BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
Handling Aggressive Behavior A BLArticle® Miniseries Rule Three: “Flushing Out A Sniper”
One of the most powerless feelings in the world is when you give a presentation in front of a crowd of people, and someone verbally attacks you or your presentation. I’ve always referred to these people as “snipers” because they use the audience as their shield with...
Handling Aggressive Behavior A BLArticle® Miniseries Rule Two: “Let The Audience Help”
Putting on a presentation, and having someone from the audience take shots at you can throw even the most grizzled speakers. Often adhering to the rule, “The first one is free” will allow you to maintain your dignity, and rise above it. People can make awkward and...
Handling Aggressive Behavior A BLArticle® Miniseries – Rule One: “The First One Is Free”
The story of last week’s BLArticle® centered on a ridiculous move by another professional speaker who seemed fixated on a message I commonly deliver. In his tirade, he referred to me as a “scab picker” and I used that attack as a leaping off point for a critical...
A Most Unusual Nickname
Through our lives, we may be called a nickname or two. I had plenty of them. When I was five years old, my hair was very short, and my Dad called me “bur head.” If it came from my Dad, it was alright by me. I was called “Broadway” in high school, “Peppy” in...
You Selected… Who?
Let me set up a scenario for you that might sound familiar: You’ve worked hard to secure business with a prospect whose business you really wanted. Although there are a handful of competitors, it really should come down to you and one other strong competitor. Your...
Don’t Sell Me Things
When I was recently working with a group of sales professionals, a discussion broke out that represented an interesting moment of truth. I was trying to convince this group that they were too caught up in the features of the product they were selling. I was trying...
Being Careful About Being Ugly
This week, I found myself in jolly old England, only I have to admit, I wasn’t too jolly when I first got here. An hour and a half in the immigration control line at the airport will weaken your jolliness a bit. I was detained by a power hungry immigration officer,...
Is it a Conversation or an Interrogation?
So much has been written about the need to ask questions. Sometimes I feel guilty reminding people how important it is to ask questions. Need I remind you that the more people talk, the more they like the person they are talking to? I guess not. Should I remind you...
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....
A Lesson In How NOT To Treat Your Most Loyal Customers
Last week, I went to book a flight at the United website, and when I went to get my seat assignment, I was being asked to pay more for ticketing in the Premier Zone. This was second time that this happened; The first time was earlier this month. The first...
Asking Almost The Right Question
There are a number of important questions that every salesperson must ask. Some of these questions involve gaining a commitment to change, the clarification of objections, earning the client’s trust, or even creating urgency. Some questions involve a final...
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,...
A Most Misleading Measurement
Would you like to know one of the most common questions a sales trainer hears? “How will we measure the success of your program?” Companies make significant investments in the training of their sales forces, and it certainly makes sense that they would like a method...
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...
It’s Not Always Who’s First – It’s Who’s Protected!
About six months ago, I heard some rather troubling news from a company in Europe that delivers programs for me. They conduct “Customer Centered Selling” workshops in a variety of countries. They received a letter from a lawyer asking them to stop using the term,...
Finding The Right Word
Last week, I wrote a BLArticle™ that took me longer to write than any other BLArticle™ I’ve written in the past two years. There were so many lessons in the Jeremy Lin story; I wanted to get it just right. Well, I almost did, but one word seemed to throw the message...
A New And Old Reminder To Never Stop Believing
If I asked you what NBA star holds the record for most points scored in his first five starts, you might guess Lebron, Kobe, Shaq, Johnson, Bird, Durant, Jordon, or so many others. Of course, you’d be wrong because the record was just set, this past week, by a...
Good-Bye Angelo Dundee – You Taught us Well
This past week marked the passing of a man many may remember, and many others may have never heard of. I’m referring to an old boxing trainer, and legendary corner man, Angelo Dundee. He trained many famous fighters, including Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Sugar...
The Secret of Speaking Success
I’m on the road this week, outside the city of Philadelphia, conducting an Executive Presentation Skills program. It’s a program I really like teaching because it allows me to go back to my roots. After all, the first book I ever wrote was not a sales book, but a...
Sometimes You Need To Begin With The End
I love a good story as much as the next guy. As a matter of fact, you could say I make a living by telling stories. When I’m on my game and telling a good story, you never know how it might end. That helps me hold my audience’s attention. When...
“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!