Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Common Sense Sales
    Common Sense Sales
    Common Sense Sales
    Ebook167 pages2 hours

    Common Sense Sales

    By Sam Lorimer

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Common Sense Sales provides insights in four key areas where every seller should hone their skills - regardless of experience level:

    I. Differentiating Yourself. In this section Lorimer provides thoughts on how to separate yourself from the rest of the me-too selling world.
    II. Making the Work Count. More happens in the day of a seller than most give credit for - make it count!
    III. Getting to the Meeting. Sellers spend a significant amount of our effort asking for appointments with decision makers - this section will help you get there faster.
    IV. Making the Most of Your Customer Conversation. Selling is a series of conversations. Make those interactions more meaningful and watch your sales grow.

    Lorimer draws on years of experience in fast growth companies along with his personal production, having closed hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. His teams consistently perform at the top and Lorimer shares his insights on how he makes that happen. A must read for any seller looking to take their performance to the next level.

    Lorimer is also the author of "Click 'Send' and Sell: Three Unconventional Emails with Extraordinary Sales Results".

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSam Lorimer
    Release dateMay 23, 2013
    ISBN9781301729081
    Common Sense Sales
    Author

    Sam Lorimer

    I've been a part of selling for over 25 years as an individual contributor and sales leader. Roles have included managing alliances, selling to the mid market over the phone, managing large enterprise sales, and just about everything in between. I have typically worked for small to mid-sized companies, although now I work for a very large organization. I've also co-founded two start-ups, gone nearly broke, and re-launched my career at the age of 40.

    Related to Common Sense Sales

    Related ebooks

    Sales & Selling For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Improving Your Close Rate

      Mar 26, 2019

      Improving Your Close Rate
      2 min read

    • Article

      Two Powerful Ways To Grow Your Sales

      Apr 22, 2020

      If you have ever failed, you know something that those who never tried don’t. You learn much more from failure than you do from success. If you pay attention. However, salespeople are failing every day and missing the opportunity to learn. I’ve disti

      2 min read

    • Article

      Building Credibility in Business

      Dec 31, 2019

      Building Credibility in Business
      3 min read

    • Article

      Simple Works

      Jun 17, 2018

      Simple Works
      2 min read

    • Article

      Building Good Client Relationships

      May 14, 2021

      There are many pillars that support good customer relations (and hence business success); amongst these are recognition, acknowledgement and praise. The fresh-produce sector provides many opportunities to practise these. Indeed, they are essential it

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Thinksales Approach

      Jun 17, 2018

      The Thinksales Approach
      1 min read

    • Article

      Sales Engagement Process Design

      Dec 1, 2017

      Is it time to adapt your sales engagement process to align with today’s evolving buyers & buying processes? • Many sales engagement processes are informal and inconsistently executed • This makes it extremely difficult for sales managers to obtain co

      1 min read

    • Article

      Sales Engagement Process Design

      Aug 9, 2017

      Is it time to adapt your sales engagement process to align with today’s evolving buyers & buying processes? • Many sales engagement processes are informal and inconsistently executed • This makes it extremely difficult for sales managers to obtain co

      1 min read

    • Article

      Sell Like a Human

      Mar 29, 2017

      Sell Like a Human
      1 min read

    • Article

      Master Class Training

      Nov 2, 2016

      Experiencing a reduction of profit margins? Battling to differentiate your offering? Struggling to win new business? • Prospects who don’t understand your differentiation increasingly commoditise your offering • Not creating greater value exposes you

      2 min read

    • Article

      You, The Advisor.

      Jun 16, 2017

      You, The Advisor.
      1 min read

    • Article

      How to Sell Yourself

      Dec 1, 2019

      How to Sell Yourself
      2 min read

    • Article

      Choosing Sales Activity That Determines The Best Outcome

      May 27, 2019

      IN THE NEXT look at our “8 levers of sales growth” series I tackle the decision between doing more volume of sales activity generally or focusing on more targeted sales activity. It seems like a simple answer, but it isn’t always as obvious as you’d

      2 min read

    • Article

      Turn Your Website Into A powerful Sales Tool

      Mar 11, 2021

      Websites can be many things: a placeholder, a way for clients to get in touch, somewhere to sell your products and services, or a means of generating leads. If you’re not doing the latter, you’re wasting a good domain. Probably the only part of your

      7 min read

    • Article

      Level 4 Value Creation™

      Aug 9, 2017

      Are you experiencing a reduction of profit margins? Battling to differentiate your offering? Struggling to win new business? • Prospects who don’t understand your differentiation increasingly commoditise your offering • Not creating greater value exp

      1 min read

    • Article

      4 Deploy Stronger Value Propositions Within A Sales Organisation Maturity Framework

      Jun 30, 2021

      ThinkSales' Sales Organisation Maturity Framework Mature Sales Organisations are built on a state of optimisation that is agile and iterative. This is the path they follow. • Your Sales Organisation has not defined a ‘value-led’ proposition. In clien

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Execution Trap

      Nov 2, 2016

      An obvious fact and one that is well-known to every executive tasked with growing revenue in their organisations is that it’s not getting any easier. And that is before we even begin to feel the potential impacts of Brexit, a Trump administration and

      2 min read

    • Article

      Sales Volume Or Sales Value: Which Is Best For You?

