LandingTheDeal: April 2006 Archives

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Apr29	Trade Show Booth Selling Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 Know More: Selling Strategy, business, sales, salesman, selling 2.0, Selling Strategy Ron McDaniel over at Buzzoodle had a trade show (job fair) strategy. It worked. Why? Because it was a strategy. They had a plan. Each member of the team had roles to play. Each executed their assigned function. Most trade shows I attend are laughable. So-so booth presentations, lame give aways, and disinterested workers. With all of the money invested in the booth and the show space, you would think that the owners of these companies would make darn sure that they were ultra-effective. Alas, not many are. And as a result, most of us walk right by your booth. Ron's folks engaged people and had a strategy for selling themselves to the job fair attendees. That's how to be successful in selling at a trade show, business expo or job fair. Posted at 11:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr29	Friendly, Smiling, Engaging: SURPRISE! We Spent More Money! Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 One of our favorite stops on the central California coast is The Cambria Nursery. Great gardens, lots of interesting plants and landscaping ideas, and helpful people to answer your questions. As we were getting ready to check out, an... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Seeing is Believing, Apparently Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 True story: My friend just e-mailed me. He's very excited because he just landed a $11,000 software deal that he's been working on for about nine months. He had been working on this deal with the VP and MIS director... Continue Reading Posted at 10:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On Vacation, Bad Service Can Ruin the Sale Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 It's amazing to me how much more service means when you're on vacation, as my family is this weekend. We love to frequent a little eatery here on California's central coast. The food is good, the atmosphere is one-of-a-kind, and... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Movie Theatre Selling Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 We're on a little weekend getaway as I write this, enjoying time in our favorite place on earth...Morro Bay, California. I went to catch a movie while the girls in our family trolled the shops. Morro Bay has a great... Continue Reading Posted at 6:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr28	Win $1,000,000!!!!!!! (So What?) Dan Tudor April 28, 2006 I just saw a commercial for Western Union. You know, the money wiring people. Their pitch: Send money overnight to someone through Western Union, and you'll be entered to win $1,000,000! Flash to a guy in the commericial: "You... Continue Reading Posted at 7:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Do You Really Want These Sales Leads? Dan Tudor April 28, 2006 Someone typed in a search on "tips on buying a used car". Click here to see the results. Notice what the number one ad is at the top of the search results? LandingTheDeal.com! I was kind of excited about that... Continue Reading Posted at 7:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr27	Your Customer Dan Tudor April 27, 2006 You know what? It's amazing to me how conscious I am of how every aspect of business I interact with are treating me. Seth brings up the subject today on his blog. The point I made earlier in the week holds... Continue Reading Posted at 10:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr26	If You Sell, You Need to Blog Dan Tudor April 26, 2006 Not too long ago, I blogged about the wonderful experience I had sleeping on a Hilton Hotel "Serta Suite Dreams Mattress". Since then, I've had a lot of traffic come to my blog. Why? Things like this. It's a... Continue Reading Posted at 5:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr25	Lazy E-Mail Selling Dan Tudor April 25, 2006 For the life of me, I can not think of a good sales e-mail that I have received in the past year. Don't get me wrong, I've looked at lots of e-mails wanting me to buy something. But they... Continue Reading Posted at 10:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Creating a Market Dan Tudor April 25, 2006 How often do you create sales lead opportunities where non existed before? Read this interesting post. I think you'll look at your industry in a new way, and find opportunities where none existed before. Warning: It will take creativity... Continue Reading Posted at 9:55 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sales Intuition As a Part of The Process Dan Tudor April 25, 2006 Let me take Seth Godin's post for the day one step further for sales professionals or anyone in business today on the Seth Godin Post-Game Show. See if you can envision this working in your sales career or entrepreneurial effort....... Continue Reading Posted at 9:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr24	Stop Your Whining Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 Don't talk to me about how hard sales is. Or how hard it is to be creative. Or how its really hard to set up your own website to boost sales (I've heard all three of these complaints from people... