In football (or soccer, depending where you live) one of the former favorite game tactics used to be “kick & rush”. You can describe it with getting the ball as quickly as possible in front in the opponent’s end zone, using long kicks, quickly passing the midfield, to strike a goal within minutes or rather…
Author Archives: Sascha Kronberg
Musketeer Management, One For All – All For One
Alexandre Dumas the author of the original “Three Musketeers” described how friendship among a team might fulfill wonders, even when the odds are against them. Professional friendship within an organization can do the same, if their manager encourages team activities, and rules out unfair behavior from the beginning.
However, many team managers will let selfish behavior pass, as long as it brings new business. Selfish behavior will isolate individuals and seeds mistrust among the team, which leads to an unfair competition and accelerates further unfair behavior. In this environment revenue won’t be stable, as it will propel first, before it crushes – when people decide to leave.
The Secret Sauce of Cold Calling
Having worked with many Sales Professionals in various industries, I often wonder what makes a Sales Professional a great Sales Professional – especially when it comes to prospecting over the telephone.
Natural confidence. Confidence in yourself – confidence in your offering – confidence in the projected value for the prospect – leads to confidence in your voice and words, which leads to a call between two equal partners – You and the Decision Maker.
People want to buy from people who are on the same level. If you are perceived begging, being too humble or using too many adjectives, you will be perceived inferior to the person who is taking your call.
Winter Wonders: How LowTech Britain Is Losing Competitiveness
The great country of Great Britain is probably the only country in Europe, in where it’s people call continental Europe just “Europe”, forgetting that the UK itself is part of the continent. Understandable, the differences between the island and “the others” seem large. London’s airports closed down for several days this winter, causing great difficulties for all travelers.
Imagine the situation from a different point of view: A privately run hotel chain with lots of hotels in a city hasn’t bought enough oil for their heating system. This is the third winter in the row they lacked preparation. As a result of running out of fuel, the management decides to turn off the heating and hot water for a couple of days. What will happen to the business?
Own Your Plan – Or Get Owned By Your Competition
Hey Dude, you might have the best product in the world and you still are not selling? In Monday Morning Sales Meetings you look around you and see other beaming with glory about THEIR sales last week? The worst, deep inside you know that you are are below your OWN expectations?
One of the biggest reasons why people struggle to reach their business dream is that they have none. They don’t know where they want to be, except that it should be more. They go with the flow, the daily groove, without a plan or strategy for their own professional life.
Need More Needs? Finding People Who Are Willing To Buy.
I am solid believer that I can sell anything to anybody, if this someone only has a need of what I am selling. The hardest part of the sale is to find someone who has the need I can satisfy. Businesses are run by humans and their instincts. Profit and status like shareholder value or market share, are the key ingredients of almost all buying decisions.
Master the core needs, and you master the sale.
Cold Calling; Use Your Mobile To Last Longer!
When you spend all day calling people how much time you spend on gate keepers? How often do you have to explain yourself at their first line of defense (the reception)? When calling with blocked or withheld number, you give the impression of calling from a call center. There is a reason you don‘t show the number, as you are afraid to be recognized as a sales person. You announce being a sales person.
Important people use mobile phones for business reasons. A telesales executive usually does not. You could be any client or business partner.
Sell Like A Rock Star; Be Humble Like A Beggar!
When 20% of the sales professionals generate 80% of the revenue, you are left with a lot of nice people with great character, but lower numbers. Is sales success making people more aggressive, arrogant, cocky and big headed, or is it the other way around? Are nice and humble people less successful in sales, or do frequent reality checks make you mellow?
A wise man once said: „You can‘t teach happiness, nor attitude“. But you can hire happy sales professionals with great attitude, who are committed to personal- as well as team success alike.
Successful Selling To Small Business Owners & SME [u]
Small businesses differ from larger corporations. Not just the size of their business differs, also the way they make purchasing decisions.
Small businesses really have only two levels of management within their organization: The owner and their trusted advisers: Members of the family and friends. To sell to entrepreneurs you must consider their circumstances, their thinking, and mostly their values in doing business. Become part of their ecosystem to participate in getting business from them in return.
Stop Selling Targets – Deliver On Your Promises!
People are not hitting sales targets. Targets which are not achievable in the first place. Is it that sales people are weak? Or are targets and quotas set to meet official company goals, which do not reflect reality?
As a sales manager, are you giving your sales team the support they need to help them hitting targets? Or are you repeating the same corporate approved song all over? What do you really do when sales is getting tough? How do you communicate with your team, and further more, what do you do to change the situation? What do you do to encourage and keep up the level of motivation?
Sales Evangelist & Chief Value Provider
Everyone needs to sell; everyone is selling. The mother of all sales, is the selling of ourselves to others. In school. While dating. For the job. Before we are able to sell anything else, we have to sell ourselves. Because the inner buying process is based on the principle of like and believe, without these core attributes, a sale is not likely; or better yet, not possible.
Everyone is in sales throughout all times, weather or not they are in selling as a profession. My original sales experience is coming from selling high value, high priced automobiles of a Bavarian brand to companies and individuals. I discovered that sales is easier when working with happy clients, who happily refer me to others, to make them happy as well. The more happy clients, the more referrals, the more happy clients. To get a name in the marketplace requires time, enthusiasm, memorable-, personal- and outstanding service.