Posted on Monday, February 22, 2021

Client Relations: A Tale Of Two Tokens

Ever had an upset client? Here's how to have them say, “It’s no big deal.”

In the 1980s, an executive named Jean-Louis Gassée was chosen to head Apple’s operations in Europe. He quickly identified a flaw in their customer support: if a client reported an issue, it was usually blamed on the customer’s inexperience with new technology.

But dismissing people’s problems just makes them angry, and Jean-Louis knew that Apple couldn’t afford to have a bunch of disgruntled customers bad-mouthing his computers across the country. Apple had plenty of money to make things right for their customers—and the issues weren’t even really a big deal to fix!

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Posted on Monday, February 8, 2021

Just Say No to Notifications

We’re all trying to get more things done. But the technology that’s supposed to help us be more productive is actually getting in our way.

Has this happened to you? You’re trying to process paperwork, and suddenly your doorbell rings (in your house AND your phone), your watch dings and vibrates, and your dogs start barking.

You’re notified of a UPS package delivery by your email, your “smart home” app, your watch, AND your dogs!

Stop this madness!

There are SO MANY notifications that interrupt us all day long on our computers, phones, and smartwatches. These rings, dings, vibrations, and buzzes are impossible to ignore. It’s time to pick up your phone and put yourself back in charge! All you have to do:

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Posted on Monday, November 30, 2020

The Sales Promise You Can’t Keep

Scarcity Thinking Leads to Over Promising

There’s a common trap in sales that good people are falling into, and it could be killing your business.

Abundance is an ideal trait that all top performers have. It’s critical to your success. Are you familiar with the idea of an abundance mentality?

Stephen Covey popularized this idea in his essential Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and it’s a valuable way of looking at how we interpret and interact with the world around us. An abundance mindset is one of my core values, and every day I teach my clients about abundance and its counterpart, scarcity.

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Posted on Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Sales Skills are Transferable—You Can Sell Anything!

In my years as a sales coach, I’ve seen this situation play out a million times: A salesperson gets a new job and doesn’t want to call on prospects until they feel like they’ve learned absolutely everything there is to know about the product or service they’re selling.

They feel like making those calls would be “wasting” a lead on someone before they become “good enough” at their job. That is 100% the wrong way to approach things. Doing so will pretty much guarantee that you never become a top producer.

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Posted on Monday, August 17, 2020

Begin with the End in Mind (in Sales)

Creating good time management habits can feel exhausting. If it’s something you’ve struggled with for a while, you may find it hard to know where to start.

In Stephen Covey’s world-renowned book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he suggests using a powerful tip: Begin with the end in mind. What does this mean for a relationship-based salesperson, though? And how can you apply that principle to transform the way you think about your calendar and your tasks?

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Posted on Monday, August 10, 2020

Using “Try Before You Buy” with Professional Services

If you sell a tangible good, you likely have the opportunity to let a prospect “try” before they “buy” from you. “Yes sir. You can test drive the car for the weekend.” “Absolutely ma’am. Take the dog home to meet your kids!” But what if you sell something that can’t be picked up and held?

For those of us selling a professional service, it can feel difficult to provide a prospect with the chance to test-drive what we offer. But there is a way to use this close effectively, no matter what you sell.

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Posted on Monday, July 20, 2020

Tips for Conquering Call Reluctance

Of all the reasons salespeople come to me for coaching, call reluctance is one of the most common. Every single salesperson I know—myself included—has suffered from it at some point or another.

It’s important to realize that call reluctance is a real, legitimate feeling. You’re not making it up, and you’re not crazy for feeling this way. You can get past it, and it doesn’t have to be something you fight forever. I’ve got a few methods to help you kick call reluctance for good.

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