Fearful of the Boogie Man, my 4 year old daughter asked me to escort her into the garage so she could get a soda. As we approached the door leading into the garage, I opened the door and stopped. Sensing I was still with her, she opted not to turn on the garage light and waded into the darkness in search of the refrigerator. Once she realized I was not with her, she…

Ok, so you finished with one of the worst months you’ve ever had-now what. You have two options in this situation; you can hold court on the black top and cry a river to a bunch of guys who don’t really care or you can plan for a better month. Speed is everything to your sales career and you must have two mindsets when navigating through your month: That of a…

It's been said that nothing in life is guaranteed, yet one thing is certain in sales: There will always be objections. In the sales profession, objections are a necessary evil. After all, if there were no objections there wouldn’t be a need for salespeople; thankfully the products do not sell themselves and need advocates like you and me, to favorably demonstrate the…

The word Jade is a heteronym (a word with the same spelling, yet different meanings) that is used in one form or another in the arena of sales. When used as a noun, Jade is a beautiful, expensive gemstone. As a verb, Jade is worn out broken down worthless and dull. If the word Jade was used to describe your qualities as a sales professional, would you be described as…

There are two types of people in this world; those who tend to over think or those who tend to under think. Many people mistakenly apologize for over thinking situations. The act of over thinking is not bad, but when you over think could be-particularly in sales. Over thinking should be done in the preparation and practice stages of your sales career not…

One morning I was shaken from my deep sleep by the deep growling of the trash truck’s engine followed by the skidding sounds of my neighbor’s trash can coming to a screeching halt in their driveway. Realizing I did not push my overflowing trash can to the road; I valiantly sprung out of bed and barreled out of the door hoping it was not too late. I stood…

Man you’ve got a big ole’, good lookin’, juicy But!  To get a But like that, it must’ve taken many years of hard work to get that kind of But.  You’ve made excuses, exceptions, reservations, and countless other adjectives of limitations in an effort to border why you can’t do something. In short, you’ve allowed your But’s to render your…

Recently, I overheard two runners conversing about pushing beyond the “sticking point.” You know the point where your mind tells you to retreat; where your legs feel as though they will buckle beneath you. The runner being asked the question took a sip of water, thought about the question and said, “I’ve become faster from Point A to Point B, because I push…

Do you realize you say more nonverbally than you do verbally? In sales, we think we have to learn 9000 different word tracts in order to overcome every possible objection, but the truth is you may be losing the potential to make a sale based on your…

“What’s done in the darkness will always come to light.” Many fallen political figures, celebrities, and athletes have had this adage stamped on their careers…as well as yours. It’s what you are doing in the darkness that is hindering your sales career. The difference between meeting your draw and exceeding your wildest expectations is what you are doing in the…

What’s rational about buying? NOTHING. In sales, we work in a world full of irrational behavior. Think about some of the "rational, logical" reasons why customers decide to trade in their vehicle.  Maybe they trade because of the newest, popular color; or, while waiting for an oil change, a shopper falls in love with the looks of that chromed out Jeep with the…

Scrambled eggs can’t be undone. Neither can your past. The only guarantee in your life is the present. Often we focus on the tiny rearview mirror affectionately known as our past, instead of being fixated on the large windshield of our future. You can’t be bitter and sweet, you can’t be hot and cold, neither can you move backward and expect to advance forward in your life. Sometimes we become stuck because we like it. Not because it is enjoyable, but because it is…

Attitude, albeit good or bad is infectious; as a salesperson ask yourself, are you infecting your clients? Are you sneezing optimism on every opportunity or are you coughing doubt and pessimism spoiling your attempts in making a sale? The ABC’s of selling has traditionally stood for Always Be Closing. The acronym’s purpose is to remind sales…

Centuries ago, before elaborate bottling processes and wineries, wines were transported in wineskins. It was advised to never pour new wine into old wineskins because old wineskins were contaminated with fermented bacteria. New wineskins lose their pliability as they age and burst when the new wine is poured into old skins, the skins no longer have the…

It’s been said, “Time flies when you are having fun”… it also flies when you are scratching and clawing to get to the next day, week, or month; before you know it, a new year begins in our hamster wheel of life. We live our lives either coming out of something or racing to our aspirations; it’s as if we either live our lives in the past, filled with regrets,…

The world is full of people who fear failure so much they never pursue their dreams and wind up living an unfulfilled life.  We live in a world thinking “what-if” instead of living in a world of “already did.” Countless stories have been recounted and movies made depicting people who realized they only have a short time left to live. Suddenly they set out on a quest…

In hopes of improving our sales career, we recently peered into the world of fine dining in order to gain an insight of what great servers do so well to enhance their guest’s evening and to improve their paycheck. We now know that great servers make themselves approachable to their guests, are attentive to their needs, and have extensive knowledge about the foods…

If your sales career has hit a slump worse than the New York Yankee's Derek Jeter's "0 for 32" hit-less streak in 2004, let me suggest an affordable seminar available to help get your sales swagger back. In fact, this seminar is offered in nearly every city in America. Can you think of a seminar where you can enjoy a nice meal with a special person, have a glass of wine…

Statistics reveal the average golfer has a 1 in 12,000 chance of hitting a h*** in one; the statistics can’t be much better for a salesperson looking for a lay down. You know the customer who comes in with the Sealy Mattress strapped to their back looking for an anything goes kind of deal. If you are hoping to win a brand new Chevy Silverado, take a gamble and…