I first published this discussion six months ao. Since then, I have had more and more discussions with my clients about their pricing strategies and being squeezed in this market. In a lean economy, many sales and business development people feel obligated to discount their prices; at least, the discussion of price and where it fits in the sales strategy becomes more … [Read more...]
Ten Tips to Earn Stimulus Money Contracts
Federal dollars from the stimulus package are slowly making their way to state and local governments, which will award contracts for all kinds of goods and services with this money. Money that was formerly spent in the for-profit sector is now being spent by government entities. If your business is not prepared to tap into this fertile source of contracts, it is time to … [Read more...]
Five Sure-Fire Ways to Irritate Your Prospects
I am a hot weather person—can’t tolerate cold, or even chilly, and love hot whether it’s dry or steamy. Yet every summer, when the outdoor temperature finally gets comfortable for me, I have to deal with the battle of the air conditioners. Yesterday I walked to lunch in gorgeous weather for mid-summer—82 degrees, slight breeze—from my perspective it was perfect. The … [Read more...]
Two items in the news really grabbed me this week. I blogged about them at my home blog, but today I want to talk about how they are related. First, I received an invitation from Forbes magazine to join a new site called Forbes Woman. I was angry and insulted when I visited the site because I thought it was not about primarily about women in their roles is business … [Read more...]
About Competition and Sales
On June 4th, I hosted the Whale Hunting Women Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event provided inspiration, motivation, and direction for the more than 165 women who attended. As part of my own presentation to the audience, I talked about what I see as the movement from a culture of competition (a 20th century idea) to a culture of collaboration (a 21st century idea.) I … [Read more...]
4 More Great Women Bloggers
I’m completing my Virtual Blog Tour (organized by Nikki Leigh) on June 30th. The tour is promoting my newest book Whale Hunting Women, and I have been hosted by more than 25 bloggers, podcasters, radio interviewers and book reviewers. I have met extraordinary women and men on this tour, all of whom have been gracious and generous in sharing their forums with me. This week … [Read more...]
Best Question on the Big Sale Proccess
This week I had the privilege to present to a gathering of three Phoenix-area chapters of the Women Presidents’ Organization. My topic was “Whale Hunting Women: How Women Do Big Deals.” Here’s the best question posed to me about a large account sale. “What’s going on when we’re pursuing a deal, we’ve identified the buyers’ table, we have a strong internal champion, and … [Read more...]
4 Great Women Bloggers
I've been on my "virtual blog tour" for one month now. This is an activity in which on every business day, a blogger or radio host invites me to be interviewed or contribute a guest post. Several hosts have invited me to be "present" in their blog space for several days. The purpose of my tour is to promote my new book Whale Hunting Women, and Nikki Leigh of Promo 101 is … [Read more...]
Business Women Retreat to Refresh
I took 48-hours “off” this week to go on a retreat with the women who are fellow members of the Women Presidents’ Organization [WPO] chapter to which I belong. We had the good fortune to be hosted by one of our own members, Sharon Lechter, who with husband Mike is proprietor of the Cherry Creek Lodge on Cherry Creek Ranch in Young, Arizona. The drive from Phoenix into the … [Read more...]
Whale Hunting Women
Last week I started a "Virtual Blog Tour" to promote my new eBook, Whale Hunting Women: How Women Do Big Deals (Volume I). Nikki Leigh is the inventor/promoter of Virtual Blog Tours, which is the digital equivalent of an author's book tour-only cheaper, easier, and broader. It consists of visiting other people's blogs on a carefully crafted schedule. The blogger may use … [Read more...]