One way to get calls returned is to leave just your name, maybe your company, and your regular direct-dial phone number. My feeling when I get messages like this is that it might be a potential customer, therefore I can't risk ignoring the message. Ho...

Omaha, Nebraska is where my business is based and where I maintain a primary residence. As I travel the country and mention Omaha, I hear a number of comments. Typical lame farmer jokes (this is a metro area of close to a million people), and co...

Every once and a while, a sales rep, on a follow-up call with me will say, "So how's the barbeque cooking team doing?" "Keeping that golf game sharp?" "Your kids doing well? You have a a daughter still in college, right?" Like most other humans, ...

I'm thinking about you today, Valentine's Day. Yes, today is especially a day all about relationships. Well, I'm thinking about you mostly to give you an idea that can help you build better relationships with your customers, and turn more o...

Has your personal or business bank changed names and ownership within the past couple of years? How about your mortgage company? Has any of that caused you any frustration? The mortgage company that owned my office building loan sold the paper t...

“Nothing will kill a deal like time.� -Joe Martin, a streetwise sales manager Everyone hears them. Stalls, brush off's . . . those frustrating phrases and excuses that leave us either scratching our heads or wanting to pull out our hair. Things lik...

At a home accessories and furniture store I saw a couple of large metal wall pieces I liked for my office. This place looked like a family-run operation. The owner saw my obvious interest in one, came over, and asked if I liked it. I tried no...

So, do you want to be rich? Probably, if you're not already. Let's face it, most people are fascinated--if not obsessed-- with the dream. The books "The Millionaire Next Door," and the sequel, "The Millionaire Mind," were best sellers. The game...

As with any objection, you need to break it down gradually with a series of questions. What you don't want to say at this point is, ?Oh, OK, when can I call you back.? A date is of little use if they're not interested. Because they've then just given you ...

Sometimes I see a sales guru in print suggesting a technique so unrealistic and outrageous I don't even bother to get upset. I know most sane people would dismiss it. However, here's one I've seen at least three times within the past month, each attrib...

I arrived at the golf course to check in, and much to my surprise, the pro shop attendant said, "We don't have a reserva­tion for you or the other person you mentioned." Shortly thereafter, my playing partner, Chuck (who had indeed called earlier for r...

Tiger Woods made the single biggest impact on sports-any sport-anyone has made for a long time. Not only does he have the physical talent (which has been honed by years of practice), his "above the shoulders" game, at just 24 years old, is at a level many...

Many sales reps look at ads, direct mailing pieces, catalogs, the Internet, anywhere there's advertising as sources of prospects. This is wise. But I find so many of these people ill-prepared for what they inevitably hear on calls. Here's an example of wh...

Here are some ideas to help with screeners and voice mail. Don't Get Lost in the Phone System Bermuda Triangle. When initially trying to locate a decision maker you've never spoken with, if you detect even the slightest bit of hesitation in a screener's ...

For attendees of my Telesales Rep Colleges, and customized training programs for clients, I have a standing offer of evaluating their opening statements afterward. Here are a few submitted by the pros at Dobbs Publishing, a group of niched magazines for a...