Sales Tips From Mark Hunter
5 Baby Steps to Building a Prospecting Plan
If my objective is to go someplace and I don't have a map, how will I know when I get there? You’d be just as lost in prospecting without a plan. No need to get frustrated, great salespeople own it. They don't create excuses. Whether your plan is bad, or nonexistent,...
How to Balance Prospects and Existing Accounts
I hear excuses all the time as to why someone can't prospect. One I hear frequently is, “I've got to take care of all these existing customers. I’ll prospect when I get done with that.” Oops—then you never get time because those existing customers just take up so much...
5 Time Management Tips for Salespeople
If I had time to prospect I would, and if I had time to prospect, I know I'd be really good at it. Liar, liar, pants on fire. You are making a big fat excuse, and it comes down to poor time management. When you start viewing time as your most valuable resource, your...
6 Ways to Learn from Your Prospecting Mistakes
Are ghosts of prospecting past haunting your sales? One of the excuses I hear from salespeople about why they don’t prospect is something just didn't go right in the past. And as a result, that negative experience sticks with them going forward, and they can't get...
How to Take Charge of Your Own Prospecting Training
I've never been trained how to prospect. While it’s easy to play the blame game, your ability to improve your skills is in your hands. All it takes is a little initiative. The truth is, you can stay where you are—average—and mope. Or you can take charge of your...
How to Overcome “Bad” Leads
Without leads, there can be no prospects. Well, I don't believe in leads because they never work. That argument is so old, it's unbelievable. If you or any of your colleagues find yourselves using this excuse, you absolutely must read the following six items. **This...
Help! I Hate Cold Outreach!
Do you have a strong discomfort with cold outreach? Or much worse…do you avoid the phone as a prospecting tool altogether? I’ve got six strategies to warm up any cold call and help you get over this big obstacle to prospecting. **This blog is part of the 15 Reasons...
6 Questions to Solidify Your Value Prop
What is it that I'm selling? Being uncertain of your value proposition could certainly derail your prospecting efforts. Use these six questions in the prospecting phase, and by the time you put the value prop on the table, they're going to be buying. **This blog is...
How Prospecting Puts Success in Your Hands
Some salespeople don't prospect because they simply don’t believe in prospecting. Are you willing to allow your fate to be controlled by inbound calls? The marketing department? Repeat business? A major perk of being in sales is having a much greater influence on...
How to Craft a Sales Conversation
Salespeople tell me, “I just can't prospect because I'm uncertain as to what to say, or what to do.” It’s painful! This is one of the big reasons why people don't prospect. However, I'm on a mission to help you become a master prospector. I can give your 6 easy...
Overcoming a Fear of Failure in Sales
It's very hard to become a top performing salesperson without becoming a really good prospector. I hear salespeople say, “I can't prospect, that's what marketing does.” What it comes down to is they have this fear of failure. Fear of failure should never keep you...
6 Ways to Become a Confident Seller
The confident salesperson is naturally more efficient and more effective than the salesperson who’s not. Lack of confidence is one of the things that I've identified in surveys I've done for thousands of salespeople as to why they don't prospect. How do you overcome...
How Salespeople Overcome the Fear of Rejection
So many salespeople could be GREAT salespeople if they could just master prospecting. I used to be one of those people that—ugggh—I did not want to prospect. Today’s blog is brought to you by my 15 Things Holding Salespeople Back. We’ll be diving into one setback...
15 Reasons Holding Salespeople Back
This could be a little bit negative, but this is the real thing. I've been dealing with prospecting and helping salespeople for a long time now. Having been around the block, I know these 15 things are holding salespeople back from success. Looking at this list...
10 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Prospect
There are multiple uses for AI, some you may not have thought of. I’m all about helping you find and retain better customers that you can close at full price, and using ChatGPT certainly works. AI isn’t going to replace you. It's going to help you prospect more...
Prospecting for the Non-Salesperson
You think you're not in sales, but everybody is in sales. Everybody has to find new customers. You might be a small business owner and say, "I need to find more customers. How do I go out and do that?" Let's walk through 10 things that you can be doing right now to...
