Articles by Mike Crandall

Who is your sales competition? Most business owners, executives, and salespeople think about competition in sales completely wrong. It may seem crazy, but it is true. As a sales coach and consultant, I hear comments all the time like, “We don’t have anyone we compete with,” and, “No one sells what we sell.” These may seem like odd statements, but they are very real and come up on a regular basis. 

If you are like most business owners and leaders, you are frustrated by waste. Especially when is it obvious like wasted materials in what we build or manufacture and wasted work hours when employees do incorrect work or make mistakes that cost us more time. These things often go beyond frustration to flat-out anger. Particularly when we can see how much it is costing us and the negative business impact of wasted time, energy, money, materials, resources, etc.

When people think of those who are successful, they often think about individuals who did something others were afraid to do. However, most don’t truly explore what made them do those things. Most of the time, it started with courage that drove them and propelled them into success! Courage is one of the key ingredients needed to be successful (or more successful) in the professional world, but it is also applicable in our personal world as well. 

As the calendar turns to a new year, there is always much discussion about making the new year better than the prior year. Often it leads to conversation and/or work around goals, plans, New Year’s Resolutions, etc. All too often people come up with things they want to do and accomplish, but they often miss the things they need to truly drive success forward. 

Do you want more out of 2022 than what you got out of 2021, whether it’s more money, free time, respect, friends, etc.? If you are like over 90% of the population, you said you would achieve something in 2021 that you fell short on. Why do you think only 10% did not fall short? Because they have the desire and commitment and follow the 6 simple steps we outline in this column.

Often times in business (and in life), we work on the wrong end of the problem. Frequently, we put time, energy, and money into things that truly will not fix the issue we are trying to resolve. This is far more common than most people realize, especially in the business world.

We all know that many things in the world have changed since the start of Covid in 2020. The business world has been a huge part of the change we have all seen or experienced. Sales, a significant part of the business world, is no exception. Not only have supply chain issues, technology, and communication formats impacted sales, but what buyers want and how they work have also been tremendously influenced by Covid.

Introductions (not referrals) are the absolute best way to grow your business. Whether you’re looking for clients, employees, members, volunteers, donors, or other key people to support you through the next level, nothing beats an introduction from a happy person to someone else who is a good fit for you and what you do. Why, then, do the vast majority of people struggle to get the quantity or quality of introductions they truly want?

Think about how crucial communication is in business and life in general. We all communicate every single day, whether we intend to or not. Because it is so important and we continuously do it, we also tend to goof it up—often way, way more than we realize. Each day, there are communication breakdowns around us that we aren’t aware of.

Growth, in business and in life, starts with an idea, and there is no shortage of ideas. The average adult has 70,000 plus thoughts every day, many of those are ideas—ideas of tasks to do, things to try, stuff to focus on, different ways to do something, and etc. It can be quite overwhelming! Understanding a few things about these ideas and how to narrow down what to do with them is a crucial step to growth and success.