Steve Yastrow's Blog http://yastrow.com Author, Speaker, Consultant: Ideas on Creating Profitable Customer Relationships Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:41:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 SteveYastrowhttp://feedburner.google.com How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/cgB3ug0YtLw/ http://yastrow.com/2012/how-to-propel-a-sales-conversation-forward/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:41:29 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2144
  • How to Start a Sales Conversation In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s...
  • The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right...
  • There won’t be a party if it’s not cool In a scene from the movie The Social Network, the story of the early days...
    • ]]>     It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore and Heighten in my series of The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. These habits are about creating mutual agreement and affirmation with your customer … pay attention to them and you will know How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward.

     

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    1. How to Start a Sales Conversation In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s...
    2. The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right...
    3. There won’t be a party if it’s not cool In a scene from the movie The Social Network, the story of the early days...

    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2012/how-to-propel-a-sales-conversation-forward/feed/ 0 http://yastrow.com/2012/how-to-propel-a-sales-conversation-forward/     There won’t be a party if it’s not cool http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/siKuwHH1j1M/ http://yastrow.com/2012/there-wont-be-a-party-if-its-not-cool/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:52:33 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2132
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  • How to Start a Sales Conversation In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s...
  • How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...
    • ]]>     In a scene from the movie The Social Network, the story of the early days of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and his partner Eduardo Saverin are riding in a taxi after their first sushi-restaurant meeting with Napster founder Sean Parker.  Eduardo had been lobbying to sell ads on Facebook, and Mark had been resisting because he thought it was too early. (Facebook had 75,000 members at that point, in 19 colleges.) The issue comes up again during the cab ride, and Mark reminds Eduardo that Parker had said that being “cool” was the best thing Facebook had going for it, and ads could ruin that. Mark then quoted Parker directly:  “Selling ads would be like throwing a party and having it end at 11PM.”

    Eduardo responds that he has to worry about paying for the party, and Mark shoots back this line: “There won’t be a party if it’s not cool.”

    This is a great lesson for ditching the pitch: Don’t turn a genuine encounter into a sales conversation too quickly. Be patient. Earn the trust of the person you are dealing with, and you will earn the right to have your discussion evolve into a sales conversation. And never, ever, let it turn into a sales pitch.

    Imagine being invited to play golf by a friend who sells insurance, and realizing by the 3rd hole that the only reason he invited you was to pitch you life insurance. Imagine talking to a neighbor at your street’s block party, and realizing that his enthusiasm for the conversation is really just eagerness to sell you new siding for your house.  In either case it might be possible to turn you into a customer, but not if they do it too quickly. Once you see the sales pitch coming, you duck.

    In hindsight, it’s interesting to see that Facebook now has many “uncool” things about it that it didn’t have back in its early days – ads, stretching the limits of using member data, open to everyone (not just college students).  Facebook clearly gets away with this – it’s the #2 trafficked website on the Internet (after Google.) But Zuckerberg and Parker were right, the party would have never happened if it hadn’t been cool first.

    Have patience. Let’s the party get going. Relax and have a good time with your customer. You’ll know when it’s time to start selling.

     

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    1. From Not Selling to Selling – The Gentle Turn Do you ever have trouble transitioning a conversation into a sales conversation? Steve’s latest newsletter...
    2. How to Start a Sales Conversation In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s...
    3. How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...

    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2012/there-wont-be-a-party-if-its-not-cool/feed/ 0 http://yastrow.com/2012/there-wont-be-a-party-if-its-not-cool/     Museum of Badvertising: Volkswagen’s weird coda http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/bxvI7OnWyjs/ http://yastrow.com/2012/volkswagens-weird-coda/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:28:39 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2124
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    • ]]>     Have you seen the latest Volkswagen TV ad, focused on safety?

    Little boy buying a bike: Is it fast?

    Older boy selling bike: It’s got 10 speeds, my friend.

     

    Same boy, slightly older, buying a small motorcycle: Is it fast?

    Seller: It’s got a lightning bolt on it, doesn’t it?

     

    Same boy as young man, buying a flashy red car: Is it fast?

    Seller: I’m not even sure if it’s street legal.

