Posts by Joe Schum
Episode 34: Green Light Red Light
We worry about the client wanting us, do we really want this client?
Read MorePreventing Forest Fires
When I was a kid, there were constant, ubiquitous public service announcements (or PSAs) that admonished kids for playing with matches because of all the forest fires we could and would start given to our proclivities as, well, kids. It ignored the part about first being in a forest which for most of us was…
Read MoreEpisode 33: I Completely Understand
What is it about us that we struggle to just ask another human being a good sincere curious question? One that has meaning? Creates impact? Is it economical? I mean SHORT! Concise lesson in being concise!
Read MoreWalk Don’t Run
Meetings with clients are essentially back on! Whether in person or over the phone and video, it’s happening. And if you’re like most people, you get in, cover what you want – and hopefully what the client or prospect wants – and get out. It’s just like driving through Rhode Island. So why the hurry? …
Read MoreEpisode 32: Deep Water Is For Hippos
Something common I see in sales professionals is their ability to get their “list” accomplished in any conversation. Any engagement with a client or prospective client. We tend to stay in shallow waters, ask a question, get an answer, move to the next thing we want to know, discover. Time for the deep end!
Read MoreEpisode 31: Two Sides Of A Coin
Something that works in any situation that is curious and explores what’s possible, and what’s not if we don’t move forward. I call it — two sides of a coin.
Read MoreThe Saleship Enterprise
Enterprise. To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life, And new civilizations. To boldly go where no (wo)man has gone before. OK, shameless homage to one of my absolute favorite shows of all time, and totally applicable to the strangely elusive, ever confusing and hugely rewarding enterprise sale. This moniker, the enterprise account,…
Read MoreEpisode 30: How Did You Get There?
Something I notice among all the new hires I meet is their ability to forget how they got there. How they got hired, got the role they are currently in. Especially if they come in from the outside.
Read MoreChipping And Putting
Famed instructor, caddie, golf (and life) coach Harvey Penick, tapping into his fabulous wisdom to golf and life, said “That’s the thing about golf; outside of the USGA rule book, there are no indisputable ways the game must be learned or played.” I gave his thought some thought recently as it applies to the game…
Read MoreFiller Up!
I just spent two days with a wonderful crew of young sales professionals early in their journey. My first onsite trip since January 2020! We spent time breaking down and building up the sales conversation, learning how to connect, the ways we make impact, and the different types of listening skills required to be truly…
Read MoreBreakfast of Champions
While lamenting the introduction of oatmeal into my diet, I noticed that my sage wife cooked hers in the microwave without any safety precautions on the bowl to prevent it from making an exploding exit to every interior surface of the ubiquitous appliance. I mentioned this clear oversight, stating my oatmeal creations require a sheet…
Read MoreRay Donovan Teachs Us About Economy of Conversation
If you ever watched this series, you know that anti-hero title character Ray Donovan is a man of very few words. So much so that most of the other characters in any given scene mention it to him directly. Ray is mostly a “do-er,” he is rarely vulnerable and we only learn what he thinks…
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