Keith Luscher's Column - Latest Comments

Re: “Dude, You’re Losin’ Me…”

Nance — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 21:20:28 -0000

Keith - Love the topic and the truth of it! What might strengthen the stories above? Leave out most of the "I" and "we" - or at least avoid making those pronouns the subject of the sentence. Try: "The client invited us to collaborate on solving their problem." Rather than "We sat down with the client.." These are small but perceptible changes. Your clients see that you are totally focused on others' well being. That makes you a safe and trusted advisor.

Re: Don’t Give Up…Show Up.

L E Brentwood — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:10:50 -0000

Thank you, Thank you. My eyes are filled with tears. I needed a reminder--I think we are harder on ourselves...because we measure our lives by what we see on a 1 or 2 hour movie, documentary, or half hour show, weekly, news etc...but what I remind myself too, is that my life would look pretty awesome or pretty awful depending on which "clip" I or others choose to focus on.

Thank you again,

My volunteering is not in vain!

Re: Don’t Just Tell Me What I Want to Hear

Mhough — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:05:46 -0000

This is spot on! Not wishing to burst someones bubble can put evryone in a tough spot. I am hopeful when folks engage with me at any level they know it is always OK to say "no", "not now","never", It is up to me how I handle their response. Just as I am not rejecting the person who proposes something I am not currently interested in, when someone doesn't care to work with me profesionlly it dosn't mean they don't value me and what I have to offer.

Re: Show…Don’t Tell.

Gerry — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:32:04 -0000

Showing an "image" of what you do is powerful when presenting. In the Commercial Insurance business so it's not likely that a written insurance contract gets anyone excited about what we offer. What it represents an "intangible" at the time of sale. The best senario is to say..... "Picture This" ..........

Re: I Just Didn’t Feel Like It…

Ken Lee — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:32:40 -0000

Everyone needs a break. You can always say, "I am on vacation this week." I don't think there are that many of us, who would be so incredibly disappointed, they would never read your column again. I like your blogs, they are both interesting and informative.

Re: Five Tips for the Networking Newbie

Emily Destefani — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:25:04 -0000

Thank you Keith.

Re: On by Just One Degree

Phil Reese — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:53:59 -0000

So very true. I think the most important step in prospecting is getting started. Looking over the 5 Hurdles, Chapter 1, section 2, #4 kills me. Become a Doer because if you don’t your competition will! Motivate yourself or find someone that will. Thanks Keith

Re: “Dude, You’re Losin’ Me…”

Sabrina Risley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:43:38 -0000

Outstanding post, Keith. Focus on results and how you added value vs tasks. Great, simple advice!

Re: The Two Faces of Networking

LeslieM84 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:58:52 -0000

Great information. I will definitely pass this article on. It's a great explanation of networking!

-Thanks
Leslie

Re: If They Write It, It Won’t Come

Kathryn Neal Odell — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:31:21 -0000

Well-done, Keith! What a great way to get insights from your clients on what they value from your offerings (vs. what you think they value), get a testimonial - and use this as an opportunity for improvement. This will be added to our to our client satisfaction + content development process.

Re: If You Can’t Place a Name to a Face…

Phil Sorentino — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:02:02 -0000

Great ideas! Also thanks for the process. all We have to do is do it!

Re: How To Get Five New Referrals from Every Interview

Mike Diercks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:13:23 -0000

Great post - Paul J. Meyer shares the same technique - he was a master at this. I have a recording of him saying that he never left a meeting without at least 10 referrals! I will share the recording on prospecting if you are interested. - Mike Diercks

Re: If They Write It, It Won’t Come

Jeannette Thomas — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:56:14 -0000

I am starting a new business and have thought about going the testimonial route just as you described not to! Thank you so much. I'm sure writing the testimonials myself based on a discussion with the client will work well. I also like taking the discussion as an opportunity to seek the clients evaluation and advice.

Re: They Give You 20 Minutes, You Give Them…?

Michael Dinsio, MBA — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:41:32 -0000

great post. thank you for putting it together.

Re: The Two Faces of Networking

Sabrina Risley — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:40:09 -0000

Outstanding article and well said! I may have to share this with my professional community in Denver. Thank you for always publishing great information for professionals to sink their teeth into!

~Sabrina

Re: “Accept it, Dude…She’s NOT Gonna’ Call.”

Sherry — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:04:22 -0000

Excellent analogy! Thanks for the reminder that the ball is always in our court and that we need to do it (pull the cord, call, whatever) one more time.

