516.608.4136

Blog

How Long Should I follow Up For? Be Politely Persistent

How Long Should I follow Up For? Be Politely Persistent

I get this question a lot. “When is it time to give up on a deal?” “How long should I follow up for?” “How much follow-up is too much?” My experience is that reps either give up way too easily, or they go completely in the other direction and never give up…they’ll follow up forever, hoping the prospect comes to their senses and decides to buy. I believe in what I call “polite persistence” or following up until it’s time to stop. One of the challenges I see, is that reps don’t know when a prospect is saying, “No,” because the prospect often uses other words or…
Learn More
Motivating Sales Reps

Motivating Sales Reps

It’s my belief that the only one that can motivate you is yourself. That said, part of a sales manager’s job description is motivating their sales team. I suggest that if you want to motivate the salespeople who work for you, you have to have an in-depth understanding of why they work. While the easy answer is “money,” the truth is that no one goes to work in order to accumulate more green pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them. We all actually work for whatever those green pieces of paper will do for us. Yes, we all want job satisfaction, growth, etc. but the simple…
Learn More
Negotiating – The Golden Rule

Negotiating – The Golden Rule

How can I negotiate more effectively? This is one of the aspects of selling I get asked about on a regular basis.  “What do I need to do to make sure I get my price?” (or as close as possible) “Given that the people I’m negotiating against have often been trained in negotiating techniques what chance do I have of closing a profitable deal?” These, and other questions, are posed to me on an almost daily basis so I’m going to give you my very best advice regarding negotiating. Ready? DON’T. Well, that was simple, wasn’t it? That’s right. My very best advice regarding negotiating is, “Don’t do it.”…
Learn More
Give Up or Pedal Harder?

Give Up or Pedal Harder?

Here on Long Island, we caught a lucky break... when a hurricane downgraded quickly for most of us, and did nothing more than create some spectacular waves for surfers and brought some strong winds. On Monday, after dropping my kids at their mom’s house after a terrific holiday weekend, I decided to get some exercise. I jumped on my bicycle and headed for the boardwalk. I like to ride fast, and on the first part of my ride I was flying, my legs pumping hard and the wind strongly at my back. It felt great as I passed cyclist after cyclist, with occasional glances towards the ocean…
Learn More