      Jun 24, 2019

      IN THIS instalment of our ‘8 levers of sales growth’ series we tackle the decision between aiming for a greater volume of new sales versus increasing the value of each sale. In some respect, this decision comes down to how many new sales can your bus

      2 min read

    • Article

      Account Based Marketing

      Jun 9, 2021

      Account Based Marketing
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Common Sense Sales

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Common Sense Sales - Sam Lorimer

      Common Sense Sales:

      Solutions to Everyday Sales Challenges

      Published by Sam Lorimer at Amazon.com

      Edited by Andrew Holzfeind

      Cover Art by Becky Escher

      Copyright 2013 MKO Enterprises, LLC

      All Rights Reserved

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given way to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover Illustration © 2013 MKO Enterprises

      To Mary - you are the love of my life.

      Thank you so much for your ceaseless support and encouragement.

      Praise for Common Sense Sales

      If you want to know the ins and outs of selling - the good, the bad and the ugly - THIS is the book for you. Selling is one of the most exciting professions and if you're considering selling, or starting your own business, or hiring a sales person for the first time, this book will help guide you with expectations and grass roots ideas for selling in your back yard. This is a contact sport. Get in the game, but not without reading Sam Lorimer's new book Common Sense Sales: Solutions to Everyday Sales Challenges. - Eileen Kent

      Common Sense Sales Solutions: The title tells it all. Sales and life are about common sense and coming up with solutions. Sales if about being a leader and not a follower. Sam Lorimer hits a home run while writing this book. Work lessons, life lessons...both come down to basic needs and Sam writes a compelling story to live and learn from. New, old, young, just starting, this book has words to live by. Each section has something for everyone to read and think about. Doesn't matter what your title is in your company. From CEO to the new person being hired, this is a must read for work and living. -B. Clifford, VP and General Manager

      Lorimer does a wonderful job of breaking down what you need to succeed. His personal anecdotes bring to life the challenges, both mental and physical, of persuading others to give you the time of day, make an appointment, and become happily involved in your product or service. If this doesn't improve your results, you're not doing the work! Beautifully done! - D. Bregger

      This book is an extremely useful tool for those in the sales field. The tips for reaching your numbers and the many personal anecdotes are appealing to those of us who are new to the field, but the strategies and models included would also benefit even the most seasoned pro. It was an informative, easy, and pleasurable read, and a definite must for those wishing to improve their ability to work independently, and/or with a team or group in order to best serve even the most demanding clients or bosses. Simply stated, this book details a common sense approach to becoming a more competent and confident salesperson. I highly recommend this author! - M. Schofield

      I was driven to read this book because I feel in every aspect of life, we are in sales. Reading the personal examples Sam Lorimer shares in this book, has provided me with a greater insight on how to speak and deal with those I come in contact with every day. I really appreciate and enjoy his direct communication style and feel his success in sales is a great representation of how we, as people, like to be dealt with. Sam writes with an easy to understand flair and leaves me feeling motivated to try the techniques he uses. I have enjoyed reading Common Sense Sales and highly suggest everyone, in sales or not, to read it and find out how to leave a positive impression on everyone you meet and touch base with. L. Travino-Goodman

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      I. Differentiating Yourself

