The Pipeline

JUNE 22, 2020

One blur is the line between who is a buyer and who is a prospect. Assuming buyers and prospects are the same and the words interchangeable perhaps explains the output numbers year after year. You need to accept that prospects are not buyers, which is a good thing for us. Prospects are entirely different than buyers.

Buyer 272

Buyer Prospecting Travel Call-back 272

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 16, 2025

For example, if you sell capital equipment to the C Suite and you have a 2-year sales cycle for a 7 to 8 figure sale, the rate of conversion from dials to conversations to meetings could be 15 dials to 1 conversation and 10 conversations to 1 new meeting. Sure its difficult. Sure its frustrating Sure its demotivating. Sure its exhausting.

Pipeline 188

Pipeline Follow-up Conversion Outbound 188

Mr. Inside Sales

MAY 12, 2024

Who do you think knows why your prospect buys? Who do you think knows when your prospect is going to buy? The answer, of course, is your prospect! The problem for many sales reps, is that they prefer to pitch and talk at prospects more than they actually ask questions and listen. Or who they like to buy from?

Prospecting 212

Prospecting Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing 212

The Sales Hunter

MAY 21, 2019

We all wish every lead turned into a great prospect and in less time. Here are 10 things you need to do to prospect faster: 1. Use this list to as a guide as you prospect. Block enough time in your calendar to both lead development phase and qualify the prospect. Make your prospects earn the right to become prospects.

Prospecting 275

Prospecting Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead 275

Zoominfo

AUGUST 8, 2024

To be successful, sales professionals need to be experts in many different areas at once: their product’s strengths and weaknesses, their prospects’ pain points and needs, and the broader economic and competitive landscapes. Sales engineering, customer success, and support teams all require content and training.

Sales Enablement 130

Sales Enablement Strategy Scale Hiring 130

Vengreso

MARCH 26, 2025

Whether you’re new to the field or looking to close more sales, online sales training offers a flexible and effective path to success. Through virtual instructor-led training, professionals can now master the intricate selling process without the hefty price tag of traditional programs.

Training 67

Training Strategy Ideal Customer Profile Lead Rank 67

No More Cold Calling

JULY 13, 2021

Referrals help you ace Part One and set you up for success in Part Two. You get an introduction to your prospect, and you get a meeting with the decision maker. They believe a call isn’t cold because it’s a marketing-qualified lead, because the prospect downloaded a whitepaper, or because they have a mutual connection on LinkedIn.

Decision Maker 401

Decision Maker Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Marketing Qualified Lead 401

Sales 2.0

OCTOBER 9, 2020

By doing so you will (a) sell more, (b) get a bigger commission check, and (c) be less stressed. If you’ve bought into any of this “social selling” stuff then you are probably thinking “that sounds like a lot of work, posting content, curating content, maybe even creating some content. Train Your team. You need to train them.

Account 385

Account Social Media Scale Small Business 385

Sales Gravy

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

In sales - especially in product knowledge training - were taught from day one how to pitch, how to present, and how to overcome objections. Silence shutting up and listening is your secret weapon. But the words that actually sway a prospect dont come from you they come from them. Prospects convince themselves to buy.

Up-Sell 48

Up-Sell Objections Exact ACT 48

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2021

Unless you address the broken links in your prospecting system, your sales reps will continue to struggle with closing the deal. Other reasons why salespeople fail to close sales include: The initial prospects were unqualified. This is not how you wow buyers, build relationships, and convert prospects into clients.

Closing 409

Closing Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Lead Scoring 409

Mr. Inside Sales

JULY 30, 2021

Wouldn’t it be convenient to have a list of 5 questions you could use to get your prospect talking, to get them to open up about how they’re feeling and what you might need to concentrate on? You could do two: one for prospecting and one for the close. Happy Selling! ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

Closing 334

Closing Gatekeeper Face-to-face Licensing 334

Mr. Inside Sales

JULY 6, 2021

Rookie mistake: You’ve got several products or services you can offer a prospect, and you start by offering the first, or main one, then hear an opening for another one so pivot to that one, and describe another—and then another. You can use the intel you got from your initial pitch to open up the upsell. At that time, load them up!

Face-to-face 317

Face-to-face How To Pivotal Call-back 317

The Digital Sales Institute

APRIL 9, 2025

Sales training programs fail due to not understanding the pitfalls in selling to todays connected buyer and the solutions they expect, which go way beyond the product. Read on to why many sales training programs fail and why. One of the reasons sales training programs fail is the lack of relevant (and updated) content.

