People Don’t Buy What You Do. They Buy Why You Do It.

I had the pleasure of watching this video of Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why when I was completing my certification in brand development. In my opinion, it is a must-see for everyone who wants to separate themselves from the herd and become a true leader in their category. His key message: People don’t [...]

What’s the ROI on Social Media – Part II

After my recent post covering ROI on Social Media, I received some follow-up questions I thought would be worth elaborating on. Therefore, I’d like to offer additional insight with regard to ROI. As I stated in my previous post, the actual ROI on a tweet or Facebook post is impossible to calculate when you are [...]

Could Summer Be the Best Time of Year to Sell?

Summer months and the holiday season are perceived by many as “slow” periods with a somewhat distorted belief that “everyone’s on vacation” or “nobody does anything during the holidays.” (Let’s inventory this: June + July + August + two weeks in November + December = 4-1/2 months – nearly 40% of the year!) So what [...]

42 Hours

…is, on average, how long it takes for companies to respond to online sales leads, according to a research study conducted by Harvard Business Review. This takes into consideration that 37% of companies respond in one hour, 16% responded within one to 24 hours, 24% took more than 24 hours and 23% never responded at all.

Even for those companies operating within that one-hour strike zone, quite a bit can happen during that hour before a salesperson returns a call or replies to an email…

The Difference Between a Presenter and a Winner

You finally won the meeting with the one who has the power to sign the checks. Your hard work, patience and persistence has finally paid off. He or she has agreed to carve out an hour or two of their personal time; giving you the opportunity to convince them that what you are offering will solve their problems and make their life easier.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you’re not the only one they are meeting with. The question is, will you be viewed as simply another presenter? Or, will you be the one to win the business? Let me explain…

Don’t Start Off in a Deficit Position

Whenever I have the privilege of meeting with someone to discuss their business and introduce our agency, there’s a simple ritual I follow to ensure I am prepared.

It involves a trip to their website, a few google searches to gain some additional insight on their industry and to get an idea of who they compete with and also preparing a list of questions. This educates me on their business, it enables us to fast-forward the business part of our conversation from a level 1 to a level 2 or 3, it demonstrates my genuine interest to win their business and most importantly, it’s a sign of respect…

Avoid This Big Mistake

Just because everything is quiet doesn’t mean a storm isn’t brewing.

Just because everything is status quo doesn’t mean your customer isn’t keeping his or her options open.

Just because the conversations seem friendly doesn’t mean those same friendly conversations aren’t taking place with your formidable competition…

The No. 1 Networking Technique

What comes to mind when you hear the word “networking”?

Do you think of a room full of people armed with business cards speed-prospecting to sell each other their products or services? How about people handing out business cards to everyone they meet in both social and business settings? What about connecting, friending and following as many people as possible through social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, etc.? Golf?

As effective as these networking techniques may be, there are hidden opportunities buried within each one that many people overlook or never consider…

Eight Proven Methods to Build Stronger Business Relationships

In 1937, Dale Carnegie published “How to Win Friends & Influence People” which went on to sell well over 15,000,000 copies. Although written as a self-help book, I find it to be one of the best business building books ever published.

It is one of the few books I like to re-read at the top of every year because, in my opinion, it is one of the best guides for creating, building and improving upon personal and business relationships. Practicing the eight methods that Dale Carnegie outlines has enabled me to keep my clients longer, obtain more referrals, and even enhance my reputation. This book provides insight on how to:

The ROI of Creating a Memorable Moment

Several days ago my father and I had lunch at Bob Chinn’s Restaurant in Wheeling, Illinois.

We arrived at about 11:30, right before the “lunch rush.” We were greeted and seated immediately, and noticed there was a staff meeting wrapping up a few tables away . Two minutes later, we looked up from our menus to find Brian, a very attentive waiter, at our table checking to see if we would like something to drink. When asked if he was going to be our waiter, Brian replied, “No, but I saw that you were waiting a little too long and I wanted to make sure you were taken care of.” Actually, we weren’t waiting long at all.

Gets better.