     

    Same guy, a bit older, buying a Volkswagen and revealing a baby as he asks: Is it safe?

    Volkswagen salesman: Of, course, it’s a Volkswagen.

    Announcer voice over, about Volkswagen safety.

     

    Great ad so far. Instrumental rock music has been playing in the background, and in the last seconds we realize it is Ted Nugent’s song Stranglehold and we hear these lyrics:

    “I’ve got you in a stranglehold baby.”

    An ad about safety, where the customer is shown holding an infant, that ends with the words “I’ve got you in a stranglehold baby.”  What were they thinking?

     

     

     

     

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    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2012/volkswagens-weird-coda/feed/ 4 http://yastrow.com/2012/volkswagens-weird-coda/     How to Start a Sales Conversation http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/oH8PMNlmWwU/ http://yastrow.com/2012/how-to-start-a-sales-conversation/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:20:00 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2115
  • The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right...
  • How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...
  • There won’t be a party if it’s not cool In a scene from the movie The Social Network, the story of the early days...
    • ]]>     In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s issue, How to Start a Sales Conversation I focus on the first two of those habits, Be alert to be quick on your feet, and Size up the scene.

    Everyone can ditch the pitch and learn to be more persuasive, whether you are a sales star, a sales neophyte, or someone who is not in a sales job but needs to persuade people to do things or agree with you. These two habits lay the foundation for great sales conversations. Start using them now!

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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


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    Related posts:

    1. The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right...
    2. How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...
    3. There won’t be a party if it’s not cool In a scene from the movie The Social Network, the story of the early days...

    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2012/how-to-start-a-sales-conversation/feed/ 0 http://yastrow.com/2012/how-to-start-a-sales-conversation/     The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/gbM3tApQLa8/ http://yastrow.com/2012/the-seven-ditch-the-pitch-habits/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:38:12 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2110
  • How to Start a Sales Conversation In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s...
  • How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...
  • Ditch the Pitch: You are an awesome improviser My newsletter today is a 90-second video. Here’s the message: Ditching the pitch requires you...
    • ]]>     Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right habits.  In today’s newsletter, The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits, I share an overview of those habits.

    Like the rest of our lives, practice and continued use is the key to creating great habits. The best time to start practicing these habits? Now!

    Read the newsletter: The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits

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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


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    1. How to Start a Sales Conversation In my last newsletter article I described the Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits. In today’s...
    2. How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...
    3. Ditch the Pitch: You are an awesome improviser My newsletter today is a 90-second video. Here’s the message: Ditching the pitch requires you...

    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2012/the-seven-ditch-the-pitch-habits/feed/ 0 http://yastrow.com/2012/the-seven-ditch-the-pitch-habits/     Cannibalize Yourself (Before Someone Else Does) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/r2Y4Gqrqc5k/ http://yastrow.com/2011/cannibalize-yourself-before-someone-else-does/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:19:56 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2098
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    • ]]>     Can you imagine if Apple had decided not to include the features of an iPod on the iPhone, for fear that it might cause them to sell fewer iPods?

    Companies does nutty things like that all the time. Does yours?

    Today’s newsletter,  Cannibalize Yourself (Before Someone Else Does), takes a lesson from Steve Jobs, from a story in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs.

    Go ahead, compete with yourself.

     

     

     

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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


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    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2011/cannibalize-yourself-before-someone-else-does/feed/ 6 http://yastrow.com/2011/cannibalize-yourself-before-someone-else-does/     Ditch the Pitch: You are an awesome improviser http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/smUd_Fx5IOA/ http://yastrow.com/2011/ditch-the-pitch-you-are-an-awesome-improviser/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:06:00 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2084
  • The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right...
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    • ]]>     My newsletter today is a 90-second video. Here’s the message:

    Ditching the pitch requires you to improvise, but don’t worry: You are an awesome improviser.

    In fact, it’s much more natural for you to improvise than it is for you to deliver a sales pitch. You’ve been improvising for your entire life.

    Link to the video: You Are an Awesome Improviser

    Enjoy the video!


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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


    © Steve Yastrow - visit the site for more great content.

