A personal business coach recommended an SEO agency that charged £7k, produced no results, and was later discovered to be paying the coach a kickback. This highlights the need for due diligence, even with trusted referrals, and carefully reading all terms and conditions.
The amateur sales question "Are you the decision-maker?" often elicits a defensive 'yes'. A more sophisticated and effective approach is to ask, "Who else is involved in the decision-making process?" This respects the contact's position while successfully mapping the buying committee.
In an era saturated with AI and automation, high-touch gestures create a competitive advantage. Sending a physical birthday or Christmas card, which requires genuine effort, stands out dramatically from automated messages and builds a memorable human connection.
While sharing testimonials on your own profile is standard practice, asking a satisfied client to write a post about their experience working with you is far more powerful. This provides authentic, third-party validation and leverages their network for credibility.
To combat ghosting after a pitch, secure a follow-up meeting on the call, send the invite immediately, and mail a high-quality, physical brochure and proposal. This multi-channel approach creates commitment and makes your pitch memorable in a digital-first world.
Focusing on metrics like '40 calls a day' leads to burnout. Modern sales leaders should measure team well-being and the ability to avoid overwhelm as primary KPIs. A psychologically healthy team is more profitable than a team purely focused on volume.
Posting on LinkedIn about personal struggles like divorce and the journey to finding happiness again can attract specific clients. For sales coach Niraj Kapoor, this vulnerability resonated with female entrepreneurs who hired him for his perceived kindness and values, not just his sales skills.
A TEDx talk that was initially a disappointment with only 2,000 views became a long-term asset, generating high-value sales training and conference speaking opportunities years later. This shows that content's value shouldn't be judged solely by immediate virality.
You don't need to be the world's foremost expert to succeed on LinkedIn. Since only 2% of users post regularly, simply showing up consistently with valuable content and a unique voice allows you to stand out and win business over more knowledgeable but less visible competitors.