Productive Insights

An old joke defined experts as “people who know more and more about less and less until they know all about nothing.” If that joke were ever funny, it isn’t any more. That the word has become an almost meaningless communications cliché is bad news. Real-life experts are no joke because they’re critical to our well-being today and tomorrow. They

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Have you ever stared into your refrigerator, increasingly desperate to find food or drink that you know is there? Has your significant other ever strolled by and said, “Oh, it’s right there, right in front”? Well, it can be the same way in business. Your business isn’t a refrigerator, and we’re clearly not your significant other. But we might see things about

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Do your sales leads have the right DNA? Do you know how to make the most of it? We do and can help you get there, too. Today, popular psychology holds that the personality of an individual human being is shaped not by genetics or by environment alone but by an uneasy collaboration of both. We’ve found that similar collaboration applies

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Take it from LeBron and Kareem, a “back to the basics” mentality can make you and your team winners. “Back to basics” has become such a time-worn phrase it almost seems worn out. Almost but not quite. The fundamental things still apply in sports and in business. Even for the very best performers. Lebron James, who just surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as

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The short answer based on the resurgence we saw in 2022 from our own clients is “Yes.” A more thoughtful—and useful—answer is “Yes, but is a calling campaign right for my business?” Have you ever tried to get new business by “cold calling” prospects on the phone? What about calling customers to see about their current or future needs? Or

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To increase revenue and build your business in 2023 ask the “twelve questions of selling.” Creating value for your customers, prospects, and colleagues is perhaps the best business gift you can give them. A particular set of business development and communication skills is the key. Do you and your team have them? This time of year giving and receiving command

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Highly productive networking, for one thing. But exactly how does that work? Here are some answers, an unusual opportunity to put them to work—and just in time for the holidays, too. The holidays are already on the horizon, and they offer many business and social opportunities for productive networking. Our recommended mantra—”Give Before You Get”—is in tune with the season.

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What’s your number-one sales challenge? What obstacle, if you overcame it, would most help you increase sales? We ask that question when we survey participants before the first session of our consultative sales training course, FOCIS®. The survey helps us understand how to tailor the course to the needs of any given company, class, or business developer. Specifically, the survey helps

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Killer proposals aren’t born. They’re made. And here’s how. Good Discovery, Good Proposal. An effective proposal starts with effective discovery. What does that mean? You need to spend enough time asking the questions that will help you know how to provide the best solution for your prospect. You cannot provide a specific, unique solution unless you perform discovery that identifies specific

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Yes, consultative selling can be a great approach to producing business-to-business revenue. But it can also be a lot more. Here are some ideas on how to make it work for you in other areas of your life, too. Over the nearly thirty years we’ve been teaching consultative selling to sales reps, executives, and professionals we’ve been surprised at the many

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