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Articles from Dave Kahle | Selfgrowth.com
- ***Question and Answer: Abusive Customer - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. How would you suggest I respond when a customer gets abusive and uses profanity with me? A. That's a difficult call. I have had only a couple of these experiences in my career. Let me do a little thinking out loud (or as it may be, on the computer.) First, let's clarify the ...
Views: 1697 - ***Best Practice # 22: Has a system for selling any product or service that we present. - by Submitted on Sep 26, 2012 from Dave KahleThe best salespeople are systematic in their approach to their job, while ordinary salespeople are haphazard. That's one of the reasons why they are the best. We know that sophisticated routine work is best accomplished by implementing effective systems. McDonald's, for example, ...
Views: 1564 - ***Closing the Sale – A Realistic Perspective - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2012 from Dave KahleThere is not a salesperson in existence who hasn't repeatedly heard of the need to "close the sale.” Every new sales manager must view the process of encouraging his/her sales force to "close the sale” as an initiation into the profession. If you're going to be a sales manager, you, therefore, ...
Views: 1588 - ***It's All About the Risk! - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2012 from Dave KahleSometimes it is so frustrating. You know you have a better product than that which your prospect is currently using. Your price is attractive, your service is outstanding. If the prospect would switch to your solution, you know they'd be delighted. You'd save them money, smooth out their ...
Views: 1628(1 vote) - ***Q&A: Voicemail Call Backs - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. We use the phone for keeping contact with many accounts. I also use it for cold calling phone prospects. Any hints on how to entice prospects to call back, since over 60 percent of calls are answered by voice mail? A. Welcome to the bane of 21st Century sales people – ...
Views: 1522 - ***Best Practice #8: Knows how to overcome procrastination. - by Submitted on Aug 03, 2012 from Dave Kahle"Mañana.” It will wait until tomorrow. There are times when it is so tempting to tell yourself that, and to actually believe it. Clearly, sometimes it is true. However, when we continually put off for tomorrow those things that could and should be done today, we become less ...
Views: 1732(1 vote) - ***Question and Answer: No Response to Emails - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. Dave, I have been a fan for a number of years, and have a number of your books. In the last couple of years, I have grown increasingly frustrated. Why won't people respond to my emails, return my voice mails, or even see me when I show up in person? Am I doing something wrong? A. You ...
Views: 1687(1 vote) - ***Best Practice # 7: Creates strategic plans for key accounts - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2012 from Dave KahleThe job of the sales person is always a bit of a balancing act. On one hand, we continually cruise our territory to see what opportunities look the most promising. We're constantly scanning the account base to identify that to which we should react. On the other hand, we also need to be ...
Views: 3426 - ***Question and Answer: No Control - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. Help! I'm so frustrated. I just attended a "sales training” program that never addressed the real issues that I have to deal with every day. What causes me problems is not my lack of sales ability, it is my company's back orders, the lack of responsiveness and competence in my customer ...
Views: 1499 - *** Best Practice # 6: Plans every sales call - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2012 from Dave KahleIt continues to amaze me that so many sales people shuffle into most of their sales calls with very little, if any, prior planning. I suppose that is why this is one of the practices of the best. Most surveys of how field sales people really spend their time conclude that the typical sales ...
Views: 1754 - ***Is Integrity a Sales Strategy? - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2012 from Dave KahleI was speaking to a group of professional sales people in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the subject of integrity in business. At dinner later in the evening, my host, who had been sitting in the audience, sheepishly shared with me that several of the people seated near her snickered at the ...
Views: 1394 - ***Question & Answer for Sales People - by Submitted on Dec 31, 1969 from Dave KahleQ. I have long enjoyed your articles. I am in my second year of being a full commission salesman and wanted to get your advice. When I make an onsite call or pick up the 500 pound phone and call the customer, I feel like I am begging for work… asking the headmaster for another cup of gruel. ...
Views: 1065 - ***Your Most Powerful Sales Tool - by Submitted on May 25, 2012 from Dave KahleDid you enjoy what you had for dinner last night? You are probably wondering what that question has to do with sales. Bear with me a moment, and answer the question. Now, pause a moment, and think about what you did when you read that question. Your mind probably flashed back to ...
Views: 1233 - ***Why it is so easy to become an exceptional sales person - by Submitted on Dec 31, 1969 from Dave KahleWhen I was 18 years old, I got a summer job working for a company then called Jewel Tea, whose business was selling groceries, housewares and kids clothing to housewives on a route. I was hired to work the routes for the vacationing sales people who owned the route. At age 18, I had no ...
Views: 1248 - ***Question and Answer on How to Handle Price Increases - by Submitted on May 17, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. Customers in my industry do not accept price increases unless they have zero alternatives. How do we handle this? A. I’m sure you are not the only person thinking this way, nor is your industry the only one with this issue. Probably almost every one reading this frequently hears from ...
