Do you find yourself having the best of intentions to get things done (e.g. - cold call, exercise, meditate, eat healthy, lose weight) and simply not finding the inner commitment to follow through?

 It would be great if we never encountered obstacles in the way of us achieving our goals, but that's not typically how life works. It would be great if we had discipline in unlimited amounts, but that's not always the case either. You need help.

GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER!! (or as they say on South Park, an accountabilibuddy)

Here's the great news...you don't need to pay a coach like me to hold you accountable. Interestingly, many of my coaching clients tell me that me holding them accountable to their prospecting commitments is the most valuable part of the coaching, but you can do the same thing without laying out a penny.

• Find someone you respect and trust. Perhaps someone you work with, but it doesn't have to be. I do not recommend choosing a family member as your...

I think we’ve all been there. You do a great job of working with your prospect, you’ve worked with them through the sales process and everything has been going perfectly. You get to the end, and they ask the dreaded question: “Can you do any better on the price?”

Your palms get sweaty, your heart starts beating faster, and the thought in your head is, “Oh crap…I’m losing this deal.” 

If you’re short on time, and can’t read the whole article, here’s the bottom line: The answer is, “No, I can’t.” If you have a couple more minutes, this may help you. 

• “Can you do better on the price” is simply a question. And a reasonable one. It’s not unheard of for salespeople to inflate their price, trying to squeeze out as much profit as possible, and hoping that the customer goes for it. They can always negotiate down later on if needed. Buying a car is a perfect example. But the...

Even when the economy stinks there are still plenty of opportunities! You can give in to the gloom or you can dig in and do the things you need to do in order to survive, and thrive, no matter what the economic indicators tell us. Here are my thoughts on how to prosper now:

1) Prospect like crazy. For most of us, the "low-hanging" fruit has dried up but there are still prospects that need what you have to offer. You might need to double or triple your prospecting efforts but the prospects are out there. Invest your time in finding them. Some of the top salespeople I know spend almost 50% of each day prospecting. Do you? Be sure to let everyone know what you do and how you might be able to help them and ask everyone for referrals.

2) Make it easy for your prospects to find you. While your competitors are cutting back, I suggest that now is the time to market and advertise more than ever before. Keep your name in front of your prospects and clients regularly. If you don't make sure...

I think we’ve all been there. You do a great job of working with your prospect, you’ve worked with them through the sales process and everything has been going perfectly. You get to the end, and they ask the dreaded question: “Can you do any better on the price?”

Your palms get sweaty, your heart starts beating faster, and the thought in your head is, “Oh crap…I’m losing this deal.”

If you’re short on time, and can’t read the whole article, here’s the bottom line: The answer is, “No, I can’t.” If you have a couple more minutes, this may help you.

• “Can you do better on the price” is simply a question. And a reasonable one. It’s not unheard of for salespeople to inflate their price, trying to squeeze out as much profit as possible, and hoping that the customer goes for it. They can always negotiate down later on if needed. Buying a car is a perfect example. But the question is just...