Signals from the Field

I've written before about the question, "are elite salespeople made or born?". After nearly 10 years as an entrepreneur and B2B salesperson, I am convinced they are born. When I talk about "elite" I am referring to the top 20% in their respective fields. A better way to ask the question may be this...

Ask any B2B sales professional this question – “Would you rather land one $50,000 sale or 10 $5,000 sales?” and most would choose the big one. The bigger the sales opportunity, the more prepared and dedicated you need to be. Closing a big sale requires an organized
sales process. So, once you identify the big opportunity and determine why your products and services are a good fit, we recommend the following 10-step approach to close the deal.

The ongoing debate about whether elite salespeople are made or born always seems to result in a “yes” conclusion. Experts agree there’s a natural aptitude for sales that some people have in their DNA – that’s the “born” side of the equation and one of the five critical factors.

Listening skills are valuable salesperson traits according to buyers in a recent survey on selling skills. When buyers were asked about the most valued traits in a salesperson, 80% selected “actively listens to me.” If you’re a good listener, you’ve got an important skill to be an elite salesperson.

Don't Let an Interested Customer Buy Elsewhere

The latest statistics place cart abandonment rate at about 59%. That is, 59% of time a customer places an item into an online shopping cart, that customer fails to check out and complete the online transaction. With an increase in comparison shopping resources, this could go even higher. A recent study by Paypal found that 45% of customers abandoned carts more than once with an average order size of slightly more than $100.

by Neal Lappe, October 12, 2011

By Neal Lappe - August 27, 2011

Neal Lappe - July 3, 2011