Tina Phillips

The STORY:
For the past two years, every Thursday afternoon, unless it was a holiday, Sally had religiously made her follow-up phone calls seeking additional business or, not getting that, at least a referral to someone else. Her success in doing this was well known in the company. Other salespeople shook their heads, and some attributed her success to luck; others thought she mysteriously brainwashed her customers.

Vincent’s closing numbers were not what he had been hoping for. He asked his manager, Lynnette, what she thought the problem might be. After a little role-playing, Lynnette suggested that Vincent was spending too much time selling “from inside a box.”

The phone is an important business tool. But remember that the person on the other end should command the same respect and attention as if they were standing right in front of you.

Stan was frustrated. He kept getting “shot down on price” during discussions with prospective buyers. He knew he was supposed to talk directly about money issues before making a presentation . . . but somehow he never seemed to iron out the details in a way that gave him a clear sense of whether the buyer felt his pricing was acceptable.

Business development can breed insecurity. Often times, professionals get uncomfortable or embarrassed over business development mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and lamenting about it won’t correct it. Identifying a mistake and remaining objective about it allows a professional to analyze what went wrong and take a lesson learned from the error.

The STORY:
“I know,” said Beth to John, a brand new salesperson, “that you will feel very uncomfortable trying out some of the things I do with cold calling. Actually, now that I think about it, most of the other salespeople gag when they hear me.”

Marina was having some problems with the opening phases of her sales process. Her early discussions with prospects were rarely productive. She sat down with Fred, her manager, and did some role-playing in the hope of improving her interviewing technique. During the role-play session, Fred shared a strategy Marina hadn't heard of. He called it “stripping line.”

The STORY:
“Hello, this is Meg Spencer. I understand that you are looking for . . .” she said into the phone, letting her voice trail off.

Let’s state the obvious here: Your customer is your business and customer satisfaction is crucial to the success of your business.

Jane, a new sales hire, was settling into her workspace on Friday morning, all ready to celebrate the first quarter in which she’d been able to exceed her revenue target . . . when she got a voicemail message that made her stomach churn.