The Holidays are about to roll in and roll over us in all their festive and glittery glory. It seems once we pass Turkey day, the remaining few weeks of the year pick up steam like a snowball rolling downhill. For business, that means we’re starting to think about wrapping things up this year, taking...Read More

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

In a previous BrightTalk webinar, I surveyed the audience of sellers and asked, “What is your biggest challenge in prospecting?” I thought the results were extremely interesting – and they validated what I’m hearing from many businesses and sales pros about their challenges in new business development. Of the 120 live viewers, those that responded...Read More

At a friend’s recommendation a while back, I read a short but poignant book by Jon Gordon: Training Camp, A Fable About Excellence. You may recognize his name from one of his many other books, such as The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, and The Positive Dog. Jon has a gift to take business and life...Read More

In an interview by Paul Watts for his show Sales Reinvented Podcast he asked me “What’s one thing you wish you knew earlier in your sales career?” My answer: “I wish I would have known to be more hardcore at pre-qualifying.” Yup. Pre-qualifying prospects is critical and when I think of all the thousands of...Read More

I’m following up on last week’s post, The Power of Feedback with my promise to show you the BIGGEST mistakes we’ve found when coaching you on Sales Phone Calls. We use call recording as a powerful way to help sellers improve their skills. This process is incredibly effective at assisting sellers to recognize their own challenges...Read More

“They haven’t called me back.” It’s the most common response to “Where are we with prospect ABC?” This response, “They haven’t called me back,” lands with a thud at my feet like a bag of rocks when I hear it from a seller or business owner. I can feel the disappointment when they say it...Read More

Being an account manager, or a business owner, for that matter, is like being a master juggler – up in the air on any given day are dozens of details on a to-do list that spans customer calls, billing, paperwork, dozens of emails, and meetings, meetings, meetings. It’s hard to fit business development into those...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