How to Use ChatGPT and AI to Sell
Feel like AI is taking over everything? The rules keep changing on this, but what I want you to remember is: ChatGPT is nothing more than a very hyperactive search engine. Don't run from it! ChatGPT is a tool to leverage. Embrace it!ChatGPT can give you a tremendous...
How to Prospect in a New Industry
You've been given a new territory, now it’s time to find a way to get business there. Let’s go through 10 steps to be successful prospecting in a new industry.1. Know your value. What's the solution you bring to your customers? We don’t sell a product/service, we...
Sales Is Simple, Don’t Overcomplicate It!
Do you have a tendency to make sales complex? Some salespeople may want to overthink things, but sales is not rocket science. It's time we back off and realize what sales is: a conversation between two people.Sales is not convoluted. Many of you as salespeople go out...
Go from Opening a Sale to Opening a Relationship
Are you in charge of your sales process, or is your process in charge of you? This is a big issue, and becoming a bigger issue with the advent of AI. I’m finding more and more companies are overcomplicating their sales process. As the economy weakens, they think they...
How to Connect with Your Prospects
What does connecting with prospects look like for you? You’ve identified who to prospect and you’ve made contact. Now it’s time to Connect. Are you losing prospects during this phase? This is part II of our 3-step process of how to simplify selling. Contact, Connect,...
How to Contact the Right Prospects
If we don’t prospect properly, there’s no way we can close. Step 1 in the Sales Logic System is Contact. Of course, a clear subset of Contact is prospecting. Didn’t catch last week’s blog on the Sales Logic System? Click here to read the overview. Our close ratio...
Simplify Your Sales Process
Uncomplicate your sales process. Do you think our customers are eager to participate in an 8-step process? A 12-step process?Something I’ve noticed in the advent of ChatGPT and all these AI tools is it’s becoming even more complicated. It’s supposed to simplify the...
How to Change Your Cold Call Mindset
The problem is in the prospecting. When someone says they don’t have enough deals to close, or they can’t close the deals they have, the common belief is the person needs help closing. I’d argue that’s not the case in 95% of the situations. The problem is in the...
Why Prospecting Is a War
Don’t get hit by friendly fire. For many salespeople, prospecting is hard! Some struggle every day to make prospecting happen and unfortunately get hit by far too much friendly fire. It’s time to be blunt, I’m on a mission to stop the damaging friendly fire too many...
The Top Sales Performer Playbook
Ever wish you had the insider secrets used by top sales performers? Wish granted: here are 10 secrets from the Top Sales Performer playbook. How many of these habits do you already practice? More importantly…which ones can you improve?1. Clear short and long-term...
10 Rules of the Prospecting Game
Too many people struggle with prospecting. I’m here to help. There are some basic rules you need to get right. To win at prospecting, here are my Top 10 insights to the game. 1. Prospects don't care. Until you show an interest in them, there's no reason for them to...
How to Sell to the CEO
Here are 16 tips for reaching the CEO and speaking their language. CEO Facts 1. CEO’s don’t have budgets. They set them…and take them. Don't ever think that there's no money. There almost always is money, and they will spend it because they don't have budgets. 2....
How to Build a Sales Pipeline
Keeping your pipeline stuffed is a sure path toward frustration, (and a lousy way to impress your boss). Build your sales pipeline in a way that deals flow through with ease from top to bottom. How? I’ve got 10 tips for how to build a healthy sales pipeline. 1. Know...
10 Reasons Why Salespeople Fail
I hate talking about negative subjects, but it's time to call it out. I'm going to list ten reasons why salespeople fail. Now, it's not that salespeople fail on all ten of them, but all it takes is one or two. This post is to help you steer clear of these ten...
10 Ways to Get a Prospect to Respond
"Oh, wow, I guess they're not interested." Wait! You have no idea how valuable of a prospect they are until you have the conversation with them. Sure, you've made four or five calls or emails, and they're not responding. But you have the ability to help them, so...
10 Ways to Use ChatGPT in Sales
Don't think for a moment that ChatGPT is going to replace you— it won't if you are a confident, competent salesperson. But you’ve got to understand how to use it. My co-host Meridith Elliott Powell and I dove into this topic on a recent episode of Sales Logic, which...
