Can You Really “Build Walls” Around Your Customers?

#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 . […]

The World’s Most Underrated Sales Expert

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 […]

Why Women are Better at Listening in Sales

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 […]

Make 2017 the Year of Intimacy

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 […]

Five Tests of Your 2017 Sales Strategy

Five Sales Strategy

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 […]

How Would Santa Close the Year?

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. […]

Are You Ready for Enterprise Selling?

Enterprise Selling

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 […]