In which we are reminded to mind our prospects and clients why they wanted to talk to us in the first place. Remember the line, "When you’re up to your a** in alligators, it’s easy to forget the objective was to drain the swamp"? Early one morning last week, I began reading a proposal we … Read more »
The walking time measured in dog years from Gate H17 to G14 at O’Hare Airport last Tuesday was relatively short. Maybe two hours. Feeling hungry, traversing my tenth airport in four weeks, carrying 45 pounds of stuff, the time and distance seemed longer. I dawdled and peered at each concourse snack stand, seeking inspiration, reasons … Read more »
On Saturday night, I watched the movie, “This is Spinal Tap,” a 25-year old “mockumentary” about a fictional, dreadful heavy metal band named, as you might guess, Spinal Tap. Read more »
It was a brilliant, blue-sky-with-yellow-leaves September Saturday afternoon. With other parents, I was standing on a soccer field sideline, watching the town’s high school soccer team scrimmage another team. The talk was loose and easy – how was your summer, do you think the Red Sox will beat the Yankees, what classes is your son … Read more »
About six weeks ago, we wrote: Whether you’re selling office equipment, mulch, or payment solutions, you are selling your expertise, not your products. Read more »
….In which we provide an effective alternative to cold calling prospects for appointments. Which would you rather do? Make 500 cold calls seeking appointments with people you’ve never met and who don’t want to talk to you? Or create a personal marketing program which brings them to you? Read more »
When I applied in Minneapolis for what would become my first job as a consultant, the lean, crew-cut, brusquely dressed, ruddy-cheeked partner in charge of consulting in that office looked me, then looked at my resume, and said, scornfully, “So, you’ve been in banking three years. What the h___ do you know?” Read more »
….In which we discuss the importance of systematic follow up. Two months ago, on May 29, I shared a story about Kevin-the-carpet-guy who called my office phone with the following message. “Hi, this is Kevin, and I’m in the carpet and upholstery cleaning and duct and vent cleaning business.” Read more »
In which we offer three ways to present your value proposition to clients and prospects. A couple of weeks ago, sleeping peacefully on day five of my vacation, I was jarred awake by an earthquake. BAM! The building in which I was sleeping rocked hard for a second. Read more »
….In which we discuss preparing to “get hired” by your prospects. Your first few (one, two, ten) sales calls on a prospect are a job interview. You’re wanting to be “hired” by your prospect. How do you view and prepare for these calls? Read more »
We Are Seriously Social.