Perhaps, there is a reason that so many corporate CEOs come from the Sales organization. I have observed that successful businesses have strong teamwork between the Executive Staff and the Sales group. Everybody in a business understands that they are dependent on Sales to provide a predictable, profitable stream of orders. Yet, a surprising number […]
Category Archives: Sales Development
The essence of making a good business introduction is connecting with the other person. The great poet, Maya Angelou, captures this notion succinctly: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” While it is important to tell […]
Coming from a quiet, Midwest upbringing, I was always taught to “never get too full of yourself” or “don’t get too big for your britches.” While I understand that these expressions were well-intentioned attempts to reinforce humility, I always felt them as an admonishment to be compliant and conform. Most people experienced comparable messages […]
The only thing that separates lay people from sales professionals is that sales professionals receive incentives to be good at sales. Some people conclude that sales people are born with the gift of gab and scary, manipulative skills. But know this: all sales skills can be learned and all sales people are better at […]
It’s only July, and most everyone I meet is sick, if not distraught, with this campaign season. While I have seen glimpses of positive persuasion and leadership, most of the current news stories illustrate what we should not do as leaders. Personal attacks and political spin invariably make me stop listening. To be a great […]
Many clients seek my services when they lack customer focus and are not achieving the order growth they had planned for. One of the ironies I observe is that people, who lack customer focus, will often resist obtaining it. A symptom of being “unfocused” is the belief that if people were only aware of the […]
Politics is one of my favorite spectator sports; as it brilliantly illuminates the best and worst aspects of our humanity. This month I return to the campaign trail to uncover more lessons in persuasion and perception that can be applied to the sales profession. The evening news continues to deliver material that’s better than anything […]
Donald Trump, love him or hate him, has captured the attention of the nation. While Mr. Trump’s empire has had booms and busts, he has always proven himself to be a master salesman. His campaign has benefited from his sales prowess; but it has also raised questions about his intentions with this campaign. In my […]
For many small business owners and entrepreneurs, the passion for their products and services is what inspired them to start their business. Business owners can be intimidated by selling or tend to oversimplify a high-skill profession. Particularly for businesses that sell products and services to other businesses, it is critical that business owners gain healthy […]
I have had a flood of people approach me lately bemoaning the difficulty of finding top sales personnel. Selling is difficult to master and people who have no sales experience often do not fully appreciate how valuable an asset a top salesperson is. Chances of making a good hire improve dramatically if one takes the […]