How often have you been in the end stages of a sales cycle, you think you’ve laid out a great case against the competition, only to find the prospect goes dark? The first step to beating the competition is to … Read More
sales
Things I’ve Learned This Decade
Being angry or mean (to others of yourself) rarely makes things better. But anger and other emotions are telling us something– listen and then decide what to do. When other people are angry or mean to you, it often has … Read More
Marketing Planning for 2020 (and the 2020s)
All set with your marketing planning for next year? (And since we’re rolling into a new decade, for the 20s, as well?) No? Here are some links to get you started: Understand that you run a media company, whether you … Read More
Reasons you don’t have a Lead Magnet on your site
After I published a 3,000 word article on using a Lead Magnet to generate leads for your professional services business, responses ranged from “hey, this is exactly what I needed”, to “this would never work for me.” Within the “never … Read More
How to Generate More Leads from Your Professional Services Website
When Bob Davis started his sales consulting business, Simple Sales Strategy, his business came from word-of-mouth. That’s great, but it’s not predictable. Naturally, Bob looked to his website to generate leads. He even invested in SEO to get better rankings … Read More
Don’t “Market”, “Teach” — marketing for consultants
Last week, I discussed how to “help” instead of “sell”. This is a powerful paradigm shift, especially if you find “selling” uncomfortable, unnatural, and/or unethical. But what about marketing? What about lead generation and business development? Another paradigm shift can … Read More
“Help”, Don’t “Sell”
Yesterday I met with a very smart, conscientious guy who takes great pride in helping his clients. He said, “I know I have to get better at sales, but I hate it!” So I recalled my journey. “Selling” is not … Read More
The Sales for Nerds Signed Bookshelf Giveway
I’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch of awesome authors come on Sales for Nerds, and Aaron Ross recently recorded his 2nd interview, for the new edition of From Impossible to Inevitable. I asked if he had any signed … Read More
How not to connect on LinkedIn
Here’s a recent screenshot of my LinkedIn connection request screen: They’re both using the same spam template. Without accepting either request, I asked who was running their LinkedIn campaigns. (No response yet.) I get a lot of connection requests like … Read More
Call Mode: An easier way to make sales calls
Most people don’t really enjoy making sales calls. I’ve found that if I’m doing a good job helping prospects, not just selling them, the conversations are easier, more fun, and more productive. But knowing who to call next can be … Read More