Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 124

What Makes a Great Consultant?

I was recently asked if I had any advice for someone who was trying to build a consulting practice, particularly given that social distancing is limiting outreach activities to remote selling. Your local bookstore and the internet are both great places for helpful insights into business development in general. Fortunately, much of advice is very applicable for growing a service business like consulting. And while social distancing makes it challenging to do in-person networking, take prospects to lunch, etc., there are so many other ways to reach out – think concise and compelling emails, LinkedIn, webinars that give you an opportunity to share your expertise for all to see, etc. – that one hardly has the excuse to hide in a bunker until COVID-19 and recession disappear.

Surprisingly Simple Strategies for Today's Crazy-Busy Sellers

I have written about Jill Konrath’s books before, but her latest is a timely, deeply researched exploration of sales productivity.  With our rapidly shifting work culture and the current pressures of working from home, staying on top of things seems more intimidating than ever.  For example, did you know that most sales professionals work an average of 72 hours a week if they have a smartphone?  What about the fact that salespeople spend only 22% of their time doing the tasks that matter most?

Weekly Recap, November 15, 2020

Here are our favorite sales-enhancing tips from this week's Selling Energy Blogs...

Managing Your Distractions

Balancing our priorities has become a particular challenge since our homes are doubling as our workspaces. How do you stay focused when your attention is constantly flitting between your job and other distractions (partners, children, domestic duties, etc.)?

Quotes to Inspire You

Bite-sized wisdom can go a long way. This is why I include quotes in our daily emails, on social media, in my presentations and, occasionally, in these blogs. They’re simple and short but always impactful. Often they give us encouragement at just the right time, urging us to stay on the right path and continue striving for success.

How to Help Your Prospects Prevail Despite Rough Sailing

One way to sell in our current environment is telling customers energy efficiency will help them regain their financial footing. More specifically, if you consider for a moment the three buckets of benefits on the most basic level, you’ll realize that all of those utility-cost-financial, non-utility-cost financial, and non-financial benefits can really help a business prevail in the wake of some pretty rough sailing lately.

How to Sell to a Property Manager Effectively – Part Two

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What does it mean to get the job done? First, you have to get that property manager fired up with the idea that you’re helping them achieve their goals.  You also have to use the yardsticks that a property manager uses to measure their own success – preventing complaints about thermal discomfort, addressing security concerns, increasing the occupancy of the building, etc.

How to Sell to a Property Manager Effectively – Part One

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When selling to a property manager you have to sell to more people than the property manager in front of you.  You have to sell to everybody who might grant this property manager permission or consent. 

Going from Failure to Success in Selling

Some principles of selling will always be the same, and although the times may change, human nature remains consistent (or, as Dan Ariely puts it, “predictably irrational!”).  Regardless, in this current situation sales professionals need to rise to the occasion for their customers more now than ever – to be prepared, informed and respectful of their needs in order to serve them.

Weekly Recap, November 8, 2020

Here are our favorite sales-enhancing tips from this week's Selling Energy Blogs...