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Articles from Sam Manfer | Selfgrowth.com
- ***Selling to CEOs Tip 22 - Get 100% of Business from 100% of Your Clients Become Preferred - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2010 from Sam ManferIt’s so much easier to get more business from existing customers when you’re the preferred vendor, and this is very easy to do. Being preferred provides an unfair advantage over any competition. You’ll get jobs without bidding and at your price. Even governments or institutions have work that ...
Views: 3227(3 votes) - ***C-Level Sales Training Tip 21- Eliminate Low Price by Differentiating - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2010 from Sam ManferYour presentation requires two key components to win. The first is to show your prospect you can give him or her what s/he wants. The second is to describe how you can do it better than any alternative. Better in an area of importance to someone is worth more money. Keep in mind, doing ...
Views: 2388(21 votes) - ***Relate Immediately with People by Matching Your Chemistry - by Submitted on Mar 30, 2010 from Sam ManferPut People at Ease and You’ll Get More of What You Want To make interactions click immediately you’ll have to make CEO’s, C-level executives and people in general feel comfortable. If they’re comfortable, they will talk openly with you and give all you’ll need to succeed with them. The ...
Views: 3660(8 votes) - ***C-Level Selling Tip 19 - The Fastest Path to a Relationship and Sale Is Through Your Ears - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2010 from Sam ManferListening is the key to establishing relationships and selling. If you learn what your prospects want, and/or forgot to mention, and/or don’t know about, and what they mean by the words they used to describe what they want, you’ll have a complete description of what it will take to win these ...
Views: 2805(4 votes) - ***C-Level Sales Tip 18 – Good Interviewing Leads to Great C-Level Presentations - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2010 from Sam ManferThe best way to capture the attention of a C-Level executive is to interview him. Senior exec’s loved to be interviewed. Additionally interviewing serves many other purposes. 1. It puts the focus on the executive and high level people like to be the focus of attention. 2. They get to do ...
Views: 2481(3 votes) - ***C-Level Sales Training Tip 17-Win-Over C-Level Decision Makers with Effective Communications - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2010 from Sam ManferWin-Over C-Level Decision Makers with Effective Communications Learn to Find and Push the Execs’ Hot Buttons/ Engaging Executive Conversations Capturing the attention of a top level person is extremely difficult. Holding it is even tougher. However, top level people do like to talk about ...
Views: 2975(2 votes) - ***C-Level Sales Training Tip 16 – Conquer Executive Intimidation – Eliminate Sabotaging Self Doubt - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2010 from Sam ManferIntimidation is why most people avoid pursuing others they want to meet. In the quest for sales this would mean C-levels and top decision makers. Sure there are those that storm the C-Suite only to be thrown back like undersized fish. These rouges are not intimidated, but they’re not too ...
Views: 3782(4 votes) - ***Create the Confidence Necessary to Win-Over C-Level Executives - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2010 from Sam ManferConfidence is what C-level decision-makers want to see in their selling partners. Yet, it's uncomfortable selling to influential leaders. Big ego's come with big titles and these people can be intimidating. Therefore a salesperson’s biggest asset is confidence. If you’re confident you ...
Views: 3261(6 votes) - ***C-Level Sales Training Tip 14 - Credibility Is the Magic for Selling to C-Level Executives - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2010 from Sam ManferCredibility is the key ingredient to gain someone’s support and to get you what you want from that person. If you’ve got it with someone, you’ll have easy access to that person and s/he will readily share information with you. If you don’t, you’ll get excuses, put-offs and go nowhere slowly. ...
Views: 3651(3 votes) - ***Your Next Sale Is the Game of Your Life - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2010 from Sam ManferToday's sale, this month's target, your yearly quota -- this is the game of your life. Why, because you're only as good as your last accomplishment. If you win, you're praised and rewarded. If you lose, you pay a toll no matter how bulletproof the excuse. More importantly, it carries you ...
Views: 2291(37 votes) - ***C-Level Selling Tip 12 – Level to Level Selling Is a Myth - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2009 from Sam ManferCEOs and upper level people don’t refuse to meet with people because of their level or position. They reject them because there is no credibility. Titles indicate credibility, and that’s why it may seem easier for a senior executive to get a meeting with another senior manager. However, title ...
Views: 2713(5 votes) - ***Selling to C-Level Executives Sales Training Tip 11- Handling the Committees Obstacle - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2009 from Sam ManferYou hear the decision has been delegate and you believe it is no longer necessary to get to higher levels of influence. It’s common for senior managers to delegate or set-up committees to determine project scope and select vendors. However, senior managers never delegate or give-away final ...
