Over the past few months, I have witnessed more and more companies moving away from price as their dominating decision-criteria, opting instead to pay more for the results that they need. In one case, the client said: “Look, you cost more but I don’t want you to do anything … [Read more...]

Your clients need you to bring them the next big idea. They need you to be a strategic advantage and to help to propel their business forward. They need you to challenge them to create more value for their clients and their stakeholders, but there are some things that you … [Read more...]

You have a choice as to what your clients know you as. A Provider of Products and Services Your clients may know you as the salesperson that provides them with some product or service. You may have the very best product on the market. You may provide the very best services on … [Read more...]

I have had a number of discussions lately about how much you can prescribe or direct salespeople that are already succeeding at a high level. The concern is that by prescribing or directing them, these salespeople will be offended by suggestions that they take some new action or … [Read more...]

Water boils at 212 degrees. At 211 degrees, the water will show bubbles, but it won’t ever come to a roiling boil. At a temperature not too much lower than 211 degrees, you won’t even notice a change in the water without reaching in and touching it. You need 212 degrees to … [Read more...]

There are some jobs that provide little opportunity to apply your resourcefulness, your initiative, and all of your abilities. A job in sales is not one of them. Selling well has never been easy, and it isn’t going to get easier any time soon. You have to bring you’re … [Read more...]

I am not throwing the first stone here (or the last). I have personally been guilty of half of these. But, alas, it is how one learns. Hiring Out of Desperation One of the fastest ways to build an underperforming sales force and burden yourself with human resources … [Read more...]

During an interview with the authors of The Challenger Sale, as well as during a LinkedIn exchange with Dick Ruff, we flirted with the ideas around what salespeople can and cannot be easily taught and trained. One of the questions was “what exactly is business acumen?” … [Read more...]

I have personally witnessed three salespeople make three enormous mistakes this week, all of which prevented them from being hired. In this economy, there is no reason to risk losing an opportunity to work because of mistakes that could easily be avoided. Your (Wife’s) Email … [Read more...]

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, the authors of the new book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation (listen to the audio above). I believe that this is one of the most important books on sales in the last two … [Read more...]