All salespeople are familiar with handshakes. In fact, it’s safe to say that you probably couldn’t do your job well or even get a sales job unless you know how to properly shake hands.
I couldn’t find the origins of National Hand Shake Day. However, it’s always celebrated the last Thursday of June.
No one knows the exact origin of handshakes, but according to Wikipedia, “archaeological ruins and ancient texts show that handshaking was practiced in ancient Greece as far back as the 5th century BC.”
As we all know, shaking hands is a sign of respect when greeting someone. Outside sales reps shake hands daily; inside salespeople not so much unless they are attending a trade show or meeting a large client outside their office.
The Oatmeal.com website lists 9 types of crappy handshakes. They include the “bone crusher”, the “misfire”, the “limp, dead fish”, and the “never-let-go” handshakes.
If you feel you are guilty of one of those handshakes, have no fear.
Debby Mayne, an Etiquette Expert, outlines “7 Tips on Proper Handshake Etiquette” in her column in About.com. Her advice includes shaking hands firmly but not crushingly, shaking hands for about two to five seconds in duration, and offering a greeting before and during the handshake.
Steli Efti, Founder & CEO of Close.io, has created an excellent 16 part video series on how to sell. The series is posted on YouTube. While the presentation focuses mainly on inside sales and start-ups, some of his advice can also help outside salespeople and those working for major corporations.
Here are some of the key takeaways –
1). Hustle – you have to hustle if you want to make sales. Sitting on your ass and waiting for the phone to ring isn’t going to work. If you want to get into the money zone you need to get out of your comfort zone. You have to be proactive. While you hope your company has a good marketing department that can provide good inbound leads, you have to take responsibility for your own success. Remember – the marketing team isn’t working on commission – you are. So start calling.
2). Show up, follow-up and close – really, in summary, that’s what selling is all about. Just showing up daily (and on time), making your calls, following up with more calls and emails, and closing is the key to your success. It’s not rocket science. You just have to be consistent in your actions. Sure, there are certain techniques that you can learn along the way. There are a lot of books, articles, and blogs to help you. But when you think about it, selling is like acting – you just have to bury your negative emotions and bad mood, and professionally play the role you were hired to do. You have a process, use it well, and you will be successful. But don’t try to fake it until you make it. Clients can spot a phony a mile away. Just make it work – now.
3). Rejection is your friend – Embrace it. If you are not getting a lot of rejections, you are not doing your job well. Don’t focus on just the low hanging fruit – go after the high hanging fruit with the potential of bigger sales. Low hanging fruit is for order takers. Salespeople don’t take orders – they make orders happen.
4). Be a Journalist – Ask good questions. Listen more and talk less. If you really want to help your clients and solve their problems, you need to dig deep by asking for good qualifying or needs-based questions. You want to be seen as a problem solver, not a sleazy salesperson trying to peddle his wares.
5). Value – focus on selling value, not features. When you do a feature vomit on your client, he will run, not walk, away from you. Remember – it’s not about you, it’s about your client. What value do you offer that’s going to solve his problems? If you don’t have what the prospect needs, be honest, and move on. As the old saying goes, there are plenty of other fish in the sea to catch.
6). Lead generation – as I mentioned in other posts, there are many ways of finding leads. But before you start buying or developing leads, review your existing customers (if you have any). Create a client profile of your top 5 to 10 best customers. Who are they? Why are they buying from you? Do you see any patterns? Once you have a good idea of who your clients are, you can then start targeting prospects that fit the same pattern. It’s better to narrow down your prospects than waste time going too broad. Yes, a wide net will catch a lot of fish – but do you want big fish or minnows?
7). Objections – there is a lot of advice on how to handle objections. In my opinion, the most common objection is the price. However, it’s always a good idea to list some common objections and has answers prepared for them. In short, it’s better to be ready and respond with one or two sentences, then fumble around sounding like a fool. Because if you sound like a bumbling idiot, the next sound you hear will be “click.”
8). Send emails – contrary to popular belief, cold calling is more than just making phone calls and leaving voice mail messages. You also need to send emails. Some clients respond better with emails than by phone. No problem. The key is to connect with your prospect and hopefully get the sale. Phone, email or carrier pigeon, do whatever it takes to make the connection. Get a response. If it’s no, OK…but don’t cross your prospect off your list too fast. Try to circle back later. Maybe he will be in a better mood or have a budget to move forward. Based on studies I’ve read, you need to make anywhere from 6 to 8 attempts before a prospect will acknowledge your existence.
To help you learn more about selling, Close.io is offering a free 30-day startup sales success course sent to you via email.
I thought the videos were on point. I have two criticisms – First, I wish the Close.io would put the videos on an organized playlist on their YouTube channel to make it easy to follow each presentation. I found myself jumping around too much trying to find the next video in the proper order.
Second, Mr. Efti argues that start-ups shouldn’t hire traditional salespeople because they don’t know how to adjust to an ever-changing work environment. I disagree. I’ve worked at major corporations that constantly go through reorgs and other changes throughout the year. I also know salespeople who have worked at major corporations who had their compensation packages changed every quarter – if not every month.
For example, one of my friends uses to work for a popular large car dealership in the Washington, D.C. area. Every month, the car salesperson with the lowest sales of the month would be fired – regardless of his seniority or his sales record YTD. Why? Because the sales manager wanted to keep his sales team “on their toes.”