Views: 2594(4 votes) - C-Level Selling Tip 9 - Overcoming Executive Intimidation - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2009 from Sam ManferAnxiety is the uneasy feeling that arises within you when thinking about approaching a senior level executive, doctor, high government official, etc. It surfaces because you are anticipating an unpleasant outcome or projecting a negative experience. So in essence, it’s your own imagination ...
Views: 2891(1 vote) - ***C-Level Selling Tip 8, Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2009 from Sam ManferSubordinates, administrators, purchasing, etc. keep you away from their bosses and the real decision makers because they fear losing something – power, ego, job, recognition, authority, etc. However, don’t assume to know what it is because you could be wrong. Get them to tell you why they ...
Views: 2949(1 vote) - ***C-level Selling Tip 7 – Leveraging Your Golden Network - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2009 from Sam ManferGet support if you want to sell faster and easier. Selling is a team sport. Use the people with whom you have a professional relationship to get to know others. Build relationships with them and keep moving up and out. You have a golden network of people. I call this your info/intro ...
Views: 2641(1 vote) - ***C- Level Selling -- Subtleties Make Big Differences in C-Level Selling - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2009 from Sam ManferOver the course of a year I talk with thousands of complaining sales people. Some complain about getting to the right people. Others complain about making pitches that stick; others about competition; some about the support they get from their company, etc. etc. When I suggest what they ...
Views: 2294(1 vote) - C-Level Selling Tip 6: Networking, Use Your Resources - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2009 from Sam ManferIf you want to get to people, no matter who they are, network to them. You know people. You also know people who know people who can get you through many doors. These are your resources. However, you have to stop and think, and search your mind to realize who and how many people you really ...
Views: 1991(2 votes) - ***C-Level Selling: Are You a Tiger, a Phil or Struggle to Make the Cut - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2009 from Sam ManferI can't help but compare Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to selling. Tiger Woods came in second place at the Tour Championship, yet walked away with $10 million as the FedEx Cup champion and $800,000 for his second-place finish. Phil Mickelson walked away with $3 million for the FedEx Cup and ...
Views: 2043(3 votes) - ***C-Level Selling - A Sales Person's Best Resource - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2009 from Sam ManferUp and out -- that is my motto. Whenever I'm pursuing a contract, project or deal, I find out who all the top level people are in the organization. Then I focus on how I'm going to spread like a virus in an organization and get to them. But the leaders who are always the most helpful are ...
Views: 1611 - ***C-Level Selling Tip 4 -- Relationships with C’s Produces Business, but You Don’t Have a Relationship - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2009 from Sam ManferRelationships are a powerful way to get business. A relationship will be established when each party feels the benefits for him or her self. C-Levels and senior executives are primarily interested in business benefits you can deliver that serve their careers. Deliver the benefits and secure ...
Views: 2558 - ***Sales Peoples' Biggest Weakness – C-Level Selling - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Sam ManferSalespeople know how to prospect -- although they hate to. Salespeople can certainly present -- and they love to. They know they should ask questions -- although most don't and the ones that do ask self-serving ones. Salespeople can close -- even though they usually let the customers do it for ...
Views: 1906(1 vote) - ***C-Level Selling Tip 3: Sales Rejection, What You Didn’t Learn in College - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2009 from Sam ManferMost training for salespeople comes from corporate marketing which sends the message that your mission is to tell prospects about us, convince people to buy, and discuss why you are superior to competition. This is marketing – trying to generate interest. Once the prospect says, “Tell me ...
Views: 2057(2 votes) - ***C-Level Sales Training Tip 2 – The Prospect Seemed Interested, But the Sales Cycle Stalled - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2009 from Sam ManferSales have a beginning and an end, and you can adjust how much time is spent in between by making the right moves. Sales begin wherever you can get in, but always end with the power executives saying yes or no. What happens in between is a lot of due diligence work with subordinates and ...
Views: 2018(1 vote) - ***C-Level Sales Management - Who’s Ready for More Sales? - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2009 from Sam Manfer“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” The other day, a board member was lamenting on the poor performance of his company. So I said, "You should hire me to help your company get more sales." To which he replied, "Not right now, Sam. The timing's not right." So I said, "Timing?? ...
Views: 2268(2 votes) - ***Advanced Sales Training - 8 What-to-Do’s About Cold Calling - by Submitted on Aug 13, 2009 from Sam ManferCold calling is dead, but still kicking. It's not to say that cold calling doesn't work, but everyone will agree, it's highly inefficient and very demotivating. Therefore, cold calling should go away, but it won’t. I stopped at my Starbucks today and saw a vitamin or similar sales rep ...
