Southwestern Sales Talk

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OK, last week I wrote a blog about emotional black holes, so I thought, why not write about something brighter and more positive?  (Sorry if I’m milking the space analogy a bit much.)  Most of the students at the Southwestern Company are not self-absorbed, bags of negativity; rather, they’re great examples of positive, outgoing salespeople. [...]

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Posted by | 09.23.2010 | 09:09 pm

When I was a young astronomy major at college, I was fascinated with the subject of black holes–massive stars which survived a supernova and imploded on themselves.  The remnant had a gravitational field so powerful, not even light could escape it. I’m sure at some point you’ve been around griping, whiny people who have devolved into emotional [...]

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Posted by | 09.15.2010 | 11:09 am

It’s hard to imagine a worse sales experience than I had at Sprint some months ago.  (See blog post 11-19-09).  But…this time it occurred at a different Sprint retail store.  My experience with bad salespeople is always brought into stark contrast with the great salespeople at The Southwestern Company whom I get to work with. Anyway, I [...]

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Posted by | 09.08.2010 | 03:09 pm

For those of you who are doing too well, here are some ways you can reduce your sales productivity and be unhappy, whether you’re selling with the Southwestern Company or in any sales career: 1)  wish you were somewhere else, doing something else In other words, avoid being present!  Let your mind drift off to home, [...]

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Posted by | 08.18.2010 | 09:08 am

If you’re out there selling books with the Southwestern Company this summer,  here are some great ideas from Haley Price (author of your inspirational flip book) on how to improve.  If you’re not on the bookfield, these are still applicable to a sales career. 1. Expect it to be a killer week. Don’t hope for [...]

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Posted by | 08.08.2010 | 01:08 pm

Music is powerful.  It can recall a distant memory.  It can change your mental state in just a few seconds.  Music can pump you up or calm you down.   I recall setting best times during a swim meet with Beethoven’s Ninth banging around in my head!  If you’re selling with the Southwestern Company, music can be [...]

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Posted by | 07.16.2010 | 05:07 pm

What’s the difference between success and failure in sales?  Ideal territory?  Extra calls?  More hours worked?  Twice the interpersonal skills?  More lucky breaks?  Or is it some people have what it takes and some people don’t?  All these are important, whether you’re selling clothing, cars, or working in the Southwestern Company summer program. Vince Lombardi, [...]

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Posted by | 07.06.2010 | 09:07 am

Do yourself a favor, and watch this video: I think it might be physically impossible to have a bad day after a morning like that. While not always a common practice, many successful people engage in similar affirmation rituals every single day.  What exactly are affirmations, you ask?  Well, we all affirm ourselves constantly.  For better, [...]

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Posted by | 06.22.2010 | 09:06 am

A week ago I attended a Southwestern Company Sunday Meeting.   I had a great time with 100 sharp, mostly-motivated college students who’d just finished their third week on the bookfield.  One personal conference with a veteran student manager reminded me of my bookselling days.  She explained that she really wanted to do well, that she [...]

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Posted by | 06.15.2010 | 02:06 pm

    value (val-yoo) noun 1. a fair or proper equivalent in money, commodities, etc, for something sold or exchanged, for a fair price in return  2. worth, or degree of worth  3. that which is desirable or worthy of esteem for its own sake; thing or quality having intrinsic worth  Value, by definition, requires [...]

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Posted by | 04.20.2010 | 01:04 pm