Many salespeople are drilled in the art of "handling" objections. You can memorize counter arguments to the objections that prospects raise most often. Perhaps you have noticed that whenever you deftly parry an objection, the buyer comes up with another one for you to parry. This can go on indefinitely. This is not selling. This is arguing.

It ...Read more

Success can be deceptive. When things are going well, it is comforting to believe that they will always go well. Jim Dickie of CSO Insights nails this kind of thinking with this statement: "Level two companies are driven by ‘tribal folklore’—the belief that, 'If we keep doing the best practices of the past, we will keep hitting our numbers...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Success Tip: Looking for the quickest route to success? Heed this advice from writer Henry Miller. "In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest." So here's the easiest route to sales success: Fill the ...Read more

Chris Lytle Success Tip: Try this before your next meeting. Sit quietly for a few minutes (even if it's in the parking lot in front of the customer's business). Think about your favorite beach or other "happy place." Now, imagine how you want to feel when you return to your car after your meeting. As the meeting progresses, your subconscious ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: A top-producing salesperson recently had a Botox injection to eliminate some lines in her forehead. According to a colleague of hers, this sales pro is can hardly wait for the effects to wear off. Why? She can't frown. When the customer reveals a problem or pain, all she can do is look back at him with her unfurrowed brow....Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Management Tip: Too many companies have wishes instead of standards. "I wish my people would make more calls," one manager told me. A standard is a measurable indicator of performance involving a consequence. If you're a manager, confront lack of sustained effort with coaching. If you're in sales, take action instead of looking...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Management Tip: Too many companies have wishes instead of standards. "I wish my people would make more calls," one manager told me. A standard is a measurable indicator of performance involving a consequence. If you're a manager, confront lack of sustained effort with coaching. If you're in sales, take action instead of looking...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Does this sound like any sales operation you've worked for? "When generals are weak and lack authority, instructions are not clear, officers and soldiers lack consistency, and they form battle lines every which way; this is a riot." Sun Tzu's warning to military leaders is great advice to sales managers. Deploying ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: "The juggler can't tell you which ball is more important. Drop just one and the show is over." I was particularly intrigued by this thought from Joan Magretta's book, What Management Is. In selling you have to have a lot of balls in the air because some will drop. But the show is not over. You simply add another prospect ...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Every salesperson I talk to says that face time is harder to get. One way to get more is to ask for the appointment one week, two weeks, even a month ahead of time. Busy people find it hard to squeeze you in today or tomorrow, but can build their day around their meeting with you next week. Added bonus: When you tell ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Management Tip: Too many companies have wishes instead of standards. "I wish my people would make more calls," one manager told me. A standard is a measurable indicator of performance involving a consequence. If you're a manager, confront lack of sustained effort with coaching. If you're in sales, take action instead of looking...Read more

Chris Lytle's Success Tip: "Amateurs hope. Professionals work." Four words crafted by writer Garson Kanin can help you increase your sales or lower your golf scores. People who are beating you in both "games" are outworking you.

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Chris Lytle Sales Tip: Want to be more persuasive? Dale Carnegie offered this timeless advice for winning people to your way of thinking: "To get the best of a situation, avoid arguments." Selling is not about fighting your way to a sale. It's about finding a fit between what your company offers and the solution or outcome that the client ...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Every salesperson I talk to says that face time is harder to get. One way to get more is to ask for the appointment one week, two weeks, even a month ahead of time. Busy people find it hard to squeeze you in today or tomorrow, but can build their day around their meeting with you next week. Added bonus: When you tell ...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: "When I'm selling at my best, I'm more playful," said a seminar participant recently. "Work is more fun than fun," suggests Noel Coward. Selling at your best is fun. You smile more. You are more at ease with your customers and they react accordingly. Customers sit through plenty of boring meetings. What can you do to add...Read more

Chris Lytle Proposal Writing Tip: I once interviewed 40-plus clients of a major Canadian corporation. "What does good look like in a written proposal?" I asked. The consensus was that conciseness is good. "Edit and summarize," they said. "Cut to the chase" came up a lot too.

Check the length of your next proposal. What words and sections could...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Management Tip: Too many companies have wishes instead of standards. "I wish my people would make more calls," one manager told me. A standard is a measurable indicator of performance involving a consequence. If you're a manager, confront lack of sustained effort with coaching. If you're in sales, take action instead of looking...Read more

Chronic preoccupation is epidemic. It means thinking about what you aren't doing rather than paying attention to what you are doing. Cell phones and wireless email now interrupt meetings and derail trains of thought. It's very difficult to be there for your customer when you're available to everyone else. What can you do to bring more customer ...Read more

Try this before your next meeting. Sit quietly for a few minutes (even if it's in the parking lot in front of the customer's business). Think about your favorite beach or other "happy place." Now, imagine how you want to feel when you return to your car after your meeting. As the meeting progresses, your subconscious mind will help you behave in...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Sales experience is measured by the number of prospects and customers you've met with. "Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem," said Dr. Henry Kissinger. He may not have been thinking about sales, but his advice applies. The more meetings, the more sales. The more sales, the more ...Read more