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In a lot of ways, extensive product knowledge is the basis of a sound sales engagement. The most effective sales reps act as educated, consultative resources for their prospects — and you can't sell from that position if you don't know your offering inside and out.

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Nobody's perfect. Some of us miss trash day and have our apartments smell like swamp water for the rest of the week. Some of us forget our anniversaries and have to scramble to CVS to pick up those mediocre chocolates in heart-shaped boxes the day after (that do exactly nothing to remedy the situation) … and some of us work in sales and fall back on bad habits that undermine our credibility with prospects and undercut our broader productivity.

http://websitementor.org/117411?blogid=Latest-Articles&view=post&articleid=279556&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Controversial hot take incoming: Summer's kind of a bummer. And if you know the sales industry well, you already know what I'm going to say next: Your team's motivation levels could be tanking right before your eyes.

http://websitementor.org/117411?blogid=Latest-Articles&view=post&articleid=279555&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Sales planning is a fundamental component of sound selling. After all, you can't structure an effective sales effort if you don't have, well, structure. In my experience, everyone — from the top to the bottom of a sales org — benefits from having solid, actionable, thoughtfully organized sales plans.

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As my career in sales has progressed, I've learned the art of sales account planning through a lot of trial and error.

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I worked as a sales development representative (SDR) at IBM for the first five years of my sales career. I learned then (and appreciated even more as an account executive) that SDRs are often the unsung heroes of high-performance sales teams. I still appreciate the critical role that SDRs play in gathering account intelligence and building credibility with campaign responders when they call or email me when my research crosses paths with their campaigns.

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A solid social selling strategy falls somewhere between "nice-to-have" and "need-to-have" in the modern sales landscape. Activities like prospect outreach, cultivating brand awareness, and online relationship building are all enhanced by social media — so having a solid presence on these platforms can really help your case.

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Welcome to Trends, a weekly newsletter with the zestiest business trends and actionable insights for entrepreneurs.

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We're so deep in the AI revolution that it's not really a "revolution" anymore. It's a standard — a borderline ubiquitous factor in virtually every field, and sales is definitely no exception.

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As a salesperson in today's business landscape, you'll need to better optimize your time and efficiency. Luckily, new artificial intelligence technologies are transforming the industry. You can now more easily meet sales targets, close deals, and foster customer relationships.