Prospecting Is an Outcome Game
Prospecting is not about selling. It's an outcome game. A big reason salespeople struggle with prospecting is because they're too busy selling the product. People don't want to buy products. They want to buy solutions —they're looking for outcomes.1. Know your...
Prospecting Is an Activity Game
Prospecting doesn't just occur on its own. You have to do the work. Prospecting is a lot like a gym membership. You can't get a membership to the gym and expect to be in shape. You've got to go and work the machines, put in the reps, spend the time. Last week I...
Prospecting Is a Mental Game
Prospecting is a game that too many salespeople have already lost because they're mentally unprepared. I want you to be successful at prospecting, and I'm going to tell you ten things to get your head in the game. 1. Prep the day before. You can't go into anything...
The Top 10 Episodes for The Sales Hunter Podcast
Happy Birthday The Sales Hunter Podcast! To celebrate one year of incredible growth and learning, our team has nominated ten episodes to highlight the diverse learning opportunities the podcast offers each week. See one you didn't catch in 2022? Add these to...
How Prospecting Rules Have Changed for 2023
Are you ready for the changes this year will bring? I’ll give you 10 things that you need to be on alert for with regards to prospecting in this new economy. 1. Engage the CEO Does it have to be the CEO? No, but you have to be prepared to go further up the...
How to Start Selling Your Outcome
Stop selling your product. The product training you’ve had is bad. Who cares what you sell, or how good you or your company thinks it is. Instead, I want you to focus 100% on selling the outcomes you allow your customer to achieve. That’s what your customer is...
Why Passion in Sales is Powerful
If we can’t be passionate about helping others, how can we be passionate about sales? In my book, A Mind for Sales I write about this factor a lot, as I’m a firm believer it is the cornerstone of sales. Sales is not about what we sell, sales is about helping the...
How Top Salespeople Win the Day
Top performers just do things differently. They have a very succinct strategy because the only day we can truly impact is today. Yesterday has passed, and tomorrow is yet to come. Today is for making a difference. 1. Attitude Top performers don’t moan and groan when...
How to Become a Top Performing Salesperson: Part II
No, you're not going to become a top performing salesperson overnight. However, if you do these 15 things and you stick to it, I guarantee you will become a top performing salesperson. This is part II of 15 things that you have the capability to do right now to...
How to Become a Top Performing Salesperson
Anybody can become a top-performing salesperson. It's not what you sell. It's the why and the how you sell that make it happen. First, why do you sell? Because you're helping customers achieve things that they didn't think were possible. Next, your how is the...
7 Tips to Maximize Time for Prospecting
We don't find the time, we make it. If someone doesn't spend enough time prospecting due to poor time management –it's really a priority problem. How can you utilize your time to prospect more effectively, and have more time to prospect? Here are seven tips to get...
10 Steps to a Great Prospecting Cadence
Doing a bunch of actions and thinking those activities can turn into results doesn’t make a prospecting cadence. More than likely, it produces frustrating results, and discouragement. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity,...
Are You Closing Sales or Opening Relationships?
What's your plan to stay in touch with the customer after the sale? Too many salespeople land a customer and then go out and try to get another customer. Hey, wait a minute! The cheapest customer you're ever going to get is the one you already have. 1. Delivering on...
Q4 Strategies for Top Sales Performers
If you model your behavior after a top performer, it's amazing how you can become one, too. I know these 10 things are going to resonate with you. What can you start practicing today?1. Leverage time. Top performers protect their time. The fourth quarter is a shorter...
10 Prospecting Hacks for November and December
Can you still prospect in the months of November and December? Yes, you can. Putting in the effort now boosts your fourth quarter, while simultaneously setting up the new year for success. Let’s walk through 10 strategies and approaches that you can use to prospect...
10 Strategies for Current Customers
Your current customers are an untapped source for sales. Of course, current customers can’t be your only focus. That would lead to a dry or clogged pipeline. But if your pipeline is looking okay, and you need another year-end sales strategy to meet your goals, it’s...
