Sales Tips From Mark Hunter
Why You Need an Annual Plan
Your annual plan in and of itself cannot be the end. It's really just the start. Preparing for the year ahead brings many benefits, including those that come via the process of just sitting down and creating one. Assessing yourself and your business can bring about...
When is the Best Time to Ask for a Referral?
Asking for a referral doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, most people are more than willing to help you. All you have to do is ask. Asking for a referral is not limited to any specific time frame. However, these are six opportunities that act as great reminders for...
How to Create a Referral Network
A referral network is a constant exchange of information and contacts between like-minded people. If you don’t have one, you definitely want one. When done right, a referral network is a self-feeding machine in which you're getting referrals regularly. Because your...
How to Ask for a Referral
If you want to fill your pipeline, go with referrals. You’ll never get the referrals you don’t ask for. There are plenty of ways to ask, but the most important thing is to ask. Looking to build your confidence for getting referrals? I’ll walk you through each step in...
10 Tips to Get More Referrals
Without a doubt, the easiest, most efficient and cost-effective way to build your business is with referrals. You simply cannot say, “But what if we haven't been in business long enough to get referrals!” Excuse me, you've been on planet earth, haven't you? That...
The 9 Best Sources for Sales Leads
Quality leads turn into qualified prospects. If you’re not happy with the quality of your leads, it’s time to check your sources. You wouldn’t keep going back to the same apple stand if you always got rotten apples, would you? You’d probably go where you’ve bought...
10 Tips to Fill Your Prospecting Pipeline
You can fill your prospecting pipeline with a lot of ‘leads’, or with quality prospects. Clogging your pipeline with bad leads that can’t or will never become customers costs you in lost time and lost money. I believe there are some ways to ensure you’re putting the...
10 Steps for Successful Prospecting
Are you satisfied with the status quo? Or do you believe you can do more, be better, aim higher? I believe that with a little self-evaluation, you can draw a lot of valuable conclusions. Successful prospecting demands growth and learning. Undoubtedly, prospecting...
How to Know if a Lead Qualifies as a Prospect
Does your lead even qualify as a valuable prospect? Your time is valuable. Your skills are valuable, too. So before you get too cozy with any lead in your pipeline, it’s worthwhile to take a moment to evaluate. Is this a prospect I can move forward with, or just a...
10 Easy Ways to Be Successful on LinkedIn
What does your LinkedIn profile say about you? LinkedIn is not only a tool for you to showcase yourself, but more importantly, how others can find you. Of course, LinkedIn has its own search function, but remember LinkedIn is also connected to Google Search. Want to...
Why Prospects Fail to Respond
Sometimes your prospect breaks up with you and you’re left wondering...why? Or worse, they’ve never wanted to talk to you in the first place. “It’s not you... it’s me,” might take you back to some terrible high school break up. Every action has its consequeces. I...
What Prospects Want to Hear
Your time is valuable, as well as your prospects’. When you find a good prospect, you don’t want to lose them because you said the wrong thing. I want to equip you with seven things prospects want to hear. Keep these in the back of your mind as you communicate with...
How to Follow Up with a Prospect
Following up with prospects is crucial to closing. There are plenty of things that prospects like to hear, and can help make your follow-up more effective. I think we both know the almost impossibility of making a sale on the very first contact. Without compelling...
How to Keep Prospects Engaged
When engagement increases, so do sales. If after the initial contact you lose sight of the plan, you could lose everything. And you can’t afford that. Cultivating a relationship with a prospect involves time and effort. But there are some simple ways that you can...
How to Build a Phone Prospecting Campaign
When you’re ready to build, where do you start? If you’ve been following this blog series, you’ve learned some best practices for phone prospecting, as well as mistakes to avoid on the phone. Last week I shared some shortcuts to make things more efficient for you....
Phone Prospecting Shortcuts
The phone can and should be an amazing tool for prospecting. I wouldn’t be sharing these tips every week if I didn’t feel I could really help you. I've gleaned this, and I've perfected these shortcuts over years and years of working with salespeople, and helping them...
