Andrew Wall Articles

You Must Work a Prospecting System - Click To Read Article
If you’ve been in sales for more than six months, and you’re still making cold calls, you’re on the wrong track. You're not going to reach the top. Traditional trainers might be proud of you for making these cold calls, but the top sales performers would tell you you're wasting your time. There’s a better way to get to the top.

You Can't Sell Anybody Anything… Until They Discover They Want It! - Click To Read Article
Despite what most traditional sales trainers tell us, it’s very difficult to convince people that they want or need something that they're not already asking to buy. Our experiences at Sandler Sales Institute have demonstrated that when we try to force-sell our products or services, all we do is evoke feelings of defensiveness in our prospects. Unconsciously, the prospects "defend" whatever it is they already own or use. Under those circumstances, prospects won't make a "new" decision.

You Talk Too Much! - Click To Read Article
When on a sales call, do you hear your voice more than the prospect’s? Do you find yourself explaining and educating to establish your credibility and expertise? Are you displaying your knowledge in the hope of generating interest and enthusiasm? Are you discussing the features and benefits of your company and your product or service? If you answer "yes," you talk too much!

Who You Call On is a Conceptual Thing - Click To Read Article
When you make calls, whether it's a brand new sales call or a service call to a customer, the level you call on within the organization is a reflection of how you see yourself conceptually.

Who’s Your Competition? - Click To Read Article
Competition is the reason your salespeople and many of your company’s other employees have work to do. If it weren’t for competition, businesses would lack the strongest incentives for change – new products, new processes, new markets, new strategies, new organizations, etc. Competition also encourages companies to introduce innovations that benefit their customers. And changes often mean new work and new opportunities for employees.

When to Send Literature - Click To Read Article
Sooner or later, a prospect is going to tell you, "Send literature." It’s a natural response to a salesperson. It’s an easy way to reject the salesperson without getting personal. Before you agree to send literature, ask yourself, "Why is the prospect requesting literature? Is this a sign of no interest?"

Warm Up to Cold Calling - Click To Read Article
Cold calling: For many of us, the word "cold" is the key. Just the thought of picking up the phone sends a chill up our spines. Unfortunately, if we approach cold calling with an attitude of negativity, we’ll communicate that attitude to the prospect.

What Am I Doing Here? - Click To Read Article
All too often, salespeople find themselves doing battle with unworthy opponents, only to discover too late the time invested was really time wasted! How did they get there? Why didn’t they recognize where they were? And, why did they stay so long?

The TACTIC You dont have to like cold calls you only have to make them - Click To Read Article
The STORY: Bob absolutely detests cold calling, and when he is in a sales slump, like he is this month, he’ll do just about anything to avoid the phone. The past customer files in his desk will suddenly all get new folders. He’ll update his Rolodex with all the new phone and fax numbers that he can remember. Picking the lint off his suit becomes a serious endeavor. Figuring out his commissions, should he make some sales beyond the normal price points, requires intense calculator work. Lunch time starts at around 10:40 a.m.

The TACTIC Work the referral factory - Click To Read Article
The STORY: “What in the world are you doing?” asked Tim, seeing the thank you note cards spread out across Bob’s desk. “Giving thanks,” responded Bob, looking up, “that all of these fine folks have contributed to my monetary success.” “You’ve only made two sales this past week. How come so many Thank Yous?”

The Thermometer Close - Click To Read Article
While it’s important not to rush the Fulfillment Step, it’s important to finish as quickly as possible and still get the sale. The sooner you successfully seal off this compartment [of the Sandler submarine], the sooner you’ve got the sale. However, it’s not always easy to know when to conclude your presentation.

Successful Recruiting System - Click To Read Article
How do you create a successful recruiting system for your company? Follow these 9 steps to find the right candidate.

Start Goal Setting Now - Click To Read Article
The ability to set goals and then, by following through, achieve them is a very powerful force. The short circuit occurs for most people when they don’t commit to their goals in writing—and if the goal isn’t written down, progress can’t be tracked. And, if progress isn’t tracked, success can’t happen because the pathway to that success is lost. Writing goals down sounds pretty easy: So why don’t more of us do it?

Salesperson Wimp-Out: I Need Help - Click To Read Article
"Boss, if you come with me, I think we can close this one." How many times do your salespeople run to you with that one?

