Click image for PDFThanks so much to everyone who participated in the free “Leading Through The Storm” webinar on September 22nd! We had over 100 people in attendance and the feedback has been great. Here is the audio replay for those of you who missed it, or for those of you who wish to share it with someone else. The …
Thoughts on Teaching Sales to Technologists
We teach engineers/technologists/consultants about sales. “Why the heck would someone want to do that?” you ask. “Does it work?” you ask. I was driving home from teaching a class today and was in one of those “rant” moods, and luckily my handy blackberry has a record function on it. So, with nothing better to do while caught in I-25 traffic, …
The Essence of Urgency
URGENCY! My clients use the word a lot these days. I find myself using it a lot too. As I sit sipping my pre-dawn cup of tea pondering my own challenges relative to creating and sustaining urgency, I’m asking myself “What is the true essence of URGENCY?”
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The Plan
Perhaps like many of you I’ve gotten caught up in the mire of activity that isn’t part of “The Plan”. This week, after a break in a relentless stream of tasks, requests, go-fers, and must do’s, I had a feeling of panic. It’s March! Q1 is almost over!
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Tell Me Quick and Tell Me True
I found this poem on the web some time back and it has become a favorite. It is a standard slide and discussion piece in many of our sales skills training courses. It speaks to the importance of “Customer Focus” and “Engaging a Conversation about Them” – two key topics we teach. Without further adieu…
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Lean Selling
A few years ago I was introduced to Lean Manufacturing, also known as the Toyota Production System or “TPS”. One of my clients is a big proponent of Lean and they helped me on my quest to learn more. The book they recommended to me was “The Toyota Way” by Jeffrey K. Liker. Perhaps it was the latent engineer in me, but I found the book and the philosophy completely fascinating. What struck me most was how well the Lean philosophy matched the key concepts we are trying to teach in helping companies develop a corporate wide selling culture. Here are a few of the key concepts that really jumped out at me:
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