some time and share what I thought were the best 7 books I read in 2018. If you are interested, you can buy these books right here. AMAZON BOOKS

When it is time to talk to a prospect, most salespeople are prepared for an in depth description of what their product or service can do for the prospect. Sales people show up well armed with use cases, demos, sell sheets and often times references. But none of those things will help them make a sale if they can not get answers to three simple questions...