Who’s your real competition?
Who’s your biggest sales competitor? It’s not whom you think. It’s the status quo. Doing nothing is the easiest thing for people to do, even if the process or products they’re using [...]
Who you gonna call?
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters isn’t the answer! In an increasingly digital world there’s an awful temptation to hide behind email, messaging and social media when it comes to selling. And while [...]
Is “Selling” a loaded word for you?
Selling! It’s such a loaded word. And it’s surprising how many people hate the thought of doing it. Which is fine, unless your livelihood depends on it. And as a consultant or business [...]
Creating a “We Space” in sales
I constantly remind our clients that corporations don’t buy. People do. And people buy when they feel a level of trust and feel you understand them, their values and what they’re trying [...]
Prospects Lie. Get over it!
Over the years I’ve learned one thing about prospects. They lie! Generally not intentionally, but they lie all the same. Now before you take umbrage and reply telling me you’ve never done [...]
What would you give to get a client?
How much would you give away to get a client? What steps would you take to enable a prospect to convince themselves you’re a good fit and could solve their issues? Would [...]
Reaching out…
How often do you reach out to a prospect? Once? Twice? Three times? Even more? Would it surprise you to know that the majority of people stop after the first contact. But [...]
Will you rock the boat?
Would you challenge your client’s thinking? Put contrary opinions or question assumptions? All too often there’s a tendency to go along and not rock the boat. But is this the best approach? [...]
Why you shouldn’t send proposals
Have you ever had what seemed like a great sales conversation and had your prospect say, send me a proposal? You then spend the next however long creating and sending it off. [...]
The curse of perfectionism
Are you a perfectionist? Someone who wants everything to line up before you get out there. There’s a useful saying in business, ready, fire, aim. Which really applies to those of us [...]
Would you buy your own product?
One of the biggest reasons people don’t like to “sell” is they don’t completely believe in the value they provide. The late Zig Ziglar insisted the first sale is always to yourself. [...]
When should you fire a client?
Have you ever had a client you regretted taking on? Unfortunately it’s a scenario that many of us face at some point. Often when we’re new in business we take on clients [...]
Are you a naked salesperson?
Ever been in a meeting where the salesperson whipped out their laptop and insisted in going through a long presentation? Slide after slide of boring detail of how their solution worked. While [...]
What’s your money thermostat?
Money! It’s such a loaded word for many of us. Especially when it comes to what we can earn and how much we can charge for our services. In this video I'll [...]
Is complacency killing your business?
We’re heading into difficult economic waters. People are more careful with their money. So it’s more prudent than ever to protect your customer base, keeping them in the fold while locking out [...]
Why speech rate matters
Want to become a better communicator? Ensure you get your message through? The rate someone normally speaks at reflects the rate at which they process information. This has major implications in persuasion [...]
Are you asking deep questions?
Sell high end, complex products or services to senior decision makers? Decision makers want to feel you truly understand them and the outcomes they want. Both on a personal and business level. [...]
The only thing you can control in sales is…
A speaker in an innovation workshop kept humorously stating he was an overnight success after 15 years of hard slog. And that more often than not, things take much longer to come [...]
Why aren’t you charging more?
Imagine doubling your prices - right now! How do you feel? Did you have to stop yourself from choking? Think that no one would pay and you’d lose all your clients? We [...]
Grappling with a difficult problem? The answer might be right next door
Have you ever grappled with a difficult problem. Sat with it for days, weeks or even months getting more and more frustrated? But what if the answer was right next door. Literally. [...]
Sales team underperforming? Do this…
You’ve hired salespeople to fuel your growth. You had high expectations but time’s passed and they’re not getting the results you’d hoped for. It’s all too common a scenario, so what’s gone [...]
How contactable are you?
How easy do you make it for prospects to contact you? How about referral sources? I'm constantly amazed at how difficult people make this. LinkedIn profiles don't have phone numbers. Neither do [...]
3 Questions every prospect asks before buying…
Every prospect asks themselves 3 questions before becoming a client. Should I pay attention? Can I trust you? Is your recommendation going to work for me? In a world where we’re constantly [...]
Why are you in business? What’s your ultimate outcome?
Why did you get into business in the first place? What did you aspire to? If it was to eventually get time, money and lifestyle freedom, are you on track? If not, [...]
Do you have an ascension model?
We have a simple axiom in business. Provide as much value as possible to your clients. And get paid well for doing so. But many businesses stop short. Sure you solve the [...]
Have you got a clear 90 day plan?
Do you have a clear 12 month strategy and direction for your business? Have 90 day plans which outline exactly what you’ll focus on to maximise growth? No? You’re not alone. Working [...]
The bedrock principle underlying all profitability
Traffic, conversion and economics are the bedrock principles underlying all business profitability. Traffic is the number of prospects you see. Conversion is the percentage of prospects who become clients. Economics is how [...]
What’s your strategic focus?
Do you have a clear 12 month strategy and direction for your business? Have 90 day plans which outline exactly what you’ll focus on to maximise growth? No? You’re not alone. Working [...]
Which business model is right for you?
Are you a business owner? If so what business model are you using? Is it a practice, business or hybrid? Here’s why knowing your model is truly important. It all comes down [...]
Fighting fires? How to determine what’s really important
Over 20 years coaching business leaders we’ve observed most spend their time fighting fires, handling urgent (and often unimportant) tasks rather than focusing on what brings in the money. In short, running [...]
Do you really know what your clients value about your product?
When working with clients we stress that value is in the eye of the beholder. Meaning that what you think is important and what your customer thinks is important are often not [...]
Why your clients really buy from you…
When coaching salespeople I drill into them that nobody and I mean nobody wants to buy products or services. Whether it’s toothpaste, soap or high priced accounting services, no one cares about [...]
Do you have a recession proof mindset?
In Australia we’re obsessed with the state of the economy. It seems to permeate thinking and it’s a rare day that we won’t hear something about its state in the news. As [...]
How to get more high quality referrals
Would you like to get more high quality referrals? When coaching professional consultants looking to expand their reach we get them to do two things. Transcript Would you like to [...]
Taking time out to reflect…
When was the last time you took time out to reflect? Just sit and think? I get it. You’re busy. Major demands on your time. People knocking on your door constantly. You [...]
Why getting client feedback is vital
As a business leader when was the last time you asked your clients for feedback on how you’re going? What they’re happy with? Unhappy with? Where you could improve? Be honest. This [...]
Moving from technician to business owner
In over 18 years consulting we’ve worked with two broad types of clients. See which type you fall into. The first are professional consultants who essentially just want to consult. They’re technicians [...]
Are these delusions costing you sales results?
Former US president George W. Bush is infamous for saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”. A quote which is very applicable in sales. Having coached [...]
Unhappy with your sales team’s results? Do this…
Is your sales team actually performing? Are they making their numbers? Or do you keep hearing excuses like, “They’ll buy… soon” but it never happens. Or your people circle round the same [...]
Getting leverage in your business
As a business leader where do you spend your time? Are you getting the best ROI for your efforts? Could you be delegating more? Do this exercise to find out. The results [...]