It is easy to work with people you like, and it is even easier to work with people who like you. But that’s not always the case. Sooner or later, you’ll have to deal with a difficult customer.
Difficult customers come in a wide variety. There are those whose personality rubs you the wrong way. They [...]

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Don’t intentionally misrepresent anything.
Never, never, never lie to a customer. About anything. Ever. Period.
Fix any important misunderstandings that you can.
It’s possible that your customer will form incorrect ideas about some of the products you represent or the services that come with them. It’s also possible that they will misunderstand things about your competitors, and about [...]

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I once took a position as a sales manager with a Fortune 100 company, having been told was that my unit had been first in the division the year before. However when I got there, I found that the six person unit had three new, floundering rookies and one opening—where the top salesperson in the [...]

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Obviously you have to be careful with humor in sales. You don’t want to offend anyone. That’s why self-deprecating humor can be so powerful. You’re poking fun at yourself. No one else is likely to be offended. It makes you seem modest and likable while at the same time demonstrating that you’re confident enough about [...]

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Even the best of companies with the best of intentions occasionally fail to deliver. Here’s how one salesperson with a corporate screw up handled an unhappy customer.
The scenario went like this:
“After what happened last time, Linda,” the customer complained, “I’m amazed you can even show your face around here, much less ask for more business. [...]

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I’ll never forget the day I watched a secretary outsell a team of sales veterans.
The company sold customized CRM software. That morning I’d met with some of their less successful reps. Most of them knew exactly why they weren’t selling. “Our prices are just too damn high,” they assured me repeatedly. I’d heard it before. [...]

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Closing a sale doesn’t always happen as easy as we hope. It’s great when it does, but there are times
when the prospect wants to negotiate. Sometimes, they need to negotiate because they have a true requirement that still needs to be addressed. Other times the prospect just wants to feel like they won something and, [...]

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Arguably, the most important skill in selling is listening. Some of us are better listeners than others, but we all must work on our listening skills if we are going to maximize our success in the business world.
• If you are going to be effective in selling, serving customers or managing others, you will need to [...]

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If setting your customer’s expectations is a part of selling, Steve says it all.
We took one of our granddaughters to her first state fair last week and I couldn’t help but laugh at Steve’s billing posted throughout the fairgrounds. In seven words he gets your attention, makes you laugh, explains exactly what his service is, [...]

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Several years ago, the coach of the Louisiana State University track team, Boots Garland, conducted a running clinic for some members of my youth baseball team. Coach Garland demonstrated how to increase running skills and quickness. He showed the players the small, detailed things that would improve their performance. Things like hand [...]

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