“He can sell ice to an Eskimo.” It’s a classic expression used to describe someone who can sell anything to anyone. It highlights the gift of persuasion. Someone used it recently to describe one of my salespeople—and I cringed. I understand it was meant to be a compliment and being persuasive is a crucial skillCONTINUE READING
Congratulations! You just landed a new position in sales. Maybe you’re with a new company, or maybe you transferred into a different division within the same company. It’s time to ramp up, and the learning curve is steep. The clock’s ticking and time is not your friend. Your manager might tell you to “ease into theCONTINUE READING
How often does a sale get “stuck” at the 11th hour? Even the most talented sales professionals miscalculate a critical step in the client’s buying process and/or misread a buying signal. Unfortunately, this happens far too frequently. So what can you do? I’ve seen all types of strategies aimed at getting clients to sign on the dottedCONTINUE READING
You’re in an elevator with a prospective client. In 2 minutes or less, explain your business. We’ve all practiced this scenario. Well, the days of the elevator ride are over. It’s hard enough to identify the right buyer in the enterprise, let alone to get face-time with her/him. When we finally do get in frontCONTINUE READING
Do something you’re good at and the rest will take care of itself. I’ve been selling things since the 3rd grade, but I got my first “professional” sales job during my senior year in college. I recruited and placed IT professionals from my dorm room at LaSalle University. I was pretty good and had someCONTINUE READING
Expect a lot of football chatter this week leading up the NFL draft on Thursday. Will the Jets take Baker Mayfield with the 3rd pick? What an amazing underdog story—from “walk on” to one of the most decorated college football players in history. I was half listening to a debate on ESPN about Mayfield whenCONTINUE READING
Last week Dee and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary together. We spent the day in Philadelphia—the city where we first met. While strolling through Rittenhouse Square Park, we had a memorable encounter with a man who inspired lesson #8. It’s a simple lesson in finding the strength to push through the obstacles that life throwsCONTINUE READING
We’ve all heard some version of the adage “Tomorrow is not promised to anyone.” It’s our reminder to live in the moment. Easy to say, hard to practice. What if you were told “You didn’t have many tomorrows left?” What would you do differently? How would you change? Chris and I recently met someone whoCONTINUE READING
It was Dee’s turn to write the next post in our 25 Lessons series, but she’s in China this week. So I’m taking #6 off her plate—with a simple one that everyone should learn from. I went from selling staffing services for my family’s business in my 20s to an entirely different stratosphere in myCONTINUE READING
Whenever I talk about or teach sales, I try to reshape the often-negative perception people have of our profession. I may share stories that link selling to something purposeful. Usually, I start a discussion by saying Selling is to Serve—a virtue I learned from my upbringing. I talked with my great-uncle Mike recently—a loyal husband,CONTINUE READING
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