Selling in a Recession Obsession - Click To Read Article
As news of the battered economy proliferates the media and consumer confidence stagnates to historic lows, nowhere does the impact hit closer to home than in the sales industry. That's why it is important to have an effective strategy in place to take action when the economy is trending down. In response to this, Sandler Training (also known as Sandler Sales Institute) has co-authored a book titled Five Minutes with VITO(sm); Making the most of your selling time with the Very Important Top Officer. The book, which is scheduled for release August 15, will be available for purchase through Sandler Training locations and on Amazon.com.

Salesperson Wimp-Out: Cutting the Price - Click To Read Article
Salesperson Wimp-Out: Cutting the Price "Boss, if we could just cut our price 15%, we have a chance at the business." Tired of hearing your salespeople say that? The problem isn't your pricing, it's your people. Somewhere they've learned that a good way to compete is to cut the price, and they've gotten away with it. Your job as a professional manager is to train your salespeople to compete, plant their feet, and win the business…on something other than price. Train your salespeople to keep customers loyal to you regardless of price because your company offers something the customer will have to give up if he or she buys on price alone. Sandler Coaching: Learn More to Earn More.

Selling to a Group – Make a Dry Run - Click To Read Article
If your salespeople are making a presentation to a group, they must conduct a dry run or practice of the presentation ahead of time. A dry run is a more elaborate version of the planning meeting held by a selling team. In addition to the members of the selling team, you (the sales manager) and other salespeople should attend the dry run to act as a coach and audience.

Sales Manager Excuse: Dreading a Sales Meeting - Click To Read Article
Sales Manager Excuse: Dreading a Sales Meeting "I get the sense my salespeople dread coming to my weekly sales meeting." For most sales managers, the weekly sales meeting is the one chance you have to shine in front of your team, but if you don't, the meeting becomes a huge de-motivator. Sales reps must do the grunt work necessary to get in front of a real live prospect, and only have a brief window to shine and get an order. Sales meetings work in much the same way for you, as the sales manager. Through Sandler sales management training you can learn a radical new way to run sales meetings that taps into each person's internal motivation and charges them up to sell more, much the same way an NFL coach charges up his players at halftime to dig deep and win the game in the 2nd half.

Prospecting with a Plan - Click To Read Article
A good pool of prospects is one of the keys to a successful selling career. Knowing how to prospect effectively keeps a career vital, and is truly the lifeblood of sales. Yet, so many sales professionals overlook the crucial element of having a prospecting plan. With a plan to follow, you can measure your efforts and results.

Manage Your Salespeople by Working Smart, More Stack Rankings - Click To Read Article
In addition to tracking with the "behavior board," which gives recognition to those individuals who have performed positive selling behaviors "better" than others on the team, share information on other things too, to help motivate (and not de-motivate) salespeople toward their goals.

Manage Salespeople One at a Time - Click To Read Article
Salespeople are a funny breed because selling is a crazy business. The good ones have quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them difficult to manage unless you know how to manage them one at a time. In fact, do you know what motivates each and every one of your salespeople? It's not just the money, although that may be high on the list. Most crave recognition, although no one will admit to it. Many just want to do a good job judged by their own standards. Some run hard for fear of loss (loss of visibility, loss of status, loss of income, even loss of employment). Learn their personal goals, so you know why they work.

Manage Your Salespeople by Working Smart, Negotiate Quotas - Click To Read Article
How do you get your salespeople to "buy-in" to keeping good records of what they do every day? Sit down one-on-one, and negotiate their annual quotas with them. Help them translate their annual quota into their individual daily behavior. For example, a $5 million annual quota might equal three New Dials, one New Appointment, two Futures, one Referral Received and two Customer Visits every day. Don't forget to have them either write in or phone in their daily behavior numbers to post on the community "behavior board" for all to see. Look for more unconventional management tips in a future Today's Sales Meeting Minute.

Managing Conflict on Your Team - Click To Read Article
Conflict among members of any group is inevitable. While you might prefer to avoid conflict by ignoring it, you do so at great peril. Avoiding conflict instead of managing it will contaminate the team’s functioning. That’s why effective managers harness the creative power of difference and manage conflict.

Increasing Sales in a Sluggish Economy - Click To Read Article
You Can't Escape It Pick up a newspaper. Listen to the news reports. The price of gasoline is still quite high. The stock market is still down. The economy is still sluggish. The Middle East is still unsettled. The mortgage industry is still volatile.

