Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 32

Weekly Recap, May 28, 2023

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

Pocket-Sized Motivation

At the end of the week all of us could use some inspirational advice, and one of the best ways to capture that is in pocket-sized form.  Not all of us can afford the services of a motivational speaker!

The Key to Opening Doors of Opportunities

Assume an organization that you’ve been researching takes the time to participate in a networking event or trade show. However, since the C-level execs are often too busy to attend, they send their “delegates” – mid-level execs who can represent the organization, report back on who else was there, etc.  In many cases, these delegates will be fairly low on the totem pole – perhaps even interns or brand-new hires. It’s unlikely they’ll have a full picture of the organization’s needs, much less the ability to approve a proposal from you. However, they may have valuable insights into the company, including which players would likely be involved in evaluating your offerings. Bottom line, if approached with respect and decorum, these non-decision-makers may provide a fast track to the right people.

Asking Better Questions

Asking the right questions is essential in your interactions with not only your prospects, but also the customers you already do business with.  Of course, what you ask relies on what you learn about their industry, their place in it, and the decision-making process that will bring your project to fruition.  Breaking this down to the basics, here are other essentials you need to know in order to make a compelling case:

7 Tips for Successful Virtual Presentations

As sales professionals intent on prevailing as more and more prospects pivot toward Teams and Zoom calls, we’re called upon to give online presentations and webinars or have video conversations. Here are seven tips to help you present virtually like a pro: 

How to Get Your Foot in the Door

As I’m sure many of you know, in addition to energy-focused professional sales training, I also teach benchmarking workshops (both online and in-person). One of the workshops I teach is called, “Leveraging Benchmarking to Build Your Business.” As the title suggests, offering a benchmarking service is a fantastic way to build your existing energy-solutions business. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s a great way to get your foot in the door with new prospects. 

Working Out Loud

As energy sales professionals, we solve problems and overcome objections on a daily basis. For those of us working as part of a team, it is likely that many of the solutions we come up with would also benefit our colleagues (who would be able to apply it to their own work). By setting up a system for sharing tips and tricks, we can improve the efficiency and productivity of our organization.

Weekly Recap, May 21, 2023

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

Time Assets and Debts

When we talk about productivity strategies, we generally talk about actionable tips and tricks that allow us to complete tasks more quickly in the short-term. I read an article on the LifeHacker blog that shed light on a whole new way of thinking about productivity. The article proposed that we think about productivity in terms of “time debts” and “time assets.” In other words, is what I’m about to do going to require extra work down the line, or is it an investment that will actually save me time?

Dealing with “Low-baller” Prospects

Most people in the sales world have probably dealt with at least one or two “low-balling” prospects. What do you do when a prospect says that they’re only willing to buy if you significantly reduce the price?