Success
A client recently shared with me that they had conducted a sales presentation by using the process outlined in my book Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way. Afterward, attendees said it was the best presentation they had ever been to. Talk about differentiating yourself. How did they do it? By engaging the participants…
In sales, it’s not uncommon to face certain objections again and again. So how do you turn those common objections into closed deals? Simple: You stop having conversations that are driven by past experiences or fear of the future. Let me explain. In 1980 I landed my first sales job: selling copy machines. But before long…
This week I met Ashlin, a phlebotomist at my doctor’s office, and I’d like you to meet her too. As soon as I sat down for the blood draw, I was impressed with her attitude. She was both confident and caring, and I felt safe in her hands. When I complimented her, I asked what…
Severe thunderstorms were forecast for the Denver area on Sunday evening, so I was relieved to be flying out in the afternoon. I thought I’d be in good shape with a scheduled departure at 1:40 p.m. So much for my assumptions. Five minutes before we pushed back from the gate, the wind started rocking the plane…
Sunday night I experienced a rough flight out of Atlanta due to a line of thunderstorms and tornadoes making its way across the southeast. I was sitting next to a gentleman who had the window down, and I kindly asked if he would open it, which he did. I then proceeded to share my “wisdom”…
What makes you feel more like a kid than watching things explode? Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Steve Spangler, a leading science personality, who has been blowing things up and mesmerizing audiences for the past 30 years. I love science, so you know I had to ask Steve to explain the scientific point…
In Brandon Steiner’s new book Living on Purpose he shares a story about the University of Washington men’s basketball team losing its third game in a row in mid-February 2018. Even though the team’s record was 18-9, Brandon could see the team was despondent over its recent losses. During the game on Feb 15, Brandon…
We all encounter speed bumps at times, those unexpected situations that threaten to slow us down—a client pulling their business, an employee going rogue, a competitor stealing your idea, objections from a prospect that gets in the way of closing more business. Situations like these slow our progress and threaten our Velocity. The most common…
Selling an intangible idea can be tough. When you are trying to sell your competitive advantage, it can be challenging to verbalize the concept in a powerful way that resonates with your prospect. Intangibles leave a lot to the imagination, and that doesn’t necessarily work in your favor. If you’re running into trouble, you may…
Business is quite simple when you get right down to it. It’s all about problems. No matter what product or service you are selling, people buy from you to fix their problems. This tells us a lot about how to increase sales with the Velocity Mindsetô. The word problem can sound negative, but fixing a…
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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In today’s world, the pressure to quickly deliver innovative solutions can sometimes lead to unintended consequences. Just ask Boeing. Its recent spate of mishaps is causing it a lot of problems. From increased regulatory pressures to safety concerns to customers, fliers, like me, worrying whether or not the Boeing plane they’re on is actually going to get…
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Do you know that sometimes you have to go slow to go fast? Recently, I installed a new productivity software program. And like many of you, I figured I knew immediately what I had to do, so I didn’t bother reading the instructions. After two painful hours of trying to get the software to work…
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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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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 taking a self-improvement course in New York City with a good friend of mine. After the program, we returned to my condo in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on the 10th floor. Now, my friend is an accomplished pilot. He flew overseas commercially for a major airline and was a…
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This past Sunday, we had a great Super Bowl with an overtime win—the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams had two different styles of quarterbacks. One of the reasons both teams made it to the Super Bowl was because their head coaches leveraged each quarterback’s strengths. Coach Andy Reid, with the…
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In 2006, I collaborated on a negotiation book with famed negotiator, Herb Cohen. Herb has a saying that negotiation is a game, a game that both sides want to win. Yet, most people lose velocity in their efforts to negotiate a deal because they are married to getting the deal exactly the way they want…
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