Don’t Bother Making Your Case
The best way to make our case is, oddly, not to make our case. In leading, selling, and influencing, our first temptation is often to …
Sales and Influence
The Natural Flow Toward Agreement
There is a natural flow of any leadership, sales, or influencing conversation toward agreement. And we can either go with that flow or against it. …
The Oddest Career and Marketing Secret
The secret is that the people we can help the most and best are the ones who struggle with the same things we struggle with. …
How to Argue or Negotiate by Listening
In an argument or negotiation, we often resist hearing the other person’s point of view. We are too busy formulating our responses. And we fear …
No Need for Big Messages or Profound Arguments
When we have something important to say–when we want to convince someone of something–we may be tempted to make our messages big and our arguments …
Expect Big Picture End Results
Yes, expect more. But what we expect matters. If we expect specifics–especially what a specific person or situation could or should give us–we will have …
Turn the Camera
Most organizations spend untold time and money explaining what they (and their products and services) do and why they are so good. Look at their …
Cast A Narrow Net
We may think that casting a wide net is best. That is, we look for jobs, clients, employees, markets, and other opportunities in as many …
Superlatives Can’t Replace Honest & Effective
Unique! Unparalleled! Exceptional! New! Improved! Unprecedented! Award-winning! Powerful! When marketing (internally to the team or externally to clients and partners), we must not fall into …
The Leadership, Sales, and Influence Instinct
Helping others win is an instinct we all possess. Deep down, we always feel the impulse to help and be helped. But that impulse gets …