When is the last time a stranger surprised you? Made you stop in your tracks, jerked you out of your “zone” and piqued your interest? Every once in a GREAT while, I get a cold call from a sales pro that really makes me stop and listen for at least the first minute. The other...Read More

Let’s do a reality check. Your Customers Know If You’re Showing Up for All the Wrong Reasons. They can smell it. Even on the phone. Self-serving sellers show up for all the wrong reasons. It’s what goes through buyers’ minds when they pick up the phone: “Is this person going to waste my time?” We...Read More

I hear sellers and business owners tell me they “Don’t want to be too pushy” at least 5 times a week. Trust me, if you have to say that, you’ve never been “too pushy”. Many of us have had negative experiences with salespeople that have a bulldozer mentality. They’re not afraid to run over you...Read More

Sometimes hard problems CAN have easy answers. Well, “simple” perhaps, because it requires effort and work. Sometimes, as an Account Executive or Business Development Rep, the grind of prospecting and pipelining new opportunities made me feel like Fred Baker from those old Dunkin’ Donuts commercials where he zombies about saying, “Time to make the donuts.”...Read More

It’s presumptuous to think that your customers don’t already have a solution for the service or product you provide. Perhaps presumptuous isn’t the right word. “Naive” maybe? Of course, they already use someone else. Their need doesn’t usually fall into YOUR lap unless you’re strictly an inbound rep responding to inquiries or leads – which...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

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

What do YOU think would be the response when asked, “What are the top challenges sellers and sales pros face today?” Up until 5 to 10 years ago, you might have heard a resounding, “Lack of leads!” coming from salespeople. Nowadays, in this lightning-fast digital world of social platforms and instant communication, that’s not so...Read More

Looking forward to the New Year, I’m thinking about the most important areas to focus on for my clients’ sales teams. Prospecting is always tough, closing is a priority, new business development is critical . . . What’s your data telling you to focus on? If you’re looking for specific places to focus on development,...Read More

Back in 1988, Stephen Covey wrote his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People which was a global phenomenon in the self-help genre selling over 25 million copies. Covey’s introspective advice struck a nerve with people who wanted to master success in their personal and business lives. The lessons he laid out were...Read More