Dear Salesperson, It’s time for a heart-to-heart. I do appreciate your questions. I do. But I find myself giving the same answer over and over and over: “How do I get buyers to listen to me? I can’t seem to get their attention, a callback or response.” Many of you assume there is some sort...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

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

Have you ever heard of Kudzu? If you’ve driven through the Southeastern parts of the US, you’ve probably seen Kudzu. It’s an Asian vine introduced to the US and branded in the 1930s and 40s as a way for farmers to control erosion and introduce nitrogen to their soil. You might recognize it as it...Read More

Helping sellers build their super sales skills and moving sales teams to outperform their competition puts us squarely in a category to be “Challengers.” Our job is to challenge your status quo – to challenge your mindset, to change behaviors, and to inspire actions. This, as you can imagine, is received differently by people. Much...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

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

We’re very close to Thanksgiving and all those Holiday traditions that signal the slowdown of business and preparation for the next year. I know you’re thinking Cranberry Sauce and Mashed Potatoes but hold up – there’s still some really important work to do! This time of year, I’m usually writing about year-end strategies to keep...Read More

“Everyone’s on vacation”, “It’s too hot to get out and see a bunch of people”, “No one is making decisions right now” . . . Recognize these statements? They’re the little lies we tell ourselves because during these Dog Days of summer, we’re hot, we’re tired, and either trying to catch up from being on...Read More

If you run a business, you probably spend a lot of time “fending off”, or, at least ignoring crappy sales attempts – to be blunt. I say this with love for my profession of sales – which I’m obsessed with improving – as I too am now fending off crappy sales attempts. Though, they do...Read More