How Willpower Can Affect Sales Training
Between 1987 and 1991, scientists built a research facility called Biosphere 2 in Arizona. The primary aim was to study the elements of nature’s ecosystems in a closed and controlled environment to understand their dynamics and see if we could replicate our ecosystems in space. The experiment yielded tremendous data, but one of the most […]
Achieving Difficult Goals and Finding Pleasure in the Process
(or in Footballers’ parlance: Embrace the Suck…) It was August 15th, and I found myself in the midst of the familiar smells of the locker room, with its sounds of teammates joking around and coaches telling the veterans, “don’t forget, there’s a rookie out there who wants your position”. Yes, it was the first day […]
The Scorpion and The Frog- Reloaded
There is an ancient fable (from 1500s Persia) where a scorpion asks a frog to help him cross a river. The frog hesitates to oblige as he knows that the scorpion’s sting can be fatal, so the scorpion allays the frog’s fears by stating, “if I sting you, we will both die as I cannot […]
What does “No Thanks” sometimes really mean in Sales?
I was recently doing some shopping at a local “big box” store and while I was there, they were giving out free samples of various food items. Being one of those people who lives to eat (as opposed to those who eat to live), I usually do not miss an opportunity to stimulate my palate, […]
Why Understanding This Can Eliminate The Need To Discount Your Price
Early in my career, I had the privilege of living in Europe allowing me the opportunity to travel to parts of the world that I had always wanted to visit. One of these locations was the country of Tunisia. I distinctly remember a trip to one of the local village markets, and the best way […]
How To Effectively Eliminate Price As An Objection
Early in my investment sales career, I worked for a mutual fund company that had become the darling of investors and advisors because of the strong short and long-term performance of one of its funds. Our investing style was quite unique because we had a very concentrated portfolio of companies (compared to most of our […]
Walk the Talk
When someone says “Walk the Talk”, what does that mean to you? For most individuals, it means backing your words with the action to accomplish whatever the goal/task you said you’d hit. However, many of us have opened our mouths, talked a mean game, and never finished what we said we were going to. So, […]
“Is All Feedback Relevant?”
A beloved mentor of mine once asked me, “Franc, is all feedback relevant?”. My initial answer was “I think some is and some isn’t”. He then challenged me on my answer… “Why is some feedback not relevant?” he asked. “Some feedback is not always given with full context or might not be right” I answered. […]
Checklists – A Powerful Tool for Change and Execution
“Boost – Check – Change – Check – Rich – Hot – Both – Try Start – No Start – Mayday – Mayday – Mayday – Land The Plane”. For those of you that have taken flying lessons, you will fondly recognize this or some form of it. It is what we, in the […]
Why Repetition Improves Performance
As a college athlete, I played football (for my European friends, the American version of football) at the position of cornerback. My job was to defend against some of the fastest players on the opposing team – the wide receivers. Back in the day, a cornerback was one of the positions called a “Hero or […]