There is little doubt in my mind that if you have been in sales for any period of time you have heard the analogies or metaphors relating “prospecting” and “selling” to the sport of “fishing.”
Congruent Communication
“The single biggest problem with communication … is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” – George Bernard Shaw Many years ago I played for a coach who used a technique to motivate players through fear. He would produce this fear by using verbal, visual and vocal communication. His face strained, his face flushed, eyes …
Finding Your Snowman
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius Harry de Leyer was late to the auction on that snowy day in 1956, and all of the good horses had already been sold. The few …
The Persuasive Weapon of Counter-Arguing
When we make persuasive presentations or write proposals, our gut reaction is usually to hide any flaws in our logic and minimize any doubts the audience may have in our appeals. But what if, instead of dancing around the audience’s issues, you shine a spotlight on them? What if you took the words right out of their mouths and then provided a compelling answer to their doubts? That’s the art of counter-arguing.
Fear Factor
“If you are prepared you will not fear.” When I first heard the saying, “If you are prepared you will not fear”, I thought it was the answer to all causes of concern and fear. Yet, we continue to observe situations like the following: A senior manager briskly moves to the front of the room …
Stressed, me? Do I look Stressed?
With all of the pressures placed on us, it appears that some form of stress will be inevitable for everyone. If you talk to ten people today and ask them each if they have experienced any stress in the past week, my guess is that you will get 10 out of 10 that will say “Yes.” Stress exists because of the pressures applied to us by ourselves, others and by our situation or circumstance. Learn how to manage stress before it manages you!
Three levels of persuasive conversations
Why does everyone think the best salesperson is always the best “talker?” It’s as if that is the only skill needed to be a good salesperson? In my 18 years of experience in sales and sales management, I have not found that to be true. Some of the successful salespeople I have observed were good talkers, but oftentimes, they were not the best speakers. In fact, the most successful salespeople I have met were not the best talkers at all. They held a much more valuable selling skill, persuasive questioning.
Don’t Let Coaching Become Discouragement
The job of a leader is to properly manage their resources to produce the greatest return on investment for the organization. Developing employees is a cornerstone to improving the performance of an organization. As the manager of a team, developing employees will be done through consistent communication and ongoing coaching. When should coaching conversations take place? What should you do before, during and after a coaching session?