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...
You are calling a prospect for the first time, and instead of the person answering her telephone, you reach her voicemail. “This is Anne xxx, I am not available now. Please leave a message.” What should you do? Should you leave a voice message? What should you say in the...
In years past, there was a mythical sales test where an older, experienced sales professional would test a new, inexperienced pen by handing him his pen and then directing the novice to attempt to sell him his pen. It was expected that the novice would try to explain the pen's...
There are many experts that can coach salespeople on the mechanics of how to speak better at presentations. This is concerned with making your content more memorable to the audience. According to presentation coach Jack Malcom “Researchers once ran a test to measure how much of a presenter’s message sticks in...