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Jim Lobaito

The Only Sales Training You Need

SQC smallProblem:  I received a call from a salesperson pitching the idea of getting involved in an investment opportunity.I listened to what he had to say, explained why it would not be right for me, thanked him for thinking of me, and we said our goodbyes. I remember thinking as I hung up the phone, “He really doesn’t believe in what he is selling.” Upon reflection, my thought about his product not being a right fit for me was triggered by his lack of confidence. I could hear the uncertainty in his voice and in his response to my questions. read more

Quit Focusing on Selling Products and Build Value

SQC smallThe strange thing about value is that most of us could not say what value is, but we do know it when we see it.

My sons took judo lessons when they were younger. They made it to the yellow belt level before other interests took over. After high school they took the path that most of us do by joining one health club and quitting, joining another health club and quitting, etc. They would join the club depending on what special was being offered. Then, at age 19, my youngest son was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. You have heard about the importance of exercise and eating right, but at the same time, I don’t believe any of us truly understand it until we are faced with a disease like diabetes. My son understood. He quickly adapted his diet and began to exercise. The balance of medicine, insulin, diet and exercise paid off. His diabetes was under control. read more

Selling is a Transfer of Confidence

SQC smallIt’s official. I have now turned off the radio. I gave up watching network television news last year, CNN this year and now, I have turned off the radio. Ok, to be fair, not all radio. I still enjoy the morning show hosts on the local news talk radio station and I still enjoy the classic hits of the 70’s. It’s the conservative talk show hosts that forced me to push the off button. read more

How to Sell Your Customers More of What You Sell

SQC smallYou know the issues; you see how you have the solution but the problem is your customer doesn’t.  You’ve tried all your closing tactics and nothing is working.  It’s as if they are immune to your efforts.

So it seemed to Phil as he explained during one of my sales training sessions.  Phil sells machine tools and he shared his frustration; “I have this customer who buys a new piece of machinery every two years like clockwork.”  “My problem is that he rotates his business between vendors.”  “I can’t seem to get him consistently purchase our machines even though we have proven to be the most efficient.” read more

Breaking Your Sales Slump

Problem:  As salespeople, we sometimes struggle breaking out of our comfort zones.  You know when you should be or even need be to trying something new to get to things moving in the right direction.  Triggered by having an anemic pipeline of good opportunities we try to create sales momentum with a flurry of short-term sales activity.  If you have ever done this before, you realize that this approach rarely creates any lasting results. It is not just in our sales role where this approach does not work.  It never works in our diet program, exercise routine, or financial planning. read more

When and How to Use Your Sales Collateral Material

Problem:  Early on in my career, I was the king of sales sheets. That was the term we used for all our marketing material.  I made sure before I left for the day my briefcase was loaded with all the latest material. I wanted to be armed for anything a prospect would throw at me. We had a file cabinet in the back of the sales room where all the collateral sales material was stored; each with its own labeled slot.  One day I was excited because I had a full day of sales calls with prospects I’ve been working to get in front of. Excited, until I went to our marketing cabinet and found the slots empty! Checking in with the sales secretary, she informed me that the copier was broke and she would not be able to print more until later that day. Now panic set in. I had my presentation all set around these materials and now I was armed with nothing! read more

Can You Play Doctor on a Sales Call?

The other day I met a delightful lady, Wendy.  Wendy is a doctor who consults other doctors on infections.  When they can’t figure it out or when they don’t know what they are dealing with, they call on Wendy.  It is her job to determine what is killing the patient and to stop it.  As she explained to me what she does and how she does it, I realized she applies one of the most effective sales techniques in her job that enables her to be very good at what she does. read more

How Targeting Improves Win Rates and Shortens Sales Cycles

This week’s blog comes from guest blogger, Dave Kurlan.  Dave is a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, sales thought leader and highly regarded sales leadership expert.

SQC smallNow that we are nearly 3 weeks into the new year, have you changed anything with regard to goals, strategies or plans?  How about targets?  A few small tweaks to your targets can have a huge impact on revenue! read more

When a Salesperson Should Stop Selling Value

SQC smallProblem:  Recently, I had a conversation with a sales engineer about his frustration with trying to convince a prospect the price of his equipment was worth the value.  His prospect is convinced that he is selling high quality, efficient equipment with a large ATBM (Average Time between Maintenance).  Though his prospect faces frequent interruptions due to breakdowns, the prospect continues to buy his competitors’ equipment because their prices are lower.  The prospect continues to tell him that he can’t justify the capital investment needed to buy his equipment. read more