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    Related posts:

    1. The Seven Ditch the Pitch Habits Improvising sales conversations – ditching the pitch – isn’t difficult, if you form the right...
    2. How to Propel a Sales Conversation Forward It’s time for Ditch the Pitch Habits #3 and #4 – Say Yes and Explore...
    3. From Not Selling to Selling – The Gentle Turn Do you ever have trouble transitioning a conversation into a sales conversation? Steve’s latest newsletter...

    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2011/ditch-the-pitch-you-are-an-awesome-improviser/feed/ 1 http://yastrow.com/2011/ditch-the-pitch-you-are-an-awesome-improviser/     Why would they love you? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/lCoeC9eGsAw/ http://yastrow.com/2011/why-would-they-love-you/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:06:52 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2072
  • To Achieve Success You Need To Create Success As Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night, “some are born great, some achieve greatness and some...
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    • ]]>     Do your customers love you?

    Do you know why they would love you?

    Can you think of a more important question you need to ask related to your brand?

    Have a look at today’s newsletter, Why would they love you, and then ask yourself this question. Do you know why your customers would love you?

    Read the newsletter: Why would they love you?

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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


    © Steve Yastrow - visit the site for more great content.

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    Related posts:

    1. To Achieve Success You Need To Create Success As Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night, “some are born great, some achieve greatness and some...
    2. Reinventing the Brand Called You In 1997 my mentor/guru/client Tom Peters published a ground-breaking article in Fast Company titled The...
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    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2011/why-would-they-love-you/feed/ 0 http://yastrow.com/2011/why-would-they-love-you/     Quiver in Your Boots http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/7r4Lhldl9XI/ http://yastrow.com/2011/quiver-in-your-boots/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:07:07 +0000 Amanda Cullen http://yastrow.com/?p=2069
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    • ]]>     When was the last time your company made a daring, bold decision that turned out to be wildly successful? Not that recently? Not ever?

    But how likely is it that your company’s boring, middle-of-the-road decisions will ever turn out to be wildly successful? Probably never.

    Steve’s newsletter challenges you to “Quiver in Your Boots” from time to time– only risky moves have the chance for great reward!

    Read the newsletter: “Quiver in Your Boots”

    And here’s a link to Apple’s famous “1984″ ad referenced in the newsletter.

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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


    © Steve Yastrow - visit the site for more great content.

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    Related posts:

    1. To Achieve Success You Need To Create Success As Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night, “some are born great, some achieve greatness and some...
    2. What businesses can learn from non-profits Steve has a very interesting newsletter today about What businesses can learn from non-profits. His...
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    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2011/quiver-in-your-boots/feed/ 2 http://yastrow.com/2011/quiver-in-your-boots/     To Achieve Success You Need To Create Success http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SteveYastrow/~3/ct_zZ9cUdQ8/ http://yastrow.com/2011/to-achieve-success-you-need-to-create-success/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:12:56 +0000 Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/?p=2060
  • Why would they love you? Do your customers love you? Do you know why they would love you? Can you...
  • Quiver in Your Boots When was the last time your company made a daring, bold decision that turned out...
  • What businesses can learn from non-profits Steve has a very interesting newsletter today about What businesses can learn from non-profits. His...
    • ]]>     As Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night, “some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

    In our day and age of meritocracy, greatness usually comes only from achievement, not from birth or happenstance. So, we then have the question: “How do you achieve success?”

    In today’s newsletter, To Achieve Success You Need To Create Success, I share a an insight I heard recently that sheds light on this question. On the surface, it’s simple, but, then again, sometimes the most important ideas are simple.

    Read the newsletter: To Achieve Success You Need To Create Success

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    Free Ebook: Encounters - The Building Blocks of We Relationships


    © Steve Yastrow - visit the site for more great content.

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    Related posts:

    1. Why would they love you? Do your customers love you? Do you know why they would love you? Can you...
    2. Quiver in Your Boots When was the last time your company made a daring, bold decision that turned out...
    3. What businesses can learn from non-profits Steve has a very interesting newsletter today about What businesses can learn from non-profits. His...

    ]]>     http://yastrow.com/2011/to-achieve-success-you-need-to-create-success/feed/ 3 http://yastrow.com/2011/to-achieve-success-you-need-to-create-success/