Phone Prospecting Mistakes to Avoid
No one likes rejection. Prospecting is not for the faint of heart. But I believe that equipping yourself with the right tools can change not only your outlook on prospecting, but also your results. In my previous blog post from this series, we focused on great...
Prospecting Using the Phone
When you need to pick up the phone to make a prospecting call, what do you feel--dread? Or determination? The phone has not gone out of style. I still think it’s a great tool for prospecting and really connecting with people. I’d like to share ten strategies so you...
Taking the ‘Cold’ out of Cold Calling
Phone prospecting doesn’t have to be so painful. There’s a special level of dread that many people experience with prospecting calls, both the salesperson and the customer. I know that it doesn’t have to be that way! There are tools and tips you can use to warm up...
What Makes a Good Prospect
If you want a good prospect, you must know--what is it you're looking for? Just like seeking a spouse, a car, or a new home, you should start by having an idea of what exactly you’re looking for. If you’re going to cultivate a relationship with this prospect, it would...
Are Your Goals Big Enough?
Are your dreams big enough to scare you, even a little?Recently I was in Atlanta a few days before Outbound begins. Outbound, if you're not familiar, is a conference I get to put on with a few of my friends. It's big--we're in the Atlanta Georgia World Congress...
How Do I Make Prospecting Less Stressful?
There's really no need to stress out over prospecting. Prospecting can be very, very natural, if you understand what you're doing. However, for the vast majority of people, prospecting is one of the things they stress out over immensely. There’s something we can do...
Pick Your Friends Wisely
Who are the friends you're hanging out with? Remember when your mom told you as a kid, "Be careful who you hang out with at school." I used to get so angry at my mom for telling me who to hang out with and who not to. And yet, it really stuck with me, and still does...
Prospecting and Avoiding the Cold Call
No one on either end of the phone line enjoys a cold call. It doesn’t have to feel cold, and there are steps you can take to use the phone more successfully. Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. Under what circumstances would you want to listen and engage with...
Focus on One Thing
How many times have you found yourself totally out of control with way too many things to work on? It's been a hard lesson for me to learn again, and again, and again. How many things are we attempting to do at one time? via GIPHY We all live a crazy life. I didn’t...
Email Phrases You Should NEVER Use
I don't want you falling into the trap of bad prospecting emails. You know what I'm talking about, you've received plenty of them. This is the final installment in this Email Prospecting blog series. Did you miss one? Find the links here: Part I. 10-Step Checklist...
The Light at the End of the Pandemic Tunnel
It's amazing how quickly things have returned to normal. It's as if the past never occurred. What does that tell us?We are coming out of the pandemic now. Well, we're still in a pandemic, but clearly here in the United States, it's getting under control. Stores are...
Ground Rules for Prospecting with Email
Email is absolutely one of the important pieces of prospecting. Of course, it’s an easy way to “reach” people. But achieving engagement and eventually closing sales is much more complex than just sending a message. Before moving forward with another email destined to...
The Aftermath of Being on Autopilot
Two cups of coffee, one unexpected, but I sure learned a lot.What did I learn from two cups of coffee in twenty minutes? Let me set the scene for you. I was meeting a friend for coffee. I bought my coffee and sat at the table and thought, “I better check my phone...
Email Phrases You SHOULD Use
People want to buy from those they know, like, and trust. Likewise, your emails are much more likely to be successful if your prospect views you as a partner, and not a vendor. How can I achieve that through the simple medium of email? Let’s explore phrases you can...
Don’t Get Caught Swimming Naked
Incoming business feels great. Having people who want to buy from you does, too. But when our profits surge, do we keep our measurements in check?I am struck more than ever by the old line, "Volume covers up a lot of sins." Certainly, you can substitute the word...