Views: 2031 - ***Just Listen! - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2012 from Dave KahleI recently came across some research that confirmed what many of us in the profession of educating sales people have known for years: That purchasers would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if that sales person would just “listen” to the customer. (1) The survey found that some ...
Views: 1838(1 vote) - ***Question & Answer for Sales People - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. In regards to personality conflicts with an account, at what point do you walk away and let someone else in your organization try? A. Great question. Let me answer in two ways. First, from a purely theoretical perspective, a professional sales person should be able to build ...
Views: 1444 - ***Biggest Time Wasters for Sales People - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2012 from Dave KahleGood time management for sales people has been an obsession of mine for more than 30 years. In the last decade, I’ve been involved in helping tens of thousands of sales people improve their results through more effective use of their time. Over the years, I’ve seen some regularly occurring ...
Views: 1525 - ***Question & Answer for Sales People - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. I have many customers who refuse to even consider some of my products because the one they have now is working fine and they don’t want to change something that is working well for them. They feel they are opening themselves to potential dangers, problems and nightmares by fixing something ...
Views: 1708(1 vote) - ***Selling Commodities - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2012 from Dave Kahle“How do you create a perceived value to differentiate yourself from the competition when you are both selling a commodity?” That’s a question I’m often asked in my seminars. It uncovers a problem that is spreading to almost every industry. The rapid pace of technological development and our ...
Views: 1394 - ***Question & Answer for Sales People - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. Occasionally, customers may say they have seen or received a lower price for the same product in order to receive better pricing from us. How would you handle that type of call? A. You mean this only happens occasionally? I’ll bet thousands of my readers see it frequently. Regardless, ...
Views: 1406 - ***The loss of discipline and the incredible opportunity for you - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2012 from Dave KahleI fielded a call from a disgruntled client a couple of weeks ago. He had subscribed his sales force of seven people to a program that included four, one hour training sessions, delivered on-line, and a 45 minute session for him to show him how to orchestrate and implement the training system. ...
Views: 2316 - ***Think a Lot - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Dave KahleIt’s a difficult year for a lot of sales people. The world is changing rapidly, and every new headline contains information that seems to impact business in a significant way. The competition is more active, customers are more discriminating, and nobody has enough time. There was a time, ...
Views: 1531 - ***Question & Answer for Sales People - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2012 from Dave KahleQ. Dave, I am finding it difficult to manage my personal finances. As a commissioned sales person, my income varies from month to month. It seems like I’m always struggling with finances. Do you have suggestions for me? A. Congratulations for having the courage to ask that question. Do I ...
Views: 1557 - ***Nurturing Prospect Opportunities - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2011 from Dave KahleYou have made a call or two on a prospect, qualified them, and rate them as high potential. The problem is they don’t have an opportunity at the moment. Lots of potential, but it’s all down the road a bit. Your challenge is to maintain contact so that when they do have an opportunity, you have ...
Views: 1563 - ***Question and Answer - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2011 from Dave KahleQ. What do I do when my goals don’t match the company’s goals for me? A. I can look at this is in two ways – expressing two different situations. In the first, there is a legitimate difference in the expectations for a sales person, but a basic agreement on the issues on which to be ...
Views: 1411 - ***Best Practice #33: Focuses on spending the greatest amount of time with the highest potential customers - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2011 from Dave KahleIt is so easy to do that which is comfortable and easy as opposed to that which is smart. It’s a common temptation to which every sales person succumbs at least some of the time. This applies most dramatically to the fundamental decisions that every sales person makes over and over again ...
Views: 1545 - ***The Incredible Power of an Elevator Speech - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2011 from Dave Kahle“Why should someone spend time with you?” That was the question I asked the six sales people who were the subjects of an intense week-long training session. The response? Blank stares. Some uncomfortable fidgeting. Nothing anywhere close to a coherent, persuasive response. That ...
Views: 1687 - ***The Hidden Path to Sales Success - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2011 from Dave KahleIn my twenty plus years of educating sales people, I have encountered tens of thousands of sales people. The vast majority of them want to do better. They want the benefits of greater success: Increased income, greater respect from their peers and managers, and increased ...
Views: 2128 - ***Question and Answer - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2011 from Dave KahleQ. How do I insure that I get the last look in a competitive bid situation? A. This is a question that I’m often asked. In a lot of industries, particularly those involved in construction, government purchases and large-volume manufacturing, most of the customers require an official bid. ...
Views: 1507 - ***Best Practice #35: Regularly spends time and money improving sales skills. - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2011 from Dave KahleHaving spent most of my adult life in Michigan, I have naturally grown to be a fan of the Detroit professional sports teams. Basketball is my favorite sport, and I’ve been a Pistons fan since before the Bad Boys. As you know, the Bad Boys were world champions for a couple of years in the ...
