“Be a good listener!” How many of us have dropped off our children at preschool with that form of gentle guidance, reminding them that listening to others is an important way to show self-control, respect, courtesy and social awareness? How many of us then get back in our car, drive to work, and dismiss the…
Do you want to make a good first impression with your business proposals? If that’s the case, you cannot neglect your proposal cover letter. The success of your business proposals relies solely on how much attention you pay to every detail and how much effort you put into drafting it. One key to drawing the…
Chances are, your proposal process looks similar to the way it did in the 1990s. You’ve had a call with the prospect and qualified the deal. You go find an old proposal that somewhat matches the criteria of your current deal. You update the required sections, frantically performing a search-and-replace of any mention of the…
Are you tired of spending hours writing proposals, only to have them rejected? Do you dread writing out a compelling project brief? If so, proposal automation may be the answer you’ve been looking for. It’s 2022 – between Siri, Alexa, and Google, don’t we have a robot assistant that can help us with our proposal…
Sales and marketing professionals are constantly looking for novel ways to generate leads. With so much of our communication done online instead of in person, it can be challenging for your message to stand out in the midst of the hundreds of emails your prospects get each day. In my sales career, I’ve seen success…
As a freelancer or consultant, it’s almost impossible to find success without networking – meeting new people who might interested, or know someone interested, in your services. But networking for introverts? That just sounds like a huge ball of stress. Networking is a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having…
Language matters. The way people read and hear certain words may evoke emotions and instincts that even they’re unaware of. Fortunately, it’s easy to substitute these common words and phrases to ensure that you’re putting forth your best effort. Use This Not That Why? Agreement Contract Contracts are what come up in court. While you…
Is the stream of interested contacts flowing through your sales pipeline producing the close ratio you’d expect? Have you ever wondered at what step in the sales process you can relax and start counting on a close? Are you looking for a way to make your lead vetting more efficient and reliable? Developing a steady…
Nothing is worse than being talked at by a pushy, brazen salesperson, who — moments after meeting you — begins force-feeding information on how great his product is, presuming why you need it, and how he has a limited time offer — but only if you buy today. Immediately, you’re put on the defensive and…
You’ve successfully used BANT to qualify your lead but have you looked between the lines? Sometimes, your lead may have shown plenty of interest, but is there intent to move forward? Let’s face it, many of us in the sales industry are self-confident, ambitious, and at times, we can look at a potential opportunity with rose-colored…
