My heart goes out to sole proprietors who have the arduous task of being chief chef and bottle washer. Even the most diligent and organized people tell me that managing it all takes its toll, and unfortunately there are no quick fixes. If you’re a one-man band and you want to make it, your job …
Piola Forum (Blog)
Living Outside The Box
I don’t know about you but the one thing I can’t stand about the fall/winter season is that it gets dark so early in the day. Add to that darkness a good bit of arctic air and it you have the perfect excuse for staying home. So when my wife and family said, “Get your …
Quitting is NOT an Option
Go fish as if your life depends upon it, because it does! A salesman had several promising prospects but no bites. In two cases, the prospects expressed what seemed like real interest but didn’t return his calls. A third case, in which the salesman was told point blank that he had the sale, has been …
Take This Job And…
I have to share this message I received from Jason Stalos, a young salesman from Dallas who has read my book and follows my column. “I’m flummoxed. Everywhere I have worked now, I have become the top salesperson. When I started, I had perhaps the word’s lowest self esteem possible. I was scared to even …
A Knight’s Armory
My wife and I were recently inducted into the Knights of Malta, a benevolent society that was started over 900 years ago during the first crusade. The rite took place in New York City, so we made a long weekend out of it. Repeating the oath amidst a glamorous yet solemn ceremony, I couldn’t help …
Don’t Take No For An Answer
Never take a “no” from someone who cannot give you a “yes.” One of the biggest reasons why sales are not made is because the presentation is being given to an unqualified prospect. You’re talking to someone who you think can make a decision but they can’t. This is your fault. I’m not pontificating. I’ve …
Attitude is Indeed Everything
You’ve heard it said, and I can confirm, that ATTITUDE is INDEED EVERYTHING. It’s the only thing we can really control. Our attitude is affected by what is happening to us. So, whatever happens on the outside will continue to take shape. How we react and adjust to that which we cannot control is indeed …
What to Do When Sales Idle
When you think you’ve exhausted every last potential prospect, and your ambition is waning, and nothing is moving not even the air, sit back and take a deep breath. Put some cold water on your face. Realize who you are and what you’ve accomplished so far, which is probably great. If your accomplishments aren’t great, …
Is Now the Time to Launch Your Business?
Don’t pay attention to naysayers. Who are they? What do they know? Are they an authority? Even the authorities in their respective fields don’t always know for sure about timing. There are too many variables. Take the stock market for example. Roughly five billion shares are traded every day. Half of those people think the …
Weighing the Cost-Effectiveness of Props
Flashy promotional material does not increase sales. When my company grew to the point where we could afford a really nice brochure, we got bids from several printing companies. Everyone was waiting for the new brochure. There was tons of excitement. Prospects wanted to see the new brochure because they had heard about it from …
Recent Comments