Comments on: Is Sales Getting Soft, or Just Forgetting Our Importance?

By: roypaeth

roypaeth — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:03:12 +0000

Bill,

Being in the mortgage industry many of my colleagues have left the industry because they survived on buying leads and really never built a successful referral system. Those that are still left in the industry never relied on the quick buck and built a solid base.

Roy Paeth
Chicago First Time Home Buyer

By: roypaeth

roypaeth — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:03:12 +0000

By: roypaeth

roypaeth — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:03:12 +0000

By: Bill Rice

Bill Rice — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:50:30 +0000

Marcus,

I'm so glad you found me. It is a pleasure to have you here. Thanks for the comment and adding to the discussion!

By: Bill Rice

Bill Rice — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:49:13 +0000

Roy,

I agree. It saddens me when I see sales people chasing scams and “silver bullets” to come back from a decline. Yanking yourself up by the bootstraps simply means doing the hard work, don't you think? Making some calls, setting some appointments, making some friends. The fun part of the job–really.

By: Bill Rice

Bill Rice — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:46:48 +0000

Jerry,

You are so right about how buying and selling make things "tick." America is one of the most consumer-based markets in the world (proved by one of the lowest savings rates). When those consumers lose confidence, like they did in 2006-2007 we get the recession.

So, if you think of sales people as those who help bring the confidence back it gives you a little different perspective on your job. A little challenge and pride in our step.

Thanks for the comment Jerry.

By: MarcusSheridan

MarcusSheridan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:50:32 +0000

Hi Bill, this is my first time on your site and I appreciated your frankness in this article as well as your 'action-oriented' philosophy. In times such as these, you're absolutely right, if the news/friends/media/etc won't give our clients confidence, we sure as heck better. I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

By: roypaeth

roypaeth — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:33:11 +0000

Good info. I think with the way the economy has been the past couple of years too many sales people try to find the magic bullet that will make customers flock to them. These days i think a return to basics is what is needed in many cases.

Roy Paeth - Chicago First Time Home Buyer

By: Jerry Kennedy

Jerry Kennedy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:54:59 +0000

Agreed Bill. Doyle's post got me thinking, too. I keep saying that it's the salespeople who are the best and ONLY hope of pulling us out of this economic slump. We need to remember that buying and selling are what this country (and the rest of the world, too) tick. Great post!

By: Bill Rice

Bill Rice — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:57:46 +0000

I think the push/probe visual is a good one. You have to make contact and engage the prospect to figure out where you are or should be in you role to educate or facilitate.

And lead nurturing, that is the important process to develop to make all this work and not crush you under the volume of relationships you need to mature.

Good stuff! Thanks for adding to the discussion Tony!