Every week, in order to stay fresh as a sales training expert, I read a bunch of sales training related articles. Here are four of my favorites from this past week. I include a short comment about each article and would love to hear what you think about them as well!
Richard Branson on Taking Risks by Richard Branson, Entrepreneur Magazine
Sales Training Article Description: When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone? It’s easy to get stuck in a routine, especially at work (more so if you’ve been doing the same job for a while), and taking on a new challenge is a great way of getting out of that rut. At Virgin, I use two techniques to free our team from the same old routine: breaking records and making bets.
My Comment: While not directly about sales, it could not be more applicable for sales people. At the end of the day, the most successful sales people are those few who are willing to completely step out of their comfort zone on a regular basis and make it happen. This article reminds us why we always have to be pushing the envelope in sales.
Build a Highly Targeted Prospect List Using LinkedIn by Jill Konrath, Fresh Perspectives
Sales Training Article Description: Stuart Armstrong faced a big challenge. He needed to get his company into as many decisions as humanly possible—and he was starting from scratch. Below, you’ll read how he used LinkedIn to jumpstart his prospecting initiative.
My Comment: Sales people and companies always ask me about where they can best find great information on their prospects to build a better prospect list. Well, this article brilliantly shares with you exactly how to get a world-class B2B prospect list without breaking the bank. LinkedIn is such a wonderful tool for sales people.
3 Keys to Great Rejection by Stacey Alcorn, StaceyAlcorn.com
Sales Training Article Description: If there is such thing as a key to success in any sales business, that key would most definitely be rejection. The more losses you stack up, the more wins you have coming. Here are three things you need to know about rejection to make the most of your career.
My Comment: So many sales people are deathly afraid of rejection. Those people inevitably weed their way out of sales because you can’t make it in this business without thick skin. Alcorn lays out three brilliant tips to taking rejection well and to making sure that you maximize every single one.
The Bad Salesman by S. Anthony Iannarino, TheSalesBlog.com
Sales Training Article Description: There is no substitute for trust. There is no substitute for caring. Old-school tactical shortcuts violate trust and prove you don’t care. Don’t be like Bad Salesman.
My Comment: This is a great piece describing a good 60% of sales people out there. Sales people that use the old-school cheese ball sales techniques are doing themselves (and the rest of us!) a huge disservice. Read this article to understand how to differentiate yourself from those toxins.
So, those are the top four sales training articles of this week. What did you think? Please share below.
Compiled by Marc Wayshak, author of the book Game Plan Selling and a sales training expert.
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