17 Mar

Posted at 16:40h in Uncategorized by

You are the CEO of your personal brand. What does this mean, and why does it matter? In today’s world, whether you’re building a career in a corporation, as a skilled car mechanic, a talented beautician, or a dedicated elementary school teacher, managing your personal brand is essential to distinguish yourself from others. Think of yourself as a business. You market and sell your value—your skills, talents, and contributions—to employers, clients, or consumers. In return, they compensate you for that value. You also engage in transactions and purchase goods and services from others. Who runs this business? You do. As the...

11 Mar

Posted at 15:50h in Uncategorized by

I love sports and often use sports analogies. Now is the time of Major League Baseball's Spring training. At every team's camp, at least one or more young men try to earn a place on the team's roster. Here is a hypothetical situation: Your team has two people at camp competing for one position, let's say third baseman.  So far, one young player, Smith, has had a terrific Spring.  His batting average is .453, he has stolen three bases, his fielding has been perfect, and his attitude has been exemplary. Smith was undrafted out of college, where he played for three years and...

04 Mar

Posted at 19:42h in Uncategorized by

My background has primarily been selling enterprise-wide financial, human resource, medical, anti-money laundering, and manufacturing solutions.  In most cases, the prospective buyer has strategically decided to change their infrastructure. The highest-level executives typically make these decisions in an organization.  So, when deciding who to sell to in the organization, it is a mistake to ignore the importance of reaching the "C" Suite executive. They are the ones who approve all decisions and expenditures. The approver is sometimes called the "economic buyer" or the "key decision maker."2 Lower-performing sales pros often make the mistake of focusing solely on their user buyer contacts and...

24 Feb

Posted at 17:36h in Uncategorized by

This past week, I had a case of influenza. It reminded me of an incident many years ago when I began my career as an accountant. I joined the cost accounting department for GD Searle & Co., then an independent, more than one-hundred-year-old, family-controlled public biotechnology company, now a Pfizer subsidiary. The CEO at the time was Daniel Searle, a great-grandson of the founder. Searle was known for releasing the first birth-control pill, Enovid, and for developing Metamucil, Dramamine, Celebrex, and aspartame. The leader of my cost accounting team was Glen, who was in his forties.  Glen had worked for Searle for...

17 Feb

Posted at 16:36h in Uncategorized by

“Catch-22” was a popular fictional book and later a movie published by Joseph Heller in 1961. In Heller’s book, an Air Force lieutenant desired to be exempted from a bombing mission because he claimed he was insane.  But, claiming he was insane to avoid a dangerous mission demonstrated that he was sane.  Therefore, he could not be exempted from the mission because he was not insane. Merriam-Webster defines “Catch-22” as “a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule.”1  A typical example is a job-seeker not being hired because they...

10 Feb

Posted at 20:38h in Uncategorized by

One of the most overlooked keys to sales success is Attitude. A positive attitude consists of being mentally optimistic and self-confident. It is essential in sales—and life! Attitude is as important as skill in determining sales success.  How can you perform well if you’re not in your best mental state? If you don’t believe you will be successful, you will not be. I went into every sales call believing I would win and close each sale, regardless of the circumstances. This was not conceit or overconfidence. If I gave a better-than-average explanation of how my solution could provide the prospect with exceptional...

03 Feb

Posted at 17:21h in Uncategorized by

Some sales pros work for companies that furnish adequate suspects and unqualified leads to keep them busy achieving their sales goals. I was not as fortunate, working for several technology companies and a few start-ups.  If I did not develop leads, I would have starved and been terminated from my sales role by the company.  Fortunately, that never happened.  However, I had to learn to be resourceful and develop leads in various ways, depending on how much assistance I received from the company’s marketing department, which ranged from none to quite a bit. Some authors and sales trainers minimize the value...

21 Jan

Posted at 17:06h in Uncategorized by

Many sales pros ask me what to do when the prospect doesn’t return calls or emails.  You have been calling on a prospect for several months and believe you have established rapport with your contact. You presented a thoroughly researched business case about two weeks ago but have not received any replies to your telephone calls, texts, or emails.  This is now called “ghosting.”  Yes, they are impolite and don’t care how much it means to you. You are very frustrated with the silence and wonder what the problem is.  Did you do something wrong?  Your mind is super active. And...

03 Jan

Posted at 21:15h in Uncategorized by

This sounds like an obvious statement. Wouldn't Homer Simpson say "duh" if I said this to him? Isn't it a binary condition—either one or the other? And isn't the reverse then true, too? No, not really. It also could be neither. It is not that simple. How do you know whether you are winning or losing the sale you are trying to close? Who should you ask? Your contact at the company you are trying to sell? They're not always truthful. Your competition? They can't be trusted to be honest. Your sales manager? It is probably your best option, but do you...

23 Dec

Posted at 15:48h in Uncategorized by

I am often asked this question: If a buyer gives you the choice to be the first, middle, or last seller to present your proposed solution to the evaluation team, which should you choose? Conventional wisdom suggests that one should try to be the final presenter when the buyer reviews several suppliers. Many sales trainers say it is to your advantage to be the last presenter. The thinking is that the buyers will remember what was most recently presented to them when they decide. This strategy has an element of validity because buyers may forget the key points you pointed out...