Thanksgiving – a time to encourage the heartThe Thanksgiving holiday is a great time to look back and think about our interactions with colleagues, family and friends. Not many of us count the times we say thank you, but this may be the day to do just that. Read more
Tag Archives: sales intelligence
Personal branding long before social media
Personal branding today is deeply rooted in how you present yourself online. But, a 40-year old brand known as Jimmy Buffett provides some lessons we could all learn about brand building. Read more
How to engage your audience during a presentation
Engaging your audience is the most important thing when giving a presentation. My friend Tim Riesterer at Corporate Visions always reminds me, “There are two moments when your audience is most engaged and retains information. When you start speaking and then again when you tell everyone that you are about to wrap up. Research shows listeners lose interest in the middle of the presentation.” Read more
Six tips for visual storytelling that sells
People connect with stories while listening to businesses proposals and ideas. Some people are born with an innate craving for telling their story with PowerPoint slides. But, there are other ways to engage your audience when visuals are necessary. Read more
Budget cuts? Lower my expense account but don’t touch my bonus!
America’s businesses have trimmed the fat (and then some) from their expenses. The federal government has found a way to (barely) cut spending, cover (for now) its debts and (again, for now) avoid tax increases. With a pending double dip, where can companies cut? Read more
Small rewards for workers go a long way
Meet Khalid Mahmud, factory manager for National Foods, Pakistan’s largest maker of spices and pickles. He has a few things to teach us about reward and recognition. Companies across Pakistan’s industrial heartland are struggling to cope with rising insecurity, incessant power outages and government corruption and inefficiency. Read more
Tuning sales operations for growth
Ouch. Your sales force just missed another deadline, putting launch of your new product line in jeopardy. What’s wrong? With a broader, end-to-end look at what they are doing, you might just find significant opportunities to help free up more of their time for selling instead of the other necessary activities that aren’t managed most efficiently and may be done elsewhere. Read more
Three ways to begin your presentation with a story
Jim Schrager, a long-time veteran of the venture capital world, works with MBA students at the University of Chicago to improve how they sell their ideas. Students pitch their ideas to him and they tend to follow a logical path: the market size is X, if we can get 3% of that market our revenue will look like this in 3 years. Read more
How to convince customers to buy what you’re selling — even if you’re the “little guy”
Often a company uses dealers or resellers to get their products to market. Enabling the seller in this situation means influencing someone who does not work for you to deliver your message and sell your product. This makes it more complex for the person responsible for supporting the sales team. Continental Tire has found a way to engage their dealers. Read more
Delivering and measuring customer service: This isn’t rocket science!
Sales professionals are unique animals, but typically very competitive and passionate about their roles in organizations. They impart insights to potential customers and steer the prospect towards a decision in favor of their employer. Read more