Knowing more doesn’t make you more.
Let’s face it, your obsession with learning every new sales tactic isn’t getting you that far.
If you are like just about everyone else in business, it’s something you’ve been thinking about for some time now.
You are frustrated, angry, and confused about this idea of learning to build more revenue.
The more you know about your customer, the more successful you will when attempting to increase your sales. Here is a summary from the sales coaches at Launch Pad Solutions with some of the areas where having information will help your sales effectiveness.
On a scale of 1-10, how efficient do you believe you are at work? 
Could you use some help? Let’s be honest: there is a lot of “work” at work. Most of us are so busy trying to complete the day’s tasks and put out fires that we often neglect to consider if we are functioning in an efficient way. Seana Turner shares a few common mistakes, and some ideas for how to address them.
For Brad Shorr’s coaching and advising program, he compiled this list of qualities that sales people should develop to the best of their ability. Here they are – please let us know if you have any to add!
1. Prompt
2. Hard working
3. Ethical
4. Always listening
5. Asking the right questions
6. Sincere
7. Creative
8. Full of empathy
9. Positive
10. Organized
11. Attentive to detail
12. Thoroughly prepared
13. Good humored
14. Focused
15. Resourceful
Looking over this list, …is it possible for a person to excel in all these things? Are some of them mutually exclusive? For instance, can one person be a great strategist and a great tactician?
Which are the most important qualities?
By Keith Rosen 
Do you know exactly what to say to a prospect or customer that captures their attention so succinctly and effectively that they want to talk with you and are actually asking for more? If you are being honest with yourself, the answer is probably “No.” [...Continue Reading...]
By Arnold Anderson, Demand Media 
To be successful in sales, you need to identify and refine the top sales characteristics. You may find that some of these characteristics come naturally to you, while others require refinement. Analyze your professional approach and determine what changes you need to make to improve your sales success.
by Thomas Phelps
Personal Development Resources
Motivation is a tricky thing. Some believe that motivation is like a fire that needs to be consistently fed fuel or the fire will die out. Others view motivation as nothing more than a state of mind that is a result of an external event. Still others feel that motivation always a temporary emotion and that no one should rely on being motivated to accomplish desired tasks, since motivation is so fickle and fleeting.
And there are others who seem to have an endless supply of motivation. Often times, these individuals reveal no external signs of what many would recognize in a motivated person, yet they accomplish desired outcomes and goals time after time.
Are these people gifted or have they found a secret source of motivational energy that they need only tap into to keep their “fires” burning? The answer is much closer than you think.
Free E-Book: Understand the dynamics of a cold call and how you can manage those to get results.
Many sales professionals find cold calling difficult and unpleasant, yet the 42 Rules gives them ways to redesign their thinking, approach, practices, and tools, to get the best possible results. The full eBook contains some of the fundamental principles Mari Anne Vanella has developed over the course of her career. Her clients and her own company use this approach to execute the top performing programs in the industry for the past seven years.
By Sharpenz 
What does it take to be successful in sales? There’s no easy answer because the list is long. It’s one of the great debates in the sales community – WHAT does it take to be successful in sales?
One indication of the debate is the response to a recent question posted on LinkedIn. The question asked:
What is more important in sales, great selling skills or expertise on the product?
The more than 250 respondents – sales managers and sales professionals – were split with their answers. Many couldn’t choose one over the other.
TODAY A SALES TEAM must not only be able to sell a competitive advantage; they must 
be a competitive advantage. In most companies it is increasingly difficult to sustain a competitive advantage by traditional means. Traditional factors such as: superior products, scale, and innovative manufacturing technology may provide short term advantages but unfortunately they can be replicated in relatively short order by an increasing number of agile and aggressive domestic and global competitors.
Although a great sales team is difficult to create, it has the potential to provide a significant competitive advantage and, perhaps more importantly, one that is difficult for the competition to copy quickly. So optimizing sales performance matters more today than it did yesterday and it will matter more tomorrow than it does today.
