Category: Inside Sales Dude

When I asked to try-out for the University of Pittsburgh’s Division 1 Wrestling Team having never wrestled a day in a my life, the head coach warned me that “natural athletic ability isn’t good enough to be successful here.” I was insulted. I proclaimed that I had no natural athletic ability (true but perhaps not…

Once upon a time, I joined a 3 man startup to sell Intrusion Detection Service. I realized in my first week that our product was vaporware – we had no software, no service and no customers. But we needed to generate sales so we could make payroll and run the business. Not to mention, I needed…

When I was a little kid, my sister and I would often share the last piece of cake or candy. My sister was older and bigger than me, so she’d split the treat and give me the smaller piece.  It was never fair. One day, when I was about 8, I read an article that…

This week I received this question from Allison who sells a website security solution. How can I make sure I am targeting the right Decision Makers at the right accounts to sell the largest possible deals?

The other day when I was out walking,  I saw the scrap man struggling to lift an old washer into his pickup truck.  Since I am not a complete a**hole, I ran across the street, grabbed a side and helped him put it on top of the pile of other recyclables he’d collected. He was…

When I first starting selling, I read sales training books from the “masters” Zig Ziglar,  Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill.  From there, I went on to read books on Strategic Selling, Consultative Sales, Selling to the C-Level, etc. I had formal sales training delivered by three different vendors when working for a large corporation. More…

When I was in 3rd grade, I rode a bike that was a hand me down from my grandparents.  It was a very uncool cruiser (PeeWee Herman style). All my friends rode the latest Huffys. Sometimes they would make fun of my bike. I didn’t care. I loved my bike. It had a rear rack that…

When I was a little kid, we’d shop at Johnny’s East End Market for fruits,  vegetables, eggs and milk. Whenever Johnny saw me (or any other kid), he’d smile, tell us stories, and pass out samples of grapes, cherries or  candy. So of course, anytime we needed groceries, we dragged our parents to Johnny’s. Johnny’s…

Several times a week, I receive mail from Comcast urging me to switch to Xfinity. Sometimes it’s a “special offer”.  Some times it’s a postcard saying “60 Mbps” speed. Other times, it’s a “fake” personal letter from Comcast Business pitching more expensive Internet and phone service. Since I’ve lived here during the past 2 years,…