Today I spoke with Alex Warr at Relevance, Inc. Alex is just beginning to build a plan to improve his personal sales skills and abilities. He has taken the initiative to lead his company’s sales efforts himself, and he took the initiative to start looking for ways to improve … [Read more...]

There are four levels of value creation. The lowest level, level one, is to have a great product. A level up from there, level two, includes having great service and support around your offering. This is often what creates great brand experiences. The third level, level three, … [Read more...]

It’s easy to get emotionally invested in an opportunity. One of the results of being so deeply engaged in pursuing your dream client is that, because you know just how much value that you can create for them, you get emotionally tied up in winning the opportunity. Your … [Read more...]

Your dream client is waiting for you to nurture the relationships within their company and to build the trust that will allow them to engage you in an opportunity. They are waiting for you to pay in advance for their business by doing all of the heavy lifting that opening an … [Read more...]

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about, writing about, speaking about, and working on how to move from a transactional, low value-creating salesperson to a business acumen-possessing, level four value-creating strategic partner. I have done so with good reason, too: these … [Read more...]

The universe is set up so that every day is a do-over. All you have to do is decide to change, and you can change in that instant. That’s an extraordinarily powerful idea. It’s extraordinary in that it empowers you to become whatever you wish to be in that very second, as … [Read more...]

It’s easy to get trapped in a transactional relationship with your dream client when you should have one that is deeper and more strategic. You may be doing an excellent job with the transactional business you are given, but that isn’t enough to move you up the levels of … [Read more...]

Sales calls can feel like a lot of work. You can run into prospective clients that are skeptical and need to be convinced that you can help them with their problems. Some prospects are even adversarial, forcing you to work very hard to try to win them as a client (something you … [Read more...]

I think that Samuel Johnson wrote the oft-quoted sentiment like this: “Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” For your dream clients, urgency is found in the implications of failing to change. The … [Read more...]

Who does your client need you to be? Answering these questions from your dream client’s perspective will help you? What Are My Business Goals and Objectives? Your dream client needs you to know and understand their business goals and objectives. They need you to ask the … [Read more...]