Sales
A while back I had the honor of being the emcee of a two-day team-building program featuring two NFL legends, one of which was Joe Gibbs, former head coach of the Washington Redskins. In interviewing Coach Gibbs, I asked him if past behavior was a predictor of future behavior. His answer was a resounding yes! When I…
A key executive for one of my clients passed away recently, and although I tried desperately, I could not make my travel arrangements work out properly to get to the funeral service. To make matters even worse, the morning of the funeral I realized I had forgotten to send flowers. I immediately called a florist,…
Some people think the big idea will always remain unattainable—and for those people, it will. But as a Sales and Leadership expert, I promise you that big ideas are meant for implementation. Here are five tips for creating your own big idea to Impact! your markets and achieve exponential results: Create a Vision—Before calling on…
It’s easy to spot a big idea because it’s usually followed by the thought that it will never happen. In The Science of Getting Rich, published in 1910 (find the free e-book online), Wallace Wattles examines what separates those who make it big from those who always seem to fall short of their goals. According…
What are you avoiding today? Avoidance played a big part in my failure to write last week’s blog. You see, I was busy with client work, and there was the holiday weekend, and I had writer’s block… and yes, I am making excuses. Usually, I get motivated by the big idea, and when I don’t have a…
Have you ever heard successful salespeople say they do very little marketing yet business just comes to them? Everyone wants to increase sales and impact their markets, but not everyone has uncovered the key to making that happen: calling on the right customers. The old axiom “You can’t be everything to everyone” is as true…
This past Friday I had the privilege of attending my daughter’s graduation from Northeastern University where CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour spoke to the graduates. In her commencement address she quoted a civil rights activist who once said, “Give good trouble,” and implored the graduates to “make a hell of a lot of good trouble.” In sales, you’re…
This past Sunday on a flight to San Francisco, I had the privilege of sitting next to Jim Plunkett, who led the Raiders (first Oakland, then LA) to two Super Bowl wins, and who also played for the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots during his career. I remember watching Jim play in the ‘80s…
If I were to ask about the biggest issue preventing you from ImpactING your markets and closing more sales, most of you would say low-cost competitive pressures—and you would be wrong. The biggest issue that prevents us from ImpactING our markets is actually…us! By us I do not just mean sales execs, but all of…
Last week I had the privilege to have Todd Davis, the founder and CEO of the publicly traded company LifeLock, speak at the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) Mastermind dinner in Scottsdale. This is a group of CEOs from high-growth companies who get together with me three times a year for peer-to-peer mentoring and coaching on…
As we’ve all seen for the last year or two, there’s been a lot of shoplifting. A pack of thieves breaking into stores, stealing massive amounts of merchandise, and leaving before the cops come. If they’re caught, they’re back on the streets in a couple of minutes. Shoplifting has gotten to such a high degree…
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When I think of sales success, I think of a Banyan tree. Look at this tree. It is so magnificent. But look at the integrated network of roots. It’s amazing how it grows. Now, here’s what’s special about a Banyan tree. It’s not like normal trees that have one trunk coming down, and it’s not…
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I want you to meet Alex. Alex is a van driver who picked me and a few of my colleagues up from the hotel in Albuquerque this weekend to take us to the airport. It was a seven-minute ride. During the ride, Alex asked us if we had traveled to many different cities and ordered…
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If you truly want to keep your competitors out of your accounts, you must become part of the inner woven fabric of your client’s organization. Consider that loose piece of thread sticking out of the bottom of your sweater, and you start pulling it. All of a sudden, you inadvertently pull apart the entire sweater.…
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A few years ago, I was meeting with Steve Forbes in the Forbes building in his private library. The meeting was to discuss the presentation he was about to give to the National Speakers Association that I was president of. Rather, it was to get him to agree to give that presentation. What struck me in…
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As you create your sales plan for 2024, what’s the one issue you must pay special attention to? That one issue is your ideal customer profile, because that’s going to determine whether or not you gain velocity in your sales efforts. Picture business 2012: I was just voted as the Vice President of the National…
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In the early ‘90s, I trademarked the phrase “The Question Man™.” I believed then, as I believe now, that the answers to your success lie in the questions that you ask. At that time, I had a great client, Hertz Equipment Rental, that rented backhoes. It was a division of Hertz Rental Car Corporation. The VP of Sales was…
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When times are tough, and the flow of customers into your business is slowing down to a drip, what’s more important: marketing or sales? I had that conversation yesterday with the CEO I was coaching. He sells very high-end custom furniture. Because of the economy, he was complaining that the flow of traffic into his…
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Does anything in life come easy for us? Yes and No. When we engage in activities aligned with our strengths and skills, they often come easily to us. On the other hand, tasks that we dislike or lack proficiency in can be challenging. However, that is not what I’m talking about here. Recently, I had…
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What would the world be like if everyone acted like a leader, not a victim of circumstances? Finally, a practical guide that conquers the minds and hearts of leaders around the world! Grab your copy of The Velocity Mindset® book on Amazon: https://bit.ly/TheVelocityMindset #VelocityMindset #mindset #leadership #sales
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