Sales tips, leadership communication skills insight and more from Steve Giglio, sales training professional for more than 25 years.

02.22.10 Listen to Grow

…for there is no growth without changing, correcting and questioning yourself.

Marvelous, tough medicine for you and me.

In my work in Executive Development and Sales Training, I have needed to self-correct and listen to the objective evidence to grow and develop.   I always will.  I encounter many different professionals with many different challenges. To advance in their companies, each faces specific developmental challenges to succeed.  The success-link running through all my coaching interactions is a person’s trust in themselves to adapt and change when the objective evidence says so. This says easy, does hard.

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02.08.10 What E-mail Mistakes Are YOU Making?

My 2009 year-end newsletter stressed meeting face-to-face with clients soon in the new year.  But once you’ve done that, you still have to stay in touch and regularly communicate with them.  I firmly believe you can gauge your customer’s reaction far better over the phone than the internet!  However, should you need to send an e-mail message, consider these tips from the Wall Street Journal:

Click here for Top Ten E-mail Mistakes by Managers

02.02.10 Renewed Perspective

I’ve just returned from a little New Year’s respite quite refreshed but also quite reminded of how memorable and impactful genuine service is.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico is a beautiful place to chill; I discovered it’s also a beautiful place to observe first class service.With so much uncertainty and tension around us at home and globally it was great to be surrounded by people who understand the value of sincere service where your needs are preempted by savvy hosts.

I relaxed within the first day, believe it or not!

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01.26.10 Selling Solutions in Frenzied Times

The fashion world is a mercurial one where you need to understand people’s desires well before you recommend any products. I’ve just worked with a team of very savvy retail salespeople who represent high end jeans and other upscale garments. Their clients are Buyers and the actual designers.  It is essential with jaded Buyers (clients) to control each meeting.

An agenda, often an overlooked or thought-of-at-the-last-minute too, can put you in control and help gain you the results you want. Get agreement on the agenda. This puts you in control of the meeting and avoids the “meet-the-press”/”firing line” environment that so many meetings turn into.

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12.06.10 A World Away, and Yet Familiar Territory

I just returned from my Singapore Training with American Express refreshed and possessing as vibrant a pace as Singapore itself!

The vibe there is one of collaboration and deal creation versus recession and doubt. Three’s a great “Buzz” there that is infectious. It is really a powerful hub of Asia/International commerce.

My clients were motivated by partnering with their clients in a refreshing, “out-of-the-box” fashion. Their passion for driving cooperative conversation before presenting their recommendations was laudable and the right solution for today’s business world everywhere.

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11.22.09 Insight from Singapore

Just completed the Client Development/Situational Presentation Program in Singapore with American Express. Fascinating news/discovery…

…one of the participating clients was a Vice President who manages client relationships in Japan for AX, a very switched on professional executive.

Upon being videotaped and coached on his physical delivery he realized the importance of holding his eye contact on his key listeners and increasing his physical involved in his communication.

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11.14.09 My View from Singapore

singaporeMy view from the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore.

11.14.09 Is Today the Day I Worried About Yesterday?

Greetings from China:

Just picked up my luggage in Singapore…I meet my driver and he tells me that Singapore is very busy due to the APEC mtg. I ask “gee, will it be hard to get a taxi tomorrow…Monday?”

He says it’s Saturday today.

I ask AGAIN, “Is it Saturday or Sunday?”

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11.13.09 Off to Singapore!

Today I’m taking off for Singapore!

I’ll be working with American Express executives who meet with banks throughout Asia to offer the Amex Card to their high net-worth customers.

Blog to you from the Orient!

03.31.10 I just want to maybe say…

Qualifiers Don’t Work in Any Country.

I’ve just returned from London working with very switched-on executives in the banking world. What I noticed is they often used qualifiers throughout their negotiations.  Qualifiers are words that dilute and weaken the statement.  Subtly, you lose your listener’s confidence.  Here are some examples:

What I’d like to do today

I guess my concern would be…

I just wanted to go over…

What I am trying to show you …

I believe we have demonstrated…

I think the best thing to do is…

Make sure you know when you are qualifying a statement and when you are not. It will make what you are saying, and how you are being, more clear and compelling.