Understand that few purchases happen with a single visit.  Plan your process.  Respect your prospect’s schedule and be punctual.  Always ask about the next step or steps, and always do what you say you’ll do.  Ask your prospect which method of communication he or she prefers, and use that.  Don’t say the same thing with…

Two qualities earned high praise from the panelists.  The first was a genuine and obvious passion for what you’re selling.  If you’re not excited and enthusiastic about what you offer, you can’t get a prospect excited either.  The other thing you should always bring to the table?  Genuine value.  Can you save me time?  Can…

All the panelists agreed that business cards are still a necessity, but one took the notion  a step further.  Instead of simply handing someone your card, make it your goal to get them to ask you for one.  Why?  Two reasons.  First, it forces you to become an expert at learning about the other person…

Technology offers a wide array of tools for salespeople — tools for prospecting, tools for communication and more.  But the panel was emphatic on this point: people buy from people.  If your primary outreach is by email or text or some other impersonal approach, it will be ignored.  Instead, go to every meeting you can. …

“Let’s try it and see how it goes.”  When you have that mindset, innovation is easier.  But when there’s no license for anyone to try anything — when your choices are to commit fully and get punished if you fail, or avoid trying to avoid punishment, nothing ever gets tried, so nothing ever gets launched. …

Is your approval process undercutting your marketing?  It could be.  How many people have to sign off on anything before it sees the light of day?  Are all of those people qualified to address marketing issues?  Are they all necessary?  How much time does all that take?  Is it more likely to improve the end…

Think about how much things have changed in the marketplace and in your industry in just the last ten years.  Now consider your own company.  Have you changed, too — or are you doing things pretty much the way you were doing them ten years ago?  If you were starting your business from scratch today,…

An email we received recently began with this warm salutation: “Hi (contact first name).”  A link to an external website was included in the message — but the link didn’t work.  The unsolicited email was from a copywriter looking for contract work.  Think about the impact it had on her reputation for reliability, or for…

How you leave your position with a company, or how your company behaves when someone leaves, has a lot to do with what happens later.  Burning bridges from either end is not only unpleasant for all concerned, it also eliminates the possibility that paths may cross pleasantly later, even resulting in referrals, sales or other…

A healthcare company with a truly unique niche follows three steps with new patients.  First, they get to know the patient as a person, learning about her life story, likes and dislikes.  Next, they do a clinical assessment to understand the patient’s physical situation.  Only then do they prepare a plan of care.  Now switch…