Your Dream Client Didn’t Hire a Sales Rep

alt text for the image of a man wearing many hats

You made the call, you scheduled the appointment, you did your discovery, and you made your diagnosis. You discovered the truth of your dream client’s problems, you helped create a vision of a better outcome and a better future, and you won the deal. Congratulations! Your sales … [Read more...]

Selling and the Human Terrain System

alt text for image of person with brain as a map

I just finished reading Sebastian Junger’s brilliant new book, War. Junger was embedded with a company of the 173rd Airborne in the Korengal valley, where the war in Afghanistan is being fought. I loved the book, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are prepared to have … [Read more...]

A Thirteen-Week Personal Sales Development Plan

alt text for the image calendar

Week One | Study the Iron Laws of Success: There are common attributes that all successful people possess. By reading, studying, thinking about, and applying your efforts and energies towards improving these attributes in yourself, you can become more successful at sales (and … [Read more...]

Selling Price: How Not To (Part Three)

finger pointing at you

I am always interested in reading your feedback and your comments to my thoughts and my posts. I received a lot of comments, emails, and links to my post on how not to sell on price. This comment from Ghassan Alkhlout popped up in my email from one of the groups I subscribe to … [Read more...]

Your Are Not Treating the Presenting Problem

people wearing masks

It is your job to discover your dream client’s dissatisfaction (at least if you want to win the deal it is), to discover the ground truth, and then to develop a solution that helps them produce a better outcome. But the presenting problem isn’t always the real problem that … [Read more...]

Who Is Counting On You?

trapeze

This is a short post about self-discipline, the Master Key to Sales Effectiveness. Read it with an eye towards how you spend the rest of your day. Let a it motivate you a little bit. Your Company Your company is counting on you to identify the new business that they need in … [Read more...]

Ignorance Is Bliss: Why Your Dream Client Takes the Blue Pill

You want your dream client to see the world in a new way. You want them to see and understand the truth, the reality of their situation. You want them to see the possibilities. I love this scene in The Matrix. The character Morpheus offers Neo a choice of two pills. By taking … [Read more...]

From Commitment to Commitment

Sales processes provide a road-map to guide the salesperson from one stage of the sale to the next, obtaining the outcomes necessary to improve their odds of winning the deal. The stages of most sales processes include things like ensuring that you have uncovered the … [Read more...]

The Iron Laws of Sales

There are some laws that cannot be broken no matter how hard you try. Gravity is one of these laws. You may be able to beat it for a short time, but it will relentlessly work to replant your feet on the ground. And it will win every time. Selling has some iron laws that are … [Read more...]

Call Research: When Too Much of a Good Thing Ain’t Such a Good Thing

I had finally gained an audience with a dream client I had pursued for seven years. I had outlasted the obstacle that refused my access to her boss (she was the real power within her organization). Upon finding out she had left, I immediately scheduled an appointment with the … [Read more...]

Download my E-Book: How to Crush It, Kill It, and Master Cold Calling Now! FREE when you subscribe to my newsletter »