Stranger danger!
There are only 2 categories of people in your world. Those you know and those you don’t. And guess which is the bigger one! This translates directly to sales people. There are [...]
Keeping it simple…
All sales and marketing is based on effective communication. Effective means the other person easily understands what you’re saying. Which means keeping it at an 8th grade level or that of the [...]
Do a job, get a job!
Do a job, get a job! It’s a great mantra shared by a colleague, Lauren Jones. Put simply, every time you deliver a piece of work for a client think about what [...]
The trap of expertise
Many years ago I was being interviewed for a senior management position. I’d been through a number of interviews when my prospective boss said he’d LONDON, UK - 19TH DECEMBER 2014: [...]
Do you have a solution in search of a problem?
Do you have a solution in search of a problem? You’d be surprised at how often we have businesses espouse some expertise, create a product or service and then look for a [...]
Recognition
Status and recognition is a fundamental human driver. As Napoleon Bonaparte put it eloquently, “Recognition, babies cry for it, grown men die for it”. Status and recognition is often a major [...]
Why assumptions are dangerous
There’s a great saying, “If you assume, you make an ass of you and me”. Making assumptions can be dangerous, especially in sales. Thinking you know what your clients really value about [...]
Why introverts make great salespeople
Some of the very best salespeople I’ve known are raging introverts. Quiet, introspective types who are never the life of the party. They all share one thing in common. A deep curiosity. [...]
Open your eyes!
There’s a wonderful saying, “Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor”. Translate that into a business setting and there’s often opportunity to sell more when you’re delivering services. Open your [...]
Lifting the lid…
There’s a saying in marketing, “The more you tell, the more you sell”. In other words, the better you educate your prospects regarding your solutions, the more interest and engagement you’ll create. [...]
Men are from Mars…
Speaking with a client recently reminded me of John Gray’s book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venue and how it applies to sales. Put simply men like to solve problems. [...]
Why your product is irrelevant!
Why your product is irrelevant! Okay, let me contextualise this. Your product is relevant and your clients will want to know what it is but and this is a big but, [...]
Giving Up?
How often do you contact a prospect to move a sale forward? How persistent are you? Do you give up after the first “no”? Most people give up way too early. So [...]
The delivery trap!
The biggest trap we face as consultants is getting subsumed by delivery. Yes, delivery is why we get paid, but unless you’re constantly out there selling, at some point there’ll be no [...]
Are you using marketing as a cop-out?
Let me start by saying “In business, nothing happens until you sell something”. Which means picking up the phone and actually speaking with a prospect. Finding out if they have a problem [...]
Who’s turning your head?
It’s international Women’s Day. Which reminds me of a great quote from the mother of a friend who said, “Our husbands may think they’re the head of the family, but we’re the neck who [...]
Seek first to understand
I have a mantra in sales. Seek first to understand, and only then to be understood. Your job as a salesperson is to get to the heart of what’s happening in your [...]
Hide and seek!
We’ve all played hide and seek as children. Your friends all hide and you need to go find them. I think it’s a great metaphor when it comes to getting new clients. [...]
If you see something…
“If you see something, say something”. It was a common refrain in the 2 decades after 9/11. It was meant to keep us safe. Detective Character Following Footprints Showing Investigate Investigation [...]
Are you clear?
All successful salespeople know exactly what problems they solve and for whom. They’re efficient at qualifying out rather than in. So they quickly sort through the caff to get to the wheat. [...]
Drop your agenda
When speaking with a potential prospect drop your agenda. Never go in with a pitch. You have absolutely no idea if they have a problem and that even if they do, they [...]
You’ve been banned!
What would you do if your one method of communicating with your prospects and clients dried up, overnight? How would you cope? It’s a question a heck of a lot of businesses [...]
Are you coming on too strong?
To chase or not to chase, that is the question! As a young man trying to attract interest from the opposite sex, I made a lot of mistakes. The biggest [...]
Why you shouldn’t answer the price question….
What do you do when a prospect calls you out of the blue and one of the first things they ask you about is what you can do for [...]
Zig’s Wisdom…
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could “build it and they will come”. Unfortunately that only happens in Kevin Costner movies. In business if you wait around for clients, you’re likely to [...]
The most dangerous number in your business…
I grew up watching Lost in Space. Just about every episode had Dr Smith getting up to no good and the Robot waving his arms with Danger, Danger, Danger. Which [...]
The circle of client acquisition
Who would have believed the Lion King is a great metaphor for business. Particularly the lyrics of the circle of life. I’ve taken the liberty of modifying it slightly so [...]
Why you should NEVER send proposals UNLESS…
Have you ever sent a proposal only to never hear from the prospect ever again? Crickets. Your prospect ghosts you. If so, listen up. Let me paint a common picture [...]
Small hinges…
The new year is rapidly looming. What will it bring? None of us can predict the future. But we can learn from history. Now is a great time to sit back and [...]
Is your message jumbled?
I have a couple of questions for you. What do you know and is it what you are actually known for in your market place? Most of us have a [...]
The commodity risk…
Quick question. What do you do and is it what you’re known for? And if you are known, what’s your reputation? Is it as a generalist, specialist, expert, authority or someone in [...]
Why camels are a great metaphor in business
Camels. I think they’re pretty ugly and they spit. But that aside they’re one of the most resilient creatures on the planet. They survive in stinking hot deserts all [...]
The Camel and the Unicorn
The Camel and the Unicorn. One has been around for millions of years and will continue to do so. The other is a mythical creature symbolising magic and miraculous growth. Which one [...]
Hitting the ground running in Jan 2021
It's almost the end of the year. What you do now will set you up for a great 2021. You either relax and take a break after all your hard [...]
Reboot, revitalise & thrive in 2021
Well, it's November and it's almost the end of the year. It's mission critical time! Why? Because it's the time where you either set yourself up for a great 2021 or you [...]
Do you stand out?
Look around you. Unless you have a completely unique product or service which is highly unlikely, you’ll have myriad competitors. So what distinguishes you from all of them? The answer [...]
Developing Your USP
Every business faces competition. Just Google your service offering and I’m sure there’ll be hundreds, if not thousands of results. So what separates you from everyone else in your category? What is [...]
Outcomes NOT process!
When speaking with potential clients one of the biggest mistakes we can make is espousing our value in vague or verbose terms. Which means we don’t clearly and succinctly articulate [...]
Check-up from the neck up?
I love this quote from the late Zig Ziglar. “Your attitude not your aptitude will determine your altitude in life.” This is especially true in tough times like we’re facing [...]
Which camp do you fall into?
In conversations with business owners in the time of Covid-19 I’ve been struck by two completely different attitudes. Some said “Woe is me. It’s really difficult and I’ve lost most of my [...]