I was giving my ecourse this morning to a great student! She works for an independent rep group and really wanted to increase her effectiveness as a salesperson. She represents five lines, three of them extremely well known in the design sector. What we were learning today was part of my ecourse 7 Core Principles of Optimized Selling. She's opening her mind to new techniques and using them to get her more sales. And what's so [...]
I know that may sound really far flung, but I think salespeople have MORE in common with doctors than they may think. Let me explain. You walk into a doctors office with a bad back. The doctor, without looking at you, taking your blood pressure, or doing any diagnostics just begins to show you an array of medications that you may or may not need. You look quizzically and start to choose a few, just [...]
Back when I started selling high-end product to designers (in the mid-80's), I was taught to sell by throwing more and more stuff out there. The more I threw, the better chance they will buy. The reoccurring theme was "YOU NEVER KNOW" or "WHAT IF?" And I was considered a top performer doing this. This is the exact method I was constantly encouraged to do: Call on as many people as you can, show them as [...]
Oh don't worry, I will not bore you with my views. However, I am what some would call a political junkie. I find politics fascinating. I think it's important to pay attention. But they can also teach us a really good sales lessons. What I noticed (and who doesn't) is politicians always "stay on message"..well let's say mostly. They control how we think about them and exactly how to think about their opponents. So how does [...]
HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY Designers are busier than ever. We all are. To add to that, they and their clients have so many more choices making life in the interior design product company and showroom business more challenging than ever. So, we have two choices. (1) to stay in the same, comfortable place and continue to use outdated methods or (2) evolve our sales approach to meet and match the changing market. I would [...]
