All too often we forget what is actually our role when it comes to selling. This is especially true when we're in the business of selling services, because in essence we're selling our expertise, which by design is hard to communicate to a non-expert. Regardless of what we're selling however, it is not about our expertise. In fact, our expertise is what gets us a seat at the table. Once we've been let through the door, our role as advisors is...
Introduction Influence and persuasion are among the most complex endeavors another person can undertake, and I've seen otherwise highly intelligent people fail miserably in this discipline, leading to detrimental results for themselves and their projects. Conversely - I've seen people of mediocre intelligence achieve outsized results based almost entirely on their ability to influence and persuade others. When it comes to understanding this...
Are you a value-thief? Most people are. They just don't know it. A value thief is a (sales)person who inadvertently robs their clients of value. They do this failing to understand the client. Failing to understand what drives them - what they need to get there. "But our client needs delivery on time and on budget - they said so themselves" That's not what your client needs. That's what they want. And all clients want it is as cheaply as...
Tell me if this sounds familiar. The salesperson walks into the meeting and it starts off pretty much like this: "Dear mr. Customer, let me start by telling you about our business. We were incorporated during the time of medieval feudalism in Europe, and we're the biggest and best company in our business. In fact, you should consider yourself lucky that we've taken time out of our busy schedule to be with you today." Then after the salesperson...
