I try not to make snap judgments.  But I do.  And apparently so do a lot of other people.  Research studies have found that we make several major decisions about another person in those first few seconds.  Decisions like: Is this person trustworthy?  Successful?  Competent?   In sales, this can affect

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It can be disappointing to  receive a small part of a customer’s business when you are hoping for the lead role.  Winning larger deals gets a lot of focus in sales, but sometimes large deals are hidden in small packages. Savvy actors often parlay a small or one-time roll into a

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Stories are a powerful selling tool, but rarely is one story right for every situation or customer.  To be successful in a dynamic marketplace, there are 5 types of stories every salesperson should be prepared to tell in a pitch or presentation.  Here is a brief description, example and tips

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Delivering an Oscar-worthy performance is one-thing, but what about an Oscar-worthy presentation? Each year I hand out (not literally) awards for the Oscars Best and Worst  Presentations in a variety of categories, along with some helpful tips for us less famous presenters.  Here are my top awards from this year’s

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You finally get that presentation or meeting set with your dream account. You arrive at their office pumped up and ready to knock your presentation out of the park!  But of course you have to wait…and wait….And with each passing minute you can feel that positive energy slip into anxiety

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Confidence in sales can be elusive. I hear a lot of advice a long the lines of “just be confident!” from sales coaches.  But I think most salespeople know that confidence is important in sales.  The question is – how do you gain confidence?  And if you’re not confident, does

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Many presenters share the actor’s nightmare of being in front of an audience and not knowing their lines.  I lived that nightmare early in my sales career. A Presenter’s nightmare As a new salesperson I was excited when I received a last-minute opportunity to present to an important prospect.  Although

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Your marketing department just invested a lot of time and money creating a dazzling new presentation for the sales team.  So why, three months later, is no one using it?!  Here are just a few of the reasons I hear from salespeople: “There’s too much information in it.  It’s not

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Customer success stories or testimonials can be one of your strongest selling tools. The right success story delivered at the right time can be more persuasive to a prospect than anything you, the salesperson, has to say.   A customer who has experienced a similar situation, challenge, or goal has much

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It’s 2018, and by rough count, I’ve sat through a thousand sales presentations.  Most of them have blurred together in my mind.  What stands out?  The exceptionally good ones…or the cringingly bad ones.  Your prospect may not have seen quite as many as me, but they likely struggle to recall

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