IS IT TIME TO TRULY HELP BUYERS BUY?
There are actually two major things a buyer must do prior to making a purchasing decision. Of course they must ultimately choose a supplier and a solution (that’s the role of sales). But they also must manage all of the off-line, behind-the scenes change issues that must take place internally so they can [...]

For decades, if not centuries, we’ve written books about, lectured about, and trained about, the virtues of Open Questions.
I’m here to denounce the myth that they are good in all instances: I actually believe they are used most effectively at the back end of the selling/buying cycle and have no role to play in the buying [...]

I’m here to tell you that cold calling can be one of the most effective ways to meet new prospects. And a whole lotta fun.
I know, I know. Most sellers eschew cold calling, preferring instead to network, get referrals, golf, meet face-to-face.
Did you ever ask yourself why?
We can think historically: Dale Carnegie, in How to [...]

For some reason, it’s very difficult for sales people to think beyond ‘need’ and ‘solution:’  We tend to think that because the buyer’s need matches our solution, and because we’re professionals who ‘care,’  the only thing buyers need to do is choose our solution.
But if it were that easy, buying decisions would get made more often in our [...]