Category Archives: professional skills
Do you sell or do you entice?
Slimy-feeling marketers push a prospect’s “fear” buttons in attempt to “sell” her. Effective, admirable marketers persuade, educate, and demonstrate their problem-solving skills as a way to facilitate her purchase. There’s a big honkin’ difference. There’s no question that a purchaser … Continue reading
How to start, conduct, and end a prospecting call with grace and ease
If you connect with prospects face to face (or ear to ear, in the case of phone meetings), you know it’s exciting to personally interact with a potential new client. If you’re smart, you also know that not every … Continue reading
And don’t do THESE things when speaking to a group, either!
You might think that the eight speaking screw-ups I addressed last week are more than enough to ruin any presentation, and they are. However, there’s more where that came from. Here are five more things never to inflict on a … Continue reading
Don’t do these eight things when speaking to a group
You, like many entrepreneurs, may have found that one of your most effective marketing tools is a speaking engagement in front of your ideal prospects. Speaking gigs provide the prospects a chance to see you in action, sample your expertise, … Continue reading
You can’t have one without the other.
There are just 63 days left in 2014. How did such a thing happen?? Sixty-three days left to evaluate what worked great in 2014 and what went down in flames. Sixty-three days left to envision and lay the groundwork … Continue reading
5 fool-proof ways to sound like a snake-oil salesman
One of the quickest ways to sabotage your success is to come across as a snake-oil salesman. You know just what I’m talking about: the person who has an oily, slimy manner to go with their oily, slimy product. Some … Continue reading
Are your prospects as smart as a six-year-old?
K.I.S.S. Regardless of whether you prefer the snarky version of this acronym or the kinder, gentler version, the gist of it is the same: Keep it simple. This advice is invaluable in a whole slew of situations, both personal and … Continue reading
The politician’s guide to creating trust and goodwill
Technology makes it very easy to learn crucial business lessons from many politicians. While not all politicos are equally good teachers, the best ones will model behavior that’s guaranteed to have a powerful impact on your business success. Here are … Continue reading
Authentic networking trumps “working the room” every time .
Did you see Ghostbusters back in the ‘80s? One of my favorite lines in that movie comes in the scene where Bill Murray’s character has just had a very close encounter with a gooey green ghost. When one of his … Continue reading
Three ways to baby-step your way to brave
Anyone who looks like they’re fearless is a great actor. Everyone is afraid of something: snakes, clowns, cats… This doesn’t even begin to consider one of the biggies—fear of public speaking. But one of the most powerful habits of successful … Continue reading
