Learn How to Communicate “The Why” From A Chain Letter

May 17, 2012 in Life, Management, Sales with 0 Comments

Last week my wife received a chain letter from a friend’s daughter inviting her to be part of a Sticker Club. The letter politely explains that you need to go out and buy some stickers for one child on the list, then send the letter to six people you know, so the chain continues.

Yes, not only have you been drug into the fray, but you also need to recruit. The letter only survives based on your willingness to “innocently” mail the letter to six more people.

Six friends you hope will still talk to you after they get the letter, since most people are busy and this can be a bit of a hassle.

As she explained the whole thing to me, I laughed a little. I asked her how she gets sucked into these things and whether or not she was going to participate. She said she would do her part and began diligently making a list of people she would send the letter to once she was finished. Continue Reading…

What A 10 Mile Race Taught Me About Fear

May 15, 2012 in Life with 0 Comments

Three miles into the 2012 Broad Street Run (the country’s largest 10 mile race), I wanted out and I wanted out bad.

I felt terrible, mostly because in the six weeks leading up to the race my training fell apart. I mailed it in.

Three miles in, I was ready to quit. I just needed to decide exactly when I was going to stop running. I had a million reasons excuses ready to use – the tendonitis in my knees was too much to bear, my calves were still in pain from my long run a few weeks earlier, and hell, I don’t even like running. But that’s all they were – excuses.

The irony is, finishing the race was not going to be a problem. I was in good enough shape to do that relatively easy. Continue Reading…

Why You Think The Way You Do? – An Interview With Alexa Sherr Hartley

May 10, 2012 in Business Development, Management, Sales with 0 Comments

I am really excited to bring you the first of what I plan to be a series of interviews with leading experts on a variety of topics.

Today I am talking with Alexa Sherr Hartley about Thinking Styles. Alexa is a former attorney turned executive coach, and the founder and president of Premier Leadership Coaching.

I met Alexa at Columbia University’s Coaching Certification Program a few years back and am very grateful that after some gentle arm twisting, she agreed to let me interview her. As a result of today’s topic you will:

  • Learn more about thinking styles and why they matter
  • Understand why you like certain tasks and projects more than others
  • Know how to communicate more effectively in every situation
  • Be more clear about the types of roles you excel in

If you’d like more information on the assessment we discuss in the interview you can go here. To contact Alexa directly with questions or to learn more about this topic, you can visit her website here or email her at alexa@premierleadershipcoaching.com.

If you can’t see the video, click here

 

Not Exactly Your Typical Weekend Hike

May 8, 2012 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I am always amazed, and sometimes even envious, when I hear about some of the “crazy” adventures people go on. Crazy for no other reason than most people wouldn’t try it. Not because it’s not doable or dangerous, just different.

For example, I have a friend who graduated high school and spent the next three months riding a second hand ten-speed from Atlantic City, NJ to San Diego, CA. A man, his bike, and 2800 miles.

A few years later, one of my roommates spent all Summer working and saving so he could buy an around-the-world plane ticket. He wasn’t going on one of those European hostile tours filled with overflowing steins and Parisian cafes. It was more of a, “I’m going to start out in Cambodia, then head over to Laos” kind of trip. He did the entire trip alone. Continue Reading…

Brain Food #2

May 3, 2012 in Business Development, Life, Sales with 0 Comments

Today I’m sharing some links on sales advice, starting new projects, and how to make bacon jam. That’s right, I’m spicing things up a bit. Actually, I’m just trying to show off just how well-rounded I really am, that I don’t spend all my time reading business articles!

1. Are you are problem solver or pain reliever? In this post, Jim Keenan talks about the key distinction between the two and why one is so much more valuable than the other. I’ve been reading Jim’s blog for a while and find that he has some really practical tips and strategies for selling more effectively. Check him out.

2. In the words of Michael Jackson, most of us Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’. Maybe it’s a new diet, a new hobby, or a new venture. However, most us find reasons to put it off or not do it at all. You can’t help but get fired up to do something after watching this video. If you only have 3 minutes, skip the rest of the links in this post and watch this right now. FYI, if you are offended by a few curse words, consider yourself warned, but it’s nothing over the top. If you can’t see the video, click here.

3. You thought sales was about relationships. I did too. This article explains why that might not be the case anymore.

“This finding — that Challengers win and Relationship Builders lose — is one that sales leaders often find deeply troubling, because their organizations have placed by far their biggest bet on recruiting, developing, and rewarding Relationship Builders, the profile least likely to win.”

If you think this is interesting, you should read the book. It really deserves it’s own post and made me rethink how I do certain things. Enjoy.

4. Relationships with clients have a tendency to ebb and flow. Sometimes you find yourself in a very secure position, while other times things aren’t moving along as smoothly. There are a lot of factors than can contribute to this fluctuation. In this post, Anthony Iannarino discusses what he calls the Clienty Loyalty Continuum.

5. My favorite time of year is coming up. We are just a few weeks away from the opening of the Spring/Summer Farmer’s Market season in Pennsylvania. One of my favorite hobbies is food, especially cooking it. There’s nothing like making the rounds at an outdoor market on a Saturday market and buying some of the freshest ingredients you can find. Last year I started messing around with preserving, pickles and jams mostly. This blog has a ton of ideas of what to do with the bounty of fruits and vegetables that will be harvested over the coming months. But if you want a game changer of a recipe and you love bacon (who doesn’t), you have to try making this bacon jam. It makes everything better.

