How to elicit what your prospects really want!
We buy on emotion and justify our decisions with logic. However, most people when asked what they’re looking for will give you a superficial, logical answer. Your job is peel back the [...]
Are you chasing the wrong market?
People buy your product or service because they: Recognise they have a problem Want to solve it Are willing to pay for the solution If what you’re selling doesn’t fulfil these criteria, [...]
Uncovering your prospect’s buying motivations
If you experience prospects who give you the run-a-round and keep making excuses you haven’t found out their intrinsic motivation for taking action. Let’s look at what’s happening. Transcript [...]
Pitching to Senior Execs? Do this…
There’s a simple axiom in sales. The more senior the person you’re dealing with, the LESS DETAIL you should go into. Senior people are interested in strategy. How they’ll get from where [...]
Why you should never start a sales conversation with a pitch!
Over a 30 year sales career I’ve probably made every mistake in the book. The biggest one is starting a meeting with a pitch. By that I mean going into a spiel [...]
Why setting the right sales frames are critical to your success
Did you know that most sales are won or lost at the unconscious level? Often before you as the salesperson even walk in the door. I know, that sounds way out there, [...]
Why “your intent” in critical in sales
In a sales career spanning 30 years I have found the most important predictor of success is your intent going into a sales meeting and the frames you set with your prospect [...]
How to “close” more sales
Clients come to you to solve issues. It’s your responsibility to recommend solutions you know will work. Anything else is not serving them or you. One of my biggest mistakes early in [...]
Why you want to be the dumbest person in the room
Watching an interview with Subir Chowdhury, author of 15 landmark books on innovation, I was struck by one comment. That he always wanted to be the dumbest person in the room. Why? [...]
Selling? Don’t ignore this person!
When dealing with two or more people in a sales presentation ignore the "quiet ones" at your peril. Here's why... Transcript This is Rashid Kotwal. I was about 16 when [...]
How do you respond to “dumb” questions?
Great teachers instil in their pupils that there’s no such thing as a dumb question. And that if you’re wondering, so probably are others. They’re just not raising their hands. Most likely [...]
Stop “vomiting” on your prospects
Why is it that most salespeople automatically go into "pitch mode"? Insisting on telling us all about their wonderful product or service without finding out what's important to us? Take Jim. He's [...]
How to stop procrastinating!
Procrastination. We all do it at times. And it’s the biggest barrier to business growth. We procrastinate because we’re confused. Don’t know what path to take. So we go round in circles [...]
Why prospects smell desperation
We all know dogs can smell fear. What you may not realise is that people can as well. And we can sense fear’s close cousin, desperation. The desperation that comes when you [...]
Will your strategy stack up in 2019?
Announcing: 1 Day Strategic Planning Session - Get yourself ready for 2019 It's now mid October. The year's gone by amazingly fast and it's nearly Christmas. Is your business at the level [...]
Why positive thinking doesn’t work… and what to do instead!
Henry Ford said, whether you think you can or think you can’t you’re right. All success or failure starts in your mind with a thought. Which is probably where the whole positive [...]
Procrastinate a lot? Do this…
Procrastination. We all do it at times. And it’s the biggest barrier to business growth. We procrastinate because we’re confused. Don’t know what path to take. So we go round in circles [...]
Why ignoring personal agendas will cost you sales
Having had a corporate and business sales career spanning 30 years I’ve come to an inescapable conclusion. Something that if you don’t take into account and handle, will cost you dearly. That [...]
The only 3 reasons clients engage you…
All sales start on the basis of dissatisfaction. Your prospects are unhappy with something and want something else. Be it in health, finance, relationships or career. Put another way, they’re on Island [...]
7 Traits all Successful People Embody
In almost two decades consulting to business owners I’ve come to realise all successful business owners and leaders exhibit certain traits that lead them to success. Now while this is by no [...]
The client acquisition mindset market leaders embody…
In any business there are only 3 ways to generate revenue. Get new customers, up-sell them and get them coming back over time to buy more. Realise you’ll incur most of your marketing [...]
How mistakes can lead to trust and loyalty
Mistakes. We all make them. But it’s what we then do that defines us. Especially when that involves our clients. Transcript Mistakes. We all make them. But it’s what we [...]
Are you charging enough?
We all have a money thermostat. What we’re willing to pay for something and conversely what we’re willing to charge our clients. When we’re buying something it comes down to how much [...]
Why “clever” and funny advertising often doesn’t work!
Are you a gambler? Would you roll the dice with a 3 million dollar stake hoping it’ll pay off in spades? No? Didn’t think so. Sounds like madness for most of us, yet [...]
The BSO trap in business
We all know the story of the hare and the tortoise. How the hare took off, racing down the road while the tortoise took his time, plodding along. And we know the [...]
Are you a Thinker or Jumper? And why it matters…
Are you someone who plans everything to the nth degree? Cautious in your approach, maybe averse to risk? You come up with good ideas, know a lot about a lot, but often [...]
Is showing vulnerability the path to trust?
Many years ago we lost a client as one of the new business partners didn’t like me. Paraphrasing his words, he couldn’t get a handle on me and simply didn’t have the [...]
When less is more – the curse of too much choice
Have you ever felt confused by too much choice? A café menu board with 50 variations of exotic sandwiches. I know I have. And ironically all this choice means I either [...]
Which of these strategic mistakes are you making in your business?
In our experience many professional consultants make three strategic mistakes that stunt their growth. Thinking you can provide value to “everyone” in your broad market. You can’t. Not narrowing down the issues [...]
Why you should just stop and think!
Are you a victim of the modern curse of always being "on"? Constantly checking your email, social media and text messages? Feel as if you're drowning? If so, I strongly suggest you [...]
Suffering “premature meeting syndrome”?
Ever busted a gut to get a sales meeting? You turn up and your prospect leans back, smiles and says, “Show me what you’ve got”. You eagerly lean forward and tell all. [...]
How to ensure your business thrives – long term!
It's difficult enough getting new clients, so how can you make sure they stay in the fold? Unless you have a strategy to keep providing value, why would they stay? In this [...]
Please stop making this sales mistake… NOW!
I get a lot of telemarketing calls from extremely pushy salespeople. The more I politely tell them I’m not interested, the more aggressive they get, simply not taking no for an answer. [...]
How we sabotage our success
Do you sabotage yourself? In life, work or business? Look, we all do it to some extent. Full of good intentions we still avoid doing things we know would be good for [...]
Opportunity dances with those already on the….
Agora publisher, Michael Masterton is famous for the quote, “ready, fire, aim”. Nike says, “Just do it”. In business nothing happens unless you take action. Sell a product. Get the money in. [...]
Are you a commodity?
Are you a commodity? You may not reckon you are, but you market sure thinks so. Don’t believe me? Tell me what you’d say when someone asks what you do. (Full transcript [...]
Are you leaving money on the table?
We often see businesses think of us as a one off customer or transactional purchase, rather than taking a longer term view and making an effort to get us coming back. Which [...]
A harsh unpalatable truth!
Do you get out of the blue prospecting emails where the sender rabbits on about how wonderful they are and how they can solve all your problems? But they haven’t spent one [...]
13 Essential Business Mindset Hacks…
It’s been well over 30 years since I first read The E-Myth Revisited. In it Michael Gerber talks about the Entrepreneurial Seizure, that moment you decided to leave traditional employment and become [...]
What selling really is all about….
Let’s talk about a common issue faced by many professional consultants. A fear of selling. Maybe even an absolute dislike or hatred. You think selling is manipulative. That you have to convince [...]