How Prospecting Looks Different in Q4
Sure, you’ve got a number to hit, but prospecting looks a little bit different in the fourth quarter. Time isn’t on your side. So what do we most need to focus on? See my 10 insights below on how to adjust for success in the 4th quarter. 1. Know your funnel This...
How to Keep Your Sales Simple
This is not the time of year to boil the ocean. Really, there's no time of the year to boil the ocean, but end of year especially, it’s time to keep your activities and processes simple. So what works best if simplicity is the name of the game? Check out these eight...
How Salespeople Can Organize Their Time AND Goals
Let’s talk about how you can maximize your year end. This is Part I of a 4-Part Year-End Sales Strategies series. You must know, if you don't have your goals in place and don’t understand how to leverage your time, there's no sense of even trying to get to the end...
8 Guidelines for a Great 4th Quarter
The 4th quarter is the accountability quarter. Some of you are thinking, "Hey, it's been a great year," because you've done well in Q1-3. Others are saying, "Ugh," because you simply didn't accomplish everything you hoped. Giving up is not an option! If you want to...
5 Ways to Build Your Sales with Your Network
A healthy network makes you more valuable. Why? You’ve heard it said: What's the best way to increase your net worth? Increase your network. Let’s dive into 5 ways to ensure your network is an incredible asset. 1. Power list I recently moved to Dallas. Before I moved...
How to Use Your Mind as a Sales Asset
The mind is the most incredible app you have. And it's free. Use it. How do you ensure your mindset is propelling you forward and not holding you back? Check out these 6 tips. Click here to read last week's asset #1, time. 1. Who are you tapping into? Who are the...
How to Invest Your Time Effectively to Sell Better
Time is money and yours is valuable. How can you invest each minute of your work day with a purpose? Today’s asset most salespeople overlook is: your time. Here are five strategies to use your time wisely and profitably. 1. The 10:00 AM rule Take your smartphone and...
3 Critical Assets Most Salespeople Overlook
There are three critical assets most salespeople overlook: time, mind, and network. If you get these three things right, it's amazing what can happen in terms of your success in sales. And really, in any area or field, both professionally and personally. Want to hear...
5 Things Salespeople Should Never Forget
Aren’t you forgetting something? There are a few things I often see salespeople forget when prospecting. When it comes to the basics, we can’t get sloppy. Are you including these elements when prospecting? If you want to prospect effectively, follow these tips. For...
5 Essentials for Before You Negotiate
Before you negotiate, there are five things you need to know. Too many times salespeople race to negotiate, because they think in negotiating with the customer sooner, they’ll be able to close the deal quicker. More often than not, this is absolutely not the case. ...
10 Best Practices for Prospecting
Prospecting can be tough. We can do hard things. Let me give you 10 best practices that if you put them into play, I guarantee it will up your game. Your one-stop-shop for training in every area of sales–including prospecting– is The Sales Hunter University. Click...
10 Pro Tips to Succeed in Sales
If you’re reading this right now, I already know you want to be successful in sales. You’ve come to the right place, but what will you do with what you learn here? Don’t just read and forget. Take notes. Share with a colleague! Make a plan for how you’ll use these 10...
The Ultimate Prospecting Guidelines: Part 5
My whole mission is to help you prospect effectively. Because sales is without a doubt the greatest profession, but you've got to master prospecting. This is the last installment of this five-part series on 50 Prospecting truths. Remember, you can download the whole...
The Ultimate Prospecting Guidelines: Part 4
Prospecting is not for the lazy or timid. Prospecting is for the smart and bold. The number one reason why salespeople don't cut it in sales is because they failed to prospect. I don’t want that to be you! I desire great selling for you, and that starts with great...
The Ultimate Prospecting Guidelines: Part 3
Sales is all about having the commitment to serve and the passion to sell. This 50 Prospecting Truths series is to reignite your passion for prospecting–and that means helping people and solving problems. I invite you to read Truths #21-30, reflect, and see what you...
The Ultimate Prospecting Guidelines: Part 2
Prospecting is something you have to master if you want to achieve the big results. In fact, I contend prospecting is the number one reason there is turnover in sales. Unfortunately, people just don't want to prospect. Prospecting may not even be your favorite...