10-Step Checklist for Prospecting Emails
Email is a great tool for prospecting, when used correctly. It can be your foot in the door, or your foot in your mouth. Do your prospecting emails need some fine-tuning? Or perhaps it’s time to start from scratch. Welcome to my 4-part series on Email Prospecting. I...
My Best Travel Year Yet
When changes happen, big or small, how do you react? In light of the pandemic we’ve all experienced for the past year and a half, someone recently asked me, “So, do you miss traveling?” I had to laugh. I said, “ "Well, it's kind of funny, but I traveled more in 2020...
Filling the Sales Pipeline
You don’t have to live by the peaks and valleys most salespeople experience in their sales pipeline. Are you looking to see more progress in your own workflow--from prospecting, to closing the sale and creating a customer? Check out these 10 tips for filling the sales...
Short-term Thinking Clouds Long-term Success
How many times do we get caught up in something very short-term, so much so that it begins to shape our thinking long-term? Recently, I was stuck in a major rainstorm in Dallas. I pulled into a parking lot at a Barnes and Noble. Yeah, I’m addicted to bookstores. I...
What Makes a Great Prospecting Call
Do you dread making prospecting calls? Great salespeople have to practice good judgment for what they say, and how they listen. I have ten tips for you to improve your ability to complete calls like a pro by giving and getting the right information, and keeping your...
Is My Tech Helping or Hurting?
What are the apps and tools that you've got in your life? Imagine this: I just pulled into a parking lot, and I had to back up a little bit. Of course, I have a back-up camera. In fact, I’ve got the self-driving features on my car also. I think of all the things that...
Secrets to Being a Prospecting Expert
What are the secrets to being a pro prospector? You might think that being a prospecting expert means being a born salesperson--as if you’ve got it, or you don’t. I don’t think that’s the case at all. In my book, A Mind For Sales, you'll read in the first two...
Old Becomes New Again
I'm out traveling today, and I’ve been pondering how old becomes new. How the impossible can become possible. For almost a year, I really wasn't on many planes. Sure, I took a few flights, but not many. In contrast, now airports are busy, and there are mask...
Overcoming the Barriers to Prospecting
If you want to be great at sales, prospecting must be a part of your daily work life. Prospecting is a muscle, and if you want to do it well, you have to exercise it. Are your prospecting muscles weak? Let's dive into 10 ways you can overcome the barriers to...
Power Mornings
It is just a little before 7 am right now and I have arrived at a restaurant to have breakfast with a friend. This morning, I am reflecting on the beauty of the first several hours of the day. I know it may sound ridiculous that I get up at 4:30 every morning, but...
ABC: Always Be Closing is Now ABV: Always Bring Value
You’ve heard of ABC: Always Be Closing. Let me tell you something: The days of ABC are gone. It’s closed. ABC is now ABV: Always Bring Value. I want you to be thinking about this in every conversation you have. It is always about bringing value. Be sure you pick up my...
We All Need Coaches
If you know me, you know that I have been speaking for a number of years. I have had this consulting business for about 21 years now, as well. It has been very successful, and I have had a good run. It’s been terrific. Yet recently, a few months ago, I hired a...
How to be a Rainmaker
Are you a rainmaker or are you a rain barrel? Too many salespeople are really nothing more than rain barrels. They have good business, but it is all business that just comes to them. I want you to be a rainmaker; that is where it happens. Rainmakers make it happen 365...
The Days Don’t Remain Cold
It's spring and what does that mean? Winter is finally over. As I look around the neighborhood behind me, I see cherry blossom trees starting to bloom. The grass is green and there are little sprouts popping up. The weeds, too. What I cannot help but think is in the...
How to Get Out of a Sales Slump
How do you overcome a sales slump? We have all been there. I talk about this more in my book, A Mind for Sales, and right now I am offering a special deal on the A Mind for Sales Masterclass through The Sales Hunter University. I encourage you to get it; it will...
How Much Margin Do You Have?
