“ Good judgment comes from experience.  Experience comes from bad judgment.”

Will Rogers   (1879-1935)  American Humorist

Revisiting “Feel,  Felt, Found”

“Feel, Felt, Found” is a well-known  technique for responding to customer objections.  However, Veteran Vistage Speaker Chuck Reaves opines that “Techniques do not work in sales” because most professional buyers have heard these techniques before and know what to do with them. And, he says, most buyers are better at buying than salespeople are at selling. Reaves then explains a way to make this tool work for you. Click here for his advice.   One aspect of his opinions I would disagree with: he states that “Business decisions are based upon facts, not feelings.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In his book “How We Decide” Jonah Lehrer points out the overwhelming psychological research that confirms what Zig Ziglar said, “Logic makes people think; emotions make them act.” In fact, people without a connection between the emotional part of their brain and the logical, thinking part of their brain are almost pathologically indecisive.  Still, if you follow Chuck’s advice, 1) to validate the customer’s position, 2) show inclusion, and 3) show an alternative reality that overcomes the initial objection, you will have a new way of using “Feel, Felt, Found” that may sound less sounding trite and scripted.  If you have a competitive offering that meets the customer’s need, you might just make that sale.

The 20 minute business model

Most people have heard the term “business model” but many have never tried to design one. If you’d like a quick tutorial, check out this brief article that shares a quick and maybe not so dirty way to flesh out the business model that may help you take your company in a new direction.

Econ Recon:  Four Real Threats to Prosperity

Four Threat to Prosperity:  Good news doesn’t sell. Bad news does. As a result, the media influences our beliefs about the economy in disproportionate ways .  The Gulf Oil Spill, the Dubai crisis, Foreclosure and the long playing frenzy in Europe were all supposed to portend a double dip recession which has been forecast and re-forecast for the past three and a half years.

But if  these events can’t produce a recession what can?  Economist Brian Wesbury looks at four fundamental forces that don’t get the press of the above threats but which are much more likely to be the proximate causes of the recession when it does arrive.   Check out his latest Wesbury 101 video for a six minute overview of  “The Four Threats to Prosperity.”

Why it’s never just “one to one.”

You can’t do business without dealing with people “one to one.”  It was recently pointed out to me that we can easily forget a very important fact about every person we deal with – how they relate to us can be based as much upon how they were treated by those who came before us as by how we treat them.  If we kept this constantly in mind, it could enhance our interactions immeasurably.  Master marketer Seth Godin explains this for you in three short paragraphs.  Check it out.

A Little Fun:  “Proof that Cats are Better than Dogs”

Some people are dog people…..some people are cat people….here’s a humorous look at why the cat people feel the way they do.  I’m sure a response from the dog people can’t be far behind!!

Have a great day!