The Ultimate Prospecting Guidelines: Part 1
Business does not operate without sales, sales does not operate without prospecting; prospecting is the foundation from which all business is built. Prospecting is always evolving, but some truths are absolute. Whether you’re new to sales, or an old pro, consider...
How to Accelerate Second Half Selling
The first half of the year is now in the books. Time to kick back and relax…. Just kidding! Time to figure out the game plan for the second half. Regardless of whether you made your first half number or missed it, here are 6 things that you need to do right now for a...
How to Defeat the Competition You Can’t See
I know who the number one competitor is: yourself. I'm not talking about that! This is about the competitor you can't see, and yet is out there on every deal that you're trying to get. The competitor you can't see is ‘no decision’. It's not that they're not buying...
7 Pricing Rules to Close More Deals
Just because the customer asks for your price, doesn’t mean you have to deliver it right then and there. In fact, there are a few reasons why you definitely shouldn’t lead with the price. I want to talk to you about 7 rules for how to present your price so that...
6 Things Customers Need Before They Buy
Why do customers buy from you? What you sell does not matter as much as you think it does. When I ask salespeople, "What is it that you sell?" I'm quick to hear some, "Oh, I sell this type of system or this type of computer, or these services..." That’s nice, but...
10 Reasons Why I Love Sales More Than Ever
Sales is an industry that has a tremendous amount of turnover, but I love sales. I've been in sales for over 30 years and I love it now more than ever. That definitely wasn’t my attitude when I started out. So why do I love it so much, and now even more than before?...
10 Best Practices to Sell in the Summer
Summer is not a time to just kick back. It’s normal to get a little pushback on prospecting during the summer months due to vacations, holidays, et cetera. Once you get deep into the summer, some customers want to kick meetings into the fall. Whoa, big risk. Let me...
How to Create More Time for Selling
Would you like to have more time to be prospecting and selling? Perhaps a better, albeit obvious question: Would more time for selling make you more money? (Of course it would!) I want to help you have more time for what really generates money for you: selling....
5 Ways to Improve Your Sales Skills
“Leaders don't see success as a destination, they see it as a journey to take others on." Wherever you’re at on the totem pole, I’d bet there’s room for improvement. Do you want to get to the top? If you’re looking to grow your career in sales by any measure, these 5...
15 Dos and Don’ts of a Profitable Sales Process
Your sales process is a vital element of your success. A process that’s simple, sustainable, and scalable can make you the author of your own fate. How does your process measure up to these 15 Dos and Don’ts? Today’s blog brought to you as a sneak peek into the new...
3 Groups Salespeople Must Be Accountable To
Accountability in sales often gets overlooked as a key trait of top performers. Perhaps because it causes us to look in the mirror. However, without accountability, even if you’re at the top, you have little chance of staying there. Why? I’ve got three groups you...
7 Ways to Upgrade Your Network
Is your network causing you to rise, fall, or is it nonexistent? Who doesn't wake up in the morning and say, "Man, I want to be in the president's club. I want to be at the top of the food chain. I want to be the number one person on my sales team." Surely you don't...
7 Truths for Mastering Your Mindset
There is no reason to think that your mind isn't capable of doing amazing things. It’s incredible that your mind could ever tell you, "You can't do this. You can't do this." Unfortunately, that’s what most average salespeople hear. However, the top performing...
6 Ways Great Salespeople Master Their Time
Who is in charge during your day, YOU or TIME? As a sales professional, your time is valuable. And wasted time is wasted money. Let’s explore 6 time management skills that could propel you to the top. Today’s blog is part of a series inspired by this month’s...
10 Time Management Strategies for Salespeople
What does it take to move to the next level? What does it take to become a truly great salesperson? I continue to argue that time is our most valuable asset. What you do, and don’t do, with your time can make or break you as a successful salesperson. Here I’ll share...
8 Characteristics of a Top-Performing Salesperson
What would it look like for you to be in the top 1%? Hey, you at least want to be in the top 10%, right? Otherwise, why are you in sales? Because GREAT salespeople don't settle for average. In my book, A Mind for Sales, in the final chapter, I list 18 traits that the...
