Blessed with the Gift of Gab but need to control it? There are many great quotes in the classic movie, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” One of them really applies to a particular sales skill of balancing the amount of time you talk vs. listen. In this scene, Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy is […]
And everybody is on commission A short week calls for a short article. This one is easy to explain and easy to understand. Simply put, “Everyone is Selling Something!” You might not have the designated title as a salesperson or you might not interface with the external customer, but trust me, you are selling someone […]
Do you recognize any of these from your customer list? Previously, I wrote about the 7 farmers you will meet in your territory. Today’s update on that article is a deeper dive into the 7 challenging customers you will meet in your territory. Over the course of 25 years of selling to farmers and […]
What to do when “The customer is always right”, even when they are dead wrong We all know the two golden rules of customer service – #1. “The customer is always right.” And #2. “When you think the customer is wrong, refer to rule #1.” The reason these rules are valid is that the […]
I’m not referring to your company. I mean YOU We all want to believe we work for a company that provides not just good, but “exceptional” customer service. The problem is that most companies aim for providing consistent or adequate customer service. By that, I mean they set expectations for customer service that can be […]
Change management for the sales professional “Challenging the Norms” was actually an evaluation requirement at one point in my career. It was a formal requirement that we were supposed to frequently challenge the status quo. I really enjoyed this requirement as it had the tendency to shake things up and get teams out of […]
Sales productivity and running your territory like a small business! The question is, if it was your money or you owned the company, would you pay yourself to do what you are doing? As an Ag Sales Professional, operating out your home office and selling on commission, You Do Own the business. Your territory […]
Originally published in Wisconsin Agri-Business News Quarterly – Fall 2017 The book Crucial Conversations came out many years ago and swept through the business world. I thought an agribusiness focused version would be helpful. As the farmer and producer have tougher times, so will agribusinesses. That leads to tough or crucial conversations. Appreciate the Wisconsin […]
Celebrate Customer Service Week Oct 2-6 The classic 1999 movie Office Space was playing recently and I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched the interview scenes from the Bob’s. They were two consultants, both named Bob, brought in to conduct employee interviews and make recommendations on who to downsize. In one of the interviews, […]
And other things you shouldn’t try at home Last time, we talked about the slinky toy that was handed out in a sales training course. The slinky was symbolic to the continuous process of selling and following up with prospects and customers. If you missed it The Slinky and the Sales Manager. During this same course, […]
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