An entire special section in the Wall Street Journal focused on businesses cutting costs.
A USA Today article discussed how more people are opting for credit cards that just don’t give airline or other travel points, both those that can cut mortgage payments, or reduce their monthly interest expenses.
And as you likely have experienced, buyers everywhere [...]

It was finally my turn in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I was hoping the simple transaction wouldn’t take too long. The computer had other ideas.
 
While a clerk, a manager, and a person who, I guess, is paid to simply observe such things and smirk tried to sort things out, I figured I’d entertain [...]

I admit, I’m an eavesdropper.
On sales transactions mostly. When out shopping or browsing, I will position myself in the vicinity of a conversation between a salesperson and customer to listen to the transaction.
I know. I should really get a life. But it provides great sales lessons. Good and bad.
For example, at an electronics store, [...]

By 6 a.m. I had finished my morning workout at Lifetime Fitness (a wonderful facility, with every machine and amenity imaginable, except a golf course). I like to get my exercise out of the way very early—that  way I neither feel the pain, nor remember it, which is great for motivation.
 
As usual, I stopped at their Lifetime Cafe, where for a mere [...]

First, I can’t begin to express how overwhelmed I am with the thoughtfulness of you, my readers and customers, and I’ll put most of you in the category of "friends."
In response to my email and blog post below last week I had several hundred replies, many with your own story of how you have, or [...]

I saw that just yesterday, real estate company Century 21 decided to quit producing and running TV ads. They were usually entertaining, and I’ll miss them.
One of my favorites was a humorous piece that illustrated a great a great sales point.
A real estate agent is showing a couple a house. He pulls in a driveway [...]

While listening to some recorded calls, I noticed a pattern with a sales rep. She tended to preface many of her statements with negatives such as,
“I have some bad news for you,”
“Are you sitting down?”, before she gave the price of an item,
“You’re not going to like this,” and,
“I hope you’re prepared [...]

At a semi-upscale wood-fired grill-type of restaurant, I asked the waitress if they had lemonade. 
She answered,
“We do. It’s fresh-squeezed, but there are no free refills.”
This threw me for a moment. It was one of those Midwest 100+degree days this past summer with steam bath humidity, and I was dying for a refreshing lemonade. Then [...]

A sales rep cold-called me the other day and was reading a pitch for website search engine optimization.
Wish I had recorded it.
Aside from numerous other mistakes he made (not knowing anything about me or my company, reading from a script, having a horrible opening, not asking questions…) he repeatedly said,
" … and I feel [...]

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 [...]