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	One Phone Call Away Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 Apply Seth Godin's post to your sales career. More specifically, your customers. How accessible are you? Do you hide behind voicemail (and your lame, boring, unoriginal voicemail message)? How quickly do you follow-up with a customer complaint or problem? If... Continue Reading Posted at 4:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Everyone In Your Company Is a Salesperson Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 Yes, even company lawyers. Seth Godin points this out in his post today. So true. I was on a business trip this weekend. The flight attendant on my trip to Nashville had the chance to sell me on her airline... Continue Reading Posted at 4:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	If All Else Fails... Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 ...you can always try this. I shouldn't poke fun at the thought, I guess. Especially since I found them by clicking on a Google ad on the LandingTheDeal site! But, really...is this what it has come to? Here are some... Continue Reading Posted at 4:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr23	Renting A Car In Person: Harder Than It Ought to Be? Dan Tudor April 23, 2006 Had the need for a rental car in Nashville this past weekend. I usually reserve cars over the Internet when I buy my plane tickets, but this was kind of a last minute need. On the Internet, you zoom through... Continue Reading Posted at 3:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr20	Little Things That Distract From Your Presentation Dan Tudor April 20, 2006 Went to my bank a few days ago. It's a Bank of America. The tellers had music playing in the background while I was waiting in line. The song? "Highway to Hell" by the rock group KISS. Totally inappropriate for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr19	The Sales Phone Call Dan Tudor April 19, 2006 A lesson every sales person who relies on the phone to sell their product or service should learn is this: You must get your prospect's attention within the first three to four seconds of your phone call or you... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr18	How Will You Sell With Your Own Network? Dan Tudor April 18, 2006 It's coming. In fact, in many respects, its already here. If you're a sales professional, ask yourself this: How would you change your sales approach if you were able to have your own broadcast network? If you were able... Continue Reading Posted at 11:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jeffrey Gitomer's New Sales Book Dan Tudor April 18, 2006 Jeffrey Gitomer's new book, "The Little Red Book of Sales Answers", is great. Every salesperson should read it. Gitomer has a great way of giving advice, and doing it in a straight-forward yet entertaining way. If you're a serious... Continue Reading Posted at 11:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sales Happen In All Parts of a Business Dan Tudor April 18, 2006 The bank didn't train one of their back office supervisors in selling. That was obvious, according to my friend. The quick background: He called his local credit union to get the payoff for his car, telling them that he would... Continue Reading Posted at 11:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr17	King Selling vs. Peasant Selling Dan Tudor April 17, 2006 Seth Godin Post Game Show for April 17, 2005: The Great One throws out a thoughtful question today. Should you market and sell like a king? Or, should you approach marketing and selling like a peasant? Here's the difference:... Continue Reading Posted at 11:18 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr15	Part 1: Food, Cookware and Selling Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 This is the first in an eleven post series. I encourage you to read all eleven posts...I think you'll find it interesting. Some friends of ours sell cookware for AmericanMaid Cookware. It's a direct selling organization that demonstrates their... Continue Reading Posted at 10:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 2: Computer Geek Turned Sales Pro Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 When I heard that Ernesto was now in sales, it surprised me. A lot. I first got to know him as one of the programmers at a technology company that did a lot of work for a company that... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 3: A Team Effort Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 For Ernesto and Janel, the fact that they are a husband and wife team in selling isn't just fun...it's essential. "In this kind of sale," says Janel, "most of the buyers are women. It's a great atmosphere when we work... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 4: Door to Door Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Since Ernesto was a former computer programmer - an industry not known for turning out great sales professionals - I figured that he might be a little uncomfortable with the aspect of selling himself and a product to total strangers.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 5: Direct Marketing the Product Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Selling the product in stores wouldn't work. It's too expensive, says Ernesto, and people would usually opt for something cheaper. The best way to sell the product? Direct network marketing. Person to person, referral sales. It's the key to... Continue Reading Posted at 5:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 6: They'll Buy...Eventually Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Ernesto told me that they usually have a 90% closing ratio when they do a home product demonstration. They other 10% that don't buy? "They'll buy eventually," said Ernesto. "They may need to wait a week or two to get... