Interact with Sales Staff in the Field to Determine Their Strengths and Weaknesses By Peter Lyle DeHaan Mitchell came to us in need of a second chance. With a lifetime of experience in the business world and history of sales success he seemed overqualified to work for our company. But he assured me this was […]
When the Execution of Your Plan Falls Short, It Might Be Time for a New Plan By Peter Lyle DeHaan In the book-publishing community, it’s no secret that most authors would rather write than promote their work. In this regard, I am like most authors. Yes, some writers are extroverts and love the activities around […]
Evaluate If Recent College Grads Are Right for Your Company By Peter Lyle DeHaan When hiring a salesperson, you can seek someone with relevant experience or someone with related education. Sometimes a candidate has both. The opposite is when they have neither. I’d been hiring salespeople who had varying degrees of selling experience, though sometimes […]
Successful Selling in One Area Does Not Universally Apply to All Others By Peter Lyle DeHaan Frank had a successful sales career in one industry, but his desired career path wasn’t an option at that company. To pursue his dream, he needed to change employers. He soon landed a job as a sales manager, the […]
Sales Compensation Requires Careful Consideration By Peter Lyle DeHaan Our company had multiple offices. Those in larger cities called for having full-time salespeople. At one of those offices, one with a larger geographic workforce to draw from, my ads always received a response. Yet not all respondents were good fits. For one applicant, Jennifer, our […]
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures By Peter Lyle DeHaan Her words surprised me. “I can’t run this ad!” The rep’s response caught me off guard, but it wasn’t completely unexpected either. “I agree that it’s a bit unorthodox.” “I might get fired if I publish this.” She fumbled for words. “Or we might get […]
Ill-Conceived Incentive Programs Can Actually Hurt Sales By Peter Lyle DeHaan John was a salesperson who periodically visited our business. His company supplied specialized equipment to our industry, and we regularly bought from him. He cultivated relationships with many people in the company, including me, even though at the time I was scarcely an influencer—let […]
Promote a Product, Service, or Idea to Achieve a Desired Outcome By Peter Lyle DeHaan Every business or organization has a sales and marketing function. It’s only the details that vary. They may have an existing department, or two, to address this need. Or the sales and marketing functions may fall under the purview of […]
Seek Initiatives to Stand Out from Your Competition By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD You’re proud of your telephone answering service; at least I hope you are. You strive to serve your clients and their callers well. You do things with excellence. You relish the fact that you facilitate hundreds or thousands of communication efforts every […]
Sales Success Comes through Attitude and Execution By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD People often ask, “How can I get more sales?” Increasing sales stands as a primary concern at most businesses. No one has ever told me their company closes all the deals they want. I wish they would ask me easier questions: “How can […]