Sam Manfer

7 Reasons C-Level Relationship Selling Eliminates the Need for Low Price Bidding

1. I learned long ago the only way to use low pricing as a strategy is if you are the low cost producer. In this way you can outlast your competitors by losing less. Once they are out of business, you'll own the market and can charge what you'd like. ... Read >

Eliminate 2 Common and Critical Selling Mistakes by Using C-Level Relationship Selling

The New Account Syndrome The biggest handicap to increasing sales and market share is the inordinate amount of time sales people feel they have to spend getting new accounts. These are tough sales, second only to the toughest - trying to introduce new ... Read >

C-Level Relationship Selling – Increase Sales and Market Share Using C-Level Relationship Selling

C-Level relationship selling is simple and more effective than any other strategy, tactic or selling technique once you learn the process. However, if you don't know how to do it, it can be like cold calling in the sense that it's intimidating, fraught wi... Read >

C-Level Selling - Quality Sales Leads Will Come Once You Build Your Opportunity Matrix

In a previous article I discussed building your Opportunity Matrix of potential sales on an excel spread sheet. Each box in that matrix is a prospect and is defined by a "who" (company, division, location, project) and a "what" (one specific product or s... Read >

C-Level Selling - Know Where to Hunt and When – A 3 Step Process

Building your market size and your market share from the ground up is a simple task that every sales person should do in his/her region. What you want to have is a good visual, that you can easily update, that will shout out to do's with the best chances... Read >

C-Level Relationship Selling – 4 Steps to Generate High Quality Sales Leads

1. Learn What Senior Management Perceives As Issues, Threats and/or Problems in Your Area of Expertise My clients hire me because they all want to increase sales. So, my first consulting concept for them is look to you existing customers. But go ... Read >

C-Level Selling – If You Build Your Action Plan You Will Make More Sales

Sales growth will come from (1) existing customers; (2) old or lost customers; (3) new customers; (4) existing products or service; and/or (5) new products/ services. Based on the options above, the chances of success for making more sales are: • ... Read >

C-Level Relationship Selling Requires Differentiating Your Company to Your Customers’ C-Level Mana

Customers choose vendors based on the perception that something important is better from one company than another. "Better" simply boils down to three (3) factors - more benefits, less risks, and/or least effort. Many believe selection is based on p... Read >

7 Advanced Skills Required for C-Level Selling – Part I, Interviewing

Everybody knows that to present, ask questions, and listen are the basics of selling - not necessarily in that order. However, most sales people do not know the finesses associated with these basics because they never learned them. Selling typically... Read >

It’s 11 PM. Do You Know Where You Are?

This was the opening of the 11 O'clock News in Western New York for years while I lived there. Only it asked, "Do you know where your children are?" My question is all about you and who's watching out for you? See, we are usually watching out for our... Read >

The Power of Selling in the Executive Suite

Sales begin from the bottom-up or the top-down. They can begin internally from a perceived need, or they can begin externally from a marketing presentation. No matter how the sale initiates it ends with the executive in charge of the decision saying yes... Read >

Slaying the Gatekeepers: How to Get to the Leaders and Win the Sale

"GO NO FURTHER." That might as well be the sign implied, perceived or implanted in most people's minds when it comes to dealing with gatekeepers. Yet, if left in place, these blockers can kill your chances of making the sale because they control where and... Read >

Networking Works; Cold Calling Leaves You Cold

Many managers still mandate cold calling and for lack of a better idea many sales people still do it. However, you'll be far more successful generating quality leads by networking. Why, because networking eliminates resistance to getting a meeting and el... Read >

Top 8 Steps to Guarantee Closing Sales

It's best to have the goal in mind - the sale. So let's start from the end and work backwards. 8. Get all the powerful people - especially the most powerful person to commit to your offering. If it is a business sale, there may be lots of people in... Read >

Lead with “You” for Proactive Relationship Selling

What do you say when you call on potential buyers or the top executives of your clients organizations? If you're like most, you'll do some chit chat and then say something similar to, "I just wanted to check on how we're doing with the XYZ project." Then... Read >