Bradenton, FL – NinetyFive 5, LLC today announced that it has completed the sale of the company to Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC), as a strategic addition to Franklin Covey's Sales Performance Practice.  NinetyFive 5's Sales Enablement Consulting and Coaching Execution System ("S.U.C.C.E.S.S."), which includes a subscription-based online tool set, sales coaching, and both live and virtual training, will be a powerful addition to Franklin Covey' […]

As you start to work with a prospect company, you often find that the formal job titles do not match the reality of how power is exercised. When you plan your sales pursuit, it makes sense to identify the one person you should build the plan around. Who is the player who is really calling the shots? Getting a meeting with them often takes a lot of effort. You may need to speak with other members of their team first in order to have a better understanding of the political environment an […]

One surefire way to lose your audience is to launch into a monologue that is all about you. What's amazing to me is that experienced salespeople do it all the time. Before beginning a sales pitch, check your intent. Is telling your customer about your experience, your company and your products the best way to create value for them? A first meeting with a new prospect may present a lot of opportunities for you to talk about yourself. You may actually need to tell your story before […]

We've all been to too many meetings where there is no clear purpose or agenda. Unless the questions that are on everyone's mind - "What's to be achieved in the given time?" and "How do reach we our objective?" are quickly addressed, the conversation can get off track and become a huge waste of everyone's time. Isn't it refreshing when you attend a meeting that gets off to a great start? Since the first few minutes you are in front of a prosp […]

You sell to people, not companies. Doing some basic research can help you understand what someone values and how you might be able to get introduced to them. When you have a referral, it is much easier to reach a target prospect directly. You can begin by naming a mutual acquaintance who suggested that you contact them in any emails or voice mails. Your initial communication should help your prospect to adopt the beliefs that you will be easy to talk with and will genuinely respect the […]

When someone asks me for a referral, I usually try to help. I sometimes find myself thinking that the best way for me to help is to coach them on how they can ask for referrals more effectively.A fairly straightforward way to get a referral is ask an existing customer to introduce you to someone in their industry. You might want to start out by answering the question they have in their mind: Why are you asking them? Based on our work together, I believe you’re someone who ha […]

Is cold-calling a necessary evil? While it is preferable that prospects call us, come to our offices and ask for our help, it is unavoidable that we, at some point, have to call upon a new prospective customer. One of my favorite lines from the book Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play is "Cold-calling sucks."It is so true. Think about the odds that a salesperson will reach someone when they call them AND that that someone needs what they have to offer just at the time […]

Do you have a lot of deals that have been just sitting in the pipeline not moving at all? If so, a thorough pipeline scrub can do wonders.Removing opportunities that are dead or dying enables you to free up resources so you can focus on winning the high-probability deals. How can you identify which opportunities to try to move forward and which ones to take off of life support?Answering the question “Is the customer going to buy?” is the first step. Then you should […]

Whether you are striving to reach a personal goal or attempting to align a business unit to strategic objectives of a large organization, applying a proven process can help you to achieve greater measurable results more quickly.The best models are often the ones that are the easiest to grasp and can be applied to a variety of situations. “Plan-Do-Check-Act”, or PDCA, is a simple approach that works. It’s a straightforward process that is often quite intuit […]

Now is a time for new beginnings as the New Year brings hope for a brighter future.You may be starting a diet or exercising more fiscal discipline. You are not alone. In the next few weeks, people will dedicate themselves to all sorts of resolutions.  Just go to a gym and see how crowded it is.  There will be a lot more room in a few months.Most people set goals that are vague and are almost more like wishes.  For a large majority of them, it is unlikely that […]