Ring, Ring! “Good afternoon, Affordable Insurance. May I help you?” “Hello, this is Joe Schmo from Joe Schmo Consulting Firm. Is this a good time to talk?” “Yes.” “With whom may I ask I am speaking?” “Mike.” “I am an expert in the web design field. You might have seen some of my work: xyz.com,…
Those of us who follow tech companies like others follow sports heard the news that Google darling and employee number 20, Marissa Mayer, exercised her free-agent option and is now playing the CEO position for Team Yahoo. Once an industry leader, Yahoo has lost its way the past decade, and many are saying that Mayer…
If you’re a freelancer, independent contractor, or own a service business, sooner or later you may find it necessary to make cold calls. The debate over whether or not cold-calling is an effective way to obtain new customers continues to be debated online. Many of those proclaiming its demise seem to have an agenda—to sell you their particular…
If you missed the live webinar based on my free guide, 27.5 Must Ask Questions for Consultative Selling, you can watch it here. We had a great time. Check it out! And don’t forget to check out the other great webinars on FreeWebinarWednesdays, held every Wednesday at 1 pm Eastern. If you still haven’t got a hold of…
Let’s face it—some people are just bullies. Maybe it’s because none of the other kids on the playground were big enough to stand up to them. Or perhaps their mom and dad took Dr. Spock’s permissive parenting advice to heart. Some people never really grow up. Instead, they learn just enough manners to get by…
In my last article, Act Like a Salesperson and Sell Something Already, I quoted legendary consultant and author Peter Ducker: Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two—and only two—basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Let’s talk about each…
In my last article, I talked about five reasons why you lose a sale. Each of those can be avoided by asking a few simple questions. But these last three reasons are a bit more complex. For starters, what do you do if the prospect refuses to answer your questions? Read more at SitePoint >>…
They say there are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. If you’ve ever lost a big sale and wondered, “What happened?” then, in no particular order, here are the top five reasons why. Read more at SitePoint >>…
Once you decided to freelance or start a web business, you gained a new job description: Business Owner. So what’s the purpose of this enterprise you’ve undertaken? Most people think it’s “to make money”—but that’s not a purpose, it’s a result. According to the renowned Peter Drucker, the purpose of business is “to create a…
When I was 14 years old, when the Internet was still ARPANET and “Amazon” was a female warrior from Greek mythology, I discovered science fiction. Satisfying my craving for new and exciting stories each week meant riding my bike to the nearest bookstore, which was just over three miles away, but felt more like ten.…