How to Know if a Prospect is Worth Your Time
Is your pipeline a water tap or a sewer line? Too many salespeople have a pipeline that is really nothing more than a sewer line because stuff is just plugging it up. I’m talking about prospects that are sitting there, but not going anywhere. So how do I keep this...
How to Nurture Your Network
There are three levels of network that I believe are essential to your success. It's called the Network Triangle, and you need each part for your network to be strong and complete. You need people to be accountable to, that’s your mastermind. You need knowledgeable...
5 Ways to Make Monday Your Money Day
Mondays are, without a doubt, the most powerful day of the week. What can you do to ensure that you’re not just making calls but also making a profit on Mondays? These Monday motivation tips come from my book, A Mind for Sales. It’s easy to get discouraged, or even...
5 Tips to Never Discount Your Price Again
When we run out of arrows in the quiver, it’s amazing how we revert to price. Bam! A buyer has backed you into a corner, discounting seems inevitable, and you’re wondering, “How did I get here?” What if you never had to be in that position again? Check out these...
6 Pricing Strategies for Success
The price a customer will pay is a reflection of the value you create. When learning about your prospect becomes knowing your customer, you can customize that value. There are six things you should know and have in your prospecting tool belt before you present your...
5 Pricing Rules I Wish I’d Known Earlier
Presenting your price with confidence is vital with costs going the way they are in today’s economy. How can you maximize your revenue and avoid buckling under requests for a discount? In addition to these five rules, I have a lot more to share with you about pricing...
5 Solutions to Common Pricing Mistakes
When faced with objections to price, what do you do? Here are five mistakes that aren't setting your up for success when you present your price--and what do to about it. It is possible to avoid discounting! Today's blog is brought to you by this month's Pricing...
Your Price Reflects Your Confidence
All salespeople, at one time or another, have had their price challenged. What do you do when that situation arises? As much as everyone in sales would like to consider themselves “great closers,” in reality, many are weak when it comes to this important skill. ...
7 Prospecting Myths Debunked
The phone call is where the prospecting happens. Sure, I love using email. It’s a great tool. But you can’t rely on email. You must be on the phone making it happen. I hear a lot of prospecting myths in my line of work. They drive me crazy! It’s time to set the...
The 6 Best Times to Call Prospects
What drives your customers to make decisions, and when? Are they driven by certain things that happen in their calendar? Or in their industry? This blog is brought to you by my Phone Prospecting Masterclass, available at The Sales Hunter University. This course...
How to Write the Perfect Prospecting Email
If you’re reading this blog, I’d bet you’ve sent a prospecting email, or two. In fact, you may think you write a compelling message. But where are the results? Could there be a few email prospecting pitfalls you’ve had? Today’s post is brought to you by my Email...
5 Choices for a Successful 2022
There is only one thing we can’t make more of and that’s time. The new year is already here–what do we want to make of it? I choose to look at 2022 as the year of unlimited opportunity, and I see that not only for myself, but for you too. Regardless of where we’re...
The Best of 2021
2021 has been as unique a year as any. To my loyal readers, thank you for joining me this year as we sought to better ourselves, increase our sales, and excel in our industries. A very Happy New Year to all. Let’s take a look back and remember some of the Best Blogs...
3 Secrets to Accomplish Your Annual Plan
What’s the best way to execute your annual plan? What can I do on a regular basis to move myself forward? The following three habits are going to apply to anybody and everybody. Let’s delve into how to execute your plan in a way that you can increase your chances of...
What Every Annual Plan Needs
You can make an annual plan, but your plan's got to be executed. It can't just be a dream. It must include things you know you can achieve. So what are the elements to consider when you draw up next year’s plan? Here are 8 things every annual plan needs. I share...
9 Key Elements of a Strong Annual Plan
What’s the difference between productive and busy? Being productive means you’re generating revenue or focused on goals. Being busy is everything else. Which would you rather be next year? I want to help you create an effective and helpful Annual Plan this year. In...
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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