May 13, 2013
“Don’t just sit there, do something!”
That exhortation rings in my ears whenever I sit quietly, stare out the window, and let my mind flow where it will in order to solve a problem or capture an opportunity. I’m not sure who planted that message. Perhaps it...
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April 08, 2013
There are many questions you can ask a prospective customer; but, one of the simplest and most important is, “What do you need?” In a retail environment, business-to-business or business-to-consumer, if we don’t discover what the prospect needs, it’s...
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March 12, 2013
Sometimes, as sales managers and coaches, we have to dig deeper for honest answers in order to reach a level where we can provide constructive feedback.
Salespeople are taught to be positive, optimistic and confident. The first answer you get is always going...
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February 11, 2013
Thirty-five years ago I was a neophyte life insurance salesman armed only with a strong set of values, insatiable curiosity, a farmer’s work ethic, and little else. But it was enough to earn me passage to my first annual sales conference; a lavish trip with...
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January 08, 2013
With apologies to Richard Carlson who wrote Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff (and It’s All Small Stuff), I’d like to suggest that, in sales, the small stuff is important.
Now to be fair, I do agree that we shouldn’t get hung up on things that we can’t change....
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January 01, 2013
Never underestimate the value of personal information and common ground when negotiating online, on the phone or face-to-face.
In a series of studies carried out between several groups of MBA students from well-known business schools, half were told “time is...
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December 11, 2012
How would you define your perfect job?
Would it include independence? The opportunity to dig hard when you want; yet still take time off for important family events? Would you like a job in which continuous learning and ongoing training would be available,...
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November 13, 2012
Thirty-five years ago, while still in my twenties, I grasped a winning idea that a lot of mature salespeople still haven’t figured out. Perhaps, at that time, I had stumbled upon a little known secret; something I learned years later from Richard Koch in an...
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October 07, 2012
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
When my daughter was about nine and preparing for school, she stomped her feet angrily and declared, “I hate static cling!” I laughed out loud, struck by the absurdity of...
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September 10, 2012
Your first response might be to say that salespeople are responsible. You might say the sales manager. Or, you might point out that everyone in the company is responsible for sales.
Everyone could be the right answer. We expect everyone in an organization...
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