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 7: Quote "A Study" Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Ever notice how the mention of "a study" in any kind of sales presentation automatically lends tons of credence to whatever it is being sold? "Studies show" eggs are bad for you? We invet Egg Beaters. "Studies show" that aliens... Continue Reading Posted at 5:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 8: I Might Change This Part of the Presentation... Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 It was part of Janel's presentation that revolved around the unsafe features of the standard Teflon coated pans that most of us have cooked with for years. In an effort to punctuate her point, she told us that "Teflon was... Continue Reading Posted at 4:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 9: Relating Your Product to Bigger Issues Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Part of the sales discussion from Janel and Ernesto Garcia revolved around all of the benefits their cookware could give us. They tied the cookware to health ("the way our pots and pans cook food keep more of the vitamins... Continue Reading Posted at 4:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 10: The Demo is Key Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 I asked Ernesto Garcia how important the live cooking demonstration is in their business. "Oh, it's the key to the whole thing," said Ernesto. He went on to say that its the only way to adequately show a customer... Continue Reading Posted at 4:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 11: Want to Make This Your Opportunity to Run Your Own Business? Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Overall, Janel and Ernesto Garcia seem to really enjoy what they do. They get to work together as a couple, and enjoy a lot of variety in their day...from administrative time, training, traveling, and demonstrating their product. We ended up... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr13	No Bones About It...There's a Market for Anything, and Everything Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 How much do you think you could sell a skeleton of a canine dog knee for? Try $76. I was amazed. I was also surprised at what you can sell a partial possum skeleton for...and, that there's a market... Continue Reading Posted at 12:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Sales Professionals Should Blog Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 As a sales professional in your industry (whatever that industry is), it seems clear that you should have a blog. It will help you define your sales message, and it's great self-promotion. Marshall Sponder at WebMetricsGuru backs up my line... Continue Reading Posted at 12:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Google Offers Cool Tool for Sales Professionals Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 Google launched its new calendar feature yesterday, and its getting rave reviews over at TechCrunch. The reason a sales professional would want to use the Google calendar function? It's simple. It's clean. It can interface with other applications, and it... Continue Reading Posted at 12:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Better to Lose the Deal Sometimes? Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 Sometimes, sales professionals fret way to much about losing an order or deal to a competitor that's offering something similar for less. In truth, losing a deal to a lower cost competitor can sometimes be more valuable to you in the... Continue Reading Posted at 11:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr12	Getting Top Dollar Dan Tudor April 12, 2006 Ron over at Buzzoodle writes an encouraging post for all of you sales professionals who aspire to sell your product or services at top dollar. His consulting company is busy, and enjoying success, according to his most recent post. They recently... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr11	Business Lessons From Evil Overlords Dan Tudor April 11, 2006 There are some actual lessons smart business people can take away from this hilarious list of 100 things you might want to consider if you want to become a successful evil overlord. My favorites (which have strong business applications,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What If Commercials Like This Actually Ran? Dan Tudor April 11, 2006 Putting your political leanings and environmental views aside for a moment, view this commercial for exactly what it is: Humor. Now, ask yourself: What if commercials like this actually ran? Wouldn't they be more attention getting? Wouldn't they deliver... Continue Reading Posted at 3:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr10	Success! This Makes My Day Dan Tudor April 10, 2006 I've blogged for a few weeks now on a cool new sales technology that I'm using, and now helping to distribute. Today, I got an e-mail from Russ Franklin in Florida, who wrote me that the video e-mail he put... Continue Reading Posted at 9:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	TV: The Sales Killer Dan Tudor April 10, 2006 Saw a friend of mine today (we'll call him Jeff for this discussion) who was really struggling in his sales career. He hadn't hit his target in a long, long time and was afraid he would get fired at... Continue Reading Posted at 8:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hilton's Bed Dan Tudor April 10, 2006 I first slept on Hilton's "Suite Dreams Serta Mattress" on a business trip to Dallas. I came home and proclaimed it to be the best mattress I had ever slept