Perhaps one of the most important and often times forgotten skills is being aware of what is going on in the process during sales conversations. This is true in retail or business-to-business sales. Those who master the art of being aware of where the customer is and what they are looking for and how to [...]

Let’s use an Olympic athlete as an example. She probably was introduced to the sport like downhill skiing at age 5, took lessons, practiced, started to shine by age 9, took advanced lessons, attended special camps, traveled to where the best teachers were for private instruction during her teenage years, spent hours every day at [...]

I was at breakfast with a friend the other day and we were talking about networking and building our respective businesses. “I don’t think I’m threatening enough.” He said. Excuse me. I wasn’t sure I heard him right so I asked him again. He reiterated that a very successful sales coach told him he’d build [...]

“Selling’s hard,” she moaned, shoulders drooping. “I get told ‘No’ a lot more often than ‘Yes’ and I’m not sure how long I can keep this up.” How many times have we heard comments like this from a sales person? Selling is hard, but for many it’s harder than it needs to be. With a [...]

In a sales situation he (or she) who has the most certainty prevails. Are you certain of the value you and your organization bring to a client? Are you certain that what you provide is exactly the client needs? Are you certain that the pricing is commensurate with the value that’s being provided? Certainty is [...]

According to author, Jeffrey Gitomer…”Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless” – Apparently companies like Cosco understand the difference…They have been recognized as the leader in customer loyalty among warehouse retailers, rocketing from start-up to Fortune 50 status in less than 20 years, while spending next to nothing on advertising and marketing because of [...]

Do you remember the last time you went to a dealership to buy a car? Over the years, my experience never varies.   I pull up at the dealership, and a sales person literally runs over to my car and tackles me before I can even get out of the front door.   The sales person’s first [...]

How many times have you sat through a sales meeting or any meeting for that matter where you’ve heard someone make the suggestion: “We’ve got to think outside the box.” It’s a phrase that doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. In fact, it’s seems like the perfect phrase to capture the frustration we experience [...]

When you are creating marketing programs or activities, it pays to know who the decision makers and the influencers are. In Business to Business marketing, (B2B) any of these scenarios might be the case: Your product or service might be bought by a purchasing agent who gets multiple bids and makes the decision on what [...]

This is one of my favorite videos on Youtube. It’s all about positivity, smiling, attracting people by how you make each person feel. This is the basis of client loyalty, that personal connection that makes people want to be around you. Each person in this short video feels validated and encouraged to shine. I mentioned [...]