Views: 1692(1 vote) - ***Selling Doctors - Fear of the Doctor Is a Sales Person's Biggest Challenge - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2009 from Sam ManferFears, excuses, uneasiness, rationalizations, intimidations all stem from negative projection. The doctor is too busy. The doctor doesn’t see salespeople. The doctor doesn’t care who they have selected. These, plus a whole range of other statements about this doctor, are excuses - ...
Views: 2113(1 vote) - ***C-Level Selling - Asking Sales Questions Is Easier Said Than Done - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2009 from Sam ManferLike you, I've been selling all my life and what I've learned is, asking good questions and listening effectively are the most powerful selling skills. Unfortunately, the dynamics between sales people and prospects/customers, coupled with tension and old habits makes asking questions and ...
Views: 2441(1 vote) - ***C-Level Interviewing - How to Handle Lying Customers and Prospects - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Sam ManferMy daughter, who's looking for a house, recently said she doesn't trust realtors. Around the same time, some sales people I am coaching said that prospects always lie. So who is it that lies -- salespeople are customers? Well, as a sales person or sales manager, you probably hedge, embellish, ...
Views: 1683(1 vote) - ***Sales Management for C-Level Selling - 6 Steps to Make Your Sales People Better - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2009 from Sam ManferHow would you rate the skill level of each of your sales people? What are you doing to improve each person’s skill level? In other words are your sales people as good as you think they should be and if not, what are you doing about it. Sales goals are made or missed because of management. ...
Views: 1506 - ***C-Level Selling - The Most Powerful, Yet Least Used Sales Questions - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from Sam ManferStatistics show that more than 75% of sales calls end without the sales person asking for commitment. Believe it or not most customers buy rather than sales people asking for the order. The purchasing discussion usually goes something like this, "Send me a proposal." Then there's some ...
Views: 2445(1 vote) - ***C-Level Sell to Develop Large Accounts - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2009 from Sam ManferLarge accounts are cash cows for any business. We all wish we had more. We all go crazy if we lose one. However, large accounts require the most powerful selling skills –getting-to and selling profit center leaders and their staffs. Two points of clarification: 1. Selling the C- level means ...
Views: 2829(1 vote) - ***Sales Management Training - Managing Lead Generation / Sales Prospecting - by Submitted on Jul 07, 2009 from Sam ManferPart I, Active Networking For salespeople to be effective lead generators, they must have both active and passive marketing programs. Now (1) their marketing program must be their own -- not the company’s (although the two can be in sync with each other), and (2) they will do both, ...
Views: 2194 - ***Capturing C-Level Quality Leads - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2009 from Sam ManferQuality leads, especially those of C-level executives, generate sales. These leads will come as the result of effective passive and active marketing. Part I -- Passive Marketing Since we live in an Internet world, if you don't have Internet presences, you're behind your competition. ...
Views: 1458 - ***C-Level Sales Management -- Helping Salespeople Handle Gatekeepers and Voicemails - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2009 from Sam ManferAs a manager, you know your salespeople will always have trouble getting to C-levels and other influential executives. So you've got to help them with ideas, your example and a push. The first rule of gatekeepers is “Always assume your reps will be blocked,” and with this in mind have ...
Views: 3259(2 votes) - ***C-Level Selling -- The First Rule for Handling Gatekeepers and Blockers - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Sam ManferAlways assume you'll be blocked and rarely will you be incorrect. Suppose you meet with someone -- your initial contact – and you get along well. She or he likes what you have to say. She or he sees the benefits. Everything seems fine. What typically happens next? Well, you might ask for ...
Views: 1830 - ***Preparations for C-Level Presentations Make Perfect - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from Sam ManferYour final test to win contracts is your presentation. How professional you look based on what needs to be heard will determine your success or failure. Remember these voters want what they want - not what you think they should want. They also want no risk and maximum gain. Therefore you’ve ...
Views: 1790(1 vote) - ***Presentation Tactics to Make Your C-Level Audience Buy into You - by Submitted on Apr 03, 2009 from Sam ManferYour presentation makes your proposal come to life. It must instill a feeling of confidence about your company as it relates to the project you’re bidding. It also must be memorable. The last presenter has an advantage, but many times whoappears last is out of your control. So what you say and ...
Views: 2642(1 vote) - ***Sales Manager Training, Proposals: Strategies for Writing Proposals - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2009 from Sam ManferThe proposal document is an expensive, time-consuming, yet necessary document. Therefore it better hit the right buttons with the client so it takes you to the shortlist or gets you invited to do a presentation. So some thought should go into what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say ...
