Have you ever stuffed up a client engagement? Where trust erodes or even shatters because something didn’t happen as expected? I know I have and while it’s tempting to justify actions and [...]
As a buyer, how often have you sat through a sales pitch where they droned on about their company, flashed a slide full of big-name logos to prove credibility, and then dumped [...]
One of the most useful abilities in sales is being able to step outside your own perspective. Most salespeople default to one view - their own. You’re sitting across from [...]
One of the strongest predictors of sales success is empathy - the ability to tune into your buyer’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions. But not in the way most people [...]
Most business leaders assume it’s spread evenly across everything they do. Deliver the service, tick the boxes, keep people reasonably happy. Simple, right? Here’s the thing: it’s not spread evenly [...]
Jared Diamond, in Guns, Germs, and Steel, argued that civilization only took off once humans moved from hunting to farming. Instead of chasing the next meal, we could plant seeds, cultivate, and [...]
I love the scene in A few Good Men – where Jack Nicholson’s character screams at Tom Cruise with, “You can’t handle the truth”. Which brings me to a question for you [...]
Ever walked out of a sales meeting thinking that went well only for the prospect to effectively ghost you. There's no reply to emails, calls are ignored, and you're wondering [...]
If a prospect can’t see what makes you different, guess what? They put you in the “just another option” bucket. And when you’re just another option, the only way to [...]
Most business owners & sales managers obsess about the wrong thing. How full their pipeline is. Which is the wrong question. I’ve spent decades in sales – both at [...]
Let’s be honest - sales can be exhausting when you’re chasing people who were never going to buy in the first place. I see this all the time: business owners wasting hours [...]
I recently wrote about how your clients judge you on both results you deliver and the experience of working with you. Unfortunately, client experience is an area a lot of organizations fall [...]
Question for you… Do you really know what your clients value about your product? When working with clients we stress that value is subjective. Meaning that what you think is important and [...]
Let’s be blunt. None of us buy products or services for the heck of it. We buy solutions to our problems. And all other things being equal, from people we trust to [...]
Back in the mid-80s, when I first started in IT industry, there was a popular phrase… “No one ever got fired for buying IBM.” IBM sold big. They pitched the board, made [...]
How do you treat your customers after they’ve bought from you? In a commoditised world, one of the few real differentiators left is how your clients experience working with you. Because that [...]
There’s an outdated belief in sales that building rapport is critical to your success. That if you spend enough time bonding with your prospect and are liked, they’ll naturally come around and [...]
Ever feel like your team should be performing better—but something’s just not clicking? Let me ask you this: What if the real reason they’re struggling isn’t skills or effort… …but a belief [...]
These days, sales philosophy is full of advice like “add value” or “challenge your prospect’s thinking.” And yes, that matters. But here’s the catch: if your message doesn’t land, none of it [...]
Early in my career, I sold high-end IT solutions to enterprise clients. I was working a deal with a big bank. My contact was an Executive GM. Senior, confident, and excited. Everyone [...]
Think about the last time you made a significant purchase — not a carton of milk, but something meaningful, maybe even expensive. A new TV, a piece of business software, a car. [...]
At its core, every buying decision, especially in high-value consulting is based on two key drivers: Outcomes: Will this help me get what I want? Experiences: What will it feel like to [...]
There’s a simple but powerful maxim in sales: Give people what they want, not what you know they need. If you’re a consultant or advisor, this runs counter to everything [...]
What a Political Landslide Can Teach Us About Marketing and Messaging Australia has just witnessed a historic election outcome—an overwhelming victory for the Labor government. And regardless of your [...]
My clients all ultimately want to achieve 3 things. More money, more time and eventually the freedom to do what they want, when they want to. Achieving this relies on 3 foundational [...]
"Rashid, just draw me a diagram. I don't want to read all this stuff you've written!" It was the mid-1990s, and I'd just finished a major project for the New Zealand Cheque [...]
As a business leadership and sales coach, I’m always on the lookout for ways to help my clients improve their bottom line and get their time back. Enter the late Jack Welch, [...]
There’s a simple truth in sales: Give people what they want, not what you know they need. As part of my role as a “fractional sales director”, I listen into calls consultant [...]
Our job in “sales” is to realise, we’re actually there to facilitate a buying decision. When someone is thinking about buying something, there's always stuff that can get in the way. Your [...]
We’d all love to sell the big enchilada. The big project that brings in the big bucks. But put yourself in your prospect’s shoes. They’re likely thinking, “This is a big decision. [...]
In my over 3 decades dealing with buyers ranging from individuals to SME owners and senior executives in large organizations, two common reasons for NOT buying stand out. The first is the [...]
I love interviewing our clients’ clients. Finding out what they love and where things could improve. And in hundreds of interviews, there’s always been something, no matter how small, that could be [...]
A concept I stress with clients who want to predictably grow sales is “Who you target is more important than the message”. A mediocre message to a prospect who’s likely to have the [...]
Let’s look at a key component in every sale – trust. Why? Because at the core of every sale lies fear, uncertainty, and doubt. As buyers, we’re often thinking: “Am I making [...]
I was recently asked how to psych yourself up for cold calls - something most people dread. Let’s be honest, picking up the phone and talking to strangers isn’t fun for most [...]
The Two Traits of Every Great Salesperson - After decades working with salespeople, I’ve noticed two key attributes that separate the best from the rest: 1️⃣ Empathy – The ability to [...]
You’ve had a sales enquiry. On average, how long does it take you to respond? You’ve had a sales enquiry. On average, how long does it take you to respond? [...]
Have you ever noticed that all marketing and sales training emphasises creating both scarcity and urgency in a prospect’s mind hoping to convince them to buy now? The question is... does it [...]
Ever asked a prospect a “Why” question, only to sense a shift—maybe even defensiveness? It happens more than you think. And it might be costing you opportunities without you even realizing it. [...]
In sales, pain is a far stronger motivator than aspiration. That’s why most salespeople are trained to uncover pain points. However, the instinctive next step to immediately pitching your solution is often [...]
