Mastering Chess Strategy and Sales Conversations: How Openings Win in Both Games
In the seventh grade, I learned to play chess. When I got to high school, I came across a book called Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, and decided to study it. It was unusual. It gave you a chess puzzle to solve. To see how you did, you had to turn the book upside down to read Fischer’s notes and recommended strategy. I played all summer and got better and better, beating my freshman peers easily. The seniors, however, were able to beat any and all freshmen.
- 26 Mar 2025
Questions/Answers, Engaging Customers In Verbal Ping-Pong
I listen to a lot of sales calls. Recordings of client sellers in calls/meetings. Sometimes webcasts where someone is talking about call strategies and going through role plays. This week, it was on creating urgency with questions. So much of it begins to look like a game of pint pong.
- 25 Feb 2025
Modern Technology is Reshaping Relationships and What We Can Learn to Rebuild Meaningful Connections
Discover the hidden ways modern technology is reshaping relationships and what we can learn to rebuild meaningful connections. This article is inspired by The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. While the book primarily focuses on children, it offers valuable lessons for adults as well.
- 07 Jan 2025
Mastering the Art of Sales Conversations: How to Create Value, Be Consultative, and Establish Expertise
Far too often, we underestimate the value of the sales conversation when it comes to winning deals. The reality is that you have never won a deal without a meaningful sales conversation, nor have you ever lost a deal without one. The conversation itself is the vehicle through which deals are won or lost. Yet, many sales representatives wrongly believe that their solution is the star of the show. They assume that if they present their solution effectively, success will follow. However, your competitors have solutions that closely match yours, resulting in a kind of solution parity.
- 11 Nov 2024
Mastering RFP Responses: Strategies to Stand Out in Competitive B2B Sales
You may not remember the time when large, enterprise-level organizations required you to complete an RFP (request for proposal). However, you wouldn’t be the only salesperson competing for the client’s business. Depending on the size of the opportunity, you might have a dozen or more rivals answering the same questions and prompts. If you find yourself in a situation where you must respond to an RFP, you may be asked to complete the same RFP two or three times, even though the company has made no changes.
- 04 Nov 2024
How to Embrace New Challenges: My First Experience in Stand-Up Comedy as a Professional Speaker
My brother, Jake, is a comedian. It’s the only career he’s pursued since high school. In third grade, he had to write about the kind of work he wanted to do when he grew up. At the top of the paper, he wrote, “Comedy Man.” I’ve always wanted to introduce him on stage, but instead, he told me to do a 10-minute set. My wife and kids bought tickets to the show. My youngest was worried about my first comedy performance, despite my frequent use of humor when I speak at events and Sales Kickoffs.
- 29 Oct 2024