When’s the last time you calculated your customer GPA?

Do you ever consider your own buying decisions and processes? How do they relate to your prospects’ decision-making processes? What do you need to overcome that you may not realize you aren’t even addressing?

I hear a lot of salespeople talking about the "good conversations" they have with prospects and customers. Here's my problem: most of those “good conversations” don't go anywhere, because the seller doesn't do anything with them.

Now more than ever, if you want people to hear your message (let alone have it resonate with them) you need to secure their interest first.

Try something new. Learn something new.

You hear it all the time- selling is a relationship business. But what if you don’t have any relationships? How do you even get started?

I realized this week that I’ve fallen into a trap that so many salespeople often do. I hope my mea culpa can be your lesson too…

I love email. I think it’s a very effective communication tool. That said, I think we take a few too many liberties with this medium. There’s no denying email can be a wonderful communication channel, but it becomes problematic when it is our primary communication channel.

We spend a lot of time running around doing things that are not actually important. Maybe they make us feel important, but they really aren’t. It’s a hamster-wheel struggle, and the struggle is real.

Chances are, if you’re completely torn up by every lost sale, your pipeline is not as robust as it should be.

You might think I’m weird, but I’m here to tell you: those metaphorical punches in the face can be exhilarating, and they help drive my success. Bumps in the road beg you to reevaluate.

When you ask questions that others won't ask, you learn things that others won't learn...

None of your customers do business with you because you occasionally buy them a free meal, entertain them for an afternoon, or make a great presentation. They buy from you because they have a problem, and you have the solution.

Of course, you need to know how the decision will be made. Of course, it's valuable (but not necessary) to know what the budget will be. But anybody can ask those questions. You need to ask the questions that nobody else can ask.

If we shift our perspective and think of lost sales as opportunities to learn and adapt, we have much more to gain. I recommend asking yourself these questions to learn from “no.”

Stop worrying about the budget and start talking about solutions to problems that were previously impossible to solve.

No matter what you do, or how much effort you exert, in the end, it is your prospect’s decision. You must remove your ego from the sales process and realize there is a limit to what you can do.

Prospecting methods have evolved over time and continue to differ across industries, but the principle remains: the mode doesn’t matter as much as the message.

You probably don’t ask your prospects directly on sales calls, “Can we get vulnerable for a minute?” But in reality, that is what you’re requesting. Vulnerability.

Maybe you have a verbal commitment. Maybe you’ve followed up a few times. Maybe you’re considering moving on to a new prospect because you just can’t seem to get through. It seems they’re just not that interested.