Hello Reader, 👨 Salesperson 1 - The meeting went very well…. 👨🏻🦱 Salesperson 2 - The prospect liked what we had to offer… 🧔♂️ Business Owner 3 - I am pretty sure they are going to go with us….. ⏩️ ⏩️ ⏩️ Fast Forward 6 weeks ⏩️ ⏩️ ⏩️ 🙆♂️ Salesperson 1 - I don’t understand it, they were nodding along to everything I said 🙇🏻 Salesperson 2 - It’s strange, they seemed to have changed their mind 🤦♂️ Business Owner 3 - I am not sure what has happened. They must have had a problem What happened to...
13 days ago • 4 min read
Good morning Reader, Thanks to those who voted. You unanimously decided you wanted the email to stay with Saturday mornings by a number of 9 to 1 and so we will carry on. Anyone want to guess how many Saturdays in a row I have consistently sent an email out? It's a big number. I haven’t missed one for several years now! I am often asked: How do you make the time to write the email?; and How do you come up with ideas to talk about? The first part is easy. It's now a habit and one I can’t let...
20 days ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, I am thinking of changing the day over the weekend that I send these emails. Which day and time work best for you to get actionable sales and buyer insights that can help you achieve more? Cast Your Vote Keep the emails on a Saturday Morning Move the emails to a Sunday Evening Please let me know, democracy rules :-) The difference between those who achieve success and those who don’t is nearly almost down to taking action. Many (me included in a few cases) love the idea of...
27 days ago • 5 min read
Hello Reader, If you want to be successful at winning business consistently, then you need to become an expert in 3 areas of sales. What you do - What actions do you take? How you do it - How do you take those actions? When you do it - When do you take the action? All too often, lost opportunities and deals are a direct result of the wrong decision being taken at the wrong time. Or even sometimes the right decision being implemented in the wrong way. Just like cooks always say, you can add...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Another Saturday morning and another sales-related question. This time it comes from Vash: Could you please advise on how to handle this objection: The gatekeeper is persistently saying "no" on behalf of the Director, and it's impossible to get through to them. This is a subject that many who are trying to win business struggle with. It's commonly a challenge when you first try and contact someone but it can also be a problem when you are trying to follow up with someone once...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Hello Reader, The second week of Sales Questions. Last week we covered how to price for a project (the link is here) and this week it's an answer to a very common question. It came in from Paul. "James, I have met with a potential client two times over a 4-week period and at the end of the second meeting, they asked me to provide a proposal to them. I took your advice and arranged a follow-up call to share the proposal with them. They didn’t say much in the meeting but when I asked what their...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hello Reader, Answering Sales and Buyer-related questions is something I love doing. My whole vision and mission is about providing ideas and help that can allow you to win new deals, because when you win new business and money flows in, you feel great. So, over the next few weeks, I am going to share some answers to questions that I have received from people via email and social media. They may be questions that you have had in the past or they may not be! If you have never had any concerns...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hello Reader, Winning business in the modern world is achieved by many different methods. The best and most common method that business owners love is word of mouth and referrals. I agree totally. It is so incredibly powerful to have someone you know bring you into a conversation due to previous work you have done. I won’t deny that much of my new business comes from this source. I closed a deal in July for £27,000 and a deal in August for £35,910 as a result of being referred in by someone I...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Winning new business is what we all want to do but very often we can waste a lot of time and energy chasing opportunities which we stand very little chance of winning. There is a misconception that each opportunity we get is one that we have to pursue at all costs. This is a fallacy. Not every opportunity is right for us. Not every frog we kiss will turn into a Prince or Princess. Most people understand that this is the nature of Sales and Business Development and it's true that...
2 months ago • 6 min read