Principle 1: Continuous improvement of the sales process is a fundamental necessity.
Not really possible to argue about this one is it? You sort of have to accept it’s validity immediately, right? It’s even a bit motherhood-and-apple-pie-ish. That said, this principle can only be ignored if the sales performance of your competitors is steadily degrading. If, [...]
We all waste time. Sometimes it’s un-avoidable, like cooling your heels in the customer’s lobby waiting to get escorted up to the decision-maker’s office. Sometimes it’s self-inflicted. Ever had “one more cup of coffee” in the break-room or check your stock portfolio during working hours? Sometimes whiling away a small chunk [...]
Manufacturing executives said it didn’t apply to them. (They were dead wrong.) Software development executives said it didn’t apply to them. (They were dead wrong.) Business & technology services executives said it didn’t apply to them. (They were dead wrong.) Sales executives, managers and professionals KNOW FOR SURE it doesn’t apply [...]
Who am I to argue with General Dwight D. Eisenhower? He made the comment in this post’s title regarding the Normandy invasion. He was reflecting upon how little the actual battle resembled the D-Day plan; a plan that resulted from a truly stupendous effort on the part of the Allies.
What makes the quotation profound is [...]
Friendly violent debates are really a lot of fun. They’re also the best way to practice selling complex ideas. Fortunately for me, there are lots of folks ready, willing and able to have no-holds-barred, free-for-all arguments about my allegedly brilliant ideas. One of my favorites involves the traditional “sales funnel” metaphor.
Hey, [...]
“They just made an unbelievably poor decision.”
Did you ever watch a customer or prospect make a bad decision? OK, dumb question… We’ve all lost deals because the guy on the other side of the desk just flat didn’t do a good job of making the decision. And because we hold the customer’s best interests near [...]
Friendly violent debates are really a lot of fun. They’re also the best way to practice selling complex ideas. Fortunately for me, there are lots of folks ready, willing and able to have no-holds-barred, free-for-all arguments about my allegedly brilliant ideas. One of my favorites involves the traditional “sales funnel” metaphor.
I still hold it near [...]
We’re all familiar with the “Law of Unintended Consequences.” My personal favorite is still the plastic whistles that were packaged with Cap’n Crunch cereal back in the ’70s. Blowing the whistle into your phone triggered a connection to AT&T’s long distance dialing AND by-passed their billing system. Free calls! Not exactly what Quaker Oats had [...]
Timing is everything!
Editors tell authors to never ever start a blog post with a cliché. Despite appearances, I always follow that advice, and here’s why the above – when applied to selling – is most definitely not a violation of that writer’s rule. Competition is intense. Depending on [...]
