Love it! Buy it!
Make the sale easy. Making the sale can feel like an uphill battle—but it doesn’t have to. Throughout my career—from my early days in sales to my current role as a trainer in Sales, Negotiation, and Presentation Skills—I’ve discovered that making the sale doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. In fact, truly effortless […]
Overcome Hardball Negotiation Tactics – Be Prepared and Knowledgable
In any negotiation, be prepared to stay in control and make well-informed decisions. A clear plan, a firm understanding of your goals, and knowing your limits are essential. Being prepared gives you the confidence to navigate the negotiation process effectively and reach the best outcome. What is your commitment? Have you ever noticed how buying […]
A Magic Number for Presenters – Speech Key Points
Think about the last presentation you attended, whether virtual or in-person. How well can you picture it? Now, consider this: how many key points from that presentation do you actually remember? In 20+ years of instructing all kinds of presentation skills classes, I have asked this “key points” question to hundreds of participants. Their answers […]
Did You Do Your Homework? (Due Diligence)
Perform and apply due diligence when preparing a learning curriculum. The benefits build value for the clients, the participants, and to you too.
Spotlight: John Epstein
In my late twenties, fear stalled me in my work. Now I have the career of my dreams doing the very thing that caused me the most anxiety! It was the all-consuming fear of speaking before groups, large or small, that held me back. That stress of making presentations was dispiriting and frustrating. I had to do […]
Make The Pitch Stand Out
A client needs WOW to secure a commitment. That does not happen if the presenter does not know how to make the presentation stand out.
A Calculated Risk in Selling
“You should buy this product from my competitor.” These words came as a surprise to my customer, to say the least. Moreover, there is no doubt I would have been fired had my manager known that I sent a customer to the competition. So, why did I do it? The customer had requested a meeting […]
Anchoring Effect
We were at the Great Wall of China. A gentleman in my tour group showed interest in a folding fan that a vendor near the Wall was selling. He wanted to bring home a souvenir. The vendor’s asking price was 125 Yuan (about $18) for the folding fan. After a few minutes of back-and-forth haggling, […]
My BATNA Isn’t Good. Is Theirs?
Negotiators often fail to consider their Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) and the other side’s BATNA. Thinking through both BATNAs helps us determine how much leverage we have in a negotiation. What will happen if we can’t come to an agreement with the other party? If the alternative to a negotiated agreement is […]