Sales Story

Sales Story

3 Very Different Companies with 3 Very Similar Sales Challenges

I hope your Fall 2017 Selling Season is off to powerful start. Like you, I am running hard to maximize impact during this critical time of year and I’m sure that many of you fellow road warriors can relate. I’ve been on so many planes and in so many hotels recently that it’s been difficult remembering …

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Salespeople Should Never Answer This Question

Politicians typically are not great examples for us. But the one area where skilled politicians continually impress me is in their ability to deftly answer a different question than the one they’re asked. In many cases, it’s not that they are avoiding the question, but that they are intentionally focused on communicating a particular message to the …

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Q2 and Opening Day Are Here / Last Chance for OutBound ATL / New Website Pages

Spring is in the air! March Madness comes to an end Monday night. The Cardinals are hosting (it pains me to write this) the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs at Busch. And Q1 is in the books. Hope it was a great quarter for you. Here’s a quick sales checklist headed into Q2: Review your …

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Isn’t It Easier and More Effective When We SELL WITH A STORY?

I asked renowned storytelling expert Paul Smith to sit down with me for a brief video interview because I wanted my audience to benefit from his research and tips on storytelling. You know how strongly I advocate working on your “sales story,” and no one has more data and ideas for how to effectively deploy stories than Paul. …

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Is Your Sales Story (Messaging) Compelling or Repelling?

An effective sales story (or messaging) changes everything. And I mean everything. Your “story” is your most critical sales weapon partly because your “story” ends up in all of your other weapons. Think about it. Your LinkedIn profile has elements of your story. Your prospecting emails and proactive phone calls use pieces from your story. …

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My Best Practical Tips to Drive NEW SALES in This Powerful Podcast

I love talking New Sales and this incredible interview just posted by Doug Burdett (The Marketing Book Podcast) may be my favorite conversation yet! If you sell in any capacity, lead a sales team, or you’re an executive in a company that needs more New Sales, please invest the time to listen to this powerful conversation. …

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7 Valuable Highlights from a Client Sales Leadership Retreat

Last week I had the privilege of joining a company’s management team and key salespeople for their annual leadership retreat held in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.  I was impressed with and energized by this company’s leaders and its culture from our first interaction. It was fun working with them to prep for the full-day session they asked …

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6 Powerful Sales and Culture Lessons from a Great Visit to Butler University

My oldest son and I just returned from two fantastic days at Butler University in Indianapolis. Several events drew us to the campus this particular weekend. There was an admitted students reception prior to Saturday evening’s basketball game against highly-ranked Villanova, and the College of Business put on a full-day program Friday offering the opportunity to …

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This Boardroom Disaster Was the Most Painful but Formative Lesson in My Sales Career

Pain is a good teacher. Fourteen years ago I suffered the most painful experience in my sales career – so painful, that it’s burned in my memory as vividly as the birth of my children. And so powerful and formative were the lessons from that experience that it’s not an exaggeration to say it changed …

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I Double Dog Dare You to do These 3 Things to Drive Sales Between Now and Thanksgiving

Because I’ve written an annual “Fall Selling Season” post the past few years, I was tempted to skip it this time around. But the more I talk with salespeople, sales managers and executives, the more I felt compelled to share some strong words as we head into this critical time of the year. I won’t get …

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