#2 in a series: From “Love and Selling”: In business, love is often thicker than water. When customers love their sellers, personal loyalty often trumps loyalty to a product or service. They justify emotional decisions with logic and data. They even put vendors through empty RFP processes where the decision has already been made . […]
Author Archives: Dan Smaida
Love and Selling, Relationships Sales, Sales Relationships, Selling Tips
The World’s Most Underrated Sales Expert
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Mar
Mar
The World’s Most Underrated Sales Expert | Dan Smaida | Pulse | LinkedIn Here’s an excerpt from my book “Love and Selling” and a topic I’m passionate about – how to make relationships work better in sales. In the book, I go deeper into how to apply Chapman’s work to your own selling…and all your […]
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Mar
Mar
In honor of International Women’s Day, let’s take 500 words or so to look more closely at a commonly-held belief about gender differences in selling… Over the years, I’ve been in a dozens of sales workshops when a discussion of gender breaks out, most often on the topic of listening. The prevailing view, in my […]
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Mar
Mar
The other day I found myself in an elevator with a prospect I’ve been trying to meet for some time now. As the door closed, I realized I only had moments – five floors’ worth – to make an impression. So I did what we’ve all been taught to do as sellers: I pitched her. […]
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Feb
Feb
Hold on – I didn’t mean it THAT way! Here’s what the almighty Google says I mean by “intimacy”: Close familiarity or friendship Closeness Select synonyms: closeness, togetherness, affinity, rapport, attachment, familiarity, friendliness, friendship, warmth, confidence – Yes, there are other definitions, but we’ll stop there – this is LinkedIn, not Facebook! Sales Relationship Checklist […]
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Jan
Jan
Dan Smaida – Wednesday, January 04, 2017 A short time ago, the senior leadership team of one of my clients got together and processed McKinsey’s Ten Timeless Tests of Strategy (a recommended read for anyone in a strategy development role). While tests are focused on overall business strategy, there’s a strong application for sales leaders […]
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Dec
Dec
At this time of year, it’s only natural that our thoughts turn to stuffing: My mom makes killer stuffing, with the cranberries and everything. (Mmmm, stuffing.) Santa and helpers around the world are preparing to do a little stocking stuffing. Sellers everywhere are busily stuffing the channel in the hope that St. BigBonus soon will be here. […]
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Dec
Dec
Dan Smaida – Wednesday, December 07, 2016 Over the last several years, I’ve watched (and tried to help) literally thousands of salespeople in multiple industries attempt the transformation to enterprise selling. And in many cases, I’ve seen good sellers fail to make the leap. Why? Because the day-to-day reality of the enterprise seller is much […]
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Nov
Dan Smaida – Wednesday, November 21, 2016 Have you ever found yourself or your sellers using questions like these? “If you were to implement this solution, what would the benefits be?” “What will the implications be if you don’t do something about the problem?” “If I can show you a way to meet your needs […]
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Nov
Nov
Dan Smaida – Wednesday, November 23, 2016 Yesterday my son spoke at church, and I had the presence of mind to videotape it (through tears of pride and joy, of course). He did a good job, but not the A+ work he was capable of. So later that day, I played him the video. He […]