training and development

Sales techniques learned from Indian shopkeepers

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Taj MahalIn Agra, our group descended the stairs into the marble shop where ten men sat on the floor before us. We seated ourselves on the long bench to observe their craft. Sam, the shopkeeper and guide, walked us through the making of the intricate marble tabletops, boxes, and plates inlaid with semi-precious stones. This same art work adorns the Taj Mahal.

marble craftsmanWe watched transfixed as the younger men — often sons of the older men — sanded ant-sized pieces of malachite, turquoise, onyx, abalone, cornelian, lapis, jade, mother of pearl and coral into the correct shapes. The master craftsman chiseled out the marble into which these minuscule pieces would be glued in place to create the ornate designs.

Naively, we didn’t realize the sales process had begun.

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Turn your liabilities into assets

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Years ago I led a seminar on how to have a positive attitude at work. In the text, “Attitude: Your Most Priceless Possession,” author Elwood Chapman,suggests employing the “Flipside Technique.” The concept is to take something not commonly considered good and reframe it as a positive, injecting a dose of humor when necessary. I’m using … Read more

How can you squeeze more out of your day?

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I was asked to participate in Ben Yoskovitz’s project to put together the Ultimate Guide to Productivity. He’s asking for your one best idea to increase your productivity. When I was retained by Microsoft to be their workplace effectiveness spokesperson, I was asked to come up with some of my best quick productivity tips. The … Read more

What is causing your upset customers?

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A recent issue of the consulting firm Yankelovich’s newsletter, “Monitor,” got me thinking again about the customer experience. The article was about civility and how “kindness and consideration are always in demand,” but more so after horrific events. I believe people are looking for human connection in the face of tragedies that leave people thinking, … Read more

Are you punishing excellence?

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Gary Kurth was fired for being excellent. His performance was so great in fact, that he out earned his colleagues. That was the problem. An April 8 story in the Santa Barbara (California) News-Press explained that Gary was among 3,400 Circuit City employees who lost their jobs in the last few weeks because their sales … Read more

Are your staff resourceful?

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I had flown in to keynote a customer service conference at a resort. Because of weather delays and too-tight connections, I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and now, after 9:00 p.m., the destination airport concessions were closed. I asked my driver to stop at a fast food place so I could eat during our hour-long drive, … Read more

Are you doing stupid things to your customers?

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Flying back from a speaking engagement in Ann Arbor last week, I changed planes in Chicago. I boarded the American Eagle flight at the appointed time. We sat at the gate for nearly half an hour after departure time when the co-pilot came on the intercom. “Ladies and gentleman, the reason we haven’t taken off … Read more

Training is Like a Restaurant – You Add the Condiments

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Imagine you’re dining at your favorite restaurant. The chef has prepared your favorite dish. You savor the first bite – delicious. But it needs just a little salt. As you reach for the salt shaker, do you think the chef is deficient because she hasn’t fixed this dish exactly the way you want it? No. … Read more

Great lessons from a “burger joint”

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The line of hungry patrons waited patiently to place their order. The newly opened neighborhood burger establishment, Mojo Burger, had already created a buzz by their quality food and their top-notch service. But it wasn’t just that they served Meyer Natural Angus beef and fresh, not frozen, fries. I’m always interested in what makes one … Read more

Can your staff think?

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Often times I find the staff of businesses don’t know how to think beyond pre-described processes. When they get a question outside the norm, they just seem to shut off their brain, resulting in either no sales where there could have been one, or elongating the buying process if they could just think. I was … Read more