Never, Ever Have a Plan B

 Never have a back-up plan! Although on the surface this seems counter intuitive, having a Plan B sucks valuable time, energy, and resources from your ultimate goal, Plan A, thereby making it less likely that your original goals and intentions will come to fruition. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison   You flip a switch. A light goes on. The room is illuminated.   So what? How many times a day do you do this?   Well, it wasn’t always so easy.   Just 150 years ago, lighting was dangerous. People used gas lamps or candles to brighten the night. Most had open flames. Plenty of homes and buildings burned to the ground ... often with their occupants inside.   Thomas A. Edison changed everything.   His 1880 patent filing for an incandescent … [Read more...]

It's perfectly OK to fire a prospect! The most precious commodity you have as a sales professional is time and you should be extremely selective with who and what you spend it on. With that in mind, it's OK to tell a prospect, "No thanks, I don't want your business. You know it’s close. Oh, so close. You can feel it.This time, you’ll finally get the sale from this prospect you’ve pursued for ... well … it kind of feels like forever.And then … another objection. Another delay. Another request for more information.In the ever-challenging world of sales, we’ve all had prospects like this. You meet with (or call) them numerous times. You provide reams of documentation. You display patience far beyond that of ordinary mortals, all while plastering an ever-harder-to-maintain smile on your … [Read more...]

“The only thing you've got in this world is what you can sell.” – Charley, in “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller As challenging as sales can be, no one should wind up like poor Willy Loman. The main character in “Death of a Salesman” ends up beaten down – and ultimately dead – from his decades-ago mistake of choosing sales as a career. Willy went into sales for all the wrong reasons. Portraying the destructive effects the decision has on his family, Arthur Miller painted a dark, tragic tale of misguided ambition that has resonated throughout American literature, theater and film. Willy Loman never figured out the “why” of his chosen profession. He paid dearly. No, sales isn’t for everybody. Figure out your “why,” though, and sales can be a highly-lucrative, … [Read more...]

The way you hear some people talk about how difficult the sales profession is, you'd think they were trying to cure cancer or something. If you want to turbocharge your career, you need to tune into WIFM: What's In it For Me? Since people are driven by self-interest and self-preservation, the sooner you can stop selling and start giving, the sooner you will be at the pinnacle of your career. Have you ever tuned into the world’s oldest radio station? If not, you should. It’s critical to your sales success. Really, it’s key to success in dealing with people everywhere, no matter who they are. You’ll find this magic network at WIFM. Look it up. Tune in. Prepare to be catapulted to prosperity beyond your wildest dreams. Although it’s not a radio station, per se, WIFM is an … [Read more...]

Take some valuable sales and strategy lessons from the popular Netflix program House of Cards you look to grow your bottom line. The lead character, Frank Underwood, provides us with some unique insight on what we should be thinking about and doing as we try to take our sales career to the next level. Frank Underwood had it right … to a certain extent. As lead character in the recently-completed Netflix series “House of Cards,” the ruthless politician devised a plan, carried it through, and wound up on top. The top, in this case, was the presidency. It wasn’t Frank’s original goal. He was a South Carolina congressman who (in his mind) was dealt the ultimate betrayal, by the sitting President, in the very first episode of the six-season show. Frank was mad, to say the least. … [Read more...]

The Cold Call Coach is proud to announce the launch of our new YouTube Channel! Check it out and subscribe today for regular updates on cold call tips and effective sales strategy. The Cold Call Coach is proud to announce the launch of our new YouTube Channel! To meet the demands for our services, we are constantly looking for effective and efficient ways to share our game-changing propriety sales methodologies with professionals in all fields. Check out our channel and subscribe today to receive notifications each time we add new content. Get the competitive advantage you crave by visiting us today at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNodYNfXN0B67A66rQP9dw … [Read more...]

One of the ultimate secrets to sales success is something that everyone is aware of, but very few people know how to execute on: differentiation. With so much competition in your space, how do you sound and act different? What is it that your company offers that no one else does? How do you communicate that message in a clear, concise, articulate manner within a few seconds to stand out from the crowd? … [Read more...]

Cold Call Coach Founder & CEO, Paul M. Neuberger, was profiled in the Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this past weekend. Read his Top 7 Tips to cold call excellence here and learn why his clients are so successful as a result of his proprietary, game-changing training system. Paul Neuberger admits it: He’s a freak. Most salespeople I know at best tolerate the task of making a cold call to someone they haven’t met, and many downright despise or fear it. “I love it,” Neuberger said. So much so, that he started his own consulting company, The Cold Call Coach LLC, in 2015 to help other salespeople maximize their effectiveness. In 2016, Neuberger made a presentation to Tim and Mary Starr, the top executives of The Starr Group, one of the Milwaukee area’s largest independent … [Read more...]

Every now and then, a certain question pops up. “Paul, I know your training on cold calling covers a lot of ground. Break it down for me, will ya? What are your top tips?” Wow. This is like asking a football team to pick its “best” plays from a 5-inch-thick playbook. So much depends on circumstances, and timing … and, frankly, how well you know the playbook. Cold calling is both art and science. Preparation is huge. Practice helps. And, once you overcome initial reluctance and fear, it gets a LOT easier. Some overriding principles apply every time you pick up the phone. Work to pique curiosity. Don’t go overboard with detail. Abandon the idea of “creating rapport” (this person doesn’t know you from Adam). Aim for an appointment, not a sale. Granted, these are all pretty … [Read more...]

“If Relationship George walks through this door, he will kill Independent George. A George divided against itself cannot stand.” -       George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) in “Seinfeld” George Costanza is one of the greatest characters in TV history. An unmistakable gift for hyperbole - of blowing minor events into major crises - was among his funniest, most well-crafted traits. In this classic “Seinfeld” scene, George describes two sides of his personality: Independent George (who his friends know) and Relationship George (who his girlfriend knows). He fears the epic impact of “worlds colliding” should his girlfriend spend time with his friends. Life, as he knows it, will surely end. Of course, any regular “Seinfeld” viewer knows there’s another side to George’s … [Read more...]