Sales roles aren’t always what you would like them to be. You might settle into a solid career trajectory in the field only to struggle to find meaning in your day-to-day responsibilities or professional future. If you find yourself in that position, you might wind up racking your brain for other options — and for a lot of disgruntled sales reps, a career in real estate can look like a solid choice. But attractive as the option might be, making the shift from sales to real estate is easier said than done. It takes a lot of thought, time, energy, careful planning, and specific action to make that transition. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the key steps a sales professional needs to … [Read More...]

Sales tools automate day-to-day processes, increase efficiency in all aspects of the sales process, and simplify various aspects of a sales rep’s day to save valuable time — time that can be spent focusing on prospects and deals. Sales Tools There are dozens of types of sales tools available today. And within each of those categories are hundreds of tools to choose from. In this post, we’ll review seven categories of tools with a few examples in each. But first, let’s take a moment to review a few benefits that you’ll get from using sales tools. Why use sales tools? It’s no secret that all members of sales teams — from BDR to Account Executive to Manager — are busy. There are many facets of … [Read More...]

Finding a business name is, well, serious business. You want something that will grow as your company does. While you can rebrand with a new name down the line, you’ll save time, money, and confusion for clients by finding a business name to stick with for as long as possible. But you can’t just slap a sign on a website or building and call it a day. For legal and tax purposes, you typically have to register your business name. Unless you are a sole proprietor operating under your own name, you’ll need to work with local, state, and federal agencies to register your business name. In some instances, you might operate under your own name. For example, a freelance writer that is a sole proprietor might … [Read More...]

Ever spent time with a prospect who didn’t buy? Of course you have. Is it fun? No, it is not. Selling to people who can’t or won’t buy is a huge drain on your sales productivity, budget, and team. Top two-percenters need to spend time only with prospects who need your help, want your help, and are willing to work with you to solve their problems. Your prospects need to have authority and money, but having business pain trumps both. If your prospects don’t have business pain, they have no need. And without need, there’s no hope for a sale. It’s up to salespeople to ask effective sales questions and uncover business pain as quickly as possible. What are pain points? Pain points are persistent problems … [Read More...]

Have you ever played a game of Monopoly and kept tabs on the other players? Maybe you took a mental note on which player had the most properties, or who had the best buying and selling strategy. But the value of observing the competition isn’t specific to board games — actual companies can benefit from it as well. One way to get there is through something called “competitive benchmarking” — the process of looking externally to see how your business stacks up against your competitors and industry standards. Let’s learn some more about the concept, review how to run a competitive benchmarking analysis, and look at some competitive benchmarking tools and examples. You might already practice a form of benchmarking in your business. For example, a company … [Read More...]

I recently posted the question, “Should you start a business in uncertain times?” on my Twitter and received some interesting responses and real-life accounts — many of which I’ll share below. But one response stuck out to me: “There is no such thing as a certain time to start a business.” It’s true. Starting a new business is one of the most unpredictable, tumultuous adventures you can embark on — but it also has the potential to be one of the most gratifying, lucrative ones as well. Here, we’ll explore whether starting a business in uncertain times is worth it, review some tips on how to do it right, and determine whether starting a business in 2021 is in your best interest. So, should you … [Read More...]

It might go without saying, but a business can’t thrive if it can’t survive — and you, as a business owner, are almost bound to be confronted with situations that throw you into survival mode at some point. A recession is one of the more probable, pressing challenges that can put you in that position. Broader economic uncertainty and turmoil can kneecap virtually any business’s operations. But devastating as it might be, an economic downturn doesn’t have to be hopeless. You can take certain strides to ensure that your business is recession-proof. Here, we’ll go over what a recession-proof business is, take a look at some recession-proof business ideas, and review steps you can take to recession-proof your company. Businesses that are typically … [Read More...]

With nearly half the world’s population now active on social media, social selling is more relevant than ever. Sales leaders who’d rather be ahead of the curve than chasing it would be smart to start systematizing the practice in their sales forces. To support forays into social selling, we’ve put together this massive guide, covering everything from social selling’s definition to its measurement. Our goal was to have a one-stop shop for someone looking to get started with social sales — whether as an initiative for your sales team or yourself. And because it’s more the exception than the rule, social selling can become a differentiator for sales organizations that adopt it early. Be where your colleagues aren’t, and you’ll get the deals they won’t. What … [Read More...]

Sales qualification is a game of open-ended questions. Unless you ask the right questions, you won’t uncover the right needs or understand the right problems to solve. Not having that information could cost you the deal from the very beginning. But there’s an art to asking sales qualification questions. Which is why I’d like to share these tips for asking more effective open-ended questions that quickly qualify and disqualify prospects. Keep reading to find out what those questions are, but first, let’s go over what makes a good question and how you can create a great line of questioning. What makes a good open-ended sales question? Open-ended questions have an edge over close-ended questions because they don’t box your prospect into answering … [Read More...]