Archives for June 2012

Relationships tend to be among those things we take for granted. We rarely consider them organizational or personal assets. But one could argue that they may be more worthwhile than those myriad of other things that we focus on. The reality is that relationships are crucial to our success and deserve some attention and planning too. I received a reminder of this when I got an email from a friend based on a blog about Reid Hoffman, “Do THIS In the Next Day, Week, and Month for a Stronger Network”. I agree with many of his suggestions so I’m including them here—but with a bit of Jerry Acuff added in.

“What if you could…”—those are some of my favorite words in selling. I love using hypothetical statements to make my point—it tends to shift the focus from telling someone what I think they should do and allows them to join me on a journey to looking at something from a different perspective. The reality is that people tend to get defensive when they are told to do something. I’m the same way.

When I read the title of the blog “Diversity Training Doesn’t Work”, I thought it might provide some tips that could help us improve our training programs. Instead, it provided some insight as to why our Thinking Like a Customer selling approach works. In his blog, Peter Bregman not only explains why diversity training doesn’t work but he takes it takes it one step further—how most diversity training programs promote more prejudice, not less. The findings were fascinating—and provide valuable insight into human nature.

You’ve just hired a top sales rep—one that shows real promise based on past results and seems to be a good fit for your team and your company. You’re probably feeling pretty good. And then the realization hits you—even a team full of great sales reps doesn’t guarantee that your team will excel. Hiring the best is a great place to start. But to continue to ensure excellence, other factors come into play.