….In which we remind ourselves to understand how our clients are measured so we can help them be successful. My children’s’ rooms are disheveled. This state has been an ongoing source of friction between the children and their mother who will, for days at a time, ignore the dishevelment and then, without any apparent triggering … Read more »
In which we are reminded to fit special promotional offers to our clients, not the reverse. It came as a little bit of a shock. I was wrapping up a telephone conversation with Edith, a customer service representative at a clothing company from whom I buy winter outdoor clothing on line. My dad and I … Read more »
In which we are reminded that “overcoming objections” is not consistent with collaborative, partnership, trustworthy selling. Read more »
In which we are reminded that five spoonfuls of sugar before the medicine is better than one. My mother’s brother, Jack, was a banker. Let me rephrase that. A Banker. Capital “B.” Born in the early 1900s in England, on the wrong side of the class divide, he rose to become branch manager of a … Read more »
In which we learn to open communications with prospects using something THEY are interested in. So, my first child is at college now. First year. Good news and bad news. I haven’t heard from him much. He doesn’t return my phone calls. Doesn’t reply to my text messages. Doesn’t write back when I email him. … Read more »
In which we are reminded that not every prospect is worth our full attention. When I heard Al Hirt (jazz trumpet player popular in the 1950s and 1960s) play the song, "I Can’t Get Started," as a 10 year old, I fell in love with that song and the horn. Read more »
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 »
In which we consider approach prospects from side entrances rather than the main gates. My daughter and twenty three of her well behaved teenaged friends accompanied by two normal-looking middle-aged, female adult chaperones approached the main entrance of a well known, high end department store. Read more »
In which we urge quality over volume in prospecting approaches. In the 1968 movie, "The Odd Couple," Walter Mathau plays Oscar, a slovenly sportswriter, and Jack Lemmon plays Felix, his neurotic, obsessive compulsive friend who moves in with Oscar after Felix’s divorce. The two don’t fit well together, Read more »
In which we make the case for more practicing with objections. When I was 9, 10, and 11 years old, I played Little League baseball. I was on the Bisons. Black hats and black socks with itchy white pants and shirts. I played first base and center field. Hours and hours of practice chasing down … Read more »
We Are Seriously Social.