Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 61

The Green Agenda

It’s no secret that many salespeople are drawn to the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries because they want to make a positive impact on the environment. Helping businesses increase their sustainability profile is a worthwhile and noble cause. However, it’s not always wise to lead with the environmental agenda in business-related sales settings. Even if the individual you are addressing is an environmentalist, his or her employer’s agenda will set the tone for the discussion and ultimately determine the fate of your proposal. 

Focus on the Why

If you’ve attended one of my sales trainings or are a regular reader of my blogs, you’ve likely heard me talk about focusing on the “why” and watched Simon Sinek’s TED talk on “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. If you can’t determine why someone would feel compelled to purchase from you, how can you expect to present him or her with a compelling value proposition?

How to Be the Best Sales Professional (and Person) You Can Be

As these weekly blogs can attest, there is an overlap in the advice sales books have to offer.  This week I’m recommending something that stands apart, a guide on how to be the best sales professional (and person) you can be, starting from the ground up. 

Weekly Recap, August 7, 2022

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

Public Speaking Tips from the World Champion

Jerry Seinfeld once observed that according to several studies, most people’s number one fear is public speaking.  Death ranks second, leading to him comically conclude, “Does that sound right?  This means to the average person that if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” 

You've Attended Sales Training: Now What?

Businesses spend more than $70 billion each year on sales training. That averages out to $1,459 per salesperson annually, which is 20 percent more than companies spend training any other kind of employee. However, studies also show that sales reps forget more than 80 percent of what they learn in training within 90 days. Does that mean training is a waste of time and money? Absolutely not! After you have left the training, there are a number of strategies you can use to keep those new skills top of mind. 

Wine, Cheese, and LEDs

They say repetition is the mother of learning.  You’ve probably heard me say more than once that one of the most valuable traits of an efficiency sales professional is the ability to reframe efficiency so that it can be measured with yardsticks that the prospect is already using to measure his or her own success. Here’s a great example of someone doing exactly that: 

Your Proposal May Not be Perfect

My goal as an instructor is to make sure you're successful.  When you write a one-page proposal it might not be perfect; however, it isn’t the end of the world. You're not obligated to stick to the format I recommend.  In fact, my format's a little different than the one Patrick Reilly shares in the book, The One Page Proposal.  Still, it's pretty close. 

6 Post-Sales Strategies to Keep Your Business Running Strong

Winning the sale is only half of the battle. The next steps you take determine the ultimate success of your business. Here are some post-sale strategies that will keep your business running strong:

Challenge Yourself

A lot can happen in seven days.  This week I recommend Bruno Gralpois’ Success Freak: Kick Ass In Life In 7 Days, a self-initiated program that can help whip you into shape in short order.