In all of my coaching, I consistently advise clients to listen first, sell second. But it turns out…I’ve been listening all wrong. More to the point…I realized I needed to listen as though I’m wrong. What that means is that I don’t have all the answers and the ones I do have could be wrong. […]
Change is not Compromise My invitation to all of you in this New Year is to embrace the fact that behavioral change is NOT compromise; it is transformation. You change to make a larger difference with yourself, your team and your clients. You change to keep pace with a world that is moving at breakneck […]
In my last post, I wrote about the communication vacuum created by virtual environments. It featured a client who was making recommendations that didn’t land because he got no prior input from his company’s leadership, most of whom were not located in his office or region. He had not worked to close the distance gap […]
I worked with a client recently who frequently presented his ideas enthusiastically and comprehensively to the C-Suite of his corporation. However, they never took his counsel. He began noticing a pattern of being rebuffed and couldn’t figure out why. We began forensically discovering that every idea he had was his and his alone. He hadn’t […]
Imagine you are the quarterback of a football team. You drive the team to the goal line…just one yard separates you from a touchdown. But instead of directing the next play, you walk off the field, leaving your team stunned and unsure how to proceed. That’s what a client of mine has been doing her […]
Many years ago a client of mine offered me a position at his company. During his invitation, he asked, “Are you as approachable from 5pm to 9am as you are from 9am to 5pm?” I remember freezing at his question. I had no idea how to answer him (though I was pretty sure my answer […]
What is your gift? I bet that’s a question you haven’t asked yourself in a while…or at all. You should have an answer. Most people don’t. That is not to say that people don’t have a gift. They do; they just haven’t defined it. In business development and sales, I always say that people buy […]
We all know the saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” A client of mine experienced that first hand when he was recently promoted. One of his first assignments was to meet an industry “mover and shaker.” This meeting could really open doors…and markets…for him if he handled it well. And […]
I often talk (and write) about “pain points” and “staying in the pain” with clients. I stress that finding out where a clients’ frustrations may lie or what keeps them up at night is a good way to tailor your recommendations so that you address those core concerns, all the time. But the flip side […]
When proposing…well…anything…it’s critical that you get to the decision maker. While that’s true, don’t rush it! Take your time because you’re ultimately going to need some help. Don’t Jump Over Your Current Contact Tread smartly before you ask to meet Mr./Ms. Big. What I mean is make sure your current contact understands and blesses your […]
