Is Your Next Client Meeting a Waste of Time? (The Worksheet)

Your time is precious.  You don’t like it when another person or business wastes your time.  And your clients don’t like when you waste their time.  Client time There’s only so much time you can spend with your clients. No matter how complicated or involved the work you’re doing, they also have their own jobs…

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Give the people what they want: the power of personal benefits 🎁 (2/5)

Humans are rational beings.  But not too much.  Around 95% of our buying decisions happen in the subconscious mind, not the conscious, logical mind, according to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman.  There is a scientific reason: our subconscious mind can process volumes more data than our conscious mind, so while we think we are considering 3-4…

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How are you not like the business exactly like you 🔁 (2/4)

Unique Value Proposition

No two businesses are the same. People who offer the same product or service as you aren’t exactly like you.  With last week’s post, you defined your business in various ways.  Now it’s time to take that to market and see how it works alongside other businesses that do what you do.  Who are your…

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Why your clients will choose you again next time

Your clients have options.  They don’t have to buy from you. They don’t have to choose you. They don’t have to call you.  There are plenty of other people and businesses that will gladly take their calls.  What can you do to make sure you are their first phone call time after time after time…

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Why it is time to stop selling

There is no money in sales.  No, really.  Think about it: you can sell, and sell, and sell. But at what point do you actually make money? When somebody else buys.  The money is in the action of buying, not the action of selling.  Before you build a sales plan, understand how your clients buy. …

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What are your clients thinking about when they buy from you

The answer is: it’s not about you.  So how do your customers buy? Deciding to buy something means knowing that choice is the best option; using the money there instead of somewhere else, hoping it will be a long-term solution, considering what else has to change to accept this new product and more.  The better…

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The problem with offering discounts

Discounts and low prices are not the same things. We all know the problem with competing on price, and discounts mean the opposite: the price is higher than desired, so a discount will allow the client to make the purchase.  In which case, discounts are a safe negotiation tactic, right? Wrong.  Let’s take a closer…

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Objections Make Good Questions

I have said it before and will say it again: Objections, in sales, are an opportunity for a conversation. When a prospect raises an objection, she is telling you something about what she needs. And that is an opportunity to ask more questions and continue the conversation. The Objection Conversation In a previous post I…

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