From the category archives:

Books Mentioned

Stop Creating PowerPoint ‘Slideuments!’

May 28, 2009

Steady. I feel a rant coming on…
Last week the sales team in my company was working on revising our core sales presentation.
That frustrating experience made me think of a little-known idea that I believe is one of the most important points both Cliff Atkinson and Garr Reynolds make in the books I mentioned [...]

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3 Solid Resources to Help You Make Better Presentations

May 26, 2009

This short article introduces three solid resources that can help you make dramatic improvements in your presentations.

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The Art of the Pitch: An Appreciation

May 22, 2009

Previous articles have focused on the importance of asking good questions in nearly every kind of selling.
One obvious exception came to mind as I idly watched QVC for a few minutes while I waited for my wife to get ready for an evening out.
As she pulled on her jacket and checked her purse for her [...]

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19 Great Resources for Asking Better Questions

May 13, 2009

Are you picking up the track I’ve been laying down in the last few articles? Do you agree with me about the importance of asking better questions ?
If so, then you’re probably chomping at the bit for more specific ideas on how to do it.
You’ll get plenty of that in future articles.
But we assume you’re [...]

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Leave Your Rolex and Some of Your Perfection at Home

May 6, 2009

Are you ready for another contrarian tip about successful sales negotiations?
A prior article suggested that you introduce a slight stammer or hesitation into your conversation with a prospect.
This article tells you why.  If you agree with what you’re about to read, you’ll never want to look too good again.

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Call High or Go to a Movie?

April 24, 2009

Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Perot Systems, billionaire, former candidate for the presidency of the United States and famously cantankerously outspoken Texas personality, used to tell his sales people at EDS to “call high or go to a movie.”
Perot’s point was that his sales people will never close a deal on [...]

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When Do You Start Negotiating?

April 6, 2009

Even if you work for a national retail chain, your sales process almost certainly involves some level of negotiation.
At what point in your interaction with a prospect do your negotiations typically begin? Is it when the conversation turns to commercial terms such as price, payment options, delivery, financing, warranties and contracts?
Sales Negotiations Begin the Moment [...]

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How to Know What Your Market Wants to Buy

March 25, 2009

[This is the seventh in a series of posts about entrepreneurship as a way to protect your income in a bad economy.]
When you’re selling for someone else, you have to sell whatever product or service your company provides. But when you’re working for yourself, you can sell whatever you want. The best things to sell [...]

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Sales Secrets of a New York Madam

February 24, 2009

This is the third in a series about selling and seduction. Today we talk about a book by a the former “Mayflower Madam,” who ran a high-class escort service in New York City in the 1980s. In Uncensored Sales Strategies: XXX-Rated Secrets, Sydney Biddle Barrows shares sales and marketing insights from her experience as an [...]

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