I am constantly looking around, trying to identify the “selling” moments that happen in everyday transactions and interactions – big and small. Trying to articulate the good, the bad, and the really terrible, because most selling exchanges are not clearly defined moments that each party is privy to – rather, they are small, natural communications...Read More

Many sellers approach sales calls for business development with some anxiety. I can completely understand that feeling. In spite of good, better, and even amazing efforts, if you’ve been in sales doing business development for a while, you’ve been on the receiving end of grumpy prospects, hang-ups, yelling, or otherwise unpleasant calls. I can completely...Read More

When was the last time you were blown away by someone trying to sell you something? That long ago, huh? Maybe never? With the ever-increasing ability to serve ourselves in the pursuit of purchases, as buyers, we’ve been putting a lot of distance between us and sellers until we’re really sure we need someone to...Read More

Why does the sales profession get a bad rap? What’s the number one reason many people don’t want to be approached by a seller? Is it that we think they’re too pushy? Is it that we don’t want to be confronted with a choice or have to reject someone? Is it because we think they’re...Read More

What would you expect from Ivy League MBA students when it comes to selling? A while back, I had a really cool privilege to offer a sales coaching session to Harvard MBA students! Harvard’s School of Business created an extensive buyer/seller scenario for their students which culminated in a role play where students each took...Read More

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

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

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

Have you ever done the “Sales Walk of Shame” back to your car in the parking lot after realizing you just lost a sale and thought, “What in the world happened?” You didn’t see that coming. You thought things were looking good for you. Your buyer said things were going well. But somewhere along the...Read More

I often joke about tattoos I would get – if I were the tattoo-ing sort. There are 5 or 6 phrases I use so regularly. They’re soundbites that are recurring in most of our training sessions – that after a while, my sellers can repeat them back to me like audience members that know the...Read More