Although salespeople (and sales managers) might blame slow sales on the economy or the lack of company marketing, the truth is that everyone can be smarter and more productive. In this article, John Graham focuses on how salespeople — and everyone else in business — can become more productive. Graham challenges us to take a hard look at we do and, more importantly, what we’ve become accustomed to doing.

Although the technology is in place to sell insurance via the Net, consumers aren’t giving up the one night a year when they sit in their living rooms and listen to their agent pontificate about the advantages of "Plan A" versus "Plan B."

This dynamic might be changing. Insurers have cleared a huge hurdle for online sales — the need for a customer signature — either by using credit cards to bind coverage until the policy can be issued or by legalizing electronic signatures. Despite this advance, a very low percentage of insurance transactions are being handled online.

SELLING STRATEGIES: HOW TO BE THE LEAD DOG IN SALES by Emily Huling 'How does she do it?' 'Do you think he'd share his secret?' 'I hear her name all over town.' 'He ...

SERVICE EXCELLENCE: ANTICIPATING NEEDS by Mary Beth Bolen Making a movie requires several types of people-directors, producers, actors, and crew members-who have specific roles to play in expedi...

SERVICE SELLS! by Pegi Flahault Selling is as much about the approach as anything else including your approach to your employees. This document by Pegi Flahault can help you increase...

SEVEN BIG STRATEGIES TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS GREAT by Pamela Millard If you built business around these seven key strategies, even an economic downturn wont mean the end of business ...

SEVEN MARKETING BLUNDERS AND HOW YOU CAN AVOID THEM by Craig Huey BLUNDER #1: Using 'image' advertising instead of direct-response advertising. This is the number-one mistake made ...

Salespeople call on customers for dozens of reasons. Many calls are related to getting a specific order and are therefore, conventionally and legitimately, spoken of as sales calls. But other calls on customers and prospects aren't really sales calls - at least not directly - because they aren't aimed at securing a specific piece of business.

“Outrageous” might seem like an indefensible stretch or, more likely, a deliberate attempt to attract attention. While it may be both, it’s also accurate because it expresses views that fly in the face of the traditional marketing and sales “truths” that are passed on to those who obey them, mostly without question.

SPREADING LIFE WEALTH AMONG EMPLOYEES by George Nordhaus Dave Warren of Dodge, Warren and Peters, Torrance, California has a whole new insight into how to get many people in the age...