Who likes to work on the weekends? No one does. Who does work on the weekends? Senior level corporate decision makers do. More and more we’re finding the high level execs plugged in on weekends. It’s not just the teenagers who are glued to their devices. I was...
Tips for Fitting New Business Development into Your Busy Schedule
Finding time for new business development can be difficult. There’s always something else that seems to be more important. I’ve found that people who don’t carve out time for this find themselves with an empty pipeline down the road. Here are 10 tips for fitting new...
Silence Really Can Be Golden
Have you ever waited for a prospect to return your call? And he doesn’t? You call again, you email and still no reply? Argggg! How frustrating! Recently, a prospect asked me for a proposal. We were an exact match for his needs. Shoe in, couldn’t miss. So...
What Corporate Prospects Really Want From You When You Are Networking, Part 2
As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, I recently had the privilege of spending time with some high level Fortune 500 corporate prospects. Knowing they hold the key to my clients’ successes, I asked them what they like and don’t like about their interactions with...
Consistency or Else! Stories of Lost Sales
Consistency earns the respect of decision makers, a necessity for growing relationships that lead to sales. On a flight to Dallas, I met a high level decision maker from a Fortune 500 company. I asked her what she liked and didn’t like about sales people to get her...
Know Your Decision Maker
I was recently asked, “What is your single favorite piece of sales advice?” Here it is. Have a healthy respect and empathy for decision makers. These days decision makers are doing more than just their jobs. In the corporate world, many companies are still adjusting...
Avoiding the ‘Big Black Hole’ of Business Proposals II
In Part 1 of Avoiding the 'Big Black Hole' of Business Proposals, I covered the first two steps that will help you receive a well-earned request for a proposal including what to do in the Pre-Proposal Stage and how to Structure Your Proposal. This week we will explore...
Avoiding the ‘Big Black Hole’ of Business Proposals I
Have you experienced the 'Big Black Hole' of the sales process? It's like this: You receive a well-earned request for a proposal, spend precious time crafting it, hit “send” and anxiously await a response. And then surprise, surprise, you’re rewarded with nothing but...