Voicemails are an integral component of sales success. They can be a powerful tool to connect, provide information, and build relational capital. However, not all sales people utilize voicemail effectively. I assert that some use it so poorly that it produces a negative, rather than a positive, result. Pointless, rambling, static voicemails ending with the incredibly hasty phone number are …
How to Show Grace and Authenticity When It’s Your Bad
In my early twenties, I read The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. I was riveted by the title character, who said, “Nothing makes you so angry as knowing you are in the wrong.” That single sentence has had a profound effect on how I handle situations of missteps and blunders throughout my life. Not only has it helped guide my …
What is Sales’ Unsung, Powerful Tool? Consider: The Phone
As salespeople, we are on the phone with clients and prospects every day. The ubiquity of this form of communication can obscure the phone call’s true value. Don’t take this powerful tool for granted! Freshen up your phone etiquette to maximize your sales potential. The Basics Your voice immediately sets you apart. Your client or prospect needs to clearly hear …
A Toxic Environment: When to Leave a Bad Job
Most of us have experienced at least one terrible job. Being in a toxic environment can be crushing, and your fight or flight instincts kick in: It’s time to find a new job. We’ve been there. Finding a way out of a toxic working environment can be difficult, and you may feel trapped as you search for a position elsewhere. …
How to Master High Touch Sales Today
There are multiple approaches to sales depending upon the complexity of the product or service, your personality, and the needs of your prospective or current clients. A low touch sale may be transactional and require very little sales interaction. This can include repeat orders that are automated. On the other end of the spectrum, a high touch sale will require …
Do You Suffer From Long-Term Insomnia? Try Sleeping Sideways
Sleep is incredibly important to your health. Getting enough of it improves your immune system, lifts your mood, and can help prevent heart disease, just to name a few benefits. Getting too little sleep, however, increases your chance of accident and injury, makes you irritable, and, if chronic, can lead to some serious health conditions. If sleep comes easy for …
Top 4 Tips to Get to Know Your Co-Workers
I’m having a hard time getting to know my co-workers. They all have known each other for a long time and it’s hard to feel included in casual conversations. How do I get to know them better? – Mona in Tuscaloosa, AL Answer: Getting to know your co-workers follows the same path of forging any new relationship. You start with …
Is Now the Right Time to Start a Family?
I’ve started my own business, try to keep a healthy lifestyle, and now want to start a family with kids. How does one balance all this out? How do you ensure you spend enough time with your kids while running a successful business? – Marina in Pawtucket, RI Answer: Marina, it’s wonderful that you’re so ambitious and have love to …
How Can You Create Energized and Relevant Follow-Up?
The first step in maximizing the impact of your prospect follow-up is to know your objective. Take the ubiquitous follow-up call or email: Your objective should be more than just checking in; it should be to move the sale forward in a meaningful way. And while it goes without saying, I’m going to say it: Follow up in a timely …
How to Master Public Speaking for Once and for All
Moving to the front of the boardroom, classroom, auditorium, etc., to give a presentation – the nightmare. Your hands are shaking, you’ve got cotton mouth, and you’re strangely pale. The words stick in your throat, you stutter, you forget your place. The audience is staring, waiting for you to make your point, and you just wish the floor would open …
“Time’s Up” – How Companies Must Do Better Right Now
The #MeToo movement is changing dynamics in the workplace as the staggering scope of the problem has come to light. Companies need to reexamine their internal policies, encourage change in corporate culture, and address sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination claims more directly. In short, companies must do better. How can they do this? Here are key lessons to take from …
What is the Key to Handling Mistakes at Work?
How do I address mistakes in the workplace? Whether I was the one who made a mistake or a co-worker is the one in error, how do we resolve them and move forward professionally? – Fernanda in San Diego, CA Answer: Maya Angelou said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or said, but they will always remember how …
How to Handle Sales Rejection with Your Self-Esteem Still Intact
Self-esteem reflects a person’s attitude towards themselves. This evaluation may come from career success, relationships, lifestyle, appearance – or a combination thereof. We tend to feel good about ourselves when we achieve certain goals, and typically appreciate acknowledgement of others when we reach milestones. When you work in sales, you may base your success on how many sales you make …
How Will Social Media Impact My Job Hunt?
Many job applications require me to include links to my social media profiles, including Facebook and Twitter. I’m not very active on either one anymore. What are they looking for on there, and should I start posting more often, or more of a certain kind of content? Should I be worried about them seeing my wedding photos or political articles …
How Can You Stay Cool Under Fire?
We’ve all had those pressure-filled days that push us to the brink. While no career professional ever wants to lose their cool, there is an added burden in sales. A failure to keep your equilibrium in check can have huge consequences in a client relationship. The damage to the relational capital you worked so hard to build can be wiped …
How to Build a Relationship and Ask for the Sale
I’ve been building up a relationship with a potential client for months. We have really great conversations, but she hasn’t made a commitment. I’m getting impatient to make the sale, but I don’t want to harm the relationship I’ve worked so hard for. How can I get this client to actually buy – soon – without alienating her? – Coleen …
How to Deflect the Doubled-Edged Sword as a Working Mom
As women make gains in the workplace, there remains a dreadful hypocrisy against being a working mom that women face almost every day. It’s a double-edged sword. On one side, we navigate the path to be successful female leaders. On the other side, we must prevent our peers and managers from forming the perceptions that we prioritize our children over …
How to Enjoy Business Lunches Despite Vegan Dietary Restrictions
I often need to attend business dinners and lunches, and often do not have a say in the choice of restaurant. I’m vegan, and many restaurants do not have food options that I can eat. How can I participate in these professional meals without going hungry or looking impolite? – Danielle in Lancaster, CA Answer: Everyone with a dietary restriction, …
How Can I Excel During My Six-Month Trial?
My company hired two people for one sales position, and we have a six-month trial period. Whichever of us is more successful will get the position permanently. It’s been a couple of months, and my co-worker is getting more sales than me. How can I boost my performance and not let the stress get to me? I really like this …
How to Attract More Woman Business Owners
I work for our city business development commission. What advice would you give to a city looking to attract more woman business owners? – Maggie in Big Bear Lake, California Answer: Female business ownership is an important component of working towards gender equality. Owning a business is a huge investment and opportunity for financial growth, but only 36 percent of …