proposals

Zombie Deals

Zombie Deals: the obstacle to sales that you have hidden in plain sight

We have enough obstacles to sales but we often add big obstacles without meaning to. I’m talking about the undead, “zombie deals” in your pipeline. They never close and they never die, but you spend lots of time and energy … Read More

Tattooine Sunset

Make Your Proposals Stand Out (and Win)

If you find your prospects aren’t taking action, or aren’t moving forward with you, here’s how you can make your proposals stand out and win more often (and at higher price points). Last time we looked at who is the … Read More

The Customer is Luke. You are Obi-Wan.

What do you think?

I’m always sharing my thoughts on this blog, but I’d love to hear from you… It’s always good to know more about your readers, and to learn from them. Especially as I’m getting read to launch the Sales for Nerds … Read More

Technical pain, business pain, life pain

The 3 Levels of Pain for a Compelling Proposal

Writing a strong proposal requires a good understanding of the prospect’s pain point(s). However, the way many people have these discussions only scratches the surface of the pain, which leaves you without a complete picture of the problem, and therefore … Read More

The Hardest Advice to Follow

Is usually your own. Last week I wrote about how to multiply the value of your content, because this is a problem I face along with many of you. I knew I needed to do a better job with this. … Read More

multiply the value of your content

How to Multiply the Value of Your Content

Great content is great. It’s also really hard to produce and who has time for that, anyway? You can take a page from Oprah’s book and multiply the value of your content creation efforts by spreading their impact, or repurposing. … Read More

How to turn a sales conversation into a proposal

How many times have you had a great meeting with a prospect, had the prospect ask you for a proposal, think, “I’ve got this one”, and then sit down and realize the proposal isