Chris Lytle Sales Tip: "The juggler can't tell you which ball is more important. Drop just one and the show is over." I was particularly intrigued by this thought from Joan Magretta's book, What Management Is. In selling you have to have a lot of balls in the air because some will drop. But the show is not over. You simply add another prospect ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: Can a politician teach you anything about sales? Benjamin Disraeli was a British Prime Minister. "The fool wonders, the wise man asks," he said. Of course, a wise man also knows what he doesn't know. Who are you seeing today? What question do you need to ask that person?

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Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: "When I'm selling at my best, I'm more playful," said a seminar participant recently. "Work is more fun than fun," suggests Noel Coward. Selling at your best is fun. You smile more. You are more at ease with your customers and they react accordingly. Customers sit through plenty of boring meetings. What can you do to add...Read more

Chris Lytle Management Tip: "As soon as the boss decides he wants his workers to do something he has two problems: making them do it and monitoring what they do." Robert Krulwich captures the essence of why many change initiatives fail. Now, forget about your boss and think only about your own success. What do you have to do more of to be ...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Life is a seminar, and lifelong learners get more out of life. What lessons will you learn today? Who will your teachers be? You never know. Just be open to learning from everyone and every experience.

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Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Don't worry about being liked. The prospect doesn't have to like you to buy from you. The prospect does have to trust you and your company. The prospect has to need or want what you're selling. You have to have a service or product to fit the need. Your timing has to be right. And the prospect has to believe that he or ...Read more

Chris Lytle Success Tip: Overheard on the driving range one afternoon: "I'm playing Pebble Beach this Friday and I figured I'd better come see you," a man said to the assistant pro. Imagine paying $380 to play at Pebble Beach and standing at the first tee having taken one golf lesson. How many of us wait too long before asking for help? The ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: Just in case you haven't gotten around to re-reading Plato, consider this: "Self-conquest is the greatest of all victories." Plato's advice resonates 2400 years later. To triumph in sales you need to defeat your own bad sales habits and make yourself do the things--every day--that you already know will help you win more ...Read more

Chris Lytle Proposal Writing Tip: I once interviewed 40-plus clients of a major Canadian corporation. "What does good look like in a written proposal?" I asked. The consensus was that conciseness is good. "Edit and summarize," they said. "Cut to the chase" came up a lot too.

Check the length of your next proposal. What words and sections could...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: The frustrated CEO complained to me. "After reading your book, I find I have a very low tolerance level for salespeople who don't approach me at a higher level. There's too much 'fluff' and not enough getting to the point. Insurance people are the worst. All they want to do is give me quotes, without giving me any ideas." ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Meeting Tip: The very best meetings with prospects are two-way exchanges of information. Getting people involved in a sales conversation is a lot different than making a sales pitch. "Don't spend hours and hours doing a fancy PowerPoint presentation," suggests a buyer. "Come to me with an idea and let's talk about it." Bringing...Read more

I once interviewed 40-plus clients of a major Canadian corporation. "What does good look like in a written proposal?" I asked. The consensus was that conciseness is good. "Edit and summarize," they said. "Cut to the chase" came up a lot too.

Check the length of your next proposal. What words and sections could you eliminate? What if your ...Read more

Chris Lytle Proposal Writing Tip: I once interviewed 40-plus clients of a major Canadian corporation. "What does good look like in a written proposal?" I asked. The consensus was that conciseness is good. "Edit and summarize," they said. "Cut to the chase" came up a lot too.

Check the length of your next proposal. What words and sections could...Read more

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: Does this sound like any sales operation you've worked for? "When generals are weak and lack authority, instructions are not clear, officers and soldiers lack consistency, and they form battle lines every which way; this is a riot." Sun Tzu's warning to military leaders is great advice to sales managers. Deploying ...Read more

Chris Lytle's Success Tip: "Amateurs hope. Professionals work." Four words crafted by writer Garson Kanin can help you increase your sales or lower your golf scores. People who are beating you in both "games" are outworking you.

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Chris Lytle Tip: Want something to strive for? According to the US Census, the lower limit of the top 5% of household income is $150,499. At the top of that 5% are the super rich, but getting into the "lower upper class" isn't that large a leap for many salespeople. One thing to keep in mind, "class" is more than money. It includes speech, ...Read more

Chris Lytle Tip: Want something to strive for? According to the US Census, the lower limit of the top 5% of household income is $150,499. At the top of that 5% are the super rich, but getting into the "lower upper class" isn't that large a leap for many salespeople. One thing to keep in mind, "class" is more than money. It includes speech, ...Read more

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: If you've ever made less than a positive first impression on a customer, remember this advice from a very wise person: "No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Click here to visit Lytle's site.

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: If you've ever made less than a positive first impression on a customer, remember this advice from a very wise person: "No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Click here to visit Lytle's site.

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: If you've ever made less than a positive first impression on a customer, remember this advice from a very wise person: "No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Click here to visit Lytle's site.