Salespeople commonly struggle with the question: "What makes your company the one I should do business with? What makes you different?"The way they (or most) respond is predictable. And it's actually laughable. But it's highly predictable and very common. When a salesperson, sales executive or business executive hears that question they usually say -- without knowing anything about the customer -- something like: "Our differentiation in the marketplace is&h […]

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter studying for a test? If so, chances are you were not able to perform very well when it came time to taking the test.I know I have made the mistake of not putting myself in a peak performance state before a test. I did not get enough sleep and, as a result, I was unfocused and could not remember what I studied.  I like to think I have learned something from this experience. When you have an important event, what can you do to make su […]

Have you ever heard the phrase that (fill in the blank) is a "natural born salesperson?" What does that even mean?If we buy into the idea that some people have "got it" and other's don't, then if you "have it" you're going to be great if you don't then you're not. There's no such thing as a natural born salesperson. So what makes a salesperson great?What about intelligence? There's zero correlation to intelligence and w […]

I'm often amazed at how many senior execs (who are involved in the sales cycle) completely extract themselves from expertly applying their own company's sales process and skills. I see this so often that it really, really amazes me.It doesn't matter the size of the company – let's say it's a small company and the CEO knows most of the customers and regularly calls upon them. Then he or she wants the salespeople to get better at what they're doing […]

Athletes often talk about being "in the zone." For NFL quarterbacks, the game may slow down for them so they are able to see the entire field. When basketball players get hot, it seems they can't miss a shot. We all have experienced times in our lives when everything just seems to flow. Maybe it was playing a game. Or it could have been a professional or social situation where everything just clicks. I am going to ask you to participate in a brief exerc […]

What is the one thing that if you did today, would end up being the most important thing you do all month?  This may seem like a high standard for determining what you should focus on each day. But if you look back on your life, you will likely find that most significant outcomes in your life were determined by very brief and vital moments. (Most can be traced to a single choice you made.)This imbalance was discovered in 1906, when Italian economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pa […]

I am a firm believer in the idea that good questions often demonstrate our understanding better than statements can.  Painful experience tells us that making the wrong statement to the wrong people at the wrong time can seriously jeopardize or even ruin the chances of reaching an agreement with the other party. What about bad questions? While the person asking a question may not immediately recognize the implications of asking a question, the person being ask […]

"I'm not a conversation planner, never have been, never…"Leaders: it might make sense to take a little time to plan for those important employee conversations. OK, do I sit down and spend time planning for every conversation? Absolutely not. Should I? No way! There's no need.But I do spend time planning the important conversations. It's the whole "doing what I know to do" thing. Take those significant ones with your team members for exam […]

When most people begin a negotiation, they have already made the most common mistake: They don't prepare before the actual negotiation begins.Time spent preparing for negotiations can save you a lot more time in the actual negotiation process. The preparation I am referring to does not require reading books on negotiating or studying tactics. Effective preparation means putting in the time it takes to consider the situation from the other side's point of view. You should be […]

In sales, there's a necessary balance between courage and consideration. If you have too little of either one, it's usually going to cause some problems. Most salespeople error on the side of consideration. They want clients to like them, they want to be friendly, they want to gain acceptance and approval. If you happen to be the kind of person who likes to expand your sense of courage - to be courageous - then sales is definitely the field to go into. You get so many chanc […]