Here is a great, short article from Selling Power about an ad agency’s sales call with Steve Jobs at Apple. A taste of the setup: When Steel and his two partners arrived at Apple, they were met by two senior members of Apple’s marketing department-employees Jobs had inherited from the former CEO. "Steve’s running late," announced one of the executives. "We’ll get you up-to-speed while we’re waiting." And they ushered Steel’s group into a darkened conference room. They droned on for 2 hours as you will read. The saving point in the article is the second Steve Jobs entered the meeting. You’ll have to read it to see the marked… Read More
Continue ReadingFictitious Selling
Ok, the title is a bit of a minomer. The reference is to a Kelley Robertson post on the S&MM SoundOff blog. He provides 3 sales tips based on a fiction writer’s boot camp he recently attended. Here is an abridged version of those tips (my bold): Start with a hook. The best novels usually start with a great hook. The more compelling your opening statement or question, the greater the likelihood your prospect will listen to the rest of your message. Show, don’t tell. Showing characters in action instead of telling the reader what the characters are doing creates a more interesting story. Show the results your prospects can… Read More
Continue ReadingPowerPoint Singalong
That is a new phrase for me and a humorous one to start the long, holiday weekend. From JustSell.com’s daily newsletter: Familiar with the term “PowerPoint singalong”? According to buzzwhack.com, a PowerPoint singalong is a presentation read from the slides without comments or asides of any kind. (Monotone optional, but not required.) There’s no telling whether this buzzword has staying power, but it does raise an important point… When making your next sales presentation, make sure you engage with your audience. Prepare so that you don’t have to read off of your slides and you’re comfortable answering questions and comments. Have a wonderful Independence Day!
Continue ReadingThe Two-Minute Warning
It’s playoff time for the NFL and I love to watch quarterbacks (and coaches) who can execute in the red zone, run an effective two-minute drill and get the job done. That may be why I get so nervous when I hear salespeople say – ” It’s in the client’s hands now, all we can do is wait.” We’re waiting on such an opportunity right now, and we’ve been waiting since before Christmas 2007. I’m nervous because there is no two-minute drill in progress to help the customer make the right decision and there appears to be a lack of urgency in our salesperson’s approach, now that the proposal is… Read More
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