Are you antifragile? Or just fragile? How do you react and respond to volatility, randomness and disorder? I’ve been re-reading Nassim Taleb’s book: Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder. People usually believe that resilience is the inverse of fragility. It’s not. As Nassim writes “Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and […]

The building blocks of great conversations never truly change. Whether you’re trying to sell a product, talk to someone on a first date, or even just chat with your kid to find out how they’re doing, the same rules apply: listen actively, ask open-ended questions, be confident, and have empathy for the other person and […]

Filling your brain with too much sales advice can make you choke when it matters most. It’s true. If you’re spending too much time on LinkedIn searching online for the latest bit of sales advice, I have my own advice for you. Stop it. The reason to stop is because there comes a point where […]

“He doesn’t sound like a salesperson.” The organizer of an event at which I was speaking overheard one audience member say this to another about me. This is one of the greatest compliments I’ve received. Not being “salesy” is something I’ve worked on my entire career. Truth be told, I’m not entirely certain what a […]

Selling doesn’t start until you ask a question. This is counter-intuitive to many sellers. Yet, it’s a hard truth that you can’t sell if you’re doing all the talking. If a buyer wanted a one-sided conversation with you about your product, they’d visit your website. Where they’d be able to gather the same information without […]

Sales coaches and mentors are a crucial part of the sales ecosystem. If sellers aren’t taught how to sell effectively, then they’ll have a much harder time hitting quota. But what about when your do reps have access to sales coaching and mentoring, but they just… don’t remember it? Unfortunately, this happens all too often. […]

Remember Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Goldilocks found the balance between her porridge being too hot and too cold. Sellers are similarly challenged to strike the right balance between being overconfident and being less than confident. Researchers have found that being overconfident has its benefits. It also has downsides that can leave you in the […]

The Business Intelligence Group today announced that ringDNA was named a winner in its Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards program. ringDNA was recognized as an expert system in the Organizations category. “We are so proud to name ringDNA as a winner in our inaugural Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards program,” said Maria Jimenez, chief nominations officer for […]

In his great essay, Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “My giant goes with me wherever I go.” We all have giants that tail behind us. Emerson was referring to our giants as the embodiment of our self-doubts, insecurities, timidity and weaknesses. Our giants represent the sum of our vulnerabilities. We feel the burden of these […]

Have you ever wondered why some of your reps consistently outperform their peers, while others struggle to hit their quotas regularly? It’s the classic bell-curve problem, where 10-20% of sales reps simply seem to be better than others. There’s two ways to fix this: either figure out how to only hire the best reps in […]

There’s a lot to be said for luck… And the role it plays in your success in sales. And in your career overall. Here’s the secret: you can prepare for luck. You can increase your luck. Detractors will scoff and say that you can’t factor luck into your sales planning. Actually, yes, you can. And, […]

Can we stop with the “relationships aren’t important in sales” BS? You have a relationship with your buyer whether you want one or not. Stop conflating relationships with friendships. These are not the same. A relationship does not require friendship. A quick definition of relationships: The way in which two or more people are connected. […]