Posted: April 7, 2015 | Categories: Sales, Self-Improvement

Last night I was leading a team meeting.  I challenged one of the group to do some role playing to demonstrate the “presentation” part of the sales process.  As I handed him the “script”, he held it in his hand and looked at it intensely.  Silence followed as he continued to focus on the scenario.  We asked him if there was anything he did not understand, and he said, “No, I am just studying this the way I normally would before I begin my presentation.”Read More…

Posted: February 11, 2015 | Categories: Sales

This week I was coaching a client as he was looking ahead to an important sales call.  He wanted to work on his listening skills.  He said that he sensed there were times when he did too much of the talking. I asked Bill what percentage of the time he usually does the talking.  He thought it was about 80%.  I asked him how he prepared for the call.  He said he had an idea of what he wanted to say.  As we talked more about the purpose of the call, it became apparent that the purpose of this call was to understand what the prospect wants and why they want it. Read More…

Posted: January 8, 2015 | Categories: Sales, Self-Improvement, Time management

As we start this new year, it is a good time to identify the most important area we need to improve and get busy working on it.  As the old expression goes, “If nothing changes…nothing changes”

Allow me to suggest an area for improvement that will serve you well.  MORE SPEED.Read More…

Posted: October 22, 2014 | Categories: Presentation skills, Sales, Self-Improvement

In my last blog I talked about those who exhibit the “Directing” style.  Now let’s take a look at the next quadrant – The “Presenting” style.  A person who displays this style is usually the life of the party.  In any group of people, you will be aware of their presence.  They know how to have fun, they are always up and they communicate easily.  They are motivating and full of ideas.  Rather than resist change, they welcome and embrace the new.  They are natural promoters, thrive socially, and are open to others.  Empathy, flexibility, and good intuition come naturally to the “Presenters”.  They love being in the spotlight and enjoy seeing others in the spotlight.  Presidents Reagan and Clinton are two examples of this style.  I have known individuals who have met both of these men personally and they both talk about how special they felt during the conversation.  One said, “I walked away feeling like I was the greatest person in the world”.Read More…

Posted: October 8, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Sales, Self-Improvement

“If out of reading this book you get just one thing – an increased tendency to think always in terms of other people’s point of view, and see things from their angle – if you get that one thing out of this book, it may easily prove to be one of the building blocks of your career” -Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People)

I read the above words for the first time about 40 years ago.  In my years of managing and coaching since then, I have found this to be an absolute truth.  Since I read that book, I have been on a never-ending search on ways to keep growing in my ability to understand and positively influence others.

I want to share with you one of the most useful tools I have learned in keeping communication and understanding strong.  I call it the four quadrants.  Their origin goes back to ancient Greek/Roman times.  They have been used as the foundation of personality profiles in modern day.  Here they are:Read More…