Book Review: The Righteous Mind, Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Reviewed by: Ed Albertson, Partner, Carew International At first glance, it might seem like a stretch to recommend to a business audience this book by a liberal social scientist and psychology professor. But author Johnathan Haidt is not a partisan with an agenda, and his book, The Righteous Mind, simply uses American politics to illustrate […]
Proper Focus, Selling Skills Drive Sales Success
Thousands of hours spent with sales professionals and sales leaders reveals a central challenge to sales effectiveness: our failure to distinguish between “urgent” and “important”. This relates to customer issues, as well as our own internal organization issues, with the inclination to devote too much time and energy to urgent. We all agree that urgent […]
5 Time Management Tips for Sales Success
There is no challenge in the professional world more prolific than that of our overstuffed work days. In his recent article for Forbes, Peter Bregman, author of the bestselling time management book, 18 Minutes, points out that “we start every day knowing we are not going to get it all done. So how we spend […]
4 Bad Habits to Lose
Continuing our series, Be Your Best in the New Year, this week we address those habits that are most annoying to customers, and therefore are most detrimental to your sales efforts and overall professional success: 1. Lack of Follow Through – Nothing erodes a customer’s trust and confidence more quickly than a sales professional who […]
Optimism Drives Success, Improves Health 4 Tips to Foster Your Own Optimism
It is universally acknowledged that an optimistic outlook is preferable to a pessimistic one, but few of us fully appreciate the prolific and tangible benefits of optimism. When compared to their pessimistic counterparts, optimists enjoy: More professional success Greater success in personal relationships Improved physical health Better mental health Increased life span Superior coping skills […]
Holiday “Lull” Can be Productive, Beneficial
In the business world, the next two weeks are widely considered the slowest period of the year. But before you write off the coming days as inconsequential, consider the unique opportunities presented this time of year and how you can leverage them: Cultivate Customer Relationships This is the perfect time of year to personally connect […]
Book Review: The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning
What’s the single biggest reason corporate training initiatives fail? Organizations doing training for the sake of training, rather than as a means to achieve specific business outcomes. For this reason, every person who is involved in a corporate training initiative – as a sponsor, leader or participant – should read the book, The Six Disciplines […]
4 Sales Lessons We Can Learn from the Pilgrims
This time of year, Americans are thankful to the Pilgrims for starting a tradition that paved the way for our beloved Thanksgiving holiday; but the Pilgrims deserve thanks for other reasons as well. In his blog, Thanksgiving Tips: 9 Great Business Skills Entrepreneurs Can Learn from the Pilgrims, author Alan Hall, discusses business skills modeled […]
Shaming Customers is Never Productive
Have you ever had a customer who was unresponsive, inconsiderate or unreasonable? Frustrating customer behavior is a reality of the sales profession. How we handle it defines us as sales professionals. It may seem obvious that “punishing” undesired customer behavior is never an option; yet, it is a tactic deployed too often in the form […]
Benefits Lost if Response Checks Lack Sincerity
In Carew International’s Dimensions of Professional Selling (DPS) sales training, the concept of “Response Checks” is introduced as a key component of an effective sales presentation (or any sales discussion). Response Checks encourage customer participation and provide valuable insight for the sales professional regarding potential objections as well as the customer’s overall acceptance and understanding […]