Listen First. Sell Later.
Once the sale has been made many salespeople either assume the next sale to the customer is a given, or they move on to the next customer and don’t think anything about the sale once the contract is signed and the invoice paid. Studies show that customers who buy are indeed likely to buy again, …
Not Every Connection is a Sale – But Every Sale is a Connection Show Me »
I passed a doughnut shop the other day and was struck by how much impact something that doesn’t even exist can have on something as simple as a pastry. I’m talking about ‘doughnut holes.’ Think about it. The classic doughnut, not the Bear’s Claw or other pastry, is defined by the hole. We recognize it …
I’ve spent much of my professional life teaching people to Listen First and Sell Later. And, if I were designing the next iPhone or iPad, I would have to ask my customers – my fans what they want in it. Steve Jobs didn’t have to do that. Instead he had a rare gift that allowed …
Last week I met a long-time client in Philadelphia for dinner and just to say hello. While we had talked on the phone it had been months since we actually had gotten together. It was a beautiful early evening so we decided upon a sidewalk table where we had a view of a well-known local …
I’m going to share with you the Greatest Sales Secret I know. Are you ready? You might want to sit down as this could be shocking. Treat your customers with respect, honesty, integrity, and the kind of love you have for your best friends. Do you feel let down by my greatest secret? Did …
I very rarely go to a mall. Truth is I rarely go shopping unless it is online. But every once in a while when I’m out of town on business I’ll find myself at a mall. One time I found myself wandering the nearly deserted attached Tysons Galleria when I got stuck in the Ritz …
The first time I caught a fish all by myself without an adult around to guide me it was a sunfish out of a tiny farm pond when I was about 6 years old. I snuck away with a bamboo rod, one hook and some worms I dug up for bait. It was a moment …
I took much of the month of April off as a vacation of sorts. Having worked for me most of my life, I’ve never really spent much time separating time into slots with one called work and one called vacation. It’s all living and creating a life for me. But, I called this a vacation …
From the time I was a young teen until my mid-twenties, I was making money in photography. First, as a stringer for the Associated Press and United Press International as well as my local newspaper. Later on, I worked as a free-lance photojournalist and finally the owner of a studio based business. The story I …
I grew up in a small town on the Ohio River called East Liverpool. It is located in Ohio at the junction of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. When I was growing up it had a population of about 22,000. Today the population has dropped to just over 13,000. However, some very unique and notable people have come from …