Monthly Archives: October 2010
5 Things Employees Want from their Manager
In a recent blog (Knowing What is Needed is Not Enough) I talked about managerial competence, which began with a discussion based on a study that concluded 70% of business managers are perceived as incompetent. That discussion about managers has made me remember a talk I heard over 25 years ago. The speaker was Don Beveridge and what he said was so powerful, and it made such an impression on me, that I remember it in detail all these years later. Don was describing what employees want from their managers. Continue reading
Why Being Different Matters
Customers are forced regularly to make decisions about what product or service is best for their business. Some of those decisions are based on price; some are based on relationships; and some are based on a rigorous and comparative analysis of the features, benefits, and costs. However, in countless circumstances, customers perceive many of the products they purchase or use as the same. We know that when customers view products as similar, they must see the people selling them as different to make a choice. How different are you? To successfully differentiate you need to focus on three areas: Continue reading
The Best Interview Question
Recently, I was giving a presentation about the importance of asking questions when I blurted out that I knew the best question to ask in an interview. It seemed that I had everyone’s attention. My point was to prepare your questions ahead of time, so that they are worded in such a way that the person wants to respond. You ask questions to learn what you need to know about your clients—their needs, their wants, their challenges, their passions, etc. But it seemed that my reference to that best interview question was the pearl of my discussion Continue reading
Telling Your Story
We were brought up listening to stories. Stories capture our attention and involve us in ways that few other forms of communication can. Sales people tend to forget that every product that they sell also has a story. Learn how to tell your product story well and you’ll capture the attention of your customers and sell more.
What is your product story? It can be different for each customer. The story that you tell should include Continue reading
