June 1 2013

During a Sales Presentation, Do you Take the Train or Drive ?

Have you ever noticed how much more you can observe about the countryside while traveling on a train versus driving?  The same holds true in selling. 

September 21 2012

Obama’s Brilliance

President Obama understands that [at the core] people want to be told what to do and to be taken care of.  He masterfully appeals to that “visceral wish.”  Folks won’t acknowledge that fact because it is an emotional response, not a rational one.  They don’t even realize it.

March 17 2012

Success is Very Infectious

Your greatest strength is always your greatest weakness. Imagine Tom Brady just relying on his field skills instead of studying the opposition, preparing a good game plan, and then executing.  He’d get his butt kicked!

March 4 2012

Create a One-Two Sales Knockout Punch

The events that stimulate a prospective customers’ buying behavior are outside of your control; regardless of how great a sales team you have.  If a prospective customer doesn’t perceive a need for what you are selling, you can call on them until you are blue in the face without success.

Why Should Someone Buy from You?

Creating a sales presentation and executing it lets you really understand who you are, what you are selling, the benefits you provide to a prospective customer, and why they should buy from you.

February 21 2012

It isn’t What People Say That Matters, It is What They Mean

I remember when I started my career as a Brokerage Supervisor for The Paul Revere Insurance Company, my job was calling on life insurance salesmen for other companies to persuade them to sell our disability income insurance to their clients.

January 9 2012

Attitude and Altitude are Keys to Success

“The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.” 

October 22 2011

People buy on Emotion and Justify Rationally

Today, more than ever before, sales are made emotionally and justified rationally.  Oh, I know, I can hear it now, “Today we’re more sophisticated and have more information available to us. 

September 10 2011

Do You Have a “Sell-Me-Or-Else” Attitude?

I met a prospect several months ago who perceives himself to be an expert salesman and something interesting happened.  He judged me, not on the basis of my work, but by assessing “how hard I sold him.” 

September 5 2011

Selling to Engineers who Belittle Marketing

In his classic 1957 book, “The Hidden Persuaders,” Vance Packard wrote about marketing in the automobile industry and how they put convertibles on display in their showrooms to attract customers, the majority of whom would purchase sedans.