Marko Stijepic's List: CRM

"Go for gold with 12 top selling techniques
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"Twelve Golden Principles of Selling" by Jonathan Farrington

I received a call from an ex-student this week who is designing an induction program for new recruits about to embark upon a career in sales. He asked that if I had to create the "12 golden principles of selling," what I would come up with.

Clearly, this is not only a very subjective view, but also I found it terribly difficult to reduce my initial list of the essential rules of selling to just 12. However, mindful of the fact that this exercise is designed to provide guidance to salespeople just starting on the first rung of the ladder, here is my take on the 12 golden principles of selling.

Principle 1: Always Sell to People

This may seem obvious, but it cannot be emphasized enough: You are not selling to an organization or to a conglomerate, but to actual, real people. It is important to remember that all people are different, so you cannot sell the same way to everyone. Second, no two sales are the same, even if they are made to the same company under similar circumstances.

To become a good salesperson, it isn't enough to know how to sell. You must aim to become a people expert. It may sound shocking, but the best professional salespeople actually like people!

Remember, people buy from people - they always will.

Principle 2: You Have To Sell Yourself

Just as you are selling to people, you must also remember that you are not only selling and representing a product or service, but you are in effect selling yourself. When beginning a sales relationship, it is important to remember a few key aspects to representing yourself well.

First, be interesting. If potential customers are bored by you, they have less of a chance of being enthralled by any product or service you are representing.

Develop intellect. Of course, you are an intelligent person, but can you converse in an intelligent manner? Can you discuss related subjects with thoughtfulness and hold your clients' interest?

Never be arrogant

destinationCRM.com Best Practices Series
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Customer relationship management (“CRM”) is a term that refers to two things:
* A company’s strategy for managing leads and customer data
* Software that manages that data

In its simplest form, CRM is a database where sales and marketing teams store critical account data:

* Contact & account information (contact names, emails, phone numbers, SIC code, address, etc.)
* Source of the lead
* Sales rep name and activity history (calls, emails sent, inquiries, etc)
* Purchase history
* Projected revenue by customer
* Marketing campaign data

A sales process is a defined series of steps you follow as you guide prospects from initial contact to purchase. It begins when you first identify a new prospect