You are browsing the archives of 2008 February.

Did you ever stop and think how important your non-sellers are to customers?

Customer service reps have hundreds of email and phone touches with customers every day.
Accounts receivable staffers spend most of their day talking to customers, often on ticklish issues.
Shipping personnel schedule deliveries and expedite orders all day long.
Credit department employees have some of the […]

Robyn McMaster of Brain Based Biz does not like procrastination, as she made clear on a comment on a recent post of mine. The post was about why sales managers should take swift action, and Robyn’s post got me thinking about why people put off unpleasant work.
Why indeed? Well, here are a few theories — […]

This is the sixth in a 10-part series, How to Be a Better Sales Manager. It’s my belief that the sales manager is underserved. There’s plenty of training and coaching available for sales people, but managers, the unheralded heroes of sales success, are all too often left to their own devices. These posts are designed […]

Valentine’s Day is come and gone, but customers expect every day to be Valentine’s Day, don’t they? Are you giving your customers the love? If not, they may be looking elsewhere — especially these days, when companies are under lots and lots of pressure to buy cheaper and cut costs at all cost.
How do you […]

Canard sounds like the perfect name for a basset hound … or maybe not. What do you think? Would Fido lick your face or take a bite out of your ankle if you started calling him Canard? What does canard mean?
A. A large vat of vegetable oil.
B. To sing merrily.
C. A false, misleading report or […]

Most of us don’t like to be criticized. Yet for writers and marketers, it pays to surround yourself with critics - provided they are trustworthy critics.
Trustworthy critics possess three vital qualities.

They are unflinchingly honest.
They take the time to consider your work carefully and reflect before offering feedback.
They always have your best interests at heart and […]

Suppose you have two sales people, Jack and Jill. Jack is incredibly polished and professional. He makes fabulous presentations, works like dog, follows up diligently, and is virtually self-managing. Jill, on the other hand, is rough around the edges. She’s unprepared, disorganized, and high maintenance.
Jack is consistently 85-90% of quota.
Jill is consistently 110-125% of quota.
Which […]