Stop and ask yourself this question: Do you have any spare time? If you’re like me, your calendar is full all day long. I had a gentleman call me who really wanted to talk, and we couldn’t find time in our schedules. We are squeezing it in tomorrow morning during a...
What Does it Take to Have a Mind for Sales?
Last year, I published the book A Mind for Sales, and people ask me all the time, "What does it take to have a mind for sales?" I'm going to walk you through 10 of the things I identify in this book. Before I do, I want you to hit subscribe to my blog, as I post a...
Snow Stakes and Your Boundaries in Life
It’s a spring day in Omaha, which means it is time to remove the snow stakes. Those of you from southern climates are going, “What is a snow stake?” They are stakes you put in the ground so that you can tell where to plow or where not to plow. These stakes are only...
Why Setting and Achieving Goals is Hard
I talk about goal setting in A Mind for Sales, and I have just launched a new "A Mind for Sales" masterclass on The Sales Hunter University, too. I want you to hit the link at the end of this blog because I am going to give you an offer to get this limited-time...
Resources and Reserves in Our Life
Do you want to get up on the deicing truck to deice the plane so it can take off safely? Think about that for a moment. That is a job I would not want to have. In fact, I look around out there behind me and I can see other vehicles, too. There are some luggage carts,...
Why I Released “A Mind for Sales” During a Pandemic
I first want to start by saying thank you. It has been one year since we came out with the book, A Mind for Sales, and what a year it has been. This book came out on March 31st, 2020. Remember that day? Remember what was happening on March 31st, 2020 and compare it to...
What Strategies Work When Using the Telephone to Prospect?
What strategies work the best when using the telephone to prospect? I write in my book, A Mind for Sales, a list of proven strategies when using the telephone to prospect. Right now, I want to drill down on 10 strategies you can use to make the telephone work for you...
4 Stories Great Salespeople Tell
As an experienced sales professional, no doubt you already tell a few stories. But how do you know you’re telling the right ones? Which stories are the most important that you should you be telling? That’s a question Paul Smith has thought a lot about. He first...
The Sale I Turned Down
Have you ever talked your way out of a sale? That’s what I just did. I just talked the customer into not buying from me on a pretty substantial sale. Let me walk you through the details in this edition of Mornings with Mark. About a week and a half ago, I got an...
10 Strategies to be Successful in Sales
What does it take to be successful in sales? I talk a lot about these strategies in my book, A Mind for Sales. Today, I am going to go through 10 things you have to be digging into if you want to be successful in sales. Video - 10 Strategies to be Successful in Sales...
The Door in Your Life
It's 71 degrees in the house. I step outside my front door here and it's 8 degrees. What does that have to do with Mornings with Mark? It is only a door that separates me from 71 degrees inside and the 8 degrees outside. It’s maybe a three- or four-inch door but it...
10 Ways to Use Social Media to Sell
It’s time to have that awkward conversation. How do you use social media to sell? In two of my books, A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting, I really talk down on social selling. I talk down on it because social media can become a time vacuum for too many...
Your Inner Circle
Who are you collaborating with this week? Who is in your inner circle? The last couple of days, I have found myself connecting with my peer group in ways that I never thought I would be able to. While asking them questions to help with ideas and brainstorming, it’s...
How to Effectively Prospect with Email
How do you use email effectively to prospect? Everybody uses email to prospect because it's so easy, but let's talk about how to use email effectively to prospect. I am going to share 10 tips with you that you can be doing right now. I put out new videos and sales...
Change Your Position
For this week’s Mornings with Mark, I am sitting in a cool, retro office break area. There are all kinds of retro books, clocks, trophies and transistor radios around me. It has me thinking about everything from the past today. Stop and think about this: What from...
10 Ways to Make Prospecting Work
Let’s not kid ourselves: Prospecting is tough. It is hard. I wrote the books, High-Profit Prospecting and A Mind for Sales, because in order to prospect right, you have to have a mind for sales. I want to walk you through 10 ways how you can make prospecting work. Be...