on. Ever. It was incredible. This past weekend, I stayed at... Continue Reading Posted at 1:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 8	Cookies! Dan Tudor April 8, 2006 I had a quick business trip yesterday, and stayed at a DoubleTree Hotel. While I was waiting for my room key, I noticed two other guests finish their check in. As soon as they were handed their key, they were... Continue Reading Posted at 6:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Would Your Sales Strategy Be? Dan Tudor April 8, 2006 For sale in California, near (but not on) the coast of the Pacific. Two bedroom, one bath...and it can all be yours for $529,000.00. Yes, I placed the comma and the decimal in the right place. The pitch is,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 6	Measuring Sales Statistics Dan Tudor April 6, 2006 Today on the Seth Godin Post Game Show: Measuring stuff. Statistics, revenue, lead conversion, time in the field, call-to-conversion ratios...if there's a measurement to be had, some micro-managing sales boss has invented it and is using it. Seth Godin points... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	KISS - "Keep It Simple, Salesperson" Dan Tudor April 6, 2006 With all the advice out there on everything you should and shouldn't be doing, it's always good to be reminded to keep it simple. Here's a great reminder of that very thing from SalesTeamTools. Thanks, guys.... Continue Reading Posted at 4:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Get Creative Using Video Dan Tudor April 6, 2006 There's no doubt in my mind that video on the web is not only become more commonplace, it will soon be the preferred method of communication professionally. I blogged about a really cool video e-mail service that is improving my... Continue Reading Posted at 4:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 5	The Hardest Thing in Sales Dan Tudor April 5, 2006 Seth Godin Post Game Show for April 5, 2006: Great question from The Great One today, which is, "what's the hardest thing in your business?" My blogging "business" revolves around the world of sales, so let me address the question... Continue Reading Posted at 4:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	If You Believe It, Sell It...And Sell It Hard Dan Tudor April 5, 2006 You probably know the name Estee Lauder. If you use make-up, or are married to someone who does, it's a household name. One of the biggest brand names in cosmetics in the world. But it wasn't always that way. Here's... Continue Reading Posted at 11:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 4	The Easiest Way to Sell... Dan Tudor April 4, 2006 ...is to offer something great, have it benefit a wonderful cause, have it give a lot of value to the buyer, and make it viral. Oh, and get Seth Godin behind it. I'll echo Marshall's "hip hip hooray" as we... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Being Original Dan Tudor April 4, 2006 Don't you love it when a big company acts like a small company? Why don't more companies, and more sales professionals, make their customers laugh? Why don't they have fun and interact with us? Let me ask you a question: As... Continue Reading Posted at 10:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How To Hear "No" Dan Tudor April 4, 2006 Author Jeffrey Gitomer passed along a real gem today in his weekly newsletter: When you hear a customer say "no", you should treat that as a "not yet". Wow! For me, that was powerful. Doesn't that change the way you look... Continue Reading Posted at 10:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 3	Is That It? Dan Tudor April 3, 2006 I love Nissans. Let me just say that at the outset of this little rant. My wife drives a Nissan Quest. Its in great shape after five years, so we keep on driving it. Today, I got this letter in... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 2	Selling Air Dan Tudor April 2, 2006 Air America, that is. It's the liberal talk format that just celebrated its second anniversary on the air. But its ratings are down, it's deep in debt, and can't seem to get traction. From a sales standpoint, I ask you... Continue Reading Posted at 11:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Moment of Self-Indulgence Dan Tudor April 2, 2006 A quick time-out from my regular blogging to point you to this article in the April 2006 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine. It's a feature on four "up and coming" advertising franchise concepts available today, one of which being a company... Continue Reading Posted at 11:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Don't You Have a Book Out Yet? Dan Tudor April 2, 2006 That seems like a strange question to ask the average sales professional, I know. But I'm serious: Why haven't you published a book yet? I'm getting ready to publish a speciality sales book. I found out about LuLu.com. They'll publish... Continue Reading Posted at 11:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 1	So What Do YOU Do With Your Sales Leads? Dan Tudor April 1, 2006 I'm blogging over at TopLeadGenerators about this subject now, and I'm finding some really interesting posts and thoughts on the topic of sales leads. My latest question: What do you do with your sales leads? Getting them is one thing,... Continue Reading Posted at 10:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Demotivation of Money Dan Tudor April 1, 2006 It's an interesting idea shared by Seth Godin today: Money, it's been shown time and time again, is a demotivator. I'm not talking about a fair or even generous salary. Being a cheapskate is no way to find a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« March 2006 | Main | May 2006 »

