It’s a special kind of person who finds his or her way into an expertise-based advisory career. They are, of course, what we call “smart”—meaning cognitively talented, analytical, with high IQs. They are also often driven, motivated, and high achievers. What doesn’t get mentioned as often is that they also tend to have high standards—for their […]
Do your customers trust you? Be honest, now, this is not an in-house survey. Do they believe what you say? Will they cut you a break if you goof up? Are they happy to share information with you? Do they go out of their way to refer you? Can you honestly answer ‘yes,’ to yourself, […]
If you’re interested in selling, you might plausibly start with trying to understand how buyers buy. It’s a simple enough question. But then why are there so many answers? Three of the most common answers to that question are: People buy when they strongly feel a desire to alleviate a negative situation. People buy as […]
You may know “The Prisoner’s Dilemma.” In game theory, it is a classic conundrum. As Wikipedia states, it “demonstrates why two people might not cooperate even if it is in both their best interests to do so.” It turns out that the solution to The Prisoner’s Dilemma is also the solution to a great many […]
Few things in business so dramatically affect customer perception as how you handle pricing – particularly when and how you offer discounts. People may evaluate your products or your service by averaging out multiple experiences. But drop your price just once – and see how hard it is to recover. For one large-scale example, recall Bill […]
I had a conversation with BigCo., Inc. They want their B2B salespeople to become trusted advisors. They felt (correctly) that greater trust levels with their customers would result in greater intra-customer market share, and greater profitability. And they’re right. But then they described their implementation plan. It consisted of breaking down the objectives into finer and finer […]
A free bit of advice to anyone seeking to improve their networking skills, or looking for a true best practice in getting a meeting with someone. And here it is: Comment on a blogpost or article that person has written. Simple. You already intuitively get how that can be powerful, but let’s break it down. Note: […]
Neil Rackham’s classic SPIN Selling book is famous for many reasons – the depth of research, his clarity of thinking, the deeply commonsensical conclusions he draws. It’s a great book, and deserves all the acclaim it’s gotten over the years. Yet I’ve always been amused and delighted by a small item he mentions almost in […]
Have a look from the 30,000 foot level at all the sales models on parade. Spread out below you, reaching to the horizon, you’ll find venerable models like Consultative Selling, Solutions Selling, SPIN Selling, Customer-focused Selling, High Probability Selling, Customer-Centric Selling, Fearless Selling, Provocative Selling, Action Selling, Challenger Selling, and so forth. Looking over this […]
You may be uneducated – but you needn’t advertise the fact. Of course, we all understand typos – though the sight of them uncorrected on a blogpost suggests serious amateurism. But what’s worse is a spelling error that is more than a spelling error – that belies a failure to understand the difference between two very different […]
You’ve graduated from Question Obsession 101. You’ve learned not to pepper clients with endless questions or craft that perfect “Keystone Arch Question” expecting miracles. You’re focusing on relationships, creating insights, and empowering clients. But have you fallen into the next trap? The Answer Trap. Many consultants who overcome question obsession swing to the opposite extreme, […]
Question Obsession: The Silent Sales KillerMay 6, 2025 - 5:00 pmHave you counted how many questions you ask in your typical client meeting? Do you find yourself carefully crafting the “perfect” question sequence before every sales call? Are your meeting notes filled with question frameworks rather than real insights? If so, you may be suffering from Question Obsession—a condition that’s quietly sabotaging your client relationships […]