The Perfect Pitch in Sales: 9 Rules
You've heard about "the dog and pony show," the "beauty contest," or perhaps "the shoot-out." Maybe you just call it “the pitch.” The term is more common in some industries –…
Escaping the Grinding Wheels of Sales
The plaintive question suddenly took me back a few decades. I remember feeling exactly as the person described it: What am I supposed to do? On the one hand, I…
Trust Between Seller and Client Must Be Mutual
Would you like your clients to trust you? Presumably you would. And in order to trust you, they must feel that trusting you is a low-risk proposition. They must feel…
Are Your Clients Lying to You?
Have you ever had that sinking feeling that your client—or your hopefully prospective client—is being less than honest with you? Maybe they haven't returned that call. The last three email…
Clinton, Trump and the Trust Equation
Those of you following US presidential politics have been treated to a truly unique process this year. The role of the personal, of perceived character – and trustworthiness in particular –…
Beyond the Sales Process: Interview with authors Dave Stein, Steve Andersen
I have known Dave Stein for many years. He’s an expert in the sales field, particularly in evaluating sales training. He has always been a clear and incisive thinker, with…
Selling from Inside Your Client’s Shoes
You know the phrase, “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” It’s short for empathy, understanding them so well you can intuit what it feels like to take a long…
The Trusted Executive: John Blakey
John Blakey is a UK-based author, speaker and executive coach. He just came out with a new book, The Trusted Executive. In this issue of Trust Matters, I chat with…
The Dirty Little Secret about Subject Matter Expertise in Sales
It may be the dirtiest little secret in professional sales. The lie we all love to tell ourselves. The truth we just hate to face up to. What secret/lie/truth is…
How Effective Was that Sales Training?
If you’ve ever received a personal performance evaluation at work, there’s a decent chance you left the meeting thinking, “Well, it would’ve been good to know that about four months…