At some point in sales everyone has to cold call. A lot of folks go with the Three-Foot Rule; anyone within three feet is a potential customer.
I really hate the three-foot rule. It relies on the idea that you must practically trip the guy waiting in line in front of you to make a [...]

In every organization I’ve either led or worked in, I’ve felt like we’ve never had a robust budget for marketing and public relations.  Public relations has always seemed easier because it required only earned media placements and spreading the word.  Marketing always meant digging into the pockets of the boss and justifying a campaign.  It [...]

In some ways I’ve already illustrated this point, afterall, it has taken nearly six months to finish this series.  But in persuasion, it’s not necessary to spend months getting to your point, you only need to build upon all of the steps to reach a conclusion that leaves them wanting more.
Like an excellent novel begging [...]

Or perhaps the title of this post should have been Help them Believe. You see, it’s up to you to instill belief in your message and help your listener begin to believe enough to be persuaded.
No one will be persuaded if they have doubts about your message.
You want to generate enough belief in you [...]

When I was running 12 miles a day, it often was a solitary event.  You would run off and let your mind wander.  A great time for dreaming up new ideas!  However, I always took someone along or joined a group when I wanted to speed up the run.  It never fails.  Share the experience [...]

Ever have someone tell you to just trust them.  Just trust me, I know what I’m talking about. My internal crap detector goes off anytime someone says “just trust me.”
What does it take to generate trust?  Can you just expect people to believe everything you say, or does it take much more?
I’m far more willing [...]

A clown was standing in a kitchen, holding a can of frozen orange juice, staring at it intently. His friend saw this and asked why. The clown answered, “The can says, ‘Concentrate’.”
Now why would I start with that terrible joke? To illustrate that if you’re characters are unbelievable or slightly off, then no one [...]

My daughter was always the best at bribing me into doing something she wanted when she was a toddler. The boys never seemed to catch onto the subtleties of expression and body language. Now that she’s a teen, it’s only gotten worse. Meanwhile, my sons continue to use the brute force approach, [...]

Tommy Boy finally got it right: “I could climb up a bull’s ass to find the steak, but I’d rather take the butcher’s word for it.”
Proof in the form of concrete statements or tangible numbers carry credibility. They allow persuaders to sway thought. That’s why so many people accept twisted numbers and [...]

Salesmen learn early that the fastest way to closing a sale is by answering all of the questions and objections before asking for the sale. If you can anticipate questions, prepare answers, you have a better chance of demonstrating that your product solves problems and fills a need.
Simple? Not quite. The prospect needs to [...]