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Note: Click here to provide input on YOUR sales challenges.Earlier in the year, if Bill Farquharson or Kelly Mallozzi had asked, "What are your top sales challenges?" you might have replied with answers like, Voicemail or Time Management. But in this Summer of COVID, those seem like simple matters.Separate of each other and based on conversations with clients and sales people in the graphic arts, Bill and Kelly each came up with a list and share it live in this week's Short Attention Span Sales podcast.After you listen, make sure to go to ShortAttentionSpanSales.com to take part in a quick survey/questionnaire. Help Bill and Kelly identify your sales challenges and then be a part of the solution.For more information, contact Bill at 781-934-7036 or BillFarquharson.com. Kelly can be found at 773-680-5134 or SuccessInPrint.net

Sometimes ideas come flying out and other times…nothing. The lack of motivation translates to a lack of inspiration and creativity. For example, there was no Short Attention Span Sales Podcast last week. In this week’s episode, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi say why and talk about how it relates to sales.

"What was once optional is now mandatory"Back in the day, as we legacy sales reps like to say, you could get away with shoddy skills and a somewhat inconsistent approach. Business was good, the economy strong, and no one was wearing a mask.No more. Now, in this COVID-19 world many of the once-optional rules and practices of sales are mandatory if your goal is to sell successfully and profitably. Which rules? To prepare for this Short Attention Span Sales Podcast, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi each made a list of the 5 must-have sales skills they believe are required and reveal them to each other for comment.

If you are buying into the "It will take time, but we'll get back to normal" theory, you should seriously consider spending time on this question, "What if my market is gone?" All of us would love to think once the dust settles, business will return as it was. The truth is, no one knows what comes next and you need to be prepared for the possibility that your client base (read: target market) will look nothing like what it did before the world got COVID19-ed. Where does that process start?Funny you should ask.In this Short Attention Span Sales podcast, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi give you some brain candy to chew on, questions to ask, and shine a light on a subject few are talking about but many are waking up to find. Give this subject 20 minutes to avoid getting blind-sided by reality.

Okay, you are ready for the sales reboot. Your pencils are sharpened. You have new clothes. The car is full of gas. Your potential clients are ready.But...You have a little bit of wait time left. What should you do before you hit the sales trail again? First and foremost, listen to this Short Attention Span Sales podcast. Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi will give you their opinions on what they think your "musts" are.

With talk turning to rebooting the economy, your customers and prospects will have one question: How? If you can answer that question, you can not only help them rebound and drive sales but help yourself at the same time. Got a plan?In this Short Attention Span Sales podcast, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi offer up a new idea to quickly and easily get into good sales conversations. If you are a fan of simplicity, you'll love what you are about to hear!Want more? Go to BillFarquharson.com or contact Bill at 781-934-7036 or bill@aspirefor.com

They come night and day, attacking when you least expect it: You will fail. No one is buying right now. Today's the day you are fired. Sales Terrors.In this Short Attention Span Sales podcast, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi talk about how to defend against that internal voice that works to destroy your confidence and defeat your sales momentum. A good sales approach starts with a good attitude. Get one here.

Did you know why it's so important for a car sales rep to get you behind the wheel for that test drive? Because one in three people who drive a car buy a car. Think that might work with a plant tour?So do we!Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi use this Short Attention Span Sales podcast to discuss 4 elements of a killer-good plant tour. Make it so customers are blown away by your facility.

If you are in sales, being called "Old School" is both a badge of honor and a designation of being a little behind the times. But here's the thing: Old School still works despite the options that technology offers. Rather than to dismiss it, then, why not embrace the lessons that come from sticking to the fundamentals and keeping it simple?In this Short Attention Span Sales podcast, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi (a pair of sales people who most definitely fit the description of being Old School) discuss 4 timeless sales techniques from the/their past you might want to apply now.

We all have top accounts, those clients who make up a double digit percentage of our sales volume. Lose any one of them and it creates a significant void. This Short Attention Span Sales podcast tells you how to keep and even grow these anchor accounts by sharing 4 things you must know about them. It's not enough to simply understand their buying cycle and when the next big order is coming up. Today, sales people have a greater responsibility for more indepth knowledge.Spend 19 minutes listening to Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi. It might just be the preventative medicine you needed to keep riding that wave of customer success.

Okay, so Bill and Kelly told you the things they wish someone had told them about sales in a previous Short Attention Span Sales podcast. In this episode, they cover the things they did know ahead of time that they now know you should know.Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi have a combined 70 years in sales. They know a thing or two because they've seen a thing or two...or in this case, four. Shorten your success learning curve by listening to your elders......and then download the checklist of this podcast. 

