“I wish I didn’t go to the gym today.” No one has ever uttered those words. To the contrary. We end our day upset because we put it off. Again. “I’ll go first thing” becomes “I’ll go at lunchtime” becomes “I’ll go when I finish up” becomes “I’ll go after dinner” becomes “I’ll go first…
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Watch this week’s Short Attention Span Sales Tip here. Good morning! Well, here we are. It’s the last week before the three most important selling months of the year. What’s your plan? I roll out this same message every year at this time because I believe it’s one of the most important sales tips I…
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Salespeople are, by nature, optimists. If they weren’t, they would never be able to endure the beatings taken along the way to a successful career. Tomorrow will always be better than today. Your business will grow. Your client base is secure and your customers are happy.…
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In an attempt to check in on you, your boss walks past your desk and tosses out a lazy, “How’s business?” You answer, then provide just enough information for her to walk away satisfied. The last thing you need is commentary on your sales…
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You are dealing with the nasty customer. Demanding, curt, and downright rude sometimes, this customer is condescending and a know it all. But they are a significant enough percentage of your business that firing them is anything but a no brainer. Besides losing their business, you fear they will take out their anger in that…
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Watch this week’s Short Attention Span Sales Tip here. Good morning! “How often should I follow up with a prospect?” Now there is a popular question. Here’s my answer: One January a few years ago now, my wife and I visited a car dealership. We chatted with 2 salespeople (it was a slow foot traffic…
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The email read, “Thank you for your proposal and presentation to become the print vendor of choice at Whatsamatta U. We were impressed with your equipment list and capabilities. The samples you showed displayed some excellent quality. There is no doubt you do great work for your clients.…
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Price increases are inevitable. Over the course of a career in this (or any other) industry, you will no doubt be faced with the challenge of delivering bad news to a customer: We are going to be charging you more for the same goods and services. The event…
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Three true stories… No. 1 A car salesman is working at the Cadillac dealership on a Saturday afternoon. In walks a man who looks like he just fell off a turnip truck: The man is older, diminutive at about 5’5” and both his overalls and hands are filthy, caked with dirt. The rep thinks, “Well, Pigpen is here. Where are the rest of the Peanuts characters?” before going back to his newspaper. The man circles a few Caddies, looks around, and leaves the showroom. The sales rep watches as he…
Read MoreMy daughter turned me on to Lenny’s Podcast. Lenny Rachitsky has the #1 business newsletter on Substack and is a quiet, unassuming model of what a podcast host should be. He interviews “world-class product leaders and growth experts,” blah, blah, blah. Anywho… One podcast featured an Etsy exec name Tim Holley. Listening while mowing the lawn, I heard Tim say, “We are constantly trying new features. Our failure rate is 80%.” I smiled. That number gave me great comfort. The hardest part about being a sales trainer is coming up…
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