What It Takes To Get the Really Big Deal Through Your Pipeline

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The space at the bottom of your sales funnel is just wide enough for you to get a deal through. You can think of the size of the bottom of your sales funnel as your personal sales capacity. It represents your ability to get a deal from target to won. Most of your deals will … [Read more...]

Never Say Die!

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It easy to fall into the trap of believing that there is nothing you can to do win a deal after you have presented your solution. You want a favorable decision from your dream client, and you know you faced stiff competition. But the race isn’t over until someone crosses the … [Read more...]

Your Dream Client Didn’t Hire a Sales Rep

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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...]

Effort Doesn’t Line Up Neatly With Results

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Producing results in sales doesn’t always seem to line up very neatly with your effort. Some days you can bang out hundreds of cold calls to no result. Other days you can make ten calls and schedule five appointments. Some of the deals you work the hardest to close don’t go … [Read more...]

Your Professional Development Is Not Your Company’s Business

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When you were young, your parents chose your teachers. It is more than likely that they sent you to a school that was chosen because it was close to your house. If you took lessons in music or sports, that decision was almost certainly based on how close you were to your teacher … [Read more...]

Selling and the Human Terrain System

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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

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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)

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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...]

All Your Best Dream Clients Are Taken

Couple Dancing, Jealous Girl Looks On

Your dream client spends money in your category. They usually spend a lot in your category. This is one of the reasons (but only one of the reasons) that make them a dream client. If a company doesn't spend money in your category, it cannot be a dream client and you must … [Read more...]

While You Were Sleeping: Thoughts on Competition and Complacency

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While you were sleeping, your fiercest competitor stayed up late into the evening reading a book that is going to help them bring their A-game up a level.  In fact, two levels. While you were sleeping, your fiercest competitor was already out of bed and at the gym working … [Read more...]

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