Selling PCBs is a bit like playing chess; every move matters, and the endgame is always about delivering value. If you’ve been in this business for as long as I have, you know that it’s not just about pushing product, it’s about understanding what the customer really needs and how to meet those needs better […]
Selling With Confidence
You’re doing your customer a favor! One of the things that frustrates me the most about salespeople is when they feel they have to beg their customers. That they have to beg them for a meeting; that they have to beg them for a quote; and that they have to beg them for the order. […]
That’s Opportunity Knocking!
I was reading the Sunday comics the other day when I came across this statement. I think it was in Hi and Lois or maybe Arlo and Janis, one of those deep philosophical strips. One of the characters says to another, “He’s the kind of guy that when he hears opportunity knocking, he complains about […]
Modern Ways To Generate Leads
No matter what people say about these times, especially old, or rather shall we say well-experienced salespeople say about all of these newfangled software programs, CRM programs and social media programs, the fact of the matter is that these are the best of times to generate leads. There have never been so many great ways […]
Great Customer Service Is Winning!
Customer service around the world is getting worse. How can it? But it is, isn’t it? How about those pain in the neck supermarket self-checkouts? How about that whenever you approach somebody at Best Buy or Home Depot they are never the right person. The right person is on break. Is it too easy to […]
You Gotta Risk It For The Biscuit!
In working with so many companies over the years, one of the more surprising things I have learned is that not taking a risk can be more dangerous than taking one. Most of the time the companies I have worked with who are not willing to even consider taking a risk are the ones who […]
Training Like An Olympian: A Guide For Salespeople
I had a friend who was at the University of Wisconsin with Eric Heiden, the great Olympian speed skater. He said it was nothing for Eric and his pals to set out on eighty or a hundred-mile bike rides every weekend morning. It was just what they did. Another Wisconsin based speed skating champion, Bonnie […]
Innovative Sales Strategies For Success
A Girl Scout wanted to sell a lot of cookies. In fact, she wanted to sell more than any other girl scout that year. She was smart enough to know that she could not do it by going door to door. She knew that a lot of the other Girl Scouts planted themselves in front […]
Thar She Blows! Going After That Elusive Whale Account
We’ve all been there. You are targeting a very large customer. A customer that could make your yearly forecast, in fact one that could blow it out of the water. You know that they would be a perfect customer for you. They need what you have, and you are just yearning to find a way […]
Saving A Great Customer When Things Go Wrong
Handling a serious problem with a long-time customer, especially when both parties share some blame, requires a delicate balance of diplomacy, accountability, and strategic thinking. The goal is to resolve the disagreement without sacrificing the valuable relationship. The last thing you want to do is win the battle and lose the war. You have to […]