Tina Phillips

The STORY:
“The one thing I’ve seen with salespeople in the last 10 years is that they sure don’t know anything about getting out there and prospecting. Why, I remember,” continued George, a salesperson in the company for the last 25 years and a month from retiring, “that we used to have our good customers coming in here all the time. Now,” he exclaimed, spreading his arms wide, “if you see one in here a day, it’s an avalanche.”

The STORY:

“Tim,” responded Marybeth, “I absolutely love that china cabinet. Is there any chance you have it in a honey stained, clear wood grain?”

“Not sure,” replied Tim. “What is it about that china cabinet . . . “

Starting off the day is tough when our most annoying client calls in with the usual simple problem that he is over-reacting to. We sigh and answer the phone - all while making the facial gestures of a person eating oysters for the first time in their life.

People sometimes ask me whether there is a single, simple principle that will help everyone in the organization to learn and grow and improve over time, regardless of an individual’s position or level of experience. There is. But it may come as a surprise to you: embracing failure and embracing it quickly.

Eliza, a new sales hire, had posted an abysmally low closing ratio in her first 60 days on the job. She was spending most of her time with prospects who ended up picking her brain for advice and information . . . and then disappearing. Frank, her manager, asked her during a coaching session why she thought that was happening.

The STORY:
“If I heard you correctly, Linda,” stated Melinda, “you never change vendors in the middle of a financial year. What do you mean by “never”?

The STORY:

“I appreciate what you’re saying,” said Melinda to Paul, a new prospect being met for the first time in his office. “There’s one spot earlier you focused on that’s just a bit . . . well . . . unclear to me.”

“What was that?” he asked.

You’ve heard the old saying, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity…” but how often are you preparing for or thinking about adding value to a client relationship?

During one of their coaching sessions, Jason asked his manager Ellen if she could think of one area he could work on over the next 30 days that would result in a dramatic and rapid improvement of his closing numbers. He was surprised at how quickly she answered.

The STORY:
“Mark,” called out Jason from the parking lot, just as Mark was about to push open the door to the sales office. Jason trotted over to catch up.