Tag Archives: Learn!

“I Don’t Know.” – - A Great Answer

September 4, 2010 – 3:56 pm

Here’s my contention:  Finding yourself frequently acknowledging, “I don’t know,” is a signal that you have become a superior sales rep.
Huh?
Before you conclude I’ve finally lost it completely, listen and see if you agree…

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Learn! | Also tagged | Comments (4)

So You Learned Something. So What?

September 3, 2010 – 8:13 am

About fifteen years ago, I ran across a paper written by Arie De Geuss, then chief of corporate planning for Royal Dutch Shell. In it, he made one of those pithy observations that really capture the essence of sustained excellent performance. Insightful as he was at the time, it’s just not [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Continuous Improvement | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Risk vs. Calculated Risk

August 15, 2010 – 8:50 pm

This is a story about risk, but a bit of background is necessary, so please bear with me through the first paragraph.
Eleven years ago, when The YPS Group was launched, “we” made a strategic decision to focus on serving small to mid size customers, from $5 to $500 million in revenue.  “We” also decided to [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in E-Rep | Also tagged , , | Comments (4)

Quick Thought For Week Of 7/25/10

July 25, 2010 – 6:51 am

Cuchillo de palo!
Have any habits that might annoy your customers?  Have any bad habits you thought you had dropped, but haven’t?  The answer, of course is, “Yes.”  Here’s a quick video to help stay focused on your not-so-spiffy behavior patterns.

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Quick Thought | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

I’d Rather Be Lucky Than Good

July 23, 2010 – 6:39 am

There aren’t many feelings as cool as when you get to see one of your own best practices kick in.  I had the great good fortune this past Wednesday to watch one of mine take hold and accomplish its intended effect.  (I just wish I had actually thought the practice up instead of simply bumbling [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Best Practices | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)

The Best Selling Tip Ever

July 1, 2010 – 4:00 pm

This sign has been on the bookshelf of every office I’ve ever had.  In those years before I earned a private office, it sat next to my telephone.  (A few of you out there will recognize its heritage…)
My first sales manager gave it to me along with a grunt and a bit of his classically [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Quick Thought | Also tagged , , | Comments (7)

Sales – What An Awesome Career!

June 23, 2010 – 11:15 pm

I’ll never forget my grandfather’s reaction just after I graduated from college when I told him I had gotten a job with IBM.  He was thrilled!  Thrilled and impressed that I had be able to land such a fabulous entry level job.  Then he asked, “Doing what?”  My answer literally devastated him.  “Sales?  You mean [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Learn! | Also tagged | Comments (0)

That Would Be Too Hard And I’m Already Too Busy

June 12, 2010 – 9:25 am

To get into the proper mindset, re-read the title of this post in the most weepy, whiney tone you can imagine.  Got that annoying eeeesssssshhhhhh feeling?  Good.
Because that’s the feeling I invariably get from sales managers and reps when discussing E-Rep for the first time.  That’s “E” as in “Electronic.”  Every “H” or “Human” rep [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in E-Rep, Learn! | Also tagged , | Comments (4)

Teach Selling To Learn Selling

June 8, 2010 – 7:10 pm

Five years or so into my sales career I learned a lesson that still looms large in my brain.  Here it is:
The best way to learn something is to be responsible for teaching it to someone else.
This is especially true when you don’t know squat about the subject in question.  At the time, I was [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Learn! | Also tagged | Comments (7)

The Best Business Coach I Ever Had

June 7, 2010 – 1:22 pm

It took me just over a year to realize I was being coached. That’s how good Bob Barham was. Frankly, I didn’t think I needed coaching at the time. I was 42 years old, and for the 20 years of my career up to that point, I had steadily climbed up the [...]

By Todd Youngblood | Posted in Learn! | Also tagged , | Comments (6)