Posted: June 19, 2017 | Categories: Sales

See if this situation doesn’t sound familiar:  You have all your appointments scheduled for the week.  A day before your Wednesday noon appointment, your prospect calls and says they need to re-schedule.  They give an excuse, but it is a weak one.  One more thing…this is the third time they have called to re-schedule.

I am a big follower of correlations.  They serve me well.  By correlation I mean, “Whenever this situation happens, how often does it result in the same specific outcome?”  For the situation described above, I have discovered this:  When a prospect re-schedules three times, I cannot recall a single time when they have become my customer for any length of time.  As you can imagine, I almost don’t want a “chronic re-scheduler” as a client.  Like all professionals, I live off of billable hours.  I respect other’s time, and I make sure they respect mine.  In a coaching relationship, this is vital.  I also think it is important for any trade.

If we employ the “three strikes you’re out” policy, what do we say after the 3rd strike?  How can we cut bait graciously?Read More…

Posted: April 12, 2017 | Categories: Sales

As a sales professional, have you ever had a meeting with a prospect and afterwards realized you were not talking to the right person?  Uh-oh, now what?  Time to talk to the “right” person.  And what happens if we do that?  We will have done an “end run”, and turned the first individual we talked to into a non-person.  That can kill a sale.Read More…

Posted: March 23, 2017 | Categories: Sales, Self-Improvement

The most successful people I know are excellent at managing relationships.  Everything they do is intended to strengthen trust and better serve their client’s needs.  With all this in mind, I have a recommendation for you:  STOP LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE!Read More…

Posted: January 19, 2017 | Categories: Sales

When I was growing up, many of my summer vacations were spent in Wyoming visiting my relatives.  We had several visits to Yellowstone National Park, and I vividly remember seeing bears walking around and occasionally leaning on a car.  Not far away we could count on seeing a sign that said, “Do not feed the bears!”  We all know why we are not supposed to feed the bears, don’t we?  Because if we do, they won’t be satisfied with what they give them, and they will demand more.

This story is a good one to remember in selling:  The rule is:

The earlier the concession, the less value it has in closing the saleRead More…

Posted: June 23, 2016 | Categories: Sales

In coaching sales teams, the subject of participating in trade shows often comes up.  Some companies count on trade shows to generate a substantial portion of their revenue.  Others say trade shows are a waste of time.  Clearly, there are many factors that contribute to a profitable trade show booth.  Today I heard a story that illustrates one of the most winning combinations:  Asking good questions and listening to the responses.Read More…