Re: Overcoming Fear of Rejection, Part 1

Jordan Butts — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:44:43 -0000

Great article. Someone from my company recently had a humorous experience with call reluctance, which often goes hand in hand with the fear of rejection. To read that blog, check out this link. http://info.venderepartners...

Re: To Get Referrals, Stop Asking for Them! (Part 2)

Jeff Riddle — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:23:43 -0000

Keith-

Congrats on sharing an excellent approach to referrals. There are not many ways of asking that are actually in line with why people refer in the first place -- this is why so many professionals fail at the task. Definitely appreciate your approach and the subtleties that make it effective. Nice work and thanks for sharing some great tips! Cheers.

Jeff
thegivegive.com

Re: The Nature of Networking

Bob Leonard — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:16:30 -0000

Keith - well said and absolutely true. I'd add that the networking can occur in the physical world, and that your advice is just as true and relevant in the digital world. Networking via social media also takes time, effort and truth.

Thanks.

Re: Are You Running or Growing?

Sabrina Risley — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:42:59 -0000

Keith... I couldn't agree more. I had a virtual assistant for 2 years. When she took a full time position about 6 months ago and could no longer work for me, a successful entrepreneur friend of mine suggested I do the work myself. I tried... and 4 months later, I was pulling my hair out, bogged down in the details and didn't have time to focus on activities to move my business forward, let alone have time to think straight or sleep well.

The best advice a coach gave me 2 and a half years ago was to hire a virtual assistant and outsource certain activities. The worst advice I receive was "just do it yourself." I am happy to report I know have an amazing new VA who ROCKS it and knows tricks to getting things done quicker than I ever could. Yes, someone can be better than you at completing your own tasks!!

Thank you for this!! ~ Sabrina

Re: Can ANYONE Make a Decision?

Mike O'Horo — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:04:12 -0000

While people may differ on sales approaches, one thing that is inarguable is that decision-making is a skill. Unfortunately, it's one that few buyers or sellers possess. To be more accurate, let's call it "decision-facilitation." As your post implies, all stakeholders must participate, but their participation will ebb unless they experience a credible group-decision process and dynamic.

Too many salespersons forfeit any decision-process credibility by pursuing only one predetermined decision outcome, i.e., "yes." If stakeholders know that your efforts are geared toward trying to get them to do something that they know is good for you (buy) but don't yet know is good for them, they're obligated to keep you at a distance until they resolve that potential conflict of interest. That's why so many sellers find themselves on the outside, awaiting a decision in which they're not invited to participate.

If, by contrast, sellers undertook a high-integrity investigation with their prospects to see whether it was a great idea to do business together or a bad one, they'd be seen as contributors, would experience greater cooperation, and would remain welcome in the decision process.

What if it's not a good idea for them to buy from you? Would you still try to get them to do it, anyway? I would hope that's a rhetorical question for all.

On the other hand, if a high-integrity, cooperative investigation reveals that it is, in fact, a great idea to buy from you, you'll both want to do it, and quickly. That eliminates that pesky closing problem, doesn't it?

When lawyers I coached inevitably asked, "What if too many of these high-integrity investigations reveal that it's not a good idea to hire us?" Fair question. The answer is unpopular, but very useful: It tells you that you're in the wrong market, or positioned improperly in the right market. This is the canary in the coal mine, alerting you that your problem is one of marketing, not sales. You haven't achieved what Silicon Valley investors call "product-market fit." Your offer is misaligned with your market's needs or desires. You have to modify one or the other. Simple, but immutable.

Re: An Idea…and a Blank Page, Part I

Dcowan50 — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:25:31 -0000

Hi I am looking forward to your next "chapter" which suggests from a writer's point of view you know what you are doing, which is engaging a readers interest and making them anticipate what is coming next.

Re: Here is What You Do NOW.

Hmerkle — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:01:38 -0000

Great Technique Keith - sometimes if you don't have an internal discipline, an external push is all you need! (think of a work-out partner when you don't feel like it sometimes all you need is a little shove.)

Re: Don’t Impress. Influence.

Bob Leonard — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:01:54 -0000

Keith,

I found you through Tripp Braden. I agree absolutely with all you have to say on the topic. My mantra is: "Useful and relevant content builds trust. Trust sells." I'd also add that content marketing (for B2B) has been around for over a hundred years. Today content marketing is going mainstream as 'traditional' promotional activities (e.g. advertising) loses its effectiveness. I'm surprised I hadn't run across you before, but I'm definitely going to check out Wedge Power.

Bob

Re: The Power of a Sentiment

Chaitanya — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:06:51 -0000

Greatly put Keith.. Just loved the piece...!