Apr29	Trade Show Booth Selling Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 Know More: Selling Strategy, business, sales, salesman, selling 2.0, Selling Strategy Ron McDaniel over at Buzzoodle had a trade show (job fair) strategy. It worked. Why? Because it was a strategy. They had a plan. Each member of the team had roles to play. Each executed their assigned function. Most trade shows I attend are laughable. So-so booth presentations, lame give aways, and disinterested workers. With all of the money invested in the booth and the show space, you would think that the owners of these companies would make darn sure that they were ultra-effective. Alas, not many are. And as a result, most of us walk right by your booth. Ron's folks engaged people and had a strategy for selling themselves to the job fair attendees. That's how to be successful in selling at a trade show, business expo or job fair. Posted at 11:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr29	Friendly, Smiling, Engaging: SURPRISE! We Spent More Money! Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 One of our favorite stops on the central California coast is The Cambria Nursery. Great gardens, lots of interesting plants and landscaping ideas, and helpful people to answer your questions. As we were getting ready to check out, an... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Seeing is Believing, Apparently Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 True story: My friend just e-mailed me. He's very excited because he just landed a $11,000 software deal that he's been working on for about nine months. He had been working on this deal with the VP and MIS director... Continue Reading Posted at 10:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On Vacation, Bad Service Can Ruin the Sale Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 It's amazing to me how much more service means when you're on vacation, as my family is this weekend. We love to frequent a little eatery here on California's central coast. The food is good, the atmosphere is one-of-a-kind, and... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Movie Theatre Selling Dan Tudor April 29, 2006 We're on a little weekend getaway as I write this, enjoying time in our favorite place on earth...Morro Bay, California. I went to catch a movie while the girls in our family trolled the shops. Morro Bay has a great... Continue Reading Posted at 6:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr28	Win $1,000,000!!!!!!! (So What?) Dan Tudor April 28, 2006 I just saw a commercial for Western Union. You know, the money wiring people. Their pitch: Send money overnight to someone through Western Union, and you'll be entered to win $1,000,000! Flash to a guy in the commericial: "You... Continue Reading Posted at 7:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Do You Really Want These Sales Leads? Dan Tudor April 28, 2006 Someone typed in a search on "tips on buying a used car". Click here to see the results. Notice what the number one ad is at the top of the search results? LandingTheDeal.com! I was kind of excited about that... Continue Reading Posted at 7:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr27	Your Customer Dan Tudor April 27, 2006 You know what? It's amazing to me how conscious I am of how every aspect of business I interact with are treating me. Seth brings up the subject today on his blog. The point I made earlier in the week holds... Continue Reading Posted at 10:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr26	If You Sell, You Need to Blog Dan Tudor April 26, 2006 Not too long ago, I blogged about the wonderful experience I had sleeping on a Hilton Hotel "Serta Suite Dreams Mattress". Since then, I've had a lot of traffic come to my blog. Why? Things like this. It's a... Continue Reading Posted at 5:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr25	Lazy E-Mail Selling Dan Tudor April 25, 2006 For the life of me, I can not think of a good sales e-mail that I have received in the past year. Don't get me wrong, I've looked at lots of e-mails wanting me to buy something. But they... Continue Reading Posted at 10:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Creating a Market Dan Tudor April 25, 2006 How often do you create sales lead opportunities where non existed before? Read this interesting post. I think you'll look at your industry in a new way, and find opportunities where none existed before. Warning: It will take creativity... Continue Reading Posted at 9:55 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sales Intuition As a Part of The Process Dan Tudor April 25, 2006 Let me take Seth Godin's post for the day one step further for sales professionals or anyone in business today on the Seth Godin Post-Game Show. See if you can envision this working in your sales career or entrepreneurial effort....... Continue Reading Posted at 9:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr24	Stop Your Whining Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 Don't talk to me about how hard sales is. Or how hard it is to be creative. Or how its really hard to set up your own website to boost sales (I've heard all three of these complaints from people... