As advanced as automated website chat bots get, they are a poor substitute for human interaction. Do bots have their place? Probably — but it isn’t in the customer service industry. Have you ever had an amazing customer service interaction with a bot that was programmed to help you? At most it was “satisfactory” — […]
Prospecting for sales leads is too often described as “finding people to sell to” when it should truly be described as finding people who could really use your help to solve a problem. I think it’s infinitely more rewarding to get up in the morning and go in search of people who might be able […]
Although I continually stress the importance of having a website (especially one with a blog), there are times when launching a simple Landing Page is better for achieving your project goals because a full-blown website might actually work against you! Chris Brogan calls a website your home base. It is the headquarters of your personal […]
Too many salespeople seem think they’re job is to go into an appointment with a prospect and sell them something (anything!), when in reality their job is to simply help the customer buy what they need. Too many salespeople apparently think that if they keep talking and talking and talking that they will eventually wear […]
There can be a lot of pressure to come up with an idea. The problem is weighing on you or your client, there is a priority on solving it, and you begin wracking your brain to force it to spit out a brilliant idea (and that creative technique always works SO well, right??) The idea […]
I find a lot of parallels between ideas, sales, and what is known in writing as The Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey was a concept shared by Joseph Campell, a professor in literature who primarily worked in comparative mythology and religion. Campbell identified a common story arc containing multiple stages that runs through every compelling […]
A friend of mine recently reached out on LinkedIn and told me that after a long career working inside a single company as a business development manager, their position was being eliminated. With more than 25 years of experience in coaching salespeople, one of the options they were considering was launching their own consultancy as […]