Most salespeople have to travel. We’ve seen some of the worst and some of the best while we’ve been on the road. I was reading USA Today the other day and I thought of all of you – my fellow road warriors. The article – part of the regular feature on Business Travel – that piqued my interest talked about the things we’ve lost as hotels “upgrade.” Here are a few of the things I miss. Some you may remember…some you may not…

Brass Room Keys – Now we get high-tech swipe keys that only work when they’re at the held at the right angle and move at the right speed. I guess it’s cheaper when we forget to turn in the plastic key than the heavy, brass ones.

I don’t know about you, but it’s awfully nice when putting my shoes on isn’t a wrestling match. Before hotels got rid of shoehorns, I could just slip on my loafers with ease.

Windows that open – Industry experts say that the problem here is liability. If a person can open a window, that means he can also fall out of it. Seal ‘em up and save a buck. I guess it probably lowers heating/air-conditioning costs, too.

Customer Service – My good friend Steve McCreedy talked about a tough time he had the other day when he was on the road. I can understand a company that saves money by getting rid of things like wake-up calls and brass keys, but never, ever, ever give up customer service. It’s really the only thing that matters.

Submitted by:

No Comments »

Learn how to use these tips to help manage your time more effectively.

Click the green play button above to play the audio

This and other podcasts are available to download at itunes to help your selling career. If you have never used itunes and need help to download and install it click here for a tutorial.

You can click the “itunes” chicklett on the sidebar to take you directly to our podcast site.

1 Comment »

No Comments »

Mark Halperin and John Harris’ new book The Way to Win is a book about politics. It has some important lessons for salespeople, though. Halperin and Harris talk about the Clintons and the Bushes – two families that have dominated the US political scene for the past two decades or so. Basically, they offer voters (buyers) two philosophies (products).

That means that winning a presidential election is a lot like making a big sale. It requires differentiating a product in a crowded marketplace. How does one party make themselves stand out against the competition? Unfortunately, in a lot of cases it turns into mudslinging, badmouthing or bashing. Isn’t that what turns off a lot of voters? There’s a pretty good chance that salespeople who do it probably turn off their prospects, too.

I think this is a pretty interesting comparison. I’ll look forward to reading what you all have to say about it. Don’t forget to comment. It’s easy to do and I’ll read everything you say and do my best to respond.

Submitted by:

No Comments »

Would you pay $3,950 for a cat? You might if you’re allergic to them.

Photo by koolpaw

Allerca in San Diego has bred cats that humans aren’t allergic to. People aren’t allergic to cat hair or cat dander, they’re actually allergic to cat saliva. When cats lick themselves, the saliva dries and forms a powdery dust that irritates some people.

Apparently, this company discovered that 1 out of every 50,000 cats doesn’t produce the glycoprotein Fel d1 that causes the problems. The company began breeding these cats and they’re selling all they can for almost $4000! That just goes to show you that if you’ve got the right solution for the right person at the right time…you can charge almost anything you want for what you sell.

Submitted by:

No Comments »