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	One Phone Call Away Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 Apply Seth Godin's post to your sales career. More specifically, your customers. How accessible are you? Do you hide behind voicemail (and your lame, boring, unoriginal voicemail message)? How quickly do you follow-up with a customer complaint or problem? If... Continue Reading Posted at 4:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Everyone In Your Company Is a Salesperson Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 Yes, even company lawyers. Seth Godin points this out in his post today. So true. I was on a business trip this weekend. The flight attendant on my trip to Nashville had the chance to sell me on her airline... Continue Reading Posted at 4:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	If All Else Fails... Dan Tudor April 24, 2006 ...you can always try this. I shouldn't poke fun at the thought, I guess. Especially since I found them by clicking on a Google ad on the LandingTheDeal site! But, really...is this what it has come to? Here are some... Continue Reading Posted at 4:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr23	Renting A Car In Person: Harder Than It Ought to Be? Dan Tudor April 23, 2006 Had the need for a rental car in Nashville this past weekend. I usually reserve cars over the Internet when I buy my plane tickets, but this was kind of a last minute need. On the Internet, you zoom through... Continue Reading Posted at 3:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr20	Little Things That Distract From Your Presentation Dan Tudor April 20, 2006 Went to my bank a few days ago. It's a Bank of America. The tellers had music playing in the background while I was waiting in line. The song? "Highway to Hell" by the rock group KISS. Totally inappropriate for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr19	The Sales Phone Call Dan Tudor April 19, 2006 A lesson every sales person who relies on the phone to sell their product or service should learn is this: You must get your prospect's attention within the first three to four seconds of your phone call or you... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr18	How Will You Sell With Your Own Network? Dan Tudor April 18, 2006 It's coming. In fact, in many respects, its already here. If you're a sales professional, ask yourself this: How would you change your sales approach if you were able to have your own broadcast network? If you were able... Continue Reading Posted at 11:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jeffrey Gitomer's New Sales Book Dan Tudor April 18, 2006 Jeffrey Gitomer's new book, "The Little Red Book of Sales Answers", is great. Every salesperson should read it. Gitomer has a great way of giving advice, and doing it in a straight-forward yet entertaining way. If you're a serious... Continue Reading Posted at 11:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sales Happen In All Parts of a Business Dan Tudor April 18, 2006 The bank didn't train one of their back office supervisors in selling. That was obvious, according to my friend. The quick background: He called his local credit union to get the payoff for his car, telling them that he would... Continue Reading Posted at 11:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr17	King Selling vs. Peasant Selling Dan Tudor April 17, 2006 Seth Godin Post Game Show for April 17, 2005: The Great One throws out a thoughtful question today. Should you market and sell like a king? Or, should you approach marketing and selling like a peasant? Here's the difference:... Continue Reading Posted at 11:18 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr15	Part 1: Food, Cookware and Selling Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 This is the first in an eleven post series. I encourage you to read all eleven posts...I think you'll find it interesting. Some friends of ours sell cookware for AmericanMaid Cookware. It's a direct selling organization that demonstrates their... Continue Reading Posted at 10:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 2: Computer Geek Turned Sales Pro Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 When I heard that Ernesto was now in sales, it surprised me. A lot. I first got to know him as one of the programmers at a technology company that did a lot of work for a company that... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 3: A Team Effort Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 For Ernesto and Janel, the fact that they are a husband and wife team in selling isn't just fun...it's essential. "In this kind of sale," says Janel, "most of the buyers are women. It's a great atmosphere when we work... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 4: Door to Door Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Since Ernesto was a former computer programmer - an industry not known for turning out great sales professionals - I figured that he might be a little uncomfortable with the aspect of selling himself and a product to total strangers.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 5: Direct Marketing the Product Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Selling the product in stores wouldn't work. It's too expensive, says Ernesto, and people would usually opt for something cheaper. The best way to sell the product? Direct network marketing. Person to person, referral sales. It's the key to... Continue Reading Posted at 5:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 6: They'll Buy...Eventually Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Ernesto told me that they usually have a 90% closing ratio when they do a home product demonstration. They other 10% that don't buy? "They'll buy eventually," said Ernesto. "They may need to wait a week or two to get... