My colleagues and I at Ninety Five 5 are coaches. By the way, what comes to mind when you hear the term "coach?" I find it fascinating the number of different definitions people have for coaches and coaching.So, today, I thought I'd ask just what, exactly, is coaching? And, more specifically, what exactly is it that leaders who function as coaches within their organizations can do in the role of coach.Here's my working definition of coaching: I think coaching is a p […]

You're faced with a slim margin and a competitor that appears willing to lose money to get the deal! Yikes…what could you say?Knowing that "intent counts more than technique," you might say something like this (with confidence and calm): "As I think about it, I don't know how they could offer a price so low … I realize that from time to time some companies choose to buy customers. It happens. I understand it. My company is NOT (subtle emp […]

I actually think that "out of scope" requests are some of the greatest compliments a client can give you. Let me explain. I am naturally focused on satisfying other people. It's just the nature of my personality. I'm a "helper" type of personality. And that has served me so well in my career because I always treated my customers like I just met them or like they were my best friends. That is to say I never disrespected them or took them for granted. I just […]

Many years ago, a much wiser person than I, was offering me some coaching on an upcoming presentation.As I gave my "pitch", he quietly listened for a while, nodding now and then and saying very little.  I thought I was on a roll. He had no input for me … I was doing great!Suddenly, he leaned forward and quietly asked me to stop. He then began to offer the coaching that I was looking for, but it was not as I thought it would be.  He really only off […]

A sales forecast is a key business planning tool for a business. Not only that, it is often the basis for a salesperson's bonus.What the numbers should be for a sales forecast is usually of great debate -- a salesperson wants something that is achievable and Finance wants to push the numbers highly (often to satisfy shareholders). Has this ever happened to you? The Finance department looks at last year's sales, obtains the Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for that industr […]

We've been talking about leaders and followers and the importance of both within our organizations. Although asking why anyone would want to be a leader is an interesting question, perhaps a more intriguing question is asking why anyone would want to be a follower. Being a leader clearly has some advantages, but why would anyone freely choose to subordinate his or herself to someone else? Why would you be a follower?Evolutionary psychology tells us that people follow because the b […]

To determine if price is the "last thing" … remove it from the table and see what happens. The client says, "OK, if you can match the competitor's price, we'll go with you." (Don't start cheering too soon…remember, we want PROFITABLE sales, not just sales).You might say: Let's say that price was not an issue/If their numbers were the same as our numbers (not ours the same as theirs as it could create the false sense that you […]

Understanding where you are in a sales project will help you use to your time more efficiently so you can focus on closing the deal when the time is right.In sales projects, as in all projects, there are two distinct phases: 1. The feasibility phase2. The acquisition phase In the first phase, your activities are related to determining if there is an opportunity and defining exactly what that opportunity is. In the second phase, you can demonstrate how your solution would help the cli […]

Jim Collins coined the phrase, "Good is the enemy of Great."  I'd add, "busy is the enemy of better."You don't get to be great in one big "leaps tall buildings" jump.  You get to be great by getting better - week by week, month by month, year by year.   And we don't get better because we are too busy.Too busy first getting done the things that seemingly need to get done.  Then too busy relaxing, r […]

In this post I talk about a great book titled: "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell.It focuses on an interesting subject called "thin-slicing," our ability to gauge what is really important from a very narrow period of experience. In other words, in the blink of an eye, people can make quick and accurate decisions. But lots of experience in the area being gauged is required, however. This premise relates closely to a something we call […]