Articles By Steve Waterhouse

Sales, Marketing Link Broken at Most Companies - Study showing problem between sales and marketing deparments.

How to Attract and Hire the Best…Every Time - you can download this imporatant article here. It is imporatant reading for anyone who is planning to hire a new employee.

70 Feet down and sinking fast!... | Leaving your comfort zone
Saturday afternoon I was scuba diving off of West Palm Beach, Florida (in front of Donald Trumps new place with the 8,000 square foot living room). The seas were a little rough but otherwise life on the boat “The Wetter, The Better” was pretty good. The first dive after lunch was supposed to be a drift dive into 70 feet of water. That’s deeper than I had ever been before, but I had a good team with me so I was ready. After we all entered the water and signaled OK, we all started down.

A plane guy walks into a car company… | Crossing industries
Ok, it’s a bad start to a joke, but Ford’s hiring of a Boeing executive as CEO is representative of one of the biggest problems facing sales professionals today. There was a time when senior management was comprised of people who had grown up in that business and had a deep understanding and love of it. Those people were wowed by your latest widget or version and instantly saw the value you brought to their company.

Are you invincible? | Listen to the right voices
My friends Pam and Steve are incurable Philadelphia Eagles fans. That’s how I found myself at the movies on Saturday watching “Invincible”. It’s the story of Vince Patelle, a working stiff from South Philly who answered an open call for players and ended up playing for the Eagles.

I’m losing touch quickly… | Communicate like the client
A recent study showed that IM'ing or Instant Messaging is now five times more popular with young people than E-Mail! Man am I out of it. I was one of the first to use E-mail back when it was a secret military communications tool. Now I risk being out of touch with my own kids.

Million dollar mistake? | Our clients look to us for more than just information
I just watched a ridiculous TV show. Well, it might not be ridiculous if you like to see examples of very poor sales skills. In this ‘reality show’ called “Million Dollar Listing”, real estate agents try to get big listings in Malibu, CA and then attempt to sell the houses.

The UPS slip was stuck to the door… | You are auditioning with every customer contact
There is nothing more frustrating than coming home to find that you have missed an important delivery. Ok, there is one thing more frustrating…BEING HOME and finding that you missed the driver and the delivery is your new laptop!

You have to trim if you want to grow… | To get to the top leave something behind
It cooled down a little this evening (under 90!) so Gina and I spent a few minutes trimming the bushes and palm trees in the front of the house. It’s amazing how cutting back a few branches can make the rest of the plant grow healthier. The plan refocuses its attention on the remaining parts and within days you see the difference.

1.65 Billion Dollars! | Overcoming price objections
For those of you who have a tough time quoting your list price to your customers because you are afraid of what they might say, try this exercise: Ask someone for $1.65B and try not to choke!

They won’t tell me anything | Why we need to ask questions
I spent two days with a great new client this week. These were bright people who knew their product cold but wanted to increase their closing ratio. As a result, they asked me to help them with their sales presentations. Smart move! The presentation is where the rubber meets the road in sales and a small improvement can yield significant results.

We have it all backwards | How to hire better
Yesterday I was working with a client who needed to hire a few new sales people. He had asked me to help him since he was not pleased with the results of he previous searches. I asked, “Bob, what is your current process?” and here is what he said:

Stop Throwing Cans! | What your tech can teach you
Tim was dumbfounded at their request… Two months ago, I had the pleasure of working with the technical training group for one of my clients. You know these guys. They are the techies who teach your customers how to use the software and operate the equipment we sell. They often come along on demos just to make sure we don’t make total fools of ourselves. Unfortunately, too often we fear that they will stray from their role and start talking. Who knows what will happen then!

Does anyone want my business? | Serve your customers well
This should have been simple. I had a 12 hour round-trip drive coming up and I thought I should get an oil change first. The car was over due and I felt it was really important to get it done before I left. So Friday morning I drove over to the local Jiffy Lube figuring they could do it quickly (You know, in a jiffy!). Maybe not. As a drove up, I saw that each of the three bays was completely empty and the four guys inside were just leaning against their tool boxes.

She stared at the glass and froze… | Products vs. Services
I love it when companies grow, merge and change. It makes wonderful opportunities for the sales people involved. One of my newer clients has just gone thorough a buying binge and acquired a host of smaller companies that all offer related products and services. I had the privilege of working with the newly formed sales force which was comprised of seasoned pros from all of the new companies. Each one was an expert in selling their particular offering.

Playing Your Role In Team Selling | Maximize everyone!
I just had a conversation with a very good client on the roles of non-sales people in the field. Specifically, he was asking what non-sales people should do on client visits to go beyond simply fixing a specific problem or answering questions and become a valuable part of their company’s strategic team.

Selling success is in the punctuation mark | The power of questions
Last night, on the way home from watching the Blue Angels perform at Jacksonville Beach (by the way, they give new meaning to team work!), we stopped with friends for dinner. I was tired and was more focused on our conversation than on the menu when the waiter asked me what I wanted for dinner. As I have done a million times, I ask, “What’s good here?” Now, typically, I get one of two answers. Either they say, “Everything”, which is the dumbest answer in the world, or they tell me about their favorite dish. This guy was different.

