It seems to me that any salesperson worth a salt that takes real responsibility for their profession knows the fundamentals, as well as how to best deploy them. No #hashtags required.

So what does your body language say about you?

Vacation does so much more than recharge the batteries. It reminds you what is important, and it interrupts the steady stream of noise we navigate daily.

Try something new. Learn something new.

In business, trust is the most valuable currency. What I find ironic is that the misguided efforts to build and keep it are often the very reasons it's lost.

When you have it, you need to heed it. When you don't, you need to seek it. It's the thing that drives you when you don't feel like driving anymore.

What would your organization look like if there was more transparency?

What does it take to succeed? A lot more than a skill set and hard work.

You hear it all the time- selling is a relationship business. But what if you don’t have any relationships? How do you even get started?

If you’re familiar with Mike’s previous work (and if you aren’t, where have you been?), you’ll recognize his straightforward approach developed further. There are also some absolute gems in here that I’ve not seen in writing before.

I realized this week that I’ve fallen into a trap that so many salespeople often do. I hope my mea culpa can be your lesson too…

There is a lot of talk about established (but lazy) salespeople, the value of SDR's, and hunters vs. farmers. Here's something that I think all of those discussions are missing.

Adding an extra day to a business trip is not a vacation. Working remotely from a beach or a golf course is not a vacation. While they are perks of the job, let's stop pretending that they're ideal. Stop convincing yourself that the whole enterprise will fall apart if you're not constantly connected.

You don't need to be or act like anyone else in order to be an effective salesperson. In fact, the most effective seller you can be is you.

When you get the leeway to take more risks and push more envelopes, you begin to break away from the pack. Suddenly, you look around and notice you're doing things a lot differently than your peers. It's like you're on an island. Even though you're there for all the right reasons, you still feel like you're alone.

No matter how you slice it, there is no such thing as a sustainable shortcut. On a long enough timeline, those who do things the right way prevail over people who consistently cut corners.

The average sales person doesn't realize that he can't just read his print copy to people and expect customers to buy. Talking points are meaningless unless they're intensely personal. Work ethic, hustle, and customer service are not salient enough concepts to convert customers by themselves.

When you start pulling orders ahead, you start the next period at a deficit, which adds a level of pressure and uncertainty to your performance for the next month. You’re increasingly likely to borrow again from Peter to pay Paul. Not only is this a symptom of a terrible pipeline, but it’s only a matter of time before you do long term damage to your business, and your reputation as a salesperson.

I love email. I think it’s a very effective communication tool. That said, I think we take a few too many liberties with this medium. There’s no denying email can be a wonderful communication channel, but it becomes problematic when it is our primary communication channel.

We spend a lot of time running around doing things that are not actually important. Maybe they make us feel important, but they really aren’t. It’s a hamster-wheel struggle, and the struggle is real.