Training 52

Training Hiring Negotiation Up-Sell 52

Vengreso

JANUARY 22, 2025

Our list of the best sales training blogs offers expert tips and practical advice to help you succeed. Introduction to Sales Training Blogs Sales training blogs are an essential resource for sales professionals looking to improve their skills, stay up-to-date with industry trends, and learn from experienced sales leaders.

Training 74

Training Top of Funnel Ideal Customer Profile SalesForce 74

MTD Sales Training

JANUARY 28, 2020

You will no doubt have been in the position where you’ve been discussing purchase opportunities with your prospect and the subject of your competitors comes up. What’s the best response when the competition are brought up? Instead of knocking them down, build yourself up. Should you try to by-pass the issue?

Competition 375

Competition Sales Meeting Meeting How To 375

The Digital Sales Institute

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Outbound sales prospecting insights that will assist any salesperson to connect and engage with target prospects in their sales activity. Our outbound sales prospecting course isn’t a mere refresh of past strategies; it’s a modern take on what it takes to win new customers. What Is Outbound Sales Prospecting?

Outbound 52

Outbound Top of Funnel Prospecting Sales Qualified Lead 52

Mr. Inside Sales

JUNE 11, 2021

And when your ears are closed, you learn nothing about your prospect’s buying motives, their possible objections, or whether or not they are buying into your pitch. Ask questions frequently of your prospect. Many reasons: nervousness, not wanting to hear no, lack of training, etc., ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

Face-to-face 317

Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing Decision Maker 317

Mr. Inside Sales

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

We’ve all been there – you call your prospect back at the appointed time for your presentation and they tell you any of the following: This isn’t a good time, OR. And, since many sales reps don’t qualify thoroughly enough, most of the leads they stuff into their pipeline are made up of 6’s and 7’s. How long will this take?” What to do?

Sales Qualified Lead 320

Sales Qualified Lead Face-to-face Scale Call-back 320

Mr. Inside Sales

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

Question for you: How often do you take notes while you’re on Mute and your prospect is revealing their buying motives? Begin thinking about how to point out those aspects of your product or service that matches up with what they want (because you’ll be clear what they are). ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

Motivation 332

Motivation Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing 332

Hubspot Sales

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Let’s be honest up front. No matter what you’re selling, the phone is a vital touchpoint in any proactive outreach campaign, which means it’s critical to include some cold calling training whenever you’re onboarding new sales reps. Calling strangers to sell them something. Cold calling is nobody’s favorite part of sales.

Cold Calling 59

Cold Calling Training Lead Rank Lead Scoring 59

Sales Gravy

MARCH 18, 2025

Gaius, who runs an insurance brokerage in Ohio wants to know how to get his new sales agents cold calling and building pipeline earlier in their training cycle, without making them feel overwhelmed and sabotaging their confidence. The question is, how soon can they start generating leads and setting up sales conversations?

Cold Calling 82

Cold Calling Hiring Guidelines GoldMine 82

Mr. Inside Sales

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

Be honest: Do you dutifully send an email and then ask when you can follow up when you get this blow off objection? Script #1: Make sure and have an email already prepared while you’re prospecting. Let me know when it pops up, and I’ll show you a couple of links you’ll want to explore later. “In Right then! And begin qualifying!

Sales Qualified Lead 284

Sales Qualified Lead Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing 284

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 10, 2021

Why I made referral selling my life’s work. I was working for a global consulting and training firm. Get meetings with prime prospects in one call. Convert prospects to clients more than 50 percent of the time. That’s when I wrote Pick Up the Damn Phone , with my long-time editor and friend, Taylor Mallory Holland.

Referrals 385

Referrals Cold Calling Inbound Webinar Metrics 385

Sales Gravy

OCTOBER 24, 2024

Breaking Up with Prospects: One challenge for sellers is recognizing when to disengage from prospects who show little progress. Find strategies for professionally and respectfully "breaking up" with prospects to avoid wasting time on deals that are unlikely to close.

Pipeline 98

Pipeline Face-to-face Compensation Sales Qualified Lead 98

Smooth Sale

APRIL 2, 2025

Photo by Geralt via Pixabay Attract the Right Job or Clientele: Know Your Prospects Well for Sales and Business Growth Many approaches and specific strategies exist for most endeavors, including attempting to sell. Our blog offers insights on how to ‘Know your prospects well for sales and business growth.’