Warning: If you are just starting out, this Short Attention Span Sales episode might scare you...to the point of trying something a little less challenging and frustrating than sales. Listen at your own peril.You know sales is difficult. Bill and Kelly did, too. But it would have been a lot easier had someone shared a few secrets and tips for survival. This podcast helps to fill you in on a few points of knowledge that will bring you to success faster.And be sure to visit the website to download a checklist of this episode.

"Did-ya sell anything today?" must be the worst thing a sales manager can say to a sales rep. However, let's forgive their lack of abilities. Like kids, sales people don't come with instruction manuals so it is not automatically understood how to treat, talk to, and most importantly, manage, a sales team.Imagine if your child said to you, "Here's what I need from you..." It'd make life a lot easier, don't you think? Well, despite having 11 kids between them, Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi don't have the answers for your parenting woes. They can, however, help out with some ideas for helping your manager to manage.After you take in this Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode, be sure to visit the website to download a checklist.

Is voicemail a sales rep's friend or enemy? Well, this Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode might change the hearts of you VM haters first by talking about the mistakes you are making and then showing you how to use it as a powerful selling tool.Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi have a different outlook on voicemail. They see it as an audition, not a moat build around the castle where the clients live. As such, they want to make sure you are ready for your close up.Listen to what Bill and Kelly have to say and then find their actionable checklist as well as other SASS episodes on the website: ShortAttentionSpanSales.com

FINALLY! You are given the opportunity to quote a job. After dogged pursuit, you've caught car you were chasing (see what we did there?). The specs are reviewed. Estimating has done their thing. The pencil has been sharpened. You happily deliver your price and then....nothing.Calls go unanswered. Emails seem ignored. Your head swirls with doubt and assumptions.Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?In this 18 minute Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode, you will hear Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi give you the proper protocol for what needs to be done to avoid the ghosting we all experience. After listening, go to the website to download a checklist summary of this material while reviewing the list of other episodes.

No other part of social media is more important to sales people than LinkedIn, and yet reps spend almost no time or energy on their homepage. That'd be like releasing a movie on DVD and printing the words, "Yeah, it's an okay movie" on the back jacket as a testimonial.Your LinkedIn homepage is an opportunity to make or break a new client relationship. This is where people go to find out more information on that persistent rep that keeps calling on them. Follow these 4 "Musts" from Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi and learn how to build an online profile that makes you look like the Wizard of Oz and not someone hidden behind the curtain.

If you are simply "shutting down" and calling it a day, you are likely leave an important task undone. There is one more thing that needs to be done before you can call a day complete. Strike that.Actually, there are 4 Things To Do Before You Go Home For The Day, as pointed out in this Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode. Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi have rebooted SASS to take a more instructional approach, helping listeners improve sales. Give this episode a listen and tell them what you think by logging in to the website and providing some feedback.

Scott Cappel is a printer's printer. San Diego-based, Scott led his company not only as its owner but also the one and only sales rep. Ever. When he sold his client list, he faced a choice: Either walk those awful beaches under perfect skies and play golf day after day or...dive back in to another aspect of the graphic arts. Tough choice, Scott!In this Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode, Bill interviews his long-time friend and introduces him to Kelly so you can hear about Scott's journey from master printer to Certified Master Advertising Specialist (yup, that's a thing).Think it's easy to sell promo? Think again if your goal, like Scott's, is to do it profitably.

On the surface, it's ideal: You make your own hours while living in an unsupervised environment, free to sell, make lunch for the kids, or watch Mrs. Maisel again because it's just that good.But you won't.Instead, you'll end up working harder than if you were in a traditional work environment. The joy of working from home is clear. The pain, well, that wasn't exactly in the brochure. Bill and Kelly have worked from their respective homes for decades and know a thing or two about the rules for thriving in the work part and surviving the home part. In this Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode, they put down the bonbons and the TV remote long enough to share some thoughts.Sponsored by The PIA iLearning Center, where you'll find two Advanced Sales Training classes, one on selling to vertical markets and the other on selling digital/inkjet printing.

If there was a Sales 101 book that detailed every aspect of the selling process, included "how-to" instructions, and specific step-by-step tasks, would you read it? Neither would Bill Farquharson nor Kelly Mallozzi. Too boring. But, there are non-sales books which are far more interesting and valuable to help reps do their job better.This Short Attention Span Sales podcast episode is something of a book report. Bill and Kelly cover 11 of their top choices for must-reads (or in the case of one, must-listen to) and there is nothing boring about any of them.