SmartPartner comments

Thanks for reading. Clarification on Cow's comments: the lights on the arena came back on if you re-read the article you'll catch it. Yes, with gloves on you would be visible to the a mob, so please take your gloves off if a mob goes after you. Third, I asked both pro-fighters and business owners and the answers where the same. Fourth, this is a business article, please read the bottom part too. Fifth, I used a thai-boxing example, but boxing/MMA is just as good, Sixth, having fought several times in the ring myself, I know your cut-man can get your gloves off in about 10 seconds as they always have scissors in their kits, and often cut off the strings/taping when the announcer calls the fight results too quickly after the fight. Glove-strings cost 200 yen, you are not damaging the gloves by cutting them off :-)

KiraKira, there is advice here for you to use in your business if you own or operate one. Yes I own my company, thank you for reading.

tkoind2- Thanks for reading great comment. Questions will keep you from wasting time with clients that are not going to spend money. Questions will help you to find which clients have money and how they will allocate it for your projects. You are very right, when noone is buying anything, no amount of training will help, but the idea is you use the right tools to find out who is buying and help them with your service. Point well taken thank you.

Souryeki- Thanks for reading. I am not sure why you think this article is for a "category" of people, these questions are for any industry. It applies to people selling services, products or getting people jobs. What is more dangerous than lack of prepared/practiced questions, is pre-judgement.

I am clueless about your comment :-)

Altria, thank you for writing that, I couldn't! Cheers mate :-)

Thanks for reading some of my article.

The point was to give sales people various questions, at various stages, for practice, possible use and roleplaying.

That was made very clear if you read it.

ultradude, thank you for reading. Almost half-way through 2009, lets keep punching!

For some great sales reading buy anything Gitomer writes.

http://www.gitomer.com/

The little red book of sales changed my life :-)

Brilliant comment about "Yes". Avon is one of the industry leaders in direct selling having been around for generations.

Read the book "Birth of a Salesman: The Transformation of Selling in America by Walter A. Friedman"

There is information about how Avon got started, very strong brand, best of selling to you all!

usaexpat - Thanks for reading and the feedback. Indeed having sales people hire other sales people is great advice. Too bad it doesn't always happen that way.

Concrete- Thanks for reading. Maybe we could do a booklet together titled, "Life is easy, just don't suck" :-) I'm all ears mate!

ben4short - Understood, let's see YOUR articles and linkedin profile, or full name so we can check out your background. Would be interesting to see how YOU tackle difficult issues and write about them. Oh, and make sure you are writing it in a second language. The writer did a good job and posted her thoughts for others to think about, you don't like it? move on...attacking her like that adds nothing to the discussion of the topic posted.

Sharky couldn't agree more. S.P.I.N. selling is still a basis of my sales work too.

Thank you for reading. My apologies, I should have been more clear that depressions historically occur and I am not just talking about the "Great" depression. My comment about the 1890's journal was to show that despite horrible market conditions, getting back to basics is always the way to sell out of a tough market.

YangYong, well said!

Thank you for the imput and feedback, some of it was very good, much appreciated. For those readers who are not in a position to make changes in their organization, engage your boss with your ideas, those ideas may help you keep your job or close some deals that keep your company going.

Badsey, thank you, I appreciate the info will & add that clarity to further articles. Cheers, SP

solarbuster, sorry, you didnt read the article fully before commenting. I was clear that the applying for a loan, even though you don't need it, is for an emergency (if you think its best to apply for a loan when you are about to bust in 2 weeks, then you need to do some remedial reading). Take the loan at 3 to 4% interest, set up a seperate account and dump the cash in there for emergency only (then pay back in full in 2 years with a increased credit rating, :-) yippie!). And my new friends at the govt. loan agency said they are happy when business people who can easily re-pay them back are borrowing money and then paying it back in accordance with terms...err, remember, their business is in interest collection :-) The article is about preparation/scenario planning which has been my motto from the begining.

I think the point of the article is clear, please stay on topic.

Sarge- Absolutely right! Noone is safer than someone who can hookup their own deals, create a pipeline of various work projects and the tax write-offs are excellent... The best thing for workers to do is be the best that they can be, study as a habit and not a once off event, and always search for options/chances in the market. And like SARGE says, start your own small business, can be done in a few days!

Sound advice as always from Terri. This ties in to my commentary about schools and cert courses having a solid year next year. 4 to 6 months of salary will stretch a looooong way in China and Costa Rica I reckon.

BurakuminDes Very good commentary, Jason De Luca. Im predicting a bumper year for that well-run Eikaiwa, NOVA. Really seems to be going places.

Who said anything about Nova?

Dear Wakarimasen, what kind of work do you do? Sorry to see you feel your job controls you rather than you controlling your job.

Farmboy - I agree, which is why coldcalling-smartcalling/beer drinking/entertaining/information sharing/ whatever, is just one tool in the sales person's box to develope/grow business and help customers. Too much reliance on one method is like a carpenter who only wants to use a hammer to make a house.

Hakujinsensei - Burn weeks and weeks on research that may or not pay out over a few clients.... or wear out those shoes 'n make those calls the old fashioned way

Studying a target client's website, financial results, gathering up data on some of their competitors, knowing some possible needs they may have in advance of calling them, doesn't take weeks...

Hakujinsensei, what product or service are you selling? With your response, please leave your full name or linkedin link, cheers. jd