Prospecting 78

Prospecting Hiring Lead Rank Decision Maker 78

Mindtickle

APRIL 23, 2025

Selling cars has never been easy. Yet, traditional training methods often fall short when it comes to preparing automotive sales reps to face (and overcome) these complex selling scenarios. Today, most automotive businesses invest in sales training programs to ensure their sellers have a solid foundation.

Automotive 52

Automotive Training Coaching Buyer 52

Smooth Sale

MARCH 27, 2025

Photo by Geralt via Pixabay Attract the Right Job or Clientele: Prospects Can Direct Us to A Better Path for Sales Long ago, salespeople were advised to generate many cold calls daily to find one or two interested parties. Its critical to realize that we are each unique individuals, prospects included, with varying thinking and abilities.

Prospecting 78

Prospecting Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring 78

Mr. Inside Sales

DECEMBER 12, 2020

In case you missed this, I received the following email last week: Dear Mike: The people have spoken and your article, “3 Keys to Dealing with Difficult Prospects,” has won 2nd place in our 2020 Sales Pro Central MVP Awards Social Selling category!” Here’s what I teach: Prospects have all the answers.

Decision Maker 291

Decision Maker Face-to-face Call-back Gatekeeper 291

Mr. Inside Sales

DECEMBER 18, 2020

When he entered the store, I recognized him from many years before when we were both struggling reps trying to sell investments over the phone. After I got my coffee, he came up to me and said, “You’re Mike Brooks, right?”. He asked me what I was up to these days, and I told him I was an inside sales consultant. Yes” I said.

Face-to-face 310

Face-to-face Inside Sales Gatekeeper Licensing 310

Mr. Inside Sales

JANUARY 2, 2021

As you speak with your clients and prospects this week, it’s helpful to realize that they are all feeling this same pressure also. If I get an, “Ah, I don’t know,” then I once again use layering questions like: “Have you heard of our new ‘ On-Demand Inside Sales Training Program’ ?” . ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

Face-to-face 314

Face-to-face Gatekeeper Inside Sales Licensing 314

Mr. Inside Sales

JANUARY 8, 2021

Two weeks into the New Year, and are you already stressed about picking up the phone and making prospecting calls? Think about it: Not everyone you speak with is going to be a prospect or a deal, are they? And regarding fumbling a good lead—my experience is that if a prospect is interested, then they’ll speak with you.

Face-to-face 313

Face-to-face Cold Calling Gatekeeper Licensing 313

Mr. Inside Sales

OCTOBER 11, 2021

Managers tell reps to stress the quality, the warranty, the features and benefits, but your prospects have heard all that before, haven’t they? Often times, services and products are roughly the same, and prospects will buy from the people they like, know or trust. ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS! Want a better way?

Objections 285

Objections Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing 285

Sales 2.0

MAY 30, 2023

Traditional sales models vs. AI-enabled selling. Heidi says we are moving into a new age of selling driven by the availability and adoption of AI (Sales 2.0?). She says “There’s been a bifurcation of the way people manage sales organizations: There’s the traditional model which dumbs down selling. Think about that.

Face-to-face 312

Face-to-face CRM Forecasting Cold Calling 312

Highspot

NOVEMBER 24, 2024

It might sound like a lofty goal, but there’s a proven way to get there with sales enablement training. 54% of enablement teams that manage sales training programs report a six-percentage-point increase in customer retention. What is Sales Enablement Training? What Does Sales Enablement Training Include?

Sales Enablement 52

Sales Enablement Training Top of Funnel How To 52

MTD Sales Training

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

You had a great sales interaction: Both you and the prospect were calm and comfortable. You developed some rapport and the prospect showed some positive buying signals during the meeting. This question is simple and helps the prospect understand that what you have just proposed is, at worst, reasonable.

Closing 300

Closing Proposal Negotiation Benefit 300

Zoominfo

AUGUST 8, 2024

But it’s backing up those higher targets with support investments, a strong signal that executives view higher coverage figures as a new normal. They’re also adding more enablement, training, and AI resources,” sales coach Collin Cadmus says. Quickly summarize why this customer bought our product or service.

Churn 130

Churn Face-to-face How To Buyer Intent 130