We spend a lot of time thinking and talking about the external referral: that is, a connection to a prospect at another company.   But what about the internal referral?!  What about other people who can buy what you sell within the same company as your current...

I was recently in Dublin, where the weather is gloomy but the people seem to be cheery and joyful, nevertheless.   I was there to kick off my revenue growth program for a client’s European operation. The work we did in the U.S. with this company yielded sales growth...

Should we write it up?   How many would you like?   When can you get me a PO?   I can get this to you Tuesday or Thursday, which do you prefer?   How would you like to pay?   When do you want to talk about this next?   When will you decide?   Would you like to get...

The Minnesota Vikings won with a stunning last-second miracle pass last night against the New Orleans Saints in an NFL playoff game last night. It was one of the all-time great and wild endings in NFL history.   It’s a play that results in a touchdown less than 1% of...

Look around, and optimism is a rare commodity these days.   You won’t find it among our politicians, who tend to emphasize fear and insults.   Nor will you find it in our media, which is rewarded (paid!) upon how frightened and uncomfortable it makes us.   Which is...

I wish you happiness and prosperity in 2018.  I wish you optimism and gratitude. May you expect to get the sale when you pick up the phone, and may you be grateful for having prospects to call on. Many people don't. And may your prospects express their gratitude for...

If you want to sell more to your current customers, tell them what else they can buy from you. They don’t know. They niche us, and we niche them. They only think about us as suppliers of those products and services that they’ve bought from us for years. Yet, right...

If you care, in sales, you are ahead of most of the competition. Because you’d be surprised how many people don’t care enough. But if you demonstrate to the customer that you care, you are ahead of 99.9% of the competition, because almost nobody does that. Here’s what...

Many salespeople spend their days moving from one incoming inquiry to the next.   We are inquiry-driven.   Customers call. We answer. Usually, they are unhappy. Either something is wrong or they need something urgently. That’s the only time people pick up the phone,...