Views: 2179 - ***Creating a Powerful Sales Plan - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Dave KahleField sales people have a unique aspect to their jobs – they have the ability to decide what to do every moment of every day. The need to make this decision – where to go, who to see, who to call, what to do – distinguishes the sales profession from most others. I’ve often thought that the ...
Views: 3120(1 vote) - ***Question and Answer - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2011 from Dave KahleQ. You have convinced me that spending time face-to-face with customers is the best use of my sales time. How much of my week should I spend entertaining customers; taking them to lunch, ballgames, etc.? A. Great question. Let me answer this is two ways. First, spend as much time as you ...
Views: 1545 - ***Best Practice #21 – Uses an effective system for making appointments - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2011 from Dave KahleThe best sales people have created a system to consistently acquire appointments with prospects, and continually work to improve that system. All routine, sophisticated work is most effectively accomplished by implementing a system. That’s one of the observations I’ve made in my 20+ years of ...
Views: 2240 - ***Is “On The Job” Training the Best Way to Develop a Sales Person? - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2011 from Dave KahleIn our surveys, CEOs indicate “on the job” training as the predominant method of developing sales people. If everyone is doing it, it must be OK, right? I don’t think so. See if this sounds familiar. You are ready to expand your sales force, so you hire a nice guy who has some experience ...
Views: 3630(3 votes) - ***What's a Professional Sales Manager? - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2011 from Dave KahleI was in the depths of a major depression. As a third year sales person with a good company, I was doing well, and was on my way to becoming the top sales person in the nation for that company. But business had slowed down a little, and I didn't have my usual number of proposals out for ...
Views: 2498(2 votes) - ***Question and Answer – Straight Commission - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2011 from Dave KahleQ. We are intent on revising our decades-old sales compensation plan. Management is divided. One half favors straight commission, and the other doesn’t. What are your thoughts? A. In my work as a sales consultant, I am routinely involved in helping my clients revise their sales compensation ...
Views: 3986(2 votes) - ***On Sales Systems - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2011 from Dave Kahle“I have my own style of selling.” That is a remark I have heard a number of times, usually from relatively inexperienced sales people. What they usually mean is something like this: “I don’t have any real system to what I do, I don’t want any scrutiny, and I probably am not going to learn ...
Views: 3763(3 votes) - Popcorn and Other Marketing Mistakes in a Changing Economy - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2011 from Dave KahleTen years of competitive hell! That was the title on the seminar brochure I received recently. As I survey some of the forces flowing through our economy, and witness the way in which they effect my clients, I have to agree. The Information Age is certainly one of the most turbulent ...
Views: 2240 - The Role of Adversity in Shaping a Sales Person’s Character - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2011 from Dave KahleI still remember the worst sales call I ever made. More than just remember it, I react to the memory. I get a queasy feeling in my stomach every time I think about it. It wasn’t just a bad sales call, it was a humiliating, embarrassing event. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. That’s the ...
Views: 4596(1 vote) - So, You Want to Work on Your Spirituality? - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2011 from Dave KahleThinking about your spirituality? Wondering if there is something deeper and more meaningful for your life? You’re not alone. George Barna, the researcher, has unearthed a condition of modern American life: “…recent studies at our Barna Research Group shows that more and more people are ...
Views: 2375(2 votes) - The Power of Perspective to Shape Behavior - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2011 from Dave KahleI just hung up the phone from a coaching call with one of my clients. He was applying for a significant executive position, and wanted my help with his resume and interview strategy. We talked for a bit, and I suggested a different way to look at his resume. A light bulb went off. All at ...
Views: 2992(3 votes) - 4 Common Sales and Marketing Practices that Fail in the New Economy - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2011 from Dave KahleOne challenge of the new economy is that common business principles and practices that were sufficient on which to build a business just a few years ago, today are not. Take the case of one of my clients who told me recently, “I’ve been in business for 17 years. And we’ve done well. But now, ...
Views: 1931(2 votes) - Finding Solutions to Your Small Business Sales Challenges - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2011 from Dave KahleYears of economic muddle! That was the title on a seminar brochure I received recently. As I survey some of the forces flowing through our economy, and witness the way in which they impact my clients, I have to agree. Unfortunately, these forces have brought a cloud of confusion to CEOs ...
Views: 1841(3 votes) - Do You Have a Selling System? - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2011 from Dave Kahle“I have my own style of selling.” I have heard this countless times, usually from relatively inexperienced salespeople. What they really mean is, “I don’t have any real system to what I do, I don’t want any scrutiny, and I probably am not going to learn anything from you.” Does every ...
Views: 2108(4 votes)