If you feel star-struck or insecure when you encounter old money, social standing, or power, you may have a form of Sales Call Reluctance that’s impeding your business-building efforts.  Here’s how to beat it. Jerry, a financial advisor, was building a clientele of up-and-coming professionals. ...

You know, the saying: “Don’t Count Your Chickens Until They are Hatched.” It’s build on an Aesop fable that goes something like this. A farmer’s son, is daydreaming as he walks to town with a pail of milk balanced on his head. His thoughts: “The milk in this pail will...

This is a fundamental question because at the core of every successful business is the need for clients to make decisions to work with us and buy our product or service. That said – decisions are difficult and getting more difficult every day. The chief culprit of this in western civilization is...

It’s only a matter of time before commission based investment products cease to exist. In October of 2009, the Association of British Insurers called on the European Commission to deliver a framework for removing remuneration bias as well as other changes in the way retail investment products are sold....

“People will find a thousand ingenious ways to withhold cooperation from a process that they sincerely think is unnecessary or wrongheaded” – John P. Kotter In Leading Change, Kotter outlines eight necessary steps to effective change. This article deals with the first of these. We’ve all...

After training over 150 business teams in the U.S. and Canada, I know that advisors struggle with consistent appointment scheduling. One week their calendar is full, the next week, it’s empty. Why? Because when advisors have a full week, there’s no time to get on the phone to schedule more ...

In forming relationships with prospects, do you lack assertiveness?  Do you constantly seek approval?  Do you lack the ability to close a sale?  These symptoms point to a costly form of call reluctance that may well be the Achilles’ heel of the sales industry. Jon has been in sales for nearly 12...

Excerpt from The Appointment Scheduler, Ch. 7, by Gina Pellegrini One way to reduce the unpredictability of appointment scheduling is to use our scripts, at least in the beginning.  Whether your marketing assistant is an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro, telephoning techniques are always helpful.  The...

Don’t be afraid to let go and grow! Do you manage your practice — or are you a control freak, always trying to arrange, contain and maneuver people and events? Do you trust your employees or are you guilty of second-guessing and overriding their efforts? If you’re afraid to let go of some...

Call reluctance springs from three sources:  personality predispositions, hereditary influences, and exposure to others with call reluctance.  Find out how to recognize this insidious obstacle to success and how to overcome it. “Today, I’ll prospect.” Mark drives to the office, feeling...