Selling in the Contract Service World

Selling contract services is different.

Different because services are harder to get customers to understand. Different because the contract world requires coordinating buying and selling cycles – a difficult dance at best.

Here are a number of articles that can help make selling a little less painful, and hopefully more successful and enjoyable.

Sales Training or Learning Sales?

by Chris Arlen

There’s an ongoing debate in the education-HR world between training and learning. The difference is training is done to you, and learning is something you do. It’s about ownership. In the sales [...]

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The Next Best Thing – Referrals

by Chris Arlen

In sales, the best thing is a contract. The next best thing is a referral. But asking for a referral can be tricky. The time to ask for one varies. Some reps [...]

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Selling is Stuck

by Chris Arlen

The words used by sales reps show that selling is stuck in the 1960′s with I Love Lucy and fender fins. The words we choose dictate how we see, feel and behave. [...]

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Selling to Customers of the New School

by Chris Arlen

Customers and buying have changed. More than online reverse auctions, new school customers view suppliers and selling services differently than the old school. Remember back in the day when old school customers: [...]

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Don’t Miss the Win Window in the Sales Cycle

by Chris Arlen

There’s a time to do the sales work that wins. And it’s not when most sales reps think it is. Let’s look at a typical sales cycle, which includes milestones for a:

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The Top 5 Sales Traps to Avoid

by Chris Arlen

How many pitfalls are there to avoid when selling contract services? Too many to count, but here are the top five to navigate around. Misstep and kiss goodbye the mega contracts, annual [...]

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When Prospecting, Never Leave Voice Mail Except…

by Chris Arlen

There’s a sales practice of cold calling prospects until no response, and then leaving a voice mail with the hope they’ll call back. You don’t return those voice mails, why should your [...]

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Selling in the Deep End of the Contract Service Pool

by Chris Arlen

This is the place you want to be – in the deep end. Where contract dollars are huge. Where the really attractive customers hang out. Where yearly goals are cleared in one [...]

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Buyer Motivation: 4 Reasons Customers Change Suppliers

by Chris Arlen

Like all organizations, your customers fear change. Changing suppliers means having to deal with potential disruptions during transition, and the inconvenience of breaking in newbies. However, there are four reasons that motivate [...]

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6 Ways a Sales Plan Keeps Your Success On Track

by Chris Arlen

How do you use your sales plan after it’s written? Does it sit on a shelf under a blanket of dust, or sleep anonymously on a hard drive? If you can’t name [...]

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