Last week I presented the keynote address at Inside Sales Boston-2010, an event put on by the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals. The topic was "People 1.0" and essentially focused on how sales is still a PEOPLE business, and we should use technology as a tool, instead of making us into one.
In my research, [...]

Last week I traveled to the beautiful Pacific Northwest and worked with a number of inside and outside sales groups from five different companies over four days, presenting my Smart Calling training worshop.
Sprague Pest Solutions
I started with the sales reps from Sprague Pest Solutions in Tacoma. These guys sell pest control of all types to [...]

Here’s a good article from INC magazine about David Rosen, a sales rep who "gets it" regarding prospecting. In the article, they refer to it as "cold calling," but he really exemplifies Smart Calling, which is, well, the smart way to do it.

Clayton Shold, who runs the great site Salesopedia.com interviewed me about handle the price issue on sales call. Listen to that podcast below.

I laughed out loud when a reader sent this to me, and I still do each time I listen, and watch the animation that some creative person added. This customer is obviously upset, but has a surprise ending.  
(Warning: if you are offended by profanity, DO NOT play this!)

Campaigning for office is sales.
 

And the office of President is perhaps the ultimate sale. Regardless of your personal political view, you gotta admit, Barack Obama can flat out sell.
 

He had Invesco field rocking last night louder than after a Bronco’s
touchdown.
 

Perhaps the biggest cheer, and one of his more brilliant points came when [...]

Many sales reps look at ads, direct mailing pieces, catalogs, the Internet, or anywhere there’s advertising as sources of prospects.
This is wise. But I find so many of these people ill-prepared for what they inevitably hear on calls.
Here’s an example of what I received.
Caller: “Hello, this is Bill Jones with Video Recorders. I [...]