BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
Don’t Just Tell A Story: Land It!
One of the hottest topics in selling, or professional speaking, is story telling. After all, when you tell a good story, you can make your key point more memorable. As a matter of fact, it’s over twenty times more memorable than just presenting facts! What’s more, a...
The Art of the Introduction
Let me set the scene for you: You’ve been asked to speak at a particular function. Before you speak, you are approached by a willing participant who has been tasked with introducing you. This person seems eager to do a great job, and tells you, “I’ve got it...
Making Wrong Answers Right
How to Handle Incorrect Answers During Presentations I’ve preached the following words for years: When you’re having a conversation with someone, the more the other person speaks, the more trust they’ll have in you. This is also true of an audience, and the best way...
The Simple But Forgotten Step In Objection Handling
At some point, every salesperson learns how to handle objections. We learn why people object. We learn how people object. We learn when people object. We learn to clarify the objections we hear, (although it wouldn’t hurt to remind you about that one, since there...
Industry Experience Vs Successful Experience
Who Would You Hire? Recently, I was speaking with a client, who was looking to hire a salesperson. The previous hire didn’t work out, and it was time for a change. I had a fantastic candidate in mind, with years of successful sales experience, and then my client...
The Reality Of Most Posts That Boast
Let’s face it; There are many people who like to brag. Some more than others, but with the emergence, and heavy dependence, on social media, this bragging has gotten a bit out of hand. Recently, I decided to increase the numbers of my LinkedIn followers, and began...
Looking For A Solution? Not So Fast…
One of the most difficult decisions a person can go through is the decision for change. That decision can be both elusive and precarious. It’s elusive because it can take years of living with a problem before we decide to do something about it. It can be expensive...
Storytelling Gone Awry:
How to Avoid and Recover from Story Jumping There’s nothing like finding your way into a good story. If you’re selling, it becomes a great way to connect the known to the unknown. If you’re presenting to an audience, it becomes a great way to put a spark into...
A Surefire Way To Take The Temperature Of Your Audience
Audiences come in all shapes, sizes… and moods. Some audiences are loud, some are pensive, and still others are, well, dead. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of stepping in front of a room, opening with one of your best stories, analogies, or jokes and...
Your Outlook CAN Improve Your Luck!
A Tale of Two Stories Story #1… Last week, the travel Gods really stuck it to me good. I showed up at O’Hare airport at 6:00 pm, and I found out that my 7:00 pm flight back to National Airport was running thirty minutes late. This was due to thunderstorm activity. ...
Start With Something, Nothing, Anything… Just Start!
How many times have you heard someone say something like this: “I know I need to get this started, but I just want to make sure I’m ready.” I hear that from those who have dreamed of writing a book. I hear it from those who have dreamed of starting a podcast. I...
Everybody Has A Story…
There are few things that are indisputable when trying to learn about another individual. It all begins with trust. Here’s what I know to be true: No one is going to open up to another individual if they don’t trust him or her. Trust is earned. Trust is earned by...
The Three Magic Words That Simplify Closing
At the tender age of 21, I began my career in selling at New York Life. I found that just hearing the word, “close,” sent chills through me. It’s one thing to sit and talk to a prospect, but it’s quite another thing to know that, at some point in the conversation, I...
Keep It All In Balance
Want to know a word that ironically trips a lot of people up? That word is “balance.” It is such a simple word, but it becomes complicated when you look at its applications. First, we seek balance in our lives. We want to be good to our friends and spouses, but...
Avoiding The Voices
Earlier this week, a client contacted me and made a simple, straightforward request: She asked for a program I don’t offer. I’m not trained in this particular topic; I don’t write about it, and I don’t deliver modules on it. My mind had a field day with that...
Why You Want Objections And How To Get Them
Too often, I see salespeople become almost dejected at the hint of an objection from a prospect they’re working with… and it puzzles me. Sure, an objection may very well slow you down, and may jeopardize your ability to make a sale, but do you really want to spend...
Me Nervous? Never!
This week I received an unusually high number of calls from clients who, for the lack of a better word, are nervous. They are nervous about the market. They are nervous about the economy. They are nervous about their budgets. They are nervous about the companies...
The Value of Ringwork
It’s often said, “If you want to get good at something, teach it.” I can’t disagree with that statement, but it does raise a question: Exactly where, and how, do you teach it so you can get good at something? I’ve always been a bit jealous of comedians because they...
Lessons in Alliances
I’ve never been a fan of reality shows, or as I call them, “bad actors acting badly,” but oddly enough, I’ve always been a fan of the first one ever produced. Although some seasons are better than others, my allegiance has never waivered. I’m talking about the social...
Presenting Like You’re Presenting In Your Living Room
Some years ago, my wife wanted to see Carole King perform, and only because I’m such a great husband, I told her I would accompany her. I wasn’t the biggest Carole King fan growing up, and before she came out to perform, I had plenty of time to look at that stage. I...
“Rob is an expert not only in the art of influence,
but also in human nature.”
~Ken Blanchard,
coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Trust Works!