Posted on Monday, May 18, 2020

Sell with Empathy (Especially during a Crisis)

I’ve heard this from a lot of salespeople lately: How do I still sell right now? I know trying to sell during a crisis has put us all in uncharted waters, but we have to keep moving forward.

This current crisis feels different because COVID-19 has affected everyone. But we can still learn lessons from other nationwide tragedies (the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession) or the more common regional natural disasters and industry-specific downturns that can be devastating for our clients.

We can start selling again. But we need to approach it the right way.

Posted on Monday, May 4, 2020

Running Virtual Meetings Effectively

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Our world has changed so quickly in the last few weeks. We’ve had to adapt to a whole new way of doing things—in business and in our personal lives. One of the biggest hurdles many people are facing is running virtual meetings.

It may be completely new to you, but you can prospect, sell, and lead meetings over video conferencing services effectively. There are a few keys to adjusting to this style of presentation. Once you master those, you’ll be off and running!

Posted on Monday, April 27, 2020

Adjusting to Working From Home

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It’s safe to say that no one was prepared for 2020 to take the turn that it has. So many people have lost work due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Most of us who are lucky enough to still have work are working from home.

I’ve been working from home since 2011, so that part hasn’t been different for me. But I’ve seen this change cause real stress for many friends and clients. I wanted to share some tips on how to adjust and work effectively from home during this unprecedented time in our history.

Posted on Monday, March 9, 2020

It’s Time To Stop Making Excuses

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How often do you want to quit what you’re doing during your workday? How often do you give yourself a reason—any reason—to leave your office? It’s time to stop making excuses for your behavior.

Motivating yourself is all about having good self-talk. But it’s so easy to let negativity creep in around the corners of our day. And when it does, it can have a domino effect on every single area of our lives. Negativity can hold us back from reaching our goals. It can damage our relationships and prevent us from moving up in our careers. Frankly, negativity is poisonous. If you want to end negativity and the effect it’s having on your productivity and happiness, I have one simple tip for you.

Posted on Monday, March 2, 2020

How the 4 Stages of Learning Can Help You in Sales

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I live by the idea “Always Be Learning.” One of my favorite authors, Stephen Covey, calls it “sharpening the saw.” In short, knowledge is a lifelong journey to engage in continually, not a destination to reach. I teach the 4 stages of learning at the beginning of every single coaching and consulting relationship.

A lot of people don’t understand why they’re not growing. The answer is always that they need to be learning more. No matter what you need to learn, there are 4 stages you’ll progress through each time you encounter new knowledge. Understanding them is key to mastering the knowledge at hand.

Posted on Monday, February 3, 2020

Using the Tie-Down Close Effectively

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If you’ve ever watched Law & Order or any of the other criminal junkie shows on television, chances are you’ve heard an attorney shout the words, “Objection! Leading the witness.”

Leading the witness isn’t allowed because it can sway the testimony to the attorney’s benefit. It can almost be a way of putting words in someone’s mouth. It’s known as a tie-down, and the principle behind it drives one of the most effective closing techniques in all of sales.

Posted on Monday, January 27, 2020

Why You Lose When You Compare Yourself to Others

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Theodore Roosevelt once said that “comparison is the thief of joy,” and he’s right! The moment you begin to compare yourself to someone else, you’ve already lost.

Looking at the success of others (or their “perfect” family, or car, or home, etc.) and thinking they have all the luck can lead you down a very dangerous path. At the end of that path lies the scarcity mentality and all the pitfalls it entails. So how you can avoid letting the success of others rob you of your wins?