What do you do during tough times to keep your sales numbers up? How are you dealing with this economy as a sales rep to make up for budget cuts? What can I do when everyone around me is struggling to continue to win and win big in my sales territory?

I am hearing these questions, and many more like them, every day in our blog, in our e-mails and in our sales training programs. These questions aren't just coming from the newbie's in sales ... they are coming from seasoned vets who have been through times like these before. I think these questions are a part of the landscape that accompanies tough economic times but I also believe they are a byproduct of and are being exacerbated by another condition that has crept into America's sales forces over the last several years!

What condition am I talking about? To read the rest of this article click here

 

"How can I hold on to my margins when I keep getting beat out in this price war?"

This question was a question I saw posted on LinkedIn this past weekend. While a predictable question, the responses were surprising. In reading over 60 responses, almost all of them were an attempt to console versus offering direction. It wasn't a forum for advice...it was a support group. In fact, most of these individuals said they were encountering the same obstacles and were struggling to figure out what to do. Many of the ailing authors were extremely frustrated that "price" was their only leverage. The answers mostly came from individuals that felt their product was a commodity and "when all you offer is a commodity there is no way to secure your margin!"

It was very apparent, after observing this post for a few days, that the majority of these individuals felt they had lost all control because "selling has become all about price". The unfortunate issue is that many of us never consider our personal value proposition or the company's value proposition as part of the equation.

Too many times we let the product take the spotlight and we believe that the product will sell itself. If this was true then sales organizations would not spend near as much money on their sales professionals. After all, if it was just about price or if the product would sell itself then we could just train monkeys to walk in and deliver the proposal. The reason companies invest a great deal of money on their sales force is because they recognize that the sales person can drastically impact the value of a product or service. 
 
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