Sales
One of the biggest excuses I hear from colleagues when it comes to writing a book is that they are not ready because they haven’t fleshed their ideas out perfectly. In 80% of these cases, they are never ready and their books never get published. The same thought process affects us all when it comes…
Instead of teaching sales people traditional sales skills, how about giving them the tools to be creative and close more deals? This is what Brad Holtzinger, Worldwide VP of Sales at a technology company did. Looking at the sales process, he was dismayed when sales people would uncover deals and then bring in the various…
Friday night Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter for the New York Mets in the 51 year history of the club. Santana, the Mets Ace, was out all of last year recuperating from arm surgery. During this gem of a game, Santana’s pitch count was rising. Normally, a manager does not want to see a…
Yesterday I shared with you a golden nugget from my daughter Amanda on how to successfully communicate with an audience. Now I want to share another “Amanda” nugget on how to successfully sell. I asked Amanda, when you have succeeded in getting your requests acted upon, what strategies and tactics did you use? Her response…
Wouldn’t it be nice if your customers paid you to make a sales call? Just think, every time you made a call, you would know that a check would be in the mail. The funny thing is if your customers are going to buy off on your value, they have to feel at the end…
With Facebook opening up today on the markets looking to capture over $100 Billion, you probably think that is the most sought after product or service in the world. But it is not. The most sought after product or service are those that provide one thing and one thing only…. HOPE! That’s right,…
Paul Dominguez, a friend and mentor, always tells me to stay in communication. What he means by that is if we are not talking to others for an extended period of time, we are susceptible to our own negative thoughts and assumptions. Want to get out of a bad mood, call someone up and talk…
Many people mistake being a good manager for being a good leader. Managing is only one of three core responsibilities a leader needs to have in order to succeed. They are: Critical Thinker- ability to remove emotion and think of all alternatives and options on how to move a department, organization, project…
The secret to doubling your sales is what I call the simple truth of selling. Selling is not about show and tell, where you regurgitate all of your features and benefits hoping that one of your points will motivate a customer to buy. Rather, the simple truth is simply asking the customer about the results…
The number one reason why sales cultures are not performing the way CEOs want them to is simply because they’re concentrating on the wrong people. That’s right. You see, last Sunday was the annual Met Gala in New York City. The Met Gala was started in 1995 by Anna Wintour, who is the editor-in-chief of…
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Did you hear that Rolls-Royce announced this week that it is building five brand new buildings on its main manufacturing site in England? So, I ask you, what was the driver for making this huge, expensive decision? Many of you would say it is to build new cars. That is far from the truth. The reason…
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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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