Emily is smarter than you think

(Spoiler Alert — This post will include spoilers about Emily in Paris, Season 1, a breezy and romantic comedy. If you haven’t watched the show yet on Netflix, I encourage you to stop reading until you have a chance to watch all of the episodes. The entire first season is only 5 hours long so that you can binge-watch it in one day).

Summary –

Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, is a social media expert and a rising associate at a Chicago based pharmaceutical marketing firm, the Gilbert Group. The Group acquires Savoir…

With most salespeople working these days remotely, having sales meetings are more important than ever.

But how can you have productive meetings without wasting everyone’s time?

Here are four suggestions to help you –

First, have a clear agenda — This may sound like a no-brainer, but I’ve attended many meetings in my career when there was no agenda. Instead, the sales manager would ask for questions, and the discussions would turn into a free for all complaints and comments. Sometimes personal and emotional topics would surface that usually would have been better handled off-line or one-on-one.

By having an…

Take a fresh look at your sales pipeline.

It’s time to say good riddance to 2020. But will 2021 be any better? Yes, the COVID-19 vaccines are here. But it could take several months before most people are vaccinated. And it could take even longer for the economy to recover.

How can salespeople generate a good income this year while battling the dual crisis of a rampant pandemic and a weak economy?

Here are 4 suggestions to help you out.

First, analyze your sales pipeline.

It’s customary to review your sales pipeline once a month or quarter. However, at the beginning of a new year…

Set the right priorities.

Struggling with both the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession, many salespeople are facing a time crunch. This is partly due because many companies are laying off or furloughing employees. Or, in some cases, employers are imposing hiring freezes. All this means is more work for everyone.

So, the pressure is on.

Salespeople are now forced to do more than selling. For example, many have to do customer service. Simultaneously, others must perform mundane and time-consuming clerical tasks that were once delegated to office workers or interns.

How can salespeople generate orders when they are wearing many…

When making outbound sales calls, you will rarely reach anyone. As a result, you must leave voicemail messages. The challenge we face is how to leave messages that will give you a response.

Here are five suggestions to help you leave messages that make a difference.

1. Be confident

No one wants to hear a whiny or wimpy message. Speak with confidence. Be professional. Keep your message short — no more than two minutes. Drop the word “just” from your vocabulary. You don’t want to say you’re “just” calling. Using the word “just” minimizes the importance and urgency of your call.

Yes, you…

Rejection in sales is part of the job. There is no way to avoid it. But how you handle rejection can make the difference between being a good or lousy salesperson.

Here are five suggestions to help you –

First, don’t take it personally. Many salespeople take rejection personally. You shouldn’t. In most cases, clients are not rebuffing you, but the products or services you are selling. There are many reasons beyond your control when the proverbial door closes on you. Maybe the client has a tight budget, and he needs to put you off for a few months. …

Avoid bad news & stay positive

If you are like most people, you started working remotely in March or April when COVID-19 became an official threat. Initially, you may have thought you would only be working at home for only a few weeks or a couple of months.

But we are now heading into December, and there is no end in sight. Yes, there is promising news about vaccines coming. But there are no firm dates yet when the vaccines will be available or how the government will distribute the medication.

After nearly nine months of working remotely, how can…

Determination creates strength

(Spoiler Alert — if you haven’t watched The Queen’s Gambit yet, please stop reading this post and return once you viewed the show. You will not regret it).

Summary –

The Queen’s Gambit is a 7-episode fictional miniseries on Netflix. It is about orphan chess prodigy Beth Harmon (played by Isla Johnston, then by Anya Taylor-Joy). The story follows her pursuit to become the world’s greatest chess player. But Beth’s quest is hampered with drug and alcohol addiction, along with emotional struggles. …