Technology has grown by leaps and bounds, but the 'art' of selling has become clouded as savvy sales teams feel the daily pressure to close deals. Because advances in the internet have made communicating so convenient, many with sales responsibility are not practicing basic rules of engagement, building core relationships or courting the sales prospect.

In 1950, my Dad, Al Payer (pictured on the far right), was in Cannes, France as a young Marine. The training he was exposed to then had a profound affect on me and my siblings. That training also carried over into his professional life working as a civilian for the Department of Defense as an Army Transportation Freight Specialist.

Social media marketing can be a foreign set of words to any business owner, but for professionals in the pharmaceutical, biotech and life science sectors the term can be especially nerve-racking. Where do I start? Will I be divulging too much information? What products can I mention? Can I ask my followers questions? Will fan comments get me in hot water with the FDA?

Today’s passionate pharma/biotech entrepreneur often commits to working agreements with various service providers without understanding their knowledge, reach and commitment to deliverables. With greater connectivity, thanks to social media and global partnerships, more information/knowledge is being demanded of the small guy in order to quickly move projects forward.

Successfully preparing for a meeting can be just as critical as the actual time spent in the meeting. Sales-Link’s clients are busy, brilliant innovators, but although they are successful scientists, business developers and managers they may still require learning a few simple strategies to engage and warm up to their new Sales-Link leads.

I was recently asked to be part of a small group of database system providers that were being evaluated for a CRO’s sales department. The CRO wanted to locate a database/system provider that would help their sales department generate more leads, which I interpreted to be a need for a fruitful lead generation system.

Many times a company may be hampering its own lead generation and sales success simply due to a breakdown in communications. At SALES-LINK we speak regularly with clients to help them gain a better understanding of their company’s strengths and challenges.