Blog Feed: Plug In, Turn It On and Turn It Up!

I’ve Been Added To Alltop!!

Published on 2011-09-02 17:37:53

I'm excited and proud to announce that "Plug In, Turn It On and Turn It Up!" has been added to Alltop.com sales blog feed. Please check it out! > read more

Short Hiatus

Published on 2011-05-05 17:18:39

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything new in the last week or so.  I’m still alive and well, but I am taking a short writing hiatus to reinvigorate my juices.  If you have any topic ideas you’d like me to cover please let me know. Thanks! Ryan Related Posts:The Pricing Objection?Are You [...] > read more

Is Your Product Viewed as a Commodity? – Part 2

Published on 2011-04-21 15:58:41

Last week I talked about a few situations where commoditization of the product or service you sell may be to your benefit in the sales process. This week I want to take a look at a few situations where you should do the inverse. If your product is already viewed as a commodity you may want to decommoditize (yes, I’m making up a word here) it to give yourself an advantage over your competitors. > read more

Is Your Product Viewed as a Commodity? – Part 1

Published on 2011-04-14 17:53:40

Let’s first define the term for our purposes: A commodity is a good or service that has demand, but there is little to no difference across competitors’ offerings. Basically, I could buy Widget A or Widget B, from different companies and tell little to no difference in the product. In just about every case, my decision on why to buy Widget A over Widget B is based on something other than the widget itself. > read more

Finishing FAB

Published on 2011-03-31 16:49:15

This past weekend I was chatting with a friend who just started in the world of sales about my previous article. They had covered using FAB during their sales training, and we were talking about the application of the presentation. > read more

FAB: Reloaded

Published on 2011-03-23 17:42:57

I’ve read three separate articles this week about FAB, and all three of them talk about using the FAB like it’s the be all end all of sales techniques. I wrote about Features, Advantages and Benefits (FAB) last year HERE, but it was only the first part of an eight part series (All eight articles are complied HERE). > read more

Dealing with Bullies

Published on 2011-03-16 18:47:31

When you were a kid did you get picked on, or were the target of bullies?  When we were kids we didn’t have all the concern about bullies that exists in schools today.  We all learned how to deal with people that tried to throw their weight around, regardless of whether or not they had [...] > read more

Anecdotally Speaking

Published on 2011-03-10 16:32:46

I love to use stories and anecdotes while I’m coaching. I find it’s easier for me to communicate my point via stories and anecdotes. This is probably the case because I am a visual learner, and being able to envision and imagine a story helps me to get my head around concepts. Here are some DOs and DON’Ts I’ve found helpful while using anecdotes and stories for training. These help you avoid looking like a cheeseball, and keep your audience focused on your message rather than on maki [..] > read more

How Bold are You?

Published on 2011-03-03 13:43:29

I just finished a book called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and I loved it. The book made me think about quite a few things including: * How my past affects my actions and thoughts today * How little things you grew up with linger in your mind, and how simple things like smells can trigger memories * How a lack of action or boldness creates regret today > read more

Are You Too Hands-On?

Published on 2011-02-16 20:16:13

I was thinking back to one of my early managerial mistakes today as I was writing a cover letter. I recalled how my lack of patience not only cost me time in the long-run, but it also cost me trust of my employees, and many missed development opportunities. I initially believed that my job was to keep my sales team focused on sales by keeping their plates clean of other minutia. I was so hands-on it was scary in hindsight. > read more