What Road Am I On?
What is the road you are traveling down? I’m in a brand-new building today (It’s been around for a number of years but it’s the first time I have been in it today) and it is set up with a number of hallways; it’s a fairly retro and cool building. As I have been...
How to Re-Engage the Customer Who Has Gone Dark
How do you re-engage the customer who has gone dark on you? I share a tremendous amount of ideas and strategies in A Mind for Sales as to how to re-engage the customer that's gone dark, but let's walk through 10 things you can do in the meantime. Video - How to...
Are You a GPS for Someone?
If I were to ask you if you use Google Maps, I have a feeling you would say yes to using either that or using Siri/Alexa. (I better not say that, or it’s going to turn on.) We all have devices that provide directions for us and thank goodness. It feels like I have...
How to Overcome Objections
Every week, I put out a blog post and YouTube video on very specific tips and ideas as to how to actually deal with issues all salespeople – or leaders in general – face. Today, I am going to share with you 10 ways as to how to overcome objections. I talk about these...
What my Broken Mask Taught Me
It can’t be that complicated. How many backups do we have to have? You know what I'm talking about? The mask! Earlier today, I quickly left my house to go to FedEx and mail a package, no big deal. I jump out of the car with the mask in my coat pocket and grab it – the...
Secrets of Top Performing Salespeople
I’m going to reveal to you the secrets of top performing salespeople. Are you ready? I have had the privilege of writing A Mind for Sales among other sales-oriented books to help people like you develop the strategies necessary for success. Along the way, I have...
Focus
What are you focused on today? What is the big thing you are working on? I have a funny little expression, "Smoke a little dope, jump a little rope, lose a decade along the way." I don't know where I came up with that expression – and don't rip me apart for it – but...
30 Days to Improving Your Selling Skills
Today, I’m sharing 10 ways to improve your selling skills in just 30 days. These are practical things you can start doing right now. As a side note: I put new blog posts and videos out like this all the time, so leave a comment here or on my channel if this helped...
Obstacles
I have been home for months. Over the past ten months, I have made four or five trips, but not anything like the ones I used to make. What is amazing is how my business has adapted and changed in the midst of a pandemic. It is amazing what we are able to do, and –...
How to Have an Effective Demo Call
This week, I’m talking about how to have an effective demo call. I put out a new blog post and video like this every week, so I want you to hit subscribe. That way, you never miss a sales tip. I'm here to help you be successful. That said, let’s talk in detail about...
Little Things Done Consistently
I'm not sure why it is, but I seem to do my best thinking when I'm out running. It is a beautiful day in Nebraska, yet I could not get out until almost 5pm. It may be getting dark, but I could not pass this weather up. This run had me reflecting on the little things –...
How to Do an Effective Discovery Call
Discovery calls are probably the most underrated part of the sales process. Let’s get into how you have an effective discovery call. Video - How to Do an Effective Discovery Call1. Do Not Show the Product Remember: It is not about showing the product. Do not show the...
Challenges in Life
I can’t help but say I am struck the sun came up this morning. Over the last few days, I have had some unbelievable, difficult phone calls with people calling me and sharing challenges in their life. This is definitely not a normal period of time that we are in right...
How to Succeed in Sales
I love sales, which is why I wrote the books, A Mind for Sales, High Profit Prospecting and High Profit Selling. I simply love working with salespeople. What bothers me is the turnover we have in sales. It is amazing the number of people who get into sales thinking...
Integrity
Right now, I’m going to talk a little bit about integrity. I just finished up some sessions that got me thinking more about integrity and how I live it out. Honestly, it’s a shame that I even have to talk about this topic. I am continually amazed by the number of...
2021 Sales Predictions: What’s Changing and What’s Not
It's time for the 2021 sales predictions! You know, every year I always get asked, "What are your sales predictions?" And you know what? I like giving them and here is why: It gets us all thinking about what is going to happen in the year to come. Now, we...
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