I have been in enterprise sales for many years. I also have been golfing for just as long. Unfortunately, my sales skills have exceeded my golfing skills. But as I wailed away in a sand trap earlier this week, I realized there are some similarities between the enterprise sales cycle and a...
This article will discuss mergers and acquisitions from three perspectives: 1) What is a merger? 2) What are the business cases for mergers and acquisitions, and are they usually achieved? 3) If you work for a company that is undergoing a merger or acquisition, what is your best strategy to...
Amber: Get on a plane, meet the prospective client in person, and make the pitch. Watch the signals in the room to see what is happening. Observe body language. Pre-2020, does this sound familiar? Then, it all suddenly changed. Many of us thought we would be on pause for a few...
The Greatest Obstacle to Discovery is Not Ignorance – It is the Illusion of Knowledge”1 Our local high school, Adlai E. Stevenson, of Lincolnshire, IL, is one of the highest-rated secondary schools in Illinois. This is because the administration stresses academic excellence and produces many national merit scholars. Both of my children attended...
Years ago, as an accountant, I reported to a manager named Bob. One day, I excused myself and went to the restroom, and when I returned, Bob said, “Steve, you took too long.” My response was, “What?” Then he said, “You took 8 minutes. I can go to the bathroom...
Singer Paul Simon wrote and recorded a song called “Slip Sliding Away.” Like many of Simon’s songs, the meaning of the lyrics is often obscure. But he does say that the nearer you are to your destination, “the more you’re slipping and sliding away.”1 Has this ever happened to you...
The behaviors of some excellent, high-performing salespeople are sometimes like those of typical American teenagers. This can be considered both positive and negative attributes of salespeople. I first noticed the similarities when managing a group of primarily high-achieving salespeople while helping my wife raise our two then teenagers. I was confronted...
Sellers must decide where to price their products: do they want to be a low-cost supplier, price according to their costs, target their prices for a certain market segment, or deploy a premium price strategy when deciding on their pricing strategy? Successful brands are using each strategy. Companies such as...
SHOULD I TRY TO HAVE A CAREER IN SALES Occasionally, someone approaches me and asks, "People tell me that I am a natural-born salesman, that I have the ‘gift of gab,’ should I go into sales?” The answer is maybe. First, you should not choose a career because someone else thinks you would...
Negativity is a slow-acting poison. When you allow negativity into your mind, your body is infected as if you have an insidious disease. It is toxic and needs to be addressed and removed. If not, it can destroy you, your marriage, your friendships, and your career. It’s a burden, like carrying a...