Views: 2621 - ***Choosing the Right RFP’s and Avoiding the Wrong RFP’s - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2009 from Sam ManferIn this article we will focus on selecting the types of clients and the types of projects where you have the best chances of winning. Keep in mind all RFP’s, clients and projects are not good for you. Knowing what RFP’s you can win before you bid is critical to your success ratio. Keep in ...
Views: 2314 - ***C- Level Selling: Increasing Your Chances of Winning Competitive Bids - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2009 from Sam ManferThe key to any good proposal or presentation is the pre-work. Any company can close 33% of what’s in their pipeline. Better companies closing ratios are greater than 60%. That’s 60% of what they forecast or what’s in their pipeline. If you’re not winning at this ratio, then either you are ...
Views: 2220(1 vote) - ***8 Ways to Get C-Levels and Gov’t Exec’s to Start Spending in this Depression - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2009 from Sam ManferRight now corporate and government officials are keeping spending and capital investments to minimum. Even if government projects are funded and have nothing to do with budgets, they are still being put on hold. Why, because it’s not right to spend now. It looks badly and ultimately the fear ...
Views: 2019 - ***Accurate Sales Forecasting - by Submitted on Mar 05, 2009 from Sam ManferForecasting can be simple and accurate, and if one uses a consistent, creditable selling process it can be even more reliable. Here is a simple way of forecasting. Try it on some outstanding business. Try it also on some opportunities you closed and others you lost. The simple system ...
Views: 1672 - ***Developing Positive Self Esteem and Confidence - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2009 from Sam ManferLack of confidence, self-doubt and low self-esteem stem from negative talk within yourself. This negative talk was programmed into you as a child. Yes, it was your parents or friends or role models that messed you up. However, that was then and there is nothing you can do to change that. But ...
Views: 1608 - ***The Proactive Recessionary Birds will Catch the Economic Recovery Worms - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2009 from Sam ManferOpportunities are on their way. Will you recognize them? Will you be ready for them or will you jump on them as the parade passes by? The world is changing, and that’s scary. But like all change, it brings opportunities, making right now an exciting time to get in on the ground floor of ...
Views: 1726(1 vote) - ***Turn Prospecting Rejection into Future Sales Opportunities - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2009 from Sam ManferProspecting rejection hurts. Some targets are gentler with their rejection than others, but the message is the same – “NO”. Once rejected, you'll be annoying if you keep pushing which could burn a future opportunity. Oh, there are those that attest to their tenacity in ...
Views: 1936(1 vote) - ***Turn Prospecting Rejection into Future Sales Opportunities - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2009 from Sam ManferProspecting rejection hurts. Some targets are gentler with their rejection than others, but the message is the same – “NO”. Once rejected, you'll be annoying if you keep pushing which could burn a future opportunity. Oh, there are those that attest to their tenacity in ...
Views: 1936(1 vote) - ***Networking Works Part II – The Message That Makes Networking Work - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2009 from Sam ManferYour words and actions are critical for successful networking - not because you’re trying to trick anyone, but because you need your contact to understand what exactly you want from him or her. Without this understanding you’re liable to get random information and this can hurt you in many ...
Views: 1731 - ***Executive Reluctance: 5 Tips for Overcoming Fear and Making the Sale - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2009 from Sam ManferWhat goes through you when your boss or your inner-self says you’ve got to get to the top decision maker for this deal, contract, renewal or sale? It’s probably not great. However, the executive suite is where you have to be to increase you chances of success. Most sales people quickly boast ...
Views: 2707(3 votes) - ***5 Tips for Getting Meetings with Corporate Leaders - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2009 from Sam ManferC-Level Executives are tough to meet with – even if it’s a small company. Unless you’ve built up credibility with someone close to this C-level executive you’ve got a 95% chance (almost certain) of being rejected. Worse yet, of the ones fortunate enough to get meetings, most are never able to ...
Views: 1845 - ***C-Level Relationship Selling During This Recession Requires More than Getting People to Like You - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2009 from Sam ManferGetting someone to like you is not going to close sales - especially during a business recession. It is amazing that this misconception is embraced by so many sales people as the essence of relationship selling. Hopefully this will clear up why liking doesn’t make a relationship nor put money in ...
Views: 1656 - ***Sales Management in This Recession - Improve Your Sales Team’s Performance - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2009 from Sam ManferWe limit ourselves when it comes to selling and business development. Here is another story from my networking association meeting the other night. This article can help you or your people overcome self limiting sales beliefs and develop more business faster. Back to the two ladies I ...
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