What do buyers want sellers to talk about? What do sellers actually talk about? Research shows a surprisingly high level of misalignment on these two questions. Find out why and…
A lot of training in the workplace revolves around improving employees’ technical skills and competencies directly related to their jobs. That’s normal and desirable. But if you’re in charge of…
What’s the worst thing you can possibly do during the first 20 seconds of a cold call? Talk about your products and your company. Seems odd, doesn’t it? You and…
In times of crisis your people feel anxious, afraid and out of control. And they’re looking at you, their leader, to be their lighthouse in the storm. Ineffective leaders make…
A study shows that rumors spread faster and multiply when managers make mistakes that escalate uncertainly into anxiety. Learn a 5-step plan to help you communicate effectively, stifle rumors and…
New ways to communicate create new opportunities – but also new challenges – for salespeople. And it’s hard to know what the rules of engagement are. When businesses first began…
Every salesperson knows that customer relationships are built on trust. But there’s a little-known element of trust that many salespeople overlook. In this Quick Take, you will learn: The true…
Some sales are straightforward: You know who the decision maker is and how he or she will make the decision. But most sales – especially big sales – are anything…
Should you let people manage their own projects, or should you ride hard on them? Research suggests that the answer is “both.” When you create external accountabilities for your people,…
Every leader recognizes the risk of getting their egos stroked by the people who report to them. They’re right to worry: Consciously or unconsciously, those who provide counsel and perspective…
We hear a lot these days about “taking ownership.” You want your people to “own” the tasks they’re working on, “own” the results (good or bad) of those tasks, “own”…
Training programs aren’t exactly notorious for being flush with cash. But when workplace learning struggles to deliver the expected outcomes, a common reaction is to throw money at the problem….
it’s difficult for a skeptical employee to get any real value out of training. Their negative mindset will almost guarantee that they almost certainly won’t put in the requisite time and effort,
Coaching in the workplace has been the subject of a variety of studies across multiple real-world occupations. But interpreting the results, and how they apply to your organization, isn’t always easy….
Ever have one of your direct reports go around you to your boss? It’s not a comfortable feeling. It risks making you look bad to your manager, and it shows…
Here are the ten most effective tools that keep employees engaged and productive, and ideas on how managers and organizations can apply them. Can you guess what #1 is?
It’s always awkward when someone leaves your team – whether it’s their own choice or the company’s. Some organizations have protocols for communicating about an employee’s departure, but often, individual…
You need to be flexible in sales. The better you adapt your behavior to the situation, the more success you’ll enjoy. But there are certain rules you can’t break, if…
The thing about hiring salespeople is that they’re going to try to sell you on themselves, because selling is what they do. And that’s fine, as long as they really…
Scott Odom, VP of Strategic Accounts at Clover Imaging Group in Düsseldorf, Germany, deployed the RLI Selling Essentials online sales program in Clover’s European operation. Within three months his team…
Effective sales language isn’t about the gift of gab, or using words as a weapon to manipulate buyers into doing something they don’t really want to do. It’s about helping buyers make good decisions, and guiding them toward a solution that makes sense.
Some people bounce back from mistakes – even big mistakes – with grit and resolve. Others feel crushed, lose confidence and stop doing the things that made them successful. They…
