We talk quite a bit about asking questions in the sales process. Ask better questions. Don’t assume. Listen. Don’t “tell”. And there is one more super-fantastic way “questions” can be the MVP of your sales game. Ask questions about your prospect’s questions. What? I started paying attention to this a few years ago. As a...Read More

Normally, feedback on a stage is a terrible, annoying thing. Audio feedback occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output. That shrill noise is loud and piercing. Performance feedback, however, is a gift. Opportunities to receive feedback on our performance are sometimes designed in our job roles: annual reviews, quarterly...Read More

I remember a funny moment about 10 years ago when a client figuratively slammed the door on me. I had set my sights on this customer as an ideal prospect for my printing solution. I found the right contact, called, emailed, called, emailed, called, called, and one day she answered the phone and said, “Tell...Read More

Whether I’m working with a fresh-faced new seller or a seasoned pro, one thing that almost every seller does is “underprepare” for meetings and calls. Even when they know I’m going to join them, listen in, or attend the meeting with them, they grab a blank notepad and dial or walk into a meeting. I’ve...Read More

“Don’t you just LOVE meetings!” . . . said probably no one ever. Sales meetings, in particular, were usually met with an eye roll so hard from me that I could examine the back of my brain. Time after time, whether they were weekly, monthly, or scheduled on a whim, sales meetings devolved into sessions...Read More

That was a special Mother’s Day. Unique, for sure. Remembering this special experience from a few years ago … “No sleeping in, breakfast in bed, or brunch this year. This year we were out the door before school bus time and on our way to a special experience at FedEx. One of my husband’s patients...Read More

Part of understanding the negative feelings out there about sellers is reconciling the fact that much of the sales advice out there preaches manipulative and controlling sales practices that leave customers skittish, untrusting, and gun-shy about sellers’ intentions. Which is why buyers don’t return our calls, shrug off our emails, and work hard to ignore...Read More

I surveyed a sales team recently – prior to a Skills Building session on Pushback, Objections, and Negotiation – and asked them some of the most common obstacles they face in business development. Their answers didn’t surprise me, but one of the things about their answers that I pointed out really made them think –...Read More

We spend a huge amount of energy working with our clients on the early stages of their pipeline. Right now, at this time in history, the demand for our customers’ attention is in intense. We are fighting to be able to get in front of buyers for those first precious impressions and to be able...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