Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 79

Trojan Horse Basics

When it comes to proposing energy efficiency changes, it may seem overwhelming to your prospects.  They may perceive it to be a hassle-filled process with paperwork and government interference, or something that has little value to them.  As with any Selling Energy strategy, you’ll have to ask yourself how to overcome their objections.  

Tried-and-True Sales Strategy to Motivate a Prospect

Motivating a prospect is a specific and tricky business.  Recently I shared an example on one of our monthly Mastermind Group Coaching Calls that started off on the wrong foot but fortunately became a success story. 

Sales Presentations Basics

Students often ask me about how to conduct sales meetings and presentations.  We spend half a day on this subject during our Selling Energy Boot Camps, which is much more comprehensive and in-depth.  However, here are some basics I’ll share with you:

Questions to Ask a Potential Customer About Their Pain Points

Sometimes you’ll encounter a prospect who has scar tissue concerning service providers who have let them down. When you’re stepping in to meet their needs, those concerns should be addressed.

Career Hacks for Sales Managers

Being a sales manager may seem like herding cats at times, and unless you’re one of the fortunate few who have had an excellent sales management mentor or have accumulated a library of books on sales management, it may feel as if you’re making it up as you go along.  Although my book recommendations often focus on aspects of sales, I would like to suggest a resource specifically pertaining to the sales management role. 

Weekly Recap, February 6, 2022

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

How to Make a Robust and Appealing LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn can be an irreplaceable tool at your disposal; however, many salespeople are not using it to its full potential.  Even the basics of our profiles often fall short.  So, here is some advice to make your LinkedIn profile more robust and appealing. 

A Way to Improve Your Listening Skills

I’ve written in the past about the importance of listening carefully to everything your prospects say to you. One thing that you should be sure to take note of when listening is repetition. When people repeat words or ideas, it usually signifies importance. The things your prospects choose to repeat provide insight into their world (certainly valuable to have when you’re selling).

Scheduling a Sales Follow-Up

At the conclusion of your first meeting (online or in-person) with a prospect, do you schedule a follow-up interaction… or do you wait and do it later? In my experience, it’s best to schedule the next session right then. Why? The fact that they set up the time to speak with you in the first place demonstrates that they clearly have an interest in your product or service and a desire to improve their situation with your help. If you wait, you give your prospect time to second-guess the urgency of your offering, you risk playing phone tag, and you may wind up losing the sale. Of course, if the first discussion resulted in a resounding “No,” you’re probably better off cutting your losses and focusing on a fresh prospect.

7 Principles That Are Essential to the Sales Cycle

I was given an excellent suggestion from one of my students regarding a sales program of his own!  Since he and I have similar sensibilities it isn’t surprising that it goes hand in hand with our teachings at Selling Energy.