Tom Hopkins’ How To Sell Anything program is still powerful

A recent addition to my professional development is both old and new. Tom Hopkins’ “How To Master The Art of Selling Anything” is proving to be a very valuable training program. Although first recorded in 1979, his principles and strategies are timeless. Its 24 sessions offer a comprehensive review of the selling process. Topics include … Read more

8 steps to ensure more success in sales

Want to know how to be more successful in sales? This column should help.

I had the pleasure recently of attending a seminar by Dave Behr. Dave, a 17-year veteran of Competitive Edge Seminars (one of Tom Hopkins’ firms), filled his 60-minute session with some of the best sales advice I’ve heard in a long time.

Scribbling madly, I managed to take some great notes from that presentation. Here are my 8 tips to help you become more successful in sales. Some may be familiar, others are new. All are valuable sales techniques.

1. Put the 80/20 Rule to work for you. Knowing that 20% of what we do makes 80% of the difference, concentrate on that 20% portion. “It comes down to activity,” Dave says. Several ways to become more successful: Make more sales calls, prospect more efficiently (for example, targeting higher quality prospects), or both.

Dave cautions against getting too aggressive with your new activities. Incorporate them over time. If you try to do too much in a short time span, you’ll become frustrated and stop.

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