The Sales Blog
Prospecting isn't an event. Prospecting isn’t something that you do one time in an attempt to open an opportunity in a relationship with your dream client. Prospecting is a campaign. You know I’m still a big fan of cold calling (download my free e-book here). But cold … [Read more...]
You don’t have to know how electricity works in order to use it. You just have to know how to turn on or off whatever devices you want to use the runs on electricity. You don’t have to know how an automobile works in order to drive a car either. You don’t really need to … [Read more...]
You don’t always need access to the highest levels of your dream client to make a deal. You don’t necessarily need access to the C-Suite to find the authority you need to win. But you do need the “CEO of the problem.” The title “CEO of the problem” isn’t a real … [Read more...]
It’s okay to want a deal. It’s not okay to need a deal. If you need a deal, then you won’t qualify your prospective client. You’ll choose something less than your dream client, the prospective client for whom you can create breath-taking, earth-shattering, jaw-dropping … [Read more...]
Mark writes, “Can you write on the ‘How-to’s’ of hiring great sales managers, setting expectations, compensation packages, and key places to find this unicorn?" How to Hire Great Sales Managers Hiring well is an art form. If hiring is easy, you’re doing it wrong. If … [Read more...]
You don’t want to be a commodity. You don’t want to price like a commodity. And you surely don’t want to be disposable or interchangeable like a commodity. If you want to be something more strategic, then you cannot behave transactionally. Choosing the wrong medium: Email … [Read more...]
(Part One is here) Dissatisfaction is the key to capturing a higher price than your competitors when you are trying to make a competitive displacement. It not only provides the compelling reason to change, it gives you the opportunity to create value that’s worth a higher … [Read more...]
We use the word "dissatisfaction" to describe the gap between the status quo and some better future state. It might mean that your dream client is unhappy with something now. They might have some pain that they can point to. It might also mean they have aspirations. They might … [Read more...]
There are reasons that your hard to connect with dream clients are hard to reach. They have too much work, too little help; they’re being asked to do more with fewer resources. They are time-starved. They don’t really buy what you sell. They don’t hear anything in your … [Read more...]
Michelangelo carved the statue David out of a piece of marble that had been rejected by other sculptors. They believed the marble was ruined, unworthy of an attempt. But Michelangelo looked inside the marble and saw David. Michelangelo said that all that he had to do was chip … [Read more...]
If you want to make massive improvements in your results in business, in sales, and in life, the fastest way to get there is to be brutally honest with yourself. Start with this: If you are the source of your success why are you not also the source of your failures? We believe … [Read more...]
Here are ten things that I wish I'd have known before I started speaking. Use Toastmasters to write your keynote: I joined Toastmasters because I wanted to be a better, more polished speaker. As I completed the first manual, the Competent Communicator manual, I realized I … [Read more...]
In the summer, I ride a bicycle. A few years ago, I was training to ride across Death Valley. A friend of mine, Johnny, spent the summer training with me. We rode a century (100 miles) together almost every Saturday. Once we rode 107 miles in the rain. Johnny never complained. … [Read more...]
Words on paper have the power to inspire. But alone, they don’t always create a big enough “why.” Your mission statement, vision statement, values statement, and guiding principles aren’t where the real action is, as inspiring as the words may be. Your mission statement, … [Read more...]
Do you want to know the real secret to staying motivated long term? Do you want to know how to develop the burning passion and single-mindedness that propels you towards reaching your goals? Want to know how to stay focused and accomplish more than ever? The key to real, … [Read more...]
Aspire to be more: Your vision of yourself isn’t big enough. Your capacity far exceeds any limits that you perceive. You are capable of being and doing more. You only begin to stretch yourself when your vision grows big enough. Once you believe that you can be more, you will … [Read more...]
You want exponential growth. You want a curve that bends sharply upwards. It’s easy to be tempted into believing that the next big idea to come along, the next shiny object, will be what finally unleashes the potential within you (or your sales organization). But, as painful … [Read more...]
The military strategist Clausewitz described the fog of war as friction. For Clausewitz, war was different in practice than on paper. You can have a strategy, a plan, and well-rehearsed tactics, but as soon as you come into contact with the enemy, there are so many variables that … [Read more...]
A few years ago, I spoke to a big sales organization. Their leadership team was brilliant. They were all on message, and the message was powerful. But it fell flat with the sales force. I wasn’t sure why it didn’t inspire them. For some reason it just didn’t … [Read more...]
Leaving A Trail of Negativity Behind You
You’re entitled to your opinions. It’s okay that you have strong political leanings in some direction. You might even believe that it’s your duty and responsibility to share your opinions with the rest of us. But you might do well to consider whether social media is the … [Read more...]