I had been consulting for a reprographics company. I worked with the CEO for 3½ years. We became friends and I his confidant, Sales Guru and confessor. We put several new systems in place such as monthly forecast & review meetings with sales and ops teams, yearly kickoffs, regular perfor-mance reviews, in addition to coaching and training sessions. Gross and net sales soared-up by an average of 8% each year.

One of the best ways to promote your product or service and expand your customer base is also one of the least expensive. Interested? It is effective public speaking. However, speaking before groups has been identified as one of our three greatest fears-the others being heights and snakes.

How to sell in a seller’s market? One might think, “Easy. Manifest Destiny. Just go for all you can get.”

You’ve been counting the days until Christmas. The market has turned-and it’s too bad that buyers are getting coal in their stockings. Deal with it! After all, you did when the tables were turned the last year or two. Right?

We all know that “people buy people.” The quality of the relationship you have with your customers is the #1 differentiator in customer creation, cultivation and retention-given you’re price-competitive and provide quality products and services. This doesn’t mean we have to be best friends either-just that you establish relationships with your buyers built on trust, reliability, integrity, maturity and ethics.

I sold for a Fortune 500 technology company for 17 years. Many times I sat in sales meetings where management exhorted the troops-using fear and reward-more often the former. I’d walk away thinking, “Most of these guys are empty suits-Corporate MBAs who’ve never sold a thing in their life.” They could ID problems but offered no solutions. Then it dawned on me: I’m the solution! I’m the answer! If it is to be it is up to me!