Client Login
The pivot to virtual selling will change the sales function profoundly and permanently; far more deeply than most companies yet realize. As virtual selling becomes the new normal, most companies are walking into a trap. They are thinking that all they need to do to be successful is to make sure that their salespeople master […]
A Communications Lesson from the NBA Playoffs
Imagine two people witness the exact same event. They are the same age, same gender and same education. You would expect that when asked, they would give you roughly the same narrative description of the events they witnessed, right? Actually… wrong. That is totally incorrect. Their interpretation of the events will be massively influenced by their personal predispositions A […]
Making Your Message Stick: Tim Pollard Article on Forbes.com
In addition to our informative (and humorous) blogs, we also want to share with our readers some of Tim Pollard’s other writings. Tim is a regular contributor to the Forbes Coaches Council, and recently wrote about the power of making messages and conversations “sticky” or memorable through the lens of the O.J. Simpson Trial. You can read […]
When is Tea like Sex?
OK…if you’re English, as I am, tea is the driving force behind everything – important before and after every major event, which answers the question in the title. But that’s not quite what I’m getting at here. As many of you know, whenever we teach the Oratium class, we stress the importance of engaging the […]
The Qualities of Great Communications, Both Large and Small
A Delightful Moment A dear friend, Michael, just wrote me. He was covering a few topics, but in his email he also forwarded as an attachment a very touching announcement he had received on the passing of a beloved, elderly family member, Harry. He told me to open it and look at the departed’s final […]
Where Cute meets Incomprehensible – The Hidden Perils of Insider Language
I just landed in the U.S., flying back from Edinburgh, Scotland. There’s not a whole lot to do in the baggage claim area at the Newark airport, and maybe that’s why a sign caught my eye. It was a poster reminding visitors not to use unlicensed cabs. Quite an important message, delivered simply via a […]
Jack Welch on the importance of Presentation Skills
I’ve always greatly admired Jack Welch. Like all our heroes, he’s a blend of virtues and flaws, but the reason I admire him so much is for a specific attribute I’ve heard from many people who’ve worked with him over the years. His ability to really focus on what MATTERS. Jack always had an unerring ability […]
Why your sales kickoff sucks…and how to stop it sucking next year
It’s that time of year…Sales kickoff (SKO) season. All over the country, in premier resort cities, companies are sinking mind-boggling quantities of time and expense to gather their sales forces – hoping to wind them up like clockwork toys, ready to explode on their new sales year. The problem? Most SKO’s suck, and many times […]
Ending the Hostility between Sales and Marketing
It’s a sad fact of life that when we don’t understand another person, we tend to assign negative motives to them. Rather than see them as different, we see them as ‘difficult’, ‘obstructive’ or even ‘stupid’. History is rife with examples of division flowing from misunderstanding – and in today’s society we see it most […]
Using Quotes in Your Presentation: Albert Einstein on Race Relations and Change Management
Einstein was a genius, almost beyond measuring. But if you study his writings you quickly realize that his genius extended SO far beyond mathematics. I find this amazing, since most brilliant mathematicians I’ve met can barely communicate with real people, let alone articulate exquisitely accurate social commentary. What I love about many of these ‘broader’ […]
