It seems unimaginable that a respectable resource like the Harvard Business Review could possibly argue that relationship selling is dead. After all, haven’t sales experts since the dawn of man told us that relationships are everything – i.e. people buy from people they like.
Author Archives: Peter Bourke
Did Your Last Keynote Speaker Have a Lasting Impact?
Every year you (or your meeting planning team) search for a great speaker for your sales kickoff meeting that will really get your team motivated for the new year (especially when your goals have increased by 20%!). You’ve had the guy who climbed Mt Everest who talked about overcoming challenges. You’ve hired the disabled person who has run 27 marathons and talks about perseverance. You’ve even had the comedian visit to get the troops to laugh and hope they forget about the price increases they have to deliver to clients and the quota increases that likely mean they will earn 25% less than they did last year.
Industry-Customized Approaches to UnSelling
If you want more details on the UnSelling approach: download a free copy of Peter Bourke’s newly published eBook UnSelling™: Sell Less … To Win More. The free eBook is available in several formats, including Kindle, Nook, iBook, PDF, and more.
Resist “Death by Powerpoint” at all costs!
You can actually have the third or fourth best solution in a competitive pursuit and win the client’s business because you’ve done a better job of connecting your solution to their challenges and goals. Trying to “wow” the client with great PowerPoint slides and demonstrations is no surrogate to accomplish this goal of differentiation!
Why is Qualifying so Hard?
My litmus test for this is a question I ask of many: “Of the last 10 opportunities you were invited to bid on, how many did you decide not to bid?” The disappointing answer most of the time: “Almost none.”