Ray Collis

Want Your Customers To Spend More? Then don’t do this!

Want Your Customers To Spend More?  Then don’t do this!

The actions of two major European retailers demonstrate two alternative strategies for up-selling, or getting customers to spend more.

 Ray Collis

Selling To Teams: Lessons From Sport

Selling To Teams:  Lessons From Sport

Some organizations don’t do team work very well. That is a problem in the context of collaborative buying decisions, cross functional buying committees and internal approvals procedures.    Some organizations are a dream to sell to,  while others are a nightmare.  The individuals involved may be nice to deal with, organized and professional.  However when it comes to […]

 Ray Collis

7 Strategies To Prevent Delays In Getting The Customer’s Purchase Order

7 Strategies To Prevent Delays In Getting The Customer’s Purchase Order

Successfully Navigating The Procurement (PO) Maze

Closing the sale and getting the Purchase Order no longer go hand in hand.  In many buying organizations a new level of bureaucracy and administration has grown around what was once just an administrative formality.  Getting the PO is no longer a straight-forward matter – for the unprepared seller can be a costly maze.   […]

 Ray Collis

Misreading The Buyer’s Motivation

Misreading The Buyer’s Motivation

Many sellers underestimate the buying decision. They fail to see that it is underpinned by a more complex business decision. As a result the most powerful sales technique – the business case – is all too often overlooked.

 Ray Collis

How Well Are You Selling Change?

How Well Are You Selling Change?

Your customer’s fear of change could lengthen the sales cycle and maybe even jeopardize the sale. However, if handled correctly it can be an ally in winning the sale.

 John O' Gorman

The Perils Of Misreading The Buying Process

The Perils Of Misreading The Buying Process

Misreading the buying process is easy for sellers to do, but it can be costly. It happens because of gaps in the seller’s knowledge of the steps, paperwork, review points, information requirements and so on.

 John O' Gorman

For Buyers Everyday is Independence Day

For Buyers Everyday is Independence Day

The surprising benefits of losing control to the buyer

Buyers have discovered a new degree of freedom and control and they are guarding it jealously. However, research suggests that sellers may well benefit from thinking they can control the buyer.

 Ray Collis

Sellers: Don’t Wimp Out Because Of Their Process!

Sellers: Don’t Wimp Out Because Of Their Process!

Don’t get paralyzed by the buyer’s process. Don’t let it stop you selling. Even if your selling is limited to submitting a tender response, with little interaction with the buyer in advance, don’t cast aside the basics of either solution selling or relationship selling.

 Ray Collis

Sales Hopscotch: Turning Buying Process To Your Advantage

Sales Hopscotch: Turning Buying Process To Your Advantage

Buying has become increasing structured and process-driven. The steps in the buyer’s process therefore have a major bearing on the speed and indeed the success of the sale.
But adopting a less rigid view of buying process is important if the salesperson is to do his, or her job well. It requires adopting a non-linear view of the sales process, or what we like to call sales hopscotch.

 Ray Collis

Sellers Beware: The Project Behind The Purchase

Sellers Beware:  The Project Behind The Purchase

Behind many big purchases is a project. Indeed the purchase itself may be a project, with a set of steps, a project team, project milestones and so on. Adopting the project perspective on the sale is important from the perspective of qualifying and closing the sale.

 Ray Collis

Why Win-Loss Reviews Should Be Written

Why Win-Loss Reviews Should Be Written

Our deal narratives – the stories we tell ourselves and others about stalled deals – have the power to either limit or boost long term sales success. However new research highlights the importance of writing and then editing the narrative of the lost deal. The Narrative Of The Lost Deal How a seller explains a […]

 Ray Collis

Sales Training Under The Magnifying Glass

Sales Training Under The Magnifying Glass

We did an analysis of sales training courses recently. We found that there was little change in over a decade in terms of the topics being addressed. More important still, it appears that sales training has failed to reflect any of the dramatic changes that have taken place in respect of how buyers buy. Indeed, […]

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