Two Sides of the Technology Coin

The other day I was talking to a salesperson I respect very much when he said something that surprised me.
 
“In my opinion, laptop computers and iPhones hurt my selling more than they help it.”
 
“How can that be?” I asked. “Communications opportunities with clients and prospects are nearly unlimited now. Doesn’t all the new technology help you become a more efficient communicator?” Read More

The Ultimate Customer Service Move

The single most valuable thing you can do to endear yourself to your customer is to introduce him or her to someone who might become a customer of theirs!

Great Advice from a Real Pro

I had the privilege of being served recently by a great waitress. I was eating with one other person and I had the opportunity to engage her a bit, so I asked her the following question:  
 
“You are very good at this. What do you think goes into being a great waiter or waitress? Intuition? Training?” 
 
She answered: Read More

What Goes Around . . .

Here is a topic I have been wanting to get around to for awhile. Has this ever happened to you?
 
You are working closely with someone who needs you. Maybe you are on the client side of a relationship or helping someone as a mentor. At some point, for whatever reason, the table turns, but when you call or try to make contact, it is as if the person you helped has forgotten the whole thing.
 
They have “traded up,” so to speak, and have somehow come to the conclusion that they should only be spending time with people who can immediately benefit them.
 
While some folks like this are just ingrates and what goes around will eventually come around, the reason I am writing this is that I think some of them, and probably all of us at some point, are just not aware we are offending people in this manner. Read More

Unplug to Be More Productive

Studies show that our minds are often most creative after either some time off, or after some time concentrating on something other than work. 
 
We may think we are being more efficient by checking emails on the golf course, but research says the opposite is true. Read More

A Potent Selling Combination

I have been selling for a long time now. I have sold alone. I have sold with other men. But do you want to know what my favorite combination is? Selling with a woman. Here’s why. Read More

The Power of Words

Linguistics is a science that does not get as much notice as it should. There is a lot of research that tells us that words shape our thinking both internally and externally, and that a vocabulary loaded with energy, confidence and optimism can have a profound, positive impact on both the person saying the words and the people who hear them. Read More

Writing Riveting Proposals

Here is a tip for writing proposals from crime novelist Elmore Leonard. When asked the secret to the pace and intensity of his novels, Leonard said . . . “I take out the parts I know my readers will skip.” 
 
Given the wordiness and overkill of most sales proposals, that is very good advice.
 
We should keep our proposals taut, sharp and to the point. We should move all “bulk” to the exhibit section or remove it altogether. Read More

The Art of Connecting

Last night, I happened upon a Mr. Shmooze bartender. Actually, it was a Ms. Shmooze bartender. Here is what we can learn from her.
 
You have probably read somewhere along the way that when people meet Bill Clinton at a party or along a rope line, they often say, “He made me feel like I was the only person in the room.”  Well, this lady (whose name was Lisa) had the same impact.
 
So I decided to see if I could figure out why, and here is what I found. Read More

And the Award for Best Picture Goes to . . . . Whoops!

For those of us who watched the Academy Awards, we were shocked to witness the biggest mistake in the show’s history when they announced and presented the best picture award to the wrong movie. And yet, like mistakes we all make, it set up an opportunity for forgiveness if handled well . . . and it was.  Read More

Quality Observations from the Road

I just returned from some business travel where I always get to observe some great Mr. Shmooze moves (and sometimes the reverse). In other words . . . “elevation.”
 

1. I was dining at a fine restaurant. I needed to use the restroom and asked my waiter where it was. Most waiters would point it out. This waiter said, “Follow me . . . I will show you.” Nice! Read More