Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 29

Paint A New Picture

One of the most common roadblocks to a successful sale (one that I’m sure many of you have run into) is the prospect or customer with unrealistic expectations. People have a tendency to expect things to be the same as they’ve always been. 

How to Handle Tough Questions…When It Counts

Anyone who has given a presentation knows how nerve-wracking it can be to open the floor up to questions from the audience. No matter how prepared you are, there’s always the possibility that someone in the audience will throw you a curve ball. Since Q&A sessions usually happen at the end of the presentation, they’re your last impression with the audience. You want the audience to walk away with a positive impression of you and your product or service. It’s therefore critical that you keep your cool and maintain total control over the Q&A session.

Weekly Recap, June 25, 2023

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

20 Minutes of the Day

One of the most powerful productivity strategies that I’ve come across – and one that I use on a daily basis – is to commit a little time each day to task planning. When you start your day with a clear game plan, you save yourself the hassle of having to go through everything on your to-do list (or in your mental to-do list) to decide what you should do next. This allows you to get more done while helping to ensure that important tasks don’t slip through the cracks.

Talk Less, Listen More

Most buyers are put off by the “pushy salesman” – and rightfully so. The “pushy salesman” tries to close the sale in any (and every) way possible… all the while talking too much and listening too little. Sales professionals, on the other hand, are constantly listening to their prospect. They are careful not to talk too much.

Productive Meeting in 7 Minutes Or Less

Meetings have the potential to be a big time-suck, particularly if the agenda and action items are not clearly defined beforehand. According to a study by the San Francisco Chronicle, employees consider "too many meetings" to be the "biggest distraction and waste of time presented by the workplace."  

Ensuring a Happy Ending

Have you ever been halfway through watching a movie, only to have a friend sit down and begin watching the movie with you? The well-meaning interloper will invariably want to understand what is happening in the story, and will often interrupt with questions about situations that had occurred earlier in the film. Unfortunately for you, by the time you’ve gotten the newcomer up to speed, your popcorn is cold and your soda has gone flat. 

Why Your Client Doesn't Need the Rebate

Have you ever encountered a prospect who would only approve a project if it qualified for a rebate or incentive? Perhaps they said something like, “Efficiency upgrades used to make sense when there were a lot more rebates. If you can’t get me a rebate on this project, I’m not interested.” Today, we’ll discuss why statements like these reflect at least two myths, and how you should preemptively neutralize objections.

How to Win and Keep Big Customers

Those of you who have sold efficiency products or solutions to large companies know the significant effect it can have on your own company’s bottom line. A single, large contract can mean the difference between a great year and a poor one. While you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, it may be a wise decision (depending on the nature of your company) to target large organizations. This is easier said than done, of course.

Weekly Recap, June 18, 2023

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