The 12 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language

Do you know what the 12 most persuasive words in the English language are? Are you paying enough attention to using persuasive words in your sales communications?

Words are simple things but they carry power that you can leverage in all your communications. You need to be using them in your day to day sales meetings, presentations, emails and voice messages. If you aren’t intentional about your choice of words you are missing out. That can cost you sales!

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Top 10 Sales Trends that Dominated 2013

In a recent survey to my newsletter subscribers, The Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) was identified as the overwhelming favourite online resource for staying up to date on sales techniques. Check out my blog for mentions for other ‘go to’ web resources.

A great example of the good work done by the CPSA is their article 10 Sales Trends That Dominated 2013

All of the trends that dominated 2013 will continue to be important in 2014 and I encourage you to read the article if you haven’t already seen it. … Read More

Favourite Websites for Sales Techniques

In a recent survey to my newsletter subscribers, I had a number of interesting discoveries and I’d like to share one of them with you. In the survey I asked “What are your favourite websites for staying up-to-date on sales techniques?”

Favourite Websites for Sales Techniques: Nearly 50% of respondents said none or not applicable, which either means they may be using web resources but none stand out OR they don’t use web resources and aren’t taking … Read More

Keith Urban’s Coaching Tip on Presentation Nerves

Last week on American Idol one of the contestants made a funny grimace each time she thought she messed up. Afterwards during the critique, judge Keith Urban told her “there are no wrong notes…just the look on your face.” In other words, if she had carried on no one would have noticed the mistake. Or it would have been so minimal that it wouldn’t register as much as it did when her facial expression revealed what was going on inside her head. … Read More

The Dragon of Resistance: Gain Power Over Procrastination

If you’re like me, you’ve got big plans and goals for 2014. But what happens when procrastination rears it’s ugly head and stops you from your intended tasks? Like a vicious dragon, resistance is deadly.

The month of January is a time for reflection and refocus on our priorities. I’ve been reading plenty of blogs and articles on the importance of setting goals and success strategies for achieving our goals. All good stuff – in theory. But the true measure of a good … Read More

What the Ice Storm Taught Me about Sales Preparation

What do sales preparation and preparing for the next big winter storm have in common?

More than you might think, as I have learned!

If you live in Toronto and the surrounding areas, you experienced the wrath of the ice storm during the frigid Christmas holiday season. It was devastating and everyone had their stories.

We live in the country about one hour outside of Toronto and our power was out for 6 days and five nights. We had no … Read More

Sales Follow Up: The One Thing Most Sales People Can Do Better

“It’s all in the sales follow up.” This is the mantra I hear repeatedly from several clients I work with in the financial services industry. The sales person calls on financial advisors and brokers to provide advisory support and promote their financial products.

But without timely, value-added follow up, any opportunities that may have been uncovered in the sales meeting disappear into the ether. Without excellent follow up they don’t ‘land the plane’ and results aren’t achieved. Without doubt this applies to every B2B sales person in every industry.

What I find astonishing is how inconsistently this last critical step … Read More

Use Stories in Presentations to Persuade

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years teaching and coaching better presentations and sales, it’s this: Stories persuade. Using stories in presentations capture the audience’s attention. Stories engage our emotions. They make us want to take action. They make us want to buy: stories sell.

I’ve seen it time and again. My clients in the financial services industry love their numbers and understandably so. But the most successful presenters move beyond facts and figures which aren’t as memorable as narrative They … Read More