      1. You Know More Than You Think You Do

      2. You Are What You Eat—And Think!

      3. Sales Rep: Know Thyself

      4. When You Love What You Do, You’re Alive!

      5. Reliable Customer? Don’t Take Them for Granted!

      6. A Warning about Going in to Sales

      7. Selling in Uncertain Times

      8. The Most Powerful Sales Tool I’ve Ever Used

      9. Sales from a Customer Viewpoint: The Three Buckets

      10. Lessons from a Top Rep

      11. The Power of Silence and the Pregnant Pause

      12. On Being Authentic

      II. Making the Work Count

      13. A Good Start to a Productive Day

      14. The Importance of Your Pipeline Report

      15. It Takes a Village to Close a Big Deal

      16. Too Busy Working to Do Your Job?

      17. The Three Rs of a Successful Sales Meeting

      18. Read, Wallow, or Make Your Own Way

      19. What a TV Show Can Teach You about Sales

      20. Increasing Your Organizational Influence

      21. How and Where to Focus Your Energy

      22. How Much Pipeline is Enough?

      23. What Are You Measuring?

      24. The One Thing Every Seller Should Rush Out and Buy

      III. Getting to the Meeting

      25. Building a Territory Plan

      26. An Amazing Source for Free Company Information

      27. I’m Going on a Sales Call and I Don’t Know What to Carry

      28. Selling Around/Over Your Contact

      29. The Rizzuti Five

      30. Set More Appointments with Decision Makers

      31. Champion or Coach?

      32. When the Real Selling Starts!

      IV. Making the Most Out of Your Customer Conversations

      33. Handling Difficult Customer Situations

      34. Making the Meeting Count

      35. The #1 Meeting Mistake

      36. Meetings Dos and Don’ts

      37. Listen, Listen, Listen. Listen Some More—Then Speak

      38. When It’s OK to Say No to a Customer

      39. On Deal Momentum

      40. Preventing Deals from Getting Stuck in the Legal Black Hole

      41. Want to Sell More? Just Ask Why?

      42. Pick Up the D@#n Phone!

      43. How to Start Every Prospect/Customer Meeting

      44. When is it OK to Talk About Me?!

      Final Thoughts

      Introduction

      Thank you for reading this book. I’m honored that you would spend the time to consider my thoughts on the art and science of selling.

      This book is divided in to four sections, each made up of chapters taken from articles from my blog, Common Sense Sales (www.common-sense-sales.blogspot.com). The first section, Differentiating Yourself, explores several approaches to the art of selling. In this section, you will discover how to leverage the power of silence in the negotiating process, how to focus your sales efforts during uncertain economic times, how important it is to be your authentic self, and a host of other ideas to help you separate yourself from the rest of the selling world.

      In the second section, Making the Work Count, you’ll learn how to focus your energy to achieve greater success, why it’s so important to maintain your pipeline report, and what a popular TV show can teach you about sales. These topics, and many more, are related to the science of selling and are aimed at helping make you a more successful and efficient sales rep.

      The third section, Getting to the Meeting, is full of actionable advice on how to set more appointments with decision makers. In these chapters, you will learn how to create a territory plan to help map out your near- and long-term activities, and you’ll discover techniques for selling around/over your main contact. We sellers spend significant time and energy attempting to meet and speak with key decision makers. Following the advice in this section will help you have more success with that crucial endeavor.

      In the final section, Making the Most Out of Your Customer Conversations, you will learn valuable insights on how to communicate and connect with your most trusted clients. Here we explore the importance of listening, what the most common meeting mistake is and how to avoid it, when it’s OK to talk about yourself, and other must-read advice—all geared toward making sure you make the most of your customer meetings.

      So why should you listen to me? Over the past 25 years, I have held successful sales leadership roles at a number of high-performing companies and have the accolades to prove it: the companies I’ve worked for have appeared in Inc. 5000, Inc. 500, Entrepreneur of the Year, and KMWorld Trend-Setting Products; they’ve won CompTIA’s Most Innovative Service or Business Model award and the Financial Executive Institute’s Innovative Idea of the Year award; and have been named Baseline’s number-one fastest-growing software company. These were companies making a difference in their respective industries, and I was one of the key leaders helping to make that difference.

      And I’ve closed a lot of deals—easily in the hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth, with transaction sizes ranging from less than $1,000 to more than $1 million and everywhere in between. I’ve sold computer hardware and software, in-flight and Internet recruitment advertising, videoconferencing products, access to data repositories, and a host of other technology and technology-related products and services. I’ve also lead high-performance sales teams, and it was largely those teams that resulted in most of the aforementioned awards.

      Even if your official role is not in sales, you are nevertheless always selling. You are selling your ideas, your budgets, your projects, and indeed yourself on a daily basis. So while you may not earn a commission for closing those sales, you are still constantly working toward advancing your professional agenda. The ideas in this book can help you do just that.

      The art of selling is an ongoing process; we are constantly refining our techniques and improving our processes. As such, this book shouldn’t be a one-time, front-to-back read. Instead, consider reading a chapter each week. Then, after reading the chapter, do something with the information. Don’t just read for pleasure; challenge yourself to put what you’ve learned into action. Then, when you have read the book in its entirety, read it again—one chapter per week. It’s like the directions commonly found on shampoo bottles: lather, rinse, repeat. The same holds true for this book: read, execute, repeat.

      My best to you and your selling efforts!

      I. Differentiating Yourself

      Selling is a cutthroat profession. It’s all about winning or losing—you either get the business or you don’t. There is no in between. That’s why winning a deal feels so good and why losing one can be so painful. We all know that ultimately the customer’s decision is based on our abilities. Now more than ever it is critical that you differentiate yourself from the rest of the selling pack. The talent level is too competitive, and companies have too many weapons in their arsenal for you to show up and do the same old tired selling. This first section of this book is all about being different: thinking differently, selling differently, and getting better results. Good sellers do the work. They know their products and their industry. And good sellers are everywhere. Great sellers take the time to learn even more, spend the time to earn their customer’s trust, and more often than not win. Great sellers are a

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1