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Manufacturers continue to be impacted by the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With travel remaining limited and trade shows on pause, the manufacturing industry is quickly adapting to a world where most closed deals happen without ever having a face-to-face meeting.

Over the last several years, we’ve shared countless tips for generating leads online. But did you know it's typical to only close a fraction of those leads?    So what’s going on here? Turns out, it can be several things.    I recently interviewed Neal Lappe, CEO of Forensics of Selling and WebStrategies Founder, on how to turn more of your digital marketing leads into paying customers. We explored some of the top factors that contribute to a lead not closing and what you can do about it. 

Active listening is the #1 skill for a salesperson.  According to experts, we spend 49% of our day listening.  If we spend so much time listening, we should strive for proficiency.  And for salespeople, it pays to be a good listener even though the skill is often underutilized.

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season and this year the tournament has been extraordinary.  Four all time greats made it to the finals:  Serena vs Venus, and Federer vs Nadal. The greatest tennis player of all time, Serena Williams, is history in the making. Her older sister, Venus, 36 years old, in her first final since 2009.  Federer and Nadal, one of tennis’ greatest rivalries of all time, played in their 12th final.  Serena and Roger were the ultimate champions however, all four of them won.

The New Year is an important time for any salesperson.  New goals are set, new demands are made, and new challenges arise.

How can you get your buyers to tell you their biggest challenges and greatest fears?    Our research tells us that buyers value a salesperson’s problem solving skills above all else, yet salespeople find it difficult to get buyers to share their challenges and fears.  This article focuses on a questioning technique that will get your buyers to open-up and share information to help you determine if you can solve their problems.  

One of the biggest challenges for the B2B sales force is that today’s buyer is more educated than ever.  According to Forrester, 74% of the buyer's journey is made anonymously online.  This staggering statistic suggests that by the time you meet a potential customer face-to-face, the information presented in that first meeting must be compelling and engage the buyer in the sales process. To make that first meeting count, according to Anthony Innarino, you need to answer three questions for the potential buyer:

In the last fifteen years, digital marketing budgets have gone from table scraps to approaching the lion’s share. This is due, in large part, to shifts in consumer attention and innovations in digital technology.

The success of a salesperson is dependent on a structured, repeatable process that yields appointments and closed deals.  We all know that weekly sales meetings are vital for reviewing performance, creating action items, and planning the week's activities.  However, the successful sales process is more than weekly sales meetings.  So here are some reminders for improving your process to keep you on track and position you for successfully implementing your proven strategies. 

Setting goals is paramount for a salesperson's success. identifying a target in the beginning of the year, and monitoring your progress throughout creates an awareness that is necessary for the always on-the-go sales professional.  Performance-based goals, if set incorrectly, can be a hindrance and defeating if not attained.  The goal becomes demoralizing and threatens success.