The road to a customer purchase often consists of a phone call if your product isn’t bought based on impulse. Thankfully, in this day and age of information, our communication via phone can be tracked and analyzed. With phone calls happening in higher volumes than ever before, recent advances in technology has allowed us to study every call ... Read Post

“Things are not always what they seem.” We can thank Phaedrus, an Athenian who lived around 400 BC, for that insight. He’s also credited with saying “opportunity has hair in front, but is bald behind.” A curious metaphor. Phaedrus isn’t the up-tempo spirit I’d want on my innovation team today. But he’s my kind of ... Read Post

Great news, you’ve won the sale! The contract is signed and implementation plans are in place. Is it time to move on to the next sale? Not so fast. The best next step, often overlooked, is a retrospective or lessons learned meeting with your new customer. A retrospective is an opportunity to look back and ... Read Post

Trust is a crucial principle for just about anything—running a company, having a mutual relationship, any form of friendship, marriage, children or parents. And, of course, for sales. Decline of Trust Today there is a marked lack of trust in our culture. But interestingly, back in the mid-1990s, every thought leader in the US (and ... Read Post

How to be a Brilliant Sales Leader in 16 Easy Steps We get besieged with mountains of advice on how to be a good sales leader. A sales leader who practices their craft according to principles espoused by the crowd of academics, consultants, and other self-proclaimed experts. Whereas guidance from pundits can be useful, it ... Read Post

Did you ever wish you had more compelling language when speaking with prospects? Most companies spend very little time, if any, developing their sales message and making sure it works. You’ve spent time developing your website and brochure; you may even have a trade show booth. But how much time have you spent thinking about ... Read Post

I am going to tell a story of how dogs can help you gain referrals… …But first, let me reassure you that this article really is about gaining sales referrals, and will ultimately increase your profits. (Which is why you’re reading this magazine, right?) But I digress. Let me continue with the story. Referrals and ... Read Post

Personality Types in Sales Today let’s take a closer look at different personality types.  How they affect the way someone (inter-)acts in a sales process. As I mentioned in my last two articles, sales has many different shades and facets.  The outcome depends on many different factors. There is no general rule that fits every ... Read Post