I Dare You - Click To Read Article
I never have been able to understand why people can only see as far as the need of the day in which they are operating. It astounds me even more how these same people can be motivated at all. On a day-to-day basis, the job of running a business, selling, and hanging on to your clients can be tough.

Hit Pay Dirt with Prospecting Letters - Click To Read Article
Prospecting letters can uncover gold—but only if you observe these tried-and-true rules:

Guidelines for Effective Interviewing - Click To Read Article
Interviewing is one of the critical elements in selecting the best-fit candidate for a position. Here are five guidelines for conducting an effective interview.

Handling Irate Customers Allow Them to Vent - Click To Read Article
Understand that customers are irate because what they thought was going to happen didn't: they're "hurt." When you know a customer is upset, immediately give them permission to vent their frustration; and they will want to - you can count on that!

Go Three More Feet - Click To Read Article
In Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich, R. U. Darby learned the secret of success. When all seemed hopeless in his search for gold, digging three more feet uncovered riches beyond Darby's wildest dreams.

Formula for Sales Templating - Click To Read Article
Sales templating is a technique that can help you develop a consistent sales process regardless of the background of your individual salespeople. What is sales templating? It is the technique by which you document the steps of the ideal typical sale. Sales templating allows you to capture the best practices and nuances of each of your salespeople to create a model sales process that all of them can follow. In addition to making your job as manager easier, sales templating will improve the performance of your sales force. By creating an overt, step-wise sales template or process, you give the salesperson the means to maintain control of the sales situation.

Forming a Successful Sales Team - Click To Read Article
Perhaps the greatest change in organizations today is the shift from independence to interdependence, from individual efforts to teaming. Teamwork is having a profound impact on selling. Many companies today leverage the synergy of teams by sending two or three team members to sell an account. This is especially true when accounts represent significant revenue or when the team will be cross-selling various products. If you're thinking about bringing in a selling partner, or if a sales team is about to be formed, consider these ideas when setting up the team:

Focus on Five Areas Today to Close Business Tomorrow - Click To Read Article
All too often, salespeople focus on the wrong elements in their attempt to increase sales. They turn their attention to the features, benefits, and value-added aspects of their product or service in an attempt to differentiate it from that of the competition and ultimately convince prospects to buy. While these elements may eventually play a part in the presentation (more on that later), it is not the place to start.

Don't Think Too "Small" - Click To Read Article
Don't Think Too "Small" Simple as it may sound, many small companies stay small because their owners never dare to think big. It's true: Negative or defeatist thinking is the greatest obstacle to business success. As long as the entrepreneur thinks of himself as a nickel-and-dime operator, his company will never be more than a financial midget scratching around for subsistence earnings. It is an easy trap to fall into. You may, after all, run a small venture with relatively few employees and limited capital. Accepting the role of a small-time business owner is an inexcusable business mistake. It is like drawing a circle around your company and promising not to grow any bigger than these artificial borders.

Don't go through the motions. - Click To Read Article
Do you dread reviewing the sales numbers with your sales staff? Are you comfortable bringing up unpleasant, but real, sales challenges with your staff? If you want to learn an alternative approach that yields greater results read this attached article from Sandler Training.

Did You Get Any Referrals Today? - Click To Read Article
Do you ask this question a hundred times a week? Should you? Most business owners and sales managers know in their hearts that this is the easiest kind of lead to close.

Cutting Through Stalls and Objections - Click To Read Article
There’s only one person who is qualified to handle a prospect’s stalls and objections, and it’s not the salesperson. It’s the prospect. If stalls and objections frequently come up in your sales calls, it’s a good idea to bring them up before the prospect has the opportunity. If you bring them up first, several good things happen:

Coach, Don't Tell - Click To Read Article
The best managers are the ones who help others discover the lessons for themselves. The "lousy" ones not only tell, but they yell. . .

Be a Self-Starter - Click To Read Article
A race car has a tremendous amount of potential energy but cannot start until someone waves the green flag. The powerful engines of a jet cannot lift that plane one-inch off the ground without ample runway and someone activating its controls.

Be Patient - Click To Read Article
Amazingly few people are willing to be patient. However, putting off gratification until later in order to obtain larger rewards than those immediately available is essential to achieve true success.


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