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 7: Quote "A Study" Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Ever notice how the mention of "a study" in any kind of sales presentation automatically lends tons of credence to whatever it is being sold? "Studies show" eggs are bad for you? We invet Egg Beaters. "Studies show" that aliens... Continue Reading Posted at 5:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 8: I Might Change This Part of the Presentation... Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 It was part of Janel's presentation that revolved around the unsafe features of the standard Teflon coated pans that most of us have cooked with for years. In an effort to punctuate her point, she told us that "Teflon was... Continue Reading Posted at 4:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 9: Relating Your Product to Bigger Issues Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Part of the sales discussion from Janel and Ernesto Garcia revolved around all of the benefits their cookware could give us. They tied the cookware to health ("the way our pots and pans cook food keep more of the vitamins... Continue Reading Posted at 4:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 10: The Demo is Key Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 I asked Ernesto Garcia how important the live cooking demonstration is in their business. "Oh, it's the key to the whole thing," said Ernesto. He went on to say that its the only way to adequately show a customer... Continue Reading Posted at 4:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Part 11: Want to Make This Your Opportunity to Run Your Own Business? Dan Tudor April 15, 2006 Overall, Janel and Ernesto Garcia seem to really enjoy what they do. They get to work together as a couple, and enjoy a lot of variety in their day...from administrative time, training, traveling, and demonstrating their product. We ended up... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr13	No Bones About It...There's a Market for Anything, and Everything Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 How much do you think you could sell a skeleton of a canine dog knee for? Try $76. I was amazed. I was also surprised at what you can sell a partial possum skeleton for...and, that there's a market... Continue Reading Posted at 12:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Sales Professionals Should Blog Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 As a sales professional in your industry (whatever that industry is), it seems clear that you should have a blog. It will help you define your sales message, and it's great self-promotion. Marshall Sponder at WebMetricsGuru backs up my line... Continue Reading Posted at 12:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Google Offers Cool Tool for Sales Professionals Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 Google launched its new calendar feature yesterday, and its getting rave reviews over at TechCrunch. The reason a sales professional would want to use the Google calendar function? It's simple. It's clean. It can interface with other applications, and it... Continue Reading Posted at 12:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Better to Lose the Deal Sometimes? Dan Tudor April 13, 2006 Sometimes, sales professionals fret way to much about losing an order or deal to a competitor that's offering something similar for less. In truth, losing a deal to a lower cost competitor can sometimes be more valuable to you in the... Continue Reading Posted at 11:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr12	Getting Top Dollar Dan Tudor April 12, 2006 Ron over at Buzzoodle writes an encouraging post for all of you sales professionals who aspire to sell your product or services at top dollar. His consulting company is busy, and enjoying success, according to his most recent post. They recently... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr11	Business Lessons From Evil Overlords Dan Tudor April 11, 2006 There are some actual lessons smart business people can take away from this hilarious list of 100 things you might want to consider if you want to become a successful evil overlord. My favorites (which have strong business applications,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What If Commercials Like This Actually Ran? Dan Tudor April 11, 2006 Putting your political leanings and environmental views aside for a moment, view this commercial for exactly what it is: Humor. Now, ask yourself: What if commercials like this actually ran? Wouldn't they be more attention getting? Wouldn't they deliver... Continue Reading Posted at 3:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr10	Success! This Makes My Day Dan Tudor April 10, 2006 I've blogged for a few weeks now on a cool new sales technology that I'm using, and now helping to distribute. Today, I got an e-mail from Russ Franklin in Florida, who wrote me that the video e-mail he put... Continue Reading Posted at 9:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	TV: The Sales Killer Dan Tudor April 10, 2006 Saw a friend of mine today (we'll call him Jeff for this discussion) who was really struggling in his sales career. He hadn't hit his target in a long, long time and was afraid he would get fired at... Continue Reading Posted at 8:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hilton's Bed Dan Tudor April 10, 2006 I first slept on Hilton's "Suite Dreams Serta Mattress" on a business trip to Dallas. I came home and proclaimed it to be the best mattress I had ever slept on. Ever. It was incredible. This past weekend, I stayed at... Continue Reading Posted at 1:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 8	Cookies! Dan Tudor April 8, 2006 I had a quick business trip yesterday, and stayed at a DoubleTree Hotel. While I was waiting for my room key, I noticed two other guests finish their check in. As soon as they were handed their key, they were... Continue Reading Posted at 6:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Would Your Sales Strategy Be? Dan Tudor April 8, 2006 For sale in California, near (but not on) the coast of the Pacific. Two bedroom, one bath...and it can all be yours for $529,000.00. Yes, I placed the comma and the decimal in the right place. The pitch is,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 6	Measuring Sales Statistics Dan Tudor April 6, 2006 Today on the Seth Godin Post Game Show: Measuring stuff. Statistics, revenue, lead conversion, time in the field, call-to-conversion ratios...if there's a measurement to be had, some micro-managing sales boss has invented it and is using it. Seth Godin points... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	KISS - "Keep It Simple, Salesperson" Dan Tudor April 6, 2006 With all the advice out there on everything you should and shouldn't be doing, it's always good to be reminded to keep it simple. Here's a great reminder of that very thing from SalesTeamTools. Thanks, guys.... Continue Reading Posted at 4:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Get Creative Using Video Dan Tudor April 6, 2006 There's no doubt in my mind that video on the web is not only become more commonplace, it will soon be the preferred method of communication professionally. I blogged about a really cool video e-mail service that is improving my... Continue Reading Posted at 4:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 5	The Hardest Thing in Sales Dan Tudor April 5, 2006 Seth Godin Post Game Show for April 5, 2006: Great question from The Great One today, which is, "what's the hardest thing in your business?" My blogging "business" revolves around the world of sales, so let me address the question... Continue Reading Posted at 4:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	If You Believe It, Sell It...And Sell It Hard Dan Tudor April 5, 2006 You probably know the name Estee Lauder. If you use make-up, or are married to someone who does, it's a household name. One of the biggest brand names in cosmetics in the world. But it wasn't always that way. Here's... Continue Reading Posted at 11:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 4	The Easiest Way to Sell... Dan Tudor April 4, 2006 ...is to offer something great, have it benefit a wonderful cause, have it give a lot of value to the buyer, and make it viral. Oh, and get Seth Godin behind it. I'll echo Marshall's "hip hip hooray" as we... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Being Original Dan Tudor April 4, 2006 Don't you love it when a big company acts like a small company? Why don't more companies, and more sales professionals, make their customers laugh? Why don't they have fun and interact with us? Let me ask you a question: As... Continue Reading Posted at 10:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How To Hear "No" Dan Tudor April 4, 2006 Author Jeffrey Gitomer passed along a real gem today in his weekly newsletter: When you hear a customer say "no", you should treat that as a "not yet". Wow! For me, that was powerful. Doesn't that change the way you look... Continue Reading Posted at 10:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 3	Is That It? Dan Tudor April 3, 2006 I love Nissans. Let me just say that at the outset of this little rant. My wife drives a Nissan Quest. Its in great shape after five years, so we keep on driving it. Today, I got this letter in... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 2	Selling Air Dan Tudor April 2, 2006 Air America, that is. It's the liberal talk format that just celebrated its second anniversary on the air. But its ratings are down, it's deep in debt, and can't seem to get traction. From a sales standpoint, I ask you... Continue Reading Posted at 11:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Moment of Self-Indulgence Dan Tudor April 2, 2006 A quick time-out from my regular blogging to point you to this article in the April 2006 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine. It's a feature on four "up and coming" advertising franchise concepts available today, one of which being a company... Continue Reading Posted at 11:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Don't You Have a Book Out Yet? Dan Tudor April 2, 2006 That seems like a strange question to ask the average sales professional, I know. But I'm serious: Why haven't you published a book yet? I'm getting ready to publish a speciality sales book. I found out about LuLu.com. They'll publish... Continue Reading Posted at 11:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 1	So What Do YOU Do With Your Sales Leads? Dan Tudor April 1, 2006 I'm blogging over at TopLeadGenerators about this subject now, and I'm finding some really interesting posts and thoughts on the topic of sales leads. My latest question: What do you do with your sales leads? Getting them is one thing,... Continue Reading Posted at 10:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Demotivation of Money Dan Tudor April 1, 2006 It's an interesting idea shared by Seth Godin today: Money, it's been shown time and time again, is a demotivator. I'm not talking about a fair or even generous salary. Being a cheapskate is no way to find a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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