There’s hardly anything I can think of that’s more cringeworthy to a seller than hearing, “I’ll think it over” come out of a prospect’s mouth after you’ve proposed a solution or put a contract in front of him or her. For me, it was worse than hearing a flat out, “No” or “I’ve chosen another...Read More

No one and I mean NO ONE loves it when I’ve ever asked them to role-play a sales scenario. It’s hard to explain how many times I’ve gotten eye rolls when I brought up role-playing through a scenario. Why do we hate it so much? Well, it’s awkward. Everyone’s staring at you – thinking, “glad...Read More

Many times when a new client reaches out or “sends up the bat-signal” it comes after one or more significant sales losses – especially if the loss is an existing account and it came as a shock. This has happened to me when I was an account executive and I see this often when I...Read More

NOTE: This is an update to the WHACK-A-MOLE Business Strategy post from several years back. I work with both business owners and their sales teams and individual sellers and I see more WHACK-A-MOLE than ever! Does this title feel ALL too familiar to you? I write this blog as I had an encounter with a...Read More

Why do we love toddlers and small humans in weddings? It’s not because ring bearers and flower girls perfectly execute their duties with the style and panache of professionals. It’s because, in spite of rehearsals, practices and coaching, we know that they are a wild card and are capable of melting down, going off course...Read More

Do you remember the old instructions on the back of a shampoo bottle? I think there are still a few around with those instructions. “For best results, Lather, Rinse, Repeat” This was actually one of my super successful sales mantras when I was a sales account executive in Television, Commercial Print, and Flexible Office Space....Read More

Over these past few weeks, I’ve had strong reinforcements of my core beliefs about sales training: Most of it needs to be, “Undone.” I see proof every day that Sales Onboarding is upside down or backwards. I see sales training that is hype, technique and manipulation-based vs skills focused. Much of the current “well-known” sales...Read More

Potatoes, Eggs, Bacon, Croissant, Orange Juice, Dolphins. See what I did there? Your brain started looking for a pattern: Food, Breakfast Foods … then, BAM. Disruption. Want to get someone’s attention? Disrupt patterns AND their expectations. Our brains are, say it with me now, FUTURE PREDICTION MACHINES and we’re constantly surveying and assessing for what...Read More

My agile, fit, 71-year-old mother came over this week after cleaning her gutters. They were pulling away from the house so she climbed on a ladder and in the 90 degree Memphis summer heat, cleaned the debris and gunk out of her gutters. The rub came later when she was in the house and tidying...Read More

I helped a friend out a few weeks ago. She has built a team of salespeople underneath her in a business that sells global products made by artisans paid fair wages and the organization commits the profits heavily to humanitarian efforts around the world as well. Her team members are NOT professionally trained salespeople, yet,...Read More