“You should buy this product from my competitor.” These words came as a surprise to my customer, to say the least. Moreover, there is no doubt I would have been fired had my manager known that I sent a customer to the competition. So, why did I do it? The customer had requested a meeting … Read On >
We were at the Great Wall of China. A gentleman in my tour group showed interest in a folding fan that a vendor near the Wall was selling. He wanted to bring home a souvenir. The vendor’s asking price was 125 Yuan (about $18) for the folding fan. After a few minutes of back-and-forth haggling, … Read On >
Negotiators often fail to consider their Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) and the other side’s BATNA. Thinking through both BATNAs helps us determine how much leverage we have in a negotiation. What will happen if we can’t come to an agreement with the other party? If the alternative to a negotiated agreement is … Read On >
During an Improving Communications workshop, I asked a question that immediately had hands flying up from participants in the room: “How many of you have ever wanted to be more assertive in the workplace but didn’t know how?” It became very clear that assertiveness is a skill many people want to master. Before anything else … Read On >
The message arrived unexpectedly. It was from the VP of Marketing at a global software company. I skimmed the words, then read them again. This could be big—bigger than anything I had worked on before. The VP wanted to meet and discuss a project that had three components; equipment, production and implementation. In total, it … Read On >
Communication is not always verbal. Although unconscious, the audience pays attention to body language. Speaker body language must tell the audience that s/he respects their personal space and is not negative, intrusive, or hostile. Body language (the physical elements of communication) includes: eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and gestures / movement. EYE CONTACT A United States audience translates … Read On >
Your U-V-What? A Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is something that any branding expert or sales coach will tell you that you need to craft to perfection. In its essence, a UVP is what makes your company different from any other. It can be the heart and soul of your business. Simply put, your purpose. In … Read On >
Briefcase in hand, I strode across the bustling turnpike toward the client’s office building. After checking-in with Security, I took the elevator upstairs and met, for the first time, the person in Marketing to whom I had been referred by my contact in HR. Having been in a revenue-generating role for the better part of … Read On >
As concepts and activities, “sales” and “selling” are fundamentally positive, although some people believe that they are bad words.