Keeping Them Close

On July 19, 2010, in Sales, by Brett

But here’s the thought that made me pause and reread: how do you keep ‘em close? As Sonia works through her post, she lands on the classically obvious idea of building trust and keeping people in the loop so they think of you when they are ready to buy. I say classically obvious because this is what so many of us like to talk about theoretically. What made me doubletake today was I sat and wondered if this is really how it works. Do I buy things from people who keep me close?

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Smart Schmucks are Idiots

On March 21, 2010, in Sales, by Brett

There are lots of people who are smarter than you. Sometimes, we get to/have to work with them. The “get to/have to” thing depends on our attitude about it all. Sometimes, we eagerly wave the white flag of ignorance and welcome an smart expert into our midst. Other times, our egos make us feel threatened [...]

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Two Mormons on Super Bowl Sunday

On February 8, 2010, in Sales, by Brett

Two Mormons visited me on Super Bowl Sunday. What were they thinking?

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What Obama’s State of the Union Teaches Us About Choices

On January 28, 2010, in Sales, Target Marketing, by Brett

Obama’s State of the Union sparked some thoughts on how our predispostions affect every choice we make. As marketers, we most cater to those choices rather than try to change them.

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A Customer a Day

On June 5, 2009, in Sales, by Brett

Get more than 2,300 new customers in the next year. Use this systematic approach to getting new customers. Focus on the marketing tactics you can do well to get new customers.

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Sell What They’re Buying

On February 20, 2009, in Sales, by Brett

You might not know right away what it is that your prospect is buying, but don’t ever try to persuade the to buy what you’re selling. You, Mr. Salesman, are the one who needs convincing. Take notes, notice what they respond best to, and keep hammering it home.

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Telemarketing Gone Bad

On February 16, 2009, in Sales, by Brett

I just got off the phone with a telemarketing rep for a business consulting group. During our quick 60 second conversation, I was disappointed not once but three times in their sales approach:

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5 Reasons Multiple Sales Channels Work

On January 11, 2008, in Marketing, Sales, by Brett

Brad wrote an excellent recap of some of his branding work at Hallmark. There are lots of nuggets in this post, but what really stick out to me are his thoughts on adding new distribution channels while maintaining the traditional channels that got you to where you are today. In his example, Hallmark wanted to [...]

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The Difference Between Sales and Marketing, part 1

On October 30, 2007, in Business, Marketing, Sales, by Brett

It’s way too easy and way too common for sales and marketing to be seen as the same thing.  After all, marketing and all its tactics are only as effective as the sales they drive. And sales can only be produced when interest and introductions can be driven by marketing. But too many of us [...]

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Sales Tactics I Don’t Understand

On August 5, 2007, in Business, Customer Service, Marketing, Sales, by Brett

Who ever started the lie that these sales tactics work? Why do used car salesmen think they have to yell at me in a dumb hick voice and tell me that “they don’t care how I git there, just git there.” Why do furniture store salesmen lurk in the interior ‘circle’ of the store while [...]

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