Frank Rumbauskas's Page

Our world of selling is closed off from other areas of business that continue to
adopt and embrace new, efficient ideas. I was reminded of this recently while re-
reading Seth Godin's "Permission Marketing." Here's a book that was intended for
business owners and marketing executives, yet it provides a much-needed dose of
common sense that would be of great benefit to sales organizations, especially
sales managers, who continue to cling to very old, and, in their minds, very right,
ideas. Unfort… Continue

Is cold calling dead? And if laws are being passed to put it to rest once and for all, how do we generate business from now on?

Opinions on the subject vary greatly depending on the background of the individual. For example, most of the old-timers are vigilant in preaching their belief that the only possible way to succeed in the world of selling is to make no less than fifty calls each and every day. On the other hand, younger salespeople tend to become frustrated with this rather quickly and… Continue

We've all heard the term KISS at one time or another - "Keep It Simple, Stupid." However, the majority of salespeople violate this basic principle more often than not.

Let me start with some examples of what I'm talking about. At one position I held, I sat next to someone who could have been a top salesperson. He and I both operated much the same in that rather than cold call, we ran our own personal marketing programs to generate leads and simply took the calls that came in as a result. The pr… Continue

Sales managers frequently approach me for advice on how to keep salespeople motivated, especially when sales reps get into a rut - and seem to keep slipping deeper into it. Telling managers what not to do usually solves the problem. Most managers do things to de-motivate salespeople without even knowing it.

Let's take the idea of funnels and forecasts, for instance. Funnels and forecasts are important aspects of running any sales operation. Both salespeople and managers need to know where they… Continue

A conspiracy exists in the world of selling. A cold calling conspiracy.

What I’m talking about is the requirement by most sales organizations to make cold
calls on your time and at your expense. They say that cold calls equal appointments
equal sales, but that’s not true anymore. All sales managers are guilty of teaching
it, believing it, and using it. “Increase your activity and increase your income” are
the mantra. We’re told to do the sales math to “motivate” ourselves. Have you
heard this o… Continue