In our first article in this series, we said product knowledge was the bedrock of selling. From this sound foundation flows the ability to present solutions, grow enthusiasm, and drive sales. Like a fresh spring in the desert wilderness, product knowledge pushes to the surface. And, just like the spring water, the most productive flows are channeled to the place where they do the most good. In sales, a well-developed process serves to direct product knowledge to the most productive utilization. Think of this, unless the product knowledge is presented to the right customers, with a specific set of corresponding needs and an appreciation for the value provided by the seller, resources are wasted. Miss the mark with any of these and the sales growth is compromised.   Build accelerating factors into the stream of salesperson activities and the sales number grows faster. Insert habits which improve the probability of closing a higher percentage of orders result. ...

Accelerating Territory Growth One Individual at a Time   One first impression,one client at a time. Building a territory is like building a network of friends.   Let’s think for a moment about the friendships we have nurtured over the years.   If you’re like me, you didn’t just wake up to discover a pile of friends under the Christmas tree.   Instead, they grew based on shared experiences, time together and commonality of background.   Amongst your best friends are classmates, coworkers, neighbors and people met through some service group.   You met them, you spent time together, or you went through some joint activity.   Maybe you shared the mutual burden of an overly demanding professor.   Or you worked together on a difficult fund raiser at your church.   The point is you intermingled in a series of joint activities.   Let’s drill deeper.   Your timeline for establishing a relationship may have looked like th...