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We are into the back half of the 2014 now and many sales professionals are looking and are seeing that their pace isn’t going to get them where they need to be by the end of the year. DON’T PANIC…

Photo courtesy iStockPhoto Do you have a pebble in your shoe? More importantly do you have a pebble in your shoe and you are ignoring it acting like it isn’t there? I did…my pebble was my 2014 goals. As in previous years, 2014 is off to a fast start. The […]

Credit: iStockPhoto As the New Year approached you have received several newsletters, and blogs encouraging you not to make a resolution but to choose ‘one word’ to focus on in 2014. The ‘one word’ approach is simple yet powerful. Jon Gordon does a tremendous job with this approach. Now that […]

Receiving an email that stated “Please find attached agreement requiring your signature” was the highlight of my week earlier in the month. When you receive a similar message you know that you have met your goal. Before that happy moment arrives, you may be faced with a last step that […]

If you have taken the time to discover what your customers and prospects truly value as differentiators you are well ahead of your competitors. But why stop there? Why not take the extra step. The extra step is to discover what factors mostly influence your customers buying decisions, more specifically […]

Does this sound familiar? Out of the blue I just received an email from a ‘marquis’ prospect inviting us to provide pricing for a one day training event. The will be in October at their national sales meeting. Our response is required within the next week. Here is where it […]

The question often asked is “What are the most valuable assets of a sales professional?” Today during a morning training session, the question was posed a little differently as “What is ‘the’ greatest asset of a sales professional?” I think this question was answered today when one of our sales representatives phoned me with […]

There is nothing like enthusiasm … real genuine enthusiasm is contagious. While walking to my car on Monday of this week after a training session, I was asked the question “In a tough economy what are key differentiators that cross all lines in growing business for a sales professional?” In […]

As we head into the home stretch of 2012, I would like to thank you, my valued customer for a terrific year. Everything that we have accomplished this year is due to you and your support. With this in mind, there are five thoughts that I would like to pass […]

How often have you heard the statement “We Made The Short List”? What does it really mean? More often than not it is another way of saying we fell short. This morning I was with a customer in Orlando. Their CEO pulled out the stops just prior to Thanksgiving to […]

The difference between sales success and failure often lies in your persistence and willingness to persevere. However in a long buying cycle there are times when decisions are not being made on our time table. All of the high hopes on the front end are now in flux. This is […]

For those of you that recall seeing the 1991 movie Sleeping With The Enemy starring Julia Roberts and Patrick Bergin, you may well remember the theme and plot of this action thriller. We often hear a familiar theme played out in our world of professional selling. In this context, the theme often […]

You know the drill… In attending a planning meeting this morning with one of our customers, the topic of 2013 sales forecasting was our top priority. As in typical fashion the first screen shot was that of the organizations customer listing. This is always an interesting piece if information since […]

I just finished a positive meeting with one of our new customers. Their objective is to place a higher priority on new business acquisition for the balance of the year and going into 2013. As part of their new business acquisition focus I thought that a quick check up on […]

Do you have time for a real story? I spent the majority of today in a meeting listening to concerns as Q3 is nearing its end and Q4 is on the horizon. Needless to say, the outcome of the election was a large topic of conversation and conjecture, but as […]

Have you ever had this question posed to you by one of your customers or ‘game changing’ prospects? If so, what was your response? Were you able to deliver the level of certainty and influence that was needed? More often than not this question is a buying signal. The challenge is […]

Thank you for continuing the journey with me. Last week we discussed Survey Question #2: What is Your Annual Attrition Rate? and 6 steps that you could take to curb it. This week I’d like to introduce Question #3 What is Your Value Proposition? In meeting with sales leaders and sales professionals I […]

Customer attrition is a challenge that affects every sales professional and organization, regardless of product offering or market served. Over the years I have found that while attrition may not be prevented 100%, you can prepare in advance and curb the percentage of loss. So the question then becomes not […]

If you are looking for some new ideas or thoughts that will help you in protecting and transforming your sales organization or sales territory, I think you will find the next seven weeks to be of benefit. Over the next seven weeks I will discuss, in separate blog and newsletters articles, […]

How often have you heard the phrase living in a fool’s paradise? Well, a frightening observation is to see it practiced from a sales perspective! In our world, a fool’s paradise is defined by the following choices that our competitors make. an unwillingness to change happy with the status quo no […]