http://www.mdm.com/podcast Todd Youngblood, YPS Group Inc., provides insight on how to improve your sales with this Think About It podcast. en-us Copyright 2009 by Gale Media, Inc. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:39:37 GMT tdscripts.com Podcast Generator info@mdm.com 1 In this digital age, the first stop a potential customer makes is the internet. If you're not there, you're not part of the decision-making process. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:30:00 GMT There are five types of sales reps, and the superstars are spread out across the categories with 39 percent being challengers and only 7 percent being relationship-builders. Which team do you want to join? Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:30:00 GMT You wouldn't use outdated technology to connect with your customers, so why are you still using an outdated method to grow sales with them? Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:30:00 GMT American author Harriet Beecher Stowe said: "To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization." Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:30:00 GMT Need examples of how using cloud technologies can and will create a massive competitive advantage for you? Just listen to this. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:30:00 GMT Volunteering isn't about "giving back"; it's about "giving". And good business leaders can learn great business lessons along the way. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:30:00 GMT To fill knowledge gaps, sales people often search the Internet for expertise. If you're invisible in those search results - in other words, if you're not publishing - you're missing out. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:30:00 GMT While several people may benefit from what you're trying to sell, not everyone should receive the same amount of attention from you right off the bat. Wed, 3 Aug 2011 18:38:00 GMT Mom was right: honesty, integrity and the commitment to serve will pay off in the long run. Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:38:00 GMT Talent is an ability that is the result of process and effort. A lot of things have to come together in order to nurture your natural talent. Tue, 5 Jul 2011 15:43:00 GMT The examples of e-Rep power and sales effectiveness just keep on coming. Listen to this story about how a totally off-topic sales call turned into a win. Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:49:00 GMT Brochures have their place; your blog isn't it. And your blog won't be a destination if that's all that you offer. Mon, 23 May 2011 22:49:00 GMT "If it's not in the CRM, it doesn't exist." The only way to make sure everyone is on the same page is to have all the information stored in one place. Wed, 5 May 2011 19:13:00 GMT The economy seems to be recovering a bit, but its still pretty ugly. We've already picked the low-hanging fruit, so now what? Forget working harder; innovation now is about working smarter. Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:55:00 GMT Make no mistake. There is a gap between your mind and your mouth. Neglect filling that gap before making the call or presentation and guarantee less than optimal results. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:50:00 GMT Customers are demanding. And they don't really care about you, your products or your company. They care about achieving their goals. Wed, 6 Apr 2011 17:32:00 GMT A sales rep can ALWAYS demonstrate quantified value, even if the comparative advantage seems counterintuitive. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:04:00 GMT Fourteen steps to effectively answer the question: 'What the heck do I blog about?' Wed, 2 Mar 2011 17:14:00 GMT There may be a lot of contextual confusion going on out there, and way too much reliance on over-simplified, passe sales process thinking. Wed, 2 Feb 2011 17:48:00 GMT The cliche 'It takes 20 years to become an overnight success' is baloney. It's actually six years. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:57:00 GMT There are some business lessons that are unquestionably true and that I have advised others to adhere to carefully that I still fail to follow myself all the time. Tue, 4 Jan 2011 19:49:51 GMT Innumerate: Unable to understand and use numbers in a calculation. Innumeracy is rapidly and relentlessly reducing the relevance of one set of professionals after another. Are sales professionals next? Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:45:11 GMT New facts and perspectives combined with the facts and perspectives already in your head are the raw materials for creativity and innovation. Wed, 1 Dec 2010 18:07:11 GMT The title may be an example of stating the obvious, but sometimes what everybody knows is also a case of what few people practice. Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:44:11 GMT The best sales managers and executives expect a lot in terms of results, but tend to demand very few things. The single most common demand of the top-notch sales leader? A monthly forecast. Tue, 7 Sep 2010 18:20:31 GMT Finding yourself frequently acknowledging, I don't know, is a signal that you have become a superior sales rep. Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:15:31 GMT The traditional role of sales rep as provider of information is obsolete. Today's sales rep needs to put himself in the customer's shoes and think like a business manager. Tue, 3 Aug 2010 21:26:00 GMT Dwight D. Eisenhower made the comment in the title of this podcast regarding the Normandy invasion, and how little the actual battle resembled the D-Day plan. Though things may not go according to plan, planning helps you manage any surprises that may arise. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:00:00 GMT Conventional wisdom holds that continuous sales training is essential. But why isn't there more of it going on? Wed, 7 Jul 2010 18:00:00 GMT Make no mistake, there is a universal language of business: finance. No matter how noble, executives are in it to make money. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:51:00 GMT By definition, sales reps have specialized knowledge and expertise; without it, they couldn't sell anything. Blogs will provide an efficient way to share that knowledge. Thu, 16 Jun 2010 22:41:00 GMT A case for aggressive sharing of EVERYTHING you know: The more valuable the knowledge you possess, the valuable you are. Mon, 24 May 2010 15:41:00 GMT If the sales practices you use on a regular basis are the same ones you were using a year or two or more ago, they probably no longer deserve the 'best' label. They may be great, but are they really the best? Thu, 6 May 2010 21:20:00 GMT Unintended consequences happen, even in sales process engineering. What can you do about them? Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:10:26 GMT Which is the better approach to sales process improvement: a funnel to guide new business to a desired point, or an incubator to foster new opportunity? Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:00:26 GMT Podcasts can be a great tool for business executives. I'm addicted. Here's five reasons why you should be too. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:45:37 GMT It only took 113 days for Todd Youngblood's E-Rep to close its first deal. Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:45:37 GMT Time again to take a look in the mirror and pick a few items to get really good at executing over the next twelve months. (Seems like maybe Ive seen a few of these before!) Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:45:37 GMT For years, I've said a traditional quote does nothing more than list items for sale, prices, totals, discounts and net price; instead, I said submit a proposal to differentiate yourself. I was wrong... Fri, 5 Feb 2010 23:45:37 GMT That is, every Human Rep needs an Electronic Rep to help execute the extraordinarily challenging job of Sales Rep. Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:37 GMT Hey, let's all jump blindly onto the social media bandwagon!!! They say it's a great idea... Thu, 7 Jan 2010 21:10:37 GMT Quite often the inspiration for a great sales idea comes from a source way outside our industry or normal frame of reference. What follows is a story about a really creative value proporsition, and how you can use its message for your own business. Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:10:37 GMT As a sales rep, you know better than anybody what your customers and prospects need to know. You've done your research. You know the value they could accrue by using your stuff. They just won't take the time to meet with you and listen! Well, maybe it's you that needs to listen up. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:14:37 GMT The sales rep with superior knowledge is a formidable competitor. That's why you have a Sales Excellence Council in place. (Right?) And that group is charged with identifying the best and newest sales best practices and tools. (Right?) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:53:37 GMT When your customers and prospects start their research in anticipation of buying something, they go right to Google, right? But where are you in those results? If you're not taking advantage of social media, you may be missing out on sales. Tue, 3 Nov 2009 22:14:37 GMT None of us can ever invest enough time in increasing the punching power of our Value Propositions. Ever think in terms of their ubiquity and staying power? Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:39:37 GMT When you blow all the smoke away, knowledge is the only thing any of us has to sell any more. That's always been the case for a consulting-type business, but today, profitably selling even the most commoditized of commodities requires lots and lots of knowledge. It's all about finding andor purchasing andor packaging andor shipping andor installing andor applying andor maintaining andor disposing of andor... It's all about the intellectual content. It's the knowledge, stupid! Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:04:29 GMT Technology has changed everything. It used to take multiple face-to-face sales calls to get a prospect up to speed on the potential value of our products and services. More importantly, those calls enabled us to acquire a broad, deep understanding of their issues, requirements and problems. Now, web 2.0 makes our info available 247. They don't need us to learn about us. AND, they now refuse to take the time to educate us regarding what they need. Wed, 7 Oct 2009 06:04:29 GMT