sales: Two Words: Shut. Up. - 08/03/11 09:26 AM
I admit it. I need a 12 step recovery program for Twitter. I'm hopelessly addicted to Twitter. Hopelessly!
Aside from the obvious health risks associated with addiction as a whole, I have to admit that one of the reasons I am so addicted is I am following some of the most amazing people there. (Some of which are industry-leaders including Chris Brogan. (If you do not know who Chris is...I seriously suggest you repent immediately. Read a book or something, people.)
Anyway, one of the many times I was glancing at Twitter yesterday, I happened to see a tweet that struck … (70 comments)

sales: How To Sell A Paper Clip - 01/14/10 01:29 AM
If I were to hand you a paper clip and were to ask you to sell it to me, could you? How would you go about it? What features would you mention? What uses would you bring up? What "special" thing about this paper clip would be the key item in your head that would click in your mind as being "the hook" in your sales pitch?
Interesting questions, right??
Honestly, I've sold paper clips before. Well, office supplies in general. And, when I was hired as a sales rep for the company, I was handed a paper clip and asked … (100 comments)

sales: Top 10 Stupid Things Sales People Do...(And How To Avoid Doing Them!) - 11/30/09 01:16 AM
I have been in some form of sales since I was 10 years old working in my mom's craft store selling yarn and bobbins to her quilting and knitting friends. And, since that time, I have always tried to establish myself as a leader in any sales position that I have held...and I also have noticed that there are some really good sales people out there. 
The kicker is...a good portion of those people aren't good at sales. What they are good at is avoiding the things that cause sales people to falter.
Now, before we get into this...lets establish a … (273 comments)

sales: Five Ways To Be Better Than You Are Now - 10/12/09 01:16 AM
I recently read an article that really sparked my interest.  The article was simply a basic list of the ways that someone could re-invent themselves by investing time and effort into the one asset that all agents have - Themselves. 
The key principle to this article was the fact that, despite this uncertain market, there are people that appear to be striving to make their own abilities better and five ways to do so.  Below is the list that was in the article...and a good healthy dose of my own explanations as to why this is so important in this uncertain … (162 comments)

sales: Guerrilla Marketing -- Daring To Be Different - 08/05/09 04:50 AM
 
"Marketing is the differentiation of yourself against your competition.  Advertising is the cost of being boring."
That is according to an article I read in BrokerAgentPro roughly a year ago.  The article went on to say that, if a person marketed themselves properly, they would never need to advertise because everyone would already know who they are and what they do.  The article also went on to say that, if you don't know the difference between the two, you should hire someone that does.  And, I couldn't agree more!
I enjoy marketing.  I guess that is why I blog.  It's a good way for me to differentiate my company versus other companies in this … (212 comments)

sales: 10 Ways To Blow It - 06/03/09 01:55 AM

Regardless of how often Brokers or Sales Managers say not to do it, there are certain phrases that continually pop up during the course of a presentation/phone call/appointment that simply take a client's confidence and shake it to the very core.  Sometimes even to the point of losing your listing to another agent...losing that big sale...or even driving away an existing customer.
Having said that, I ran across a blog written by Brad Trnavsky, a sales and management blogger and all around guru on the subject (and if you don't believe me, go to his blog at www.salesmanagement20.com), that listed … (114 comments)

sales: 10 Things Salespeople Say That Strike Fear In Clients - 10/01/08 03:06 AM
Regardless of how often Brokers or Sales Managers say not to do it, there are certain phrases that continually pop up during the course of a presentation/phone call/appointment that simply take a client's confidence and shake it to the very core.  Sometimes even to the point of losing your listing to another agent...losing that big sale...or even driving away an existing customer.
Having said that, I ran across a blog written by Brad Trnavsky, a sales and management blogger and all around guru on the subject (and if you don't believe me, go to his blog at www.salesmanagement20.com), that listed the … (35 comments)