Pabst Brewing tips on sellingBeer sales person? Really, companies need a sales person to sell beer? Yes, and it is a competitive business, where shelf space is at a premium. I recently got to talk to Chris Steflanci, Pabst Brewing. After years at Heinekin leading the sales charge, he has landed at what I would think of as my father’s beer. Read more
Experience can earn trust and win the saleThe age old question: Is it easier to teach someone to sell or teach someone about the product and company selling the product? I talk to a lot of heads of sales, and often I hear them opting to hire proven sales professionals with a history of exceeding quota and then teaching them the product or service. This makes sense unless your customers expect otherwise. Read more
Each week, the Fast Track Tools training company and the Cubicle Ninjas design firm work together to publish a template that makes it easier for you to communicate your ideas. This template will help you communicate how something could and should be re-engineered. What’s under you hood? Is it a hamster on a wheel or a shiny new V8 engine? Read more
Learn how to sell from an artist with a storyWould you take business advice from an artist dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt? You would if that artist takes found objects and turns them into large-scale, abstract paintings that sell for $200,000. Why so much? Because this is the story about the people, places and things involved in this artwork. Any sales professional could learn from Mark Bradford. Read more
How to change people’s behaviorI have been traveling the past week while also preparing to present at the 2011 Senior Sales Executive Conference. My topic is, “Driving Collaboration and Effective Change Initiatives.” I have been using Tom Kelley’s Advice and thinking like a traveler. When we travel, we open our eyes and see things we may not usually see. I was looking for signs of people driving change. Read more
Each week, the Fast Track Tools training company and the Cubicle Ninjas design firm work together to publish a template that makes it easier for you to communicate your ideas. This week, we bring you a template to illustrate the need for a shared vision. Read more
Winning in nothing but underwareAnyone responsible for selling something, whether it’s a product, service or idea, has a competitive streak. The will to win drives us to rethink our strategies and try different approaches. When one method fails, we try another. It was no different for John Edgar. In 1948 he wanted to own the fastest motorcycle on earth. Read more
How to sell – identify the customer’s currencyWhile reading an article this week about the East Bay Homemade Food Swap, I was reminded how we all have our own currency. Whether certain foods or a yearning for a vacation in the mountains, when you learn someone’s personal currency, you can get the customer’s attention. Read more
Each week, the Fast Track Tools training company and the Cubicle Ninjas design firm work together to publish a template that makes it easier for you to communicate your ideas. This week we bring you a template to help communicate the information, facts and stats that can leak out during a project, analysis or event. Read more
Top five practices of exemplary leadership“Describe a time when you were at your best as a leader.” That was the first assignment we received from Barry Possner, co-author of The Leadership Challenge, at a recent leadership workshop. It set the foundation for a rich conversation about how leadership is personal and reinforced the need to create a relationship if you want to entice others to want to follow you. Read more