Nice guy.
My point is this – any good salesperson has to know how to be flexible in order to survive. The business world – whether we are talking about start-ups or major companies – is changing all the time. If you are seeking a nice, safe conservative job, become a banker or an accountant. The sales process is constantly evolving – either keep up or switch careers.
Close.io has other videos I would recommend that you check out. Also, the company has one of the best blog posts I’ve ever read about selling. Yes, they are promoting their product to some degree (hell, we are all in sales). However, the blogs offer great sales advice that you can apply in any industry.
Below is a sample video from the 16-part presentation –
One of the biggest challenges of working in sales, marketing or social media is the ability to write effectively. You just can’t rely on making cold calls anymore. You have to put pen to paper (OK, I really mean fingers to your keyboard) and compose e-mails, proposals and other marketing material to make the sale.
Yes, there are a lot of online courses you can take. But let’s say you want more individual attention. Where do you go? Surprisingly, one of the best places to consider is your local nonprofit writing center.
Now, I know what you are thinking. Aren’t writing centers just for aspiring novelists and poets? No. Many writing centers offer courses on nonfiction. And while it may be great to participate in workshops or classes, several writing centers also offer online courses.
Below is a list that I compiled while working as a volunteer for the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD. The list is based on research I was doing on membership programs at domestic and international nonprofit writing groups. Please let me know what you think.
Selling can be sloppy. The hustle and bustle of making sales calls, running from one appointment after another, or boarding a plane to this trade show and then another one, makes us forget our manners. We are so focused on achieving our sales quotas or goals, that we stop remembering there is a proper business etiquette when it comes to, well….doing business and selling.
We are rude when we don’t mean to be rude. It happens.
To help remind us about etiquette, the Protocol School of Washington (PSOW) sponsors the annual “National Business Etiquette Week,” which this year runs from June 7-13th.
Founded in 1988, the PSOW has trained more than4,000 people from 70 countries. Trainers previously held positions at The White House, the Disney Institute, the Smithsonian and various major corporations.
In honor of National Business Etiquette Week this year, PSOW is sponsoring a contest. The “Business Etiquette in 2025 Video Contest” offers a chance to win complimentary tuition to attend any scheduled Train to be a Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant course.
To apply, you must submit your video by June 13 in which you answer this question – “What will business etiquette look like in 2025?”
For more details about the requirements, how to win, and what your reward will be, please click here.
For more information, please visit the school’s website at www.psow.edu or call 202-575-5600.
Meanwhile, if you don’t have time or interest in competing in the contest, below are four (4) books on business etiquette to help you –
Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success, by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t, by Robert I. Sutton
Modern Manners: Tools to Take You to the Top, byDorothea Johnson and Liv Tyler
The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success, by Barbara Pachter
Finding sales leads or prospects is much easier today than when I began in sales. I literary had to use the Yellow Pages at one point in my career. Needless to say, I wasn’t very effective. Now with the internet, you have a much easier time finding leads. The real challenge is making sure you are using your time wisely to prospect and find the right leads to call on.
Below is a list of sources to help you –
1). Industry newsletters – subscribe to as many industry newsletters as you can. You can always find leads to contact. Most newsletters are free.
2). Live Chat – set up a Live Chat box on your website. Sometimes people are shy about calling you directly, so at a spur of the moment, they will send you a Live Chat to ask questions or obtain quotes.
3). Trade Shows – rent out an exhibit booth at a trade show. If you can’t afford a booth, consider speaking at a workshop or sign up as an attendee and make the rounds – both during the trade show and after hours at social events.
4). Customer Referrals – hey, if your clients like your products and services, it doesn’t hurt to ask them for a referral. You may want to consider offering a discount.
5). Good Marketing Content – providing useful content on your website will encourage prospects to visit your site, and hopefully, they will download your material and provide you with contact information, e.g., name, email address, phone number.
6). LinkedIn – since LinkedIn is a professional site, you should be able to find plenty of prospects to contact. Also, target discussion groups within your industry – there you should find a lot of potential buyers.
7). Twitter – you can find prospects by seeking buying signals. For example, if you sell bike accessories, type in “bike accessories” under search to see if someone is trying to buy those items. Or, look for a hashtag like #bike accessories.
8). Your Competitor’s website – believe it or not, many companies list their clients on their website. Big mistake. You may think you are impressing your clients and potential prospects, but all you are doing is giving your competitors a list of your clients to contact.
9). Paid Lead generating tools – Below is a list of the most popular ones:
10). Your old expired trials or clients – Just because you haven’t heard from your expired trials or clients for a while, doesn’t mean they may not be interested in ordering from you. Give them a call. Drop them an email. Who knows, they may be glad to hear from you. Maybe they now have a budget to make a purchase. Maybe new upper management came on board and now they are interested in speaking with you again. It can’t hurt you to swing back and see if they are interested again.
I hope the above list helps. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
The Social Media Strategies Summit will be held in New York from June 9th through June 11th. The summit will offer a series of workshops and speeches focusing on social media. Topics will include Content Creation & Storytelling, Content Marketing Strategies and Social Media Strategy Development.
Speakers will include Michael Marinello, Bloomberg, Soniya Monga, LinkedIn, Angie Moncada, Citi, Mindy Stockfield, MTV Networks, and Chris Jacob, Salesforce.
For more information about the conference, please check the website –
Today is National Hand Shake Day.
