Cold calling, and the younger, less effectual brother to it – cold emailing, are undoubtedly a part of selling and building a customer portfolio. They can’t all stop. But what needs to, and needs to maybe twelve emails ago, are the many, many, many phone calls (and subsequent voicemails) and the dozens of “follow-up” emails […]
Read MoreIt’s not all right with me. Every now and then I’ll indulge myself and dip into the McDonald’s across from our office for a breakfast snack. I can’t be the only one out there jonesing for a hash brown patty! A funny thing happens each time I order: the sausage biscuit with egg is my jam and, of course, […]
Read MoreMy mother hung a magnet on our refrigerator when I was ten years old that read, “Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.” I hated that magnet as a kid. I later learned that it was a Charles Swindoll quote. I also learned to love the quote – […]
Read MoreWhen I was in college, I worked at a movie theatre. Whenever I worked behind the vending stand, I used to challenge my co-workers to sell more nachos than me. The job, obviously, wasn’t commission-based. There were no prizes or rewards for being the best nacho salesman. I just did it to make my shift […]
Read MoreYou don’t have to be a salesperson to make a sale. You’re an artist – who paints the picture of what life will be like for the customer after you fix their car. You’re a helper – who helps make a good decision about whether to repair the car, which part is best, which warranty is appropriate, and the […]
Read MoreIf you are selling paperclips or pizza, this article may not be very relevant, but an increasing majority of US workers sell a service or a product plus the service to support it. When service is a significant part of the customer or company relationship, not all customers are created equally. Not all customers are […]
Read MoreThis week has been a homecoming of sorts. Sadly, tragedy struck the family of a childhood best friend and a funeral brought some old friends together for the first time in several years. We’ve attended each other’s weddings, texted birthday greetings, celebrated milestones at a distance, but the three of us have not spent any […]
Read MoreAs the air develops a cool crispness and the trees begin turning yellow and red, it means it is time for more than just football and pumpkin spice lattes. It’s college-campus-visit season. As a father of both a college sophomore and high school senior, I have been on my fair share of college campus tours. […]
Read MoreMy family recently hired a company, let’s call them ABC Siding, to put new vinyl siding on our house. In addition to that, the company we chose provided an excellent lesson in an extraordinary customer experience. During our initial meeting, the company was certainly “salesy”, they had a product to sell, and we had a […]
Read MoreWe work in a world of tools. Humans are distinctive from most other creatures on this planet by our ability to make and use them. The earliest advances in society are measured by the tools we built and used (fire, hand axes, spear throwers, the wheel, pottery and so on). The automotive industry is particularly defined […]
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