 

How To Decrease The Odds Of Failing

May 1, 2012 in Management, Sales with 0 Comments

Everyone fails, even though no one plans on it when setting out. There are plenty of articles that will talk about failure as a necessary precursor to success. There are countless famous failures a lot and popular bloggers have their own take. That doesn’t mean you should plan for or embrace failure. Planning and preparation certainly help to minimize the chances of coming up short, but even then, there are no guarantees.

Scarce resources, a lack of focus, and under-capitalization are frequent contributors to the reasons people fail. Continue Reading…

The Hardest Sale You’ll Ever Make

April 26, 2012 in Sales with 2 Comments

A few weeks ago I talked about a few of the things I’ve learned during my time in sales. One item on the list generated more interest than anything else. I received several emails and even a few phone calls from people who agreed with what I said, and a few from others wanted more clarification.

The is the item on the list I am referring to:

“For some reason, “no-brainers” are the hardest things to sell.”

Based on the reaction, I though it might be worth a deeper dive.

You’ve heard the phrase a million times – “this is a no-brainer.” In fact, you’ve even used it with clients and prospects. There’s a reason why it doesn’t usually work like you hoped it would.

1. People are naturally cautious. Everyone’s had a bad experience with a sales person in the past. You’ve been swindled, strong-armed, and lied to. Selling something using a “no-brainer” approach is amateur at best. Calling something a no-brainer raises red flags. Instead of a acting as a motivator or catalyst, it conjures up images of too good to be true. And as soon as that happens, people shut down and stop listening

2. It can come off as condescending. Usually when people present something as a no-brainer, they skip everything else about the product or service and lead with that. No features, no benefits, ROI, nothing. It’s like hitting the fast forward button through all the relevant information, then saying, “You must be stupid if you don’t do this.”

This causes the opposite effect of what was intended. Instead of the prospect jumping up and saying, “Seriously, thanks so much for thinking of me, where do I sign?”, you are more likely to cause them to proceed with extreme caution, if at all, making the sales process that much more difficult.

3. There is no such thing as a no-brainer. Any opportunity where someone is going to make an investment of time or money requires some level of due diligence. You only stand to undermine that process for the person you are working with when you suggest they just go along with your proposal on blind faith.

In the end, what’s important or apparent to you, may not be what’s important to your prospect. The best thing you can do is stay true to the sales process and let people evaluate solutions on their own merit, based on the criteria that’s important to them, at their own pace.

Hopefully next time you’ll catch yourself before you let “it’s a no-brainer” roll off your tongue. I know I will.

 

“How Long Does It Take…..”

April 19, 2012 in Business Development, Life, Management, Sales with 0 Comments

Photo credit ZachAncell

…..to run a mile? Most people would tell you somewhere in the 8-10 minute range. That’s not scientific research, but I’d be willing to bet very few, if any, will say 4 minutes, even though a high school student can run it that fast.

…..to build a solid sales territory? Ask that question in my industry and most people would answer roughly 3 years. Odd answer considering there are people who have done it in less than 18 months.

…..to complete the entire Long Trail (a 272-mile trek from Vermont to Canada)? Before answering, most people would wonder why you would want to do that in the first place. However, few would suggest the trek will take 10 days. This guy plans to prove otherwise.

Regardless of what you are setting out to accomplish, if you ask people how long it will take, they typically answer with how long it takes the average person. Most things are discussed based on the averages. Average age of a CEO, average investment returns, and average temperatures.

Why is this a problem? Because people generally don’t set out to be average when trying to accomplish a new goal.

So, if you don’t want to be average or be compared to the status quo, it’s time to start asking a different question.

Instead of “How long?” start using “What’s the fastest?”

What’s the fastest anyone’s run the mile, built a territory, or been promoted to VP?

Chances are it will not only change how you see the task, but the opportunity also.

If This Doesn’t Inspire You, Check Your Pulse

April 17, 2012 in Life with 2 Comments

This video has been all over the Internet in the past week, so there’s a good chance you’ve seen it. If you haven’t, find ten minutes and watch it.

Click here if video doesn’t load.

There are a lot of lessons to glean from Caine and his arcade.

First, you can’t help but be inspired by his creativity. The fun pass, it’s security system, and the “manual” ticket feeder are complete genius. A big reason I started this blog was for my own personal creative outlet. For many of us, the older we get, the less creative, and more conforming we become. Caine serves as a great example of why we need to resist that tendency. Continue Reading…

21 Things I’ve Learned About Sales

April 11, 2012 in Business Development, Sales with 2 Comments

1. Every one is in sales, no matter your title, role, or job description. Embrace it.

2. It’s worth learning to do well. Consider it a life skill, even if it’s not how you make a living.

3. Sales isn’t easy and there aren’t any shortcuts. A lot of people who “think they’d be great at sales” aren’t.

4. It’s a profession worth pursuing and really honing your skills at. Too many do the first part, not enough do the second. Most likely because the first part is easy. The second part, on the other hand, requires an investment of time, money, and effort. Continue Reading…

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