The opportunity isn’t really an opportunity. Looking at it, it looks like something that should have mercilessly disqualified before it ever reached its present state. Now it is on your desk, and your salesperson is sitting before you making the case that this thing is worth … [Read more...]

Salespeople sometimes make too much of their sales process, sales managers make too little of it. While a good sales process by itself isn’t enough to guarantee success, it does give you better odds of winning. The word “process” makes the sales process sound more … [Read more...]

Most reasonably constructed sales processes are effective enough if followed. There are some sales processes that are less than they should be and less than they need to be to be effective. This is true when the process ignores the great principles of effective selling, violating … [Read more...]

It came down to a competition, and you were, sadly, bested. Your dream client has told you that you were the runner up. What now? Why Your Dream Client Told You Were Second Your dream client told you that you were second place and that it was a close contest for a number of … [Read more...]

If there is no gap between your dream client’s present state and their ideal state, they are not dissatisfied. If they are not dissatisfied, it is certain that they are not going to be very compelled to dive right into a huge change initiative. When no dissatisfaction is … [Read more...]

Reading The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (affiliate link), as well as hearing the author interviewed on CNBC, brought an important idea to my attention. In Greek mythology, Procrustes offered travelers an iron bed for the … [Read more...]

More than once I have been told that much of I write is already known. I vehemently reject that statement! I only write about what is already known. Maybe I look at things or say things in a way that is unique, but I deliberately and purposely write about the fundamentals of … [Read more...]

Very, very early in my career, I was given a cold calling script. It was written on index cards, and the index cards were all collected in a little tiny binder. Each index card had a little tab on it, and on the tab was a little label on which was typed a prompt. The idea was, as … [Read more...]

Down deep, I am a blocking and tackling guy. You do everything you can to play the game as well as you possibly can, and you develop the highest level of competency at the fundamentals. You use a sales process that incorporates the principles of good selling and act in compliance … [Read more...]

It’s your first Monday back after the holiday, and it’s the start of a brand new year. Is this year going to be a repeat of your last sales year, or are you going to resolve to do things different, to make it better? If you are going to make one of your resolutions to lose … [Read more...]