I used to do sales, then it got too tough… | Better leads = more sales
What makes sales so difficult for some people and so much easier for others? Why do some companies thrive and others fail to catch on, even when they have a great concept? What is the secret to success in sales? Obviously, there are many answers to these questions, but I have discovered one that makes sales easier for almost everyone.

A Broken Window for IBM | No-fault, just fix it
It was 7 am when I opened my office door and saw my boss sitting at my desk. He had just two words for me…

A leaf of lettuce on her head saved the sale! | No kidding!!!
One of my past coaching clients wrote to tell me about one of her worst business lunches ever. I love this story because it has happened to all of us in some way. I also like it because Wendy has the ability to step aside and see her own actions and learn from them. That's a skill we can all stand to improve.

The most dangerous letters in sales are RFP | Respond, and you lose
One of my clients emailed me an RFP (request for proposal) that they received yesterday. It came from a company who had never done business with them and who they had never even called on. They know my rule. RFP means one of two things. It's either ‘Real Fools Participate' or ‘Request For Probing'.

What do you want it to do? | That's consultative selling
My wife and I stopped into a car dealership last night to look at cars. We were met by Robert who asked politely if he could help us. After we convinced him that we had no idea what we were looking for and just wanted to wander the lot, he told us to take our time and left us alone. Mistakenly, I thought I had shaken him.

Top 10 Travelers Tips for a Happy Family | Secrets that make a difference for my family
As an international speaker and consultant, I cover the world from Sydney to Dubai . Here are 10 secrets that have made the difference for me and my family. Send postcards from everywhere. It makes younger children look forward to your next trip and reminds your spouse that you are thinking of him or her.

The Hidden Buyer | How to protect yourself against the unseen enemy
The meeting ended with smiles and handshakes but the next day you learned the truth. You had lost the deal. What went wrong?

I'll take it | Cutting prices can lose business
"If you can do it for $12, you can have the business." With his next three words, Bill lost thousands of dollars of business. He said, "I’ll take it!"

Value Selling | How to create business when the PO's all dry up
If you have not experienced a drop in sales recently, you might choose to skip this issue. On the other hand, if you miss it, you just might find yourself competing with those who learned this technique.

Getting Beyond the Buyer! | True decision makers live to solve problems
One of the most common questions I receive from my clients and those I coach is, "how do I get past the buyer to the real decision maker". This is clearly one of the most important questions for any sales professional to answer because so much rests on reaching the real economic buyer. Only the true decision maker can understand the total value that your offering brings to their company.

How to Succeed in a Tight Economy | it's the company that makes the difference
It's not the economy; it's the company that makes the difference. Last year I was reminded of an important truth: there is always someone who knows how to make a profit in any given economic condition.

Prospecting in a Soft Market | Turn your sales team into a business generating machine
Yesterday, I worked with a group of wonderful sales people who sell for one of the leading companies in their industry. You would all recognize the brand. They were complaining (only a little) that the market was soft and that it was affecting their business. I asked them two questions.

Tips for Team Meeting Success | Improve your odds of success
This month's tips are on TEAM SELLING meetings. Here are 7 tips that will greatly improve your odds of success when selling in a team. If you already know these techniques, forward this message to your team members so everyone is up to speed.

Do Your People Get the Big Picture? | Sales people are the front end of many businesses
Sales people are the front end of many businesses. For many companies, they are the most influential person in the client relationship. For this reason, if for no other, it is critical that sales people know, understand, believe and support the company's goals and objectives. They should have internalized the company spirit so that it comes across to the customer.

Assume the Best | Watch the difference it makes
Much of the friction between members of a selling team comes from unspoken expectations left unmet. The sales manager expects the report to be in by Monday or the marketing department expects the leads to be followed up within the month. When expectations are not met, we may begin to devalue the effort made by the offending person.

The Turkish Rug Sales Team | Learn from the real pros in this world
I just returned from speaking in Istanbul, Turkey where I bought, no, I was sold, a rug and in the process learned that real selling, and especially Team Selling, is alive and well.

Fire Bad Clients? | We can't focus on the winners until we shed the losers
Do you know what makes a good customer for your company? I'll bet you do. You know whether your company is better with the Fortune 500 or the Inc. 500. You know what product lines your operations service best and where the quality is the highest.

Technology Check List for Meeting Planners | Assume you will need it
Ask your speakers this important question, "If the entire projection system fails and you still have to go on, can you do your program?" The answer must be, "Yes, I'm prepared!"

Total Alignment Process | Getting Your Company In Alignment
Many companies fail to meet stated goals, or fail entirely, because communications and procedures unintentionally do not support their mission. Here's how smart companies can streamline their efforts, intentionally aligning them directly behind the CEO's directives.

Roman or Norman - A Customer Service Story | A Partner Or An Invader?
Roman Or Norman? It's The Difference Between Being Seen As A Partner Or An Invader. With all of the discussion in recent years about the importance of understanding our customer's needs, it's a valuable exercise to try to see ourselves as we might be perceived by our customers.

Change Takes Time | Build a reinforcement regiment
I am writing this at the Philadelphia Airport on my way back from meeting with one of my clients. Three weeks ago, we offered a training program for their staff in basic selling skills. She reported that they saw an immediate increase in sales after the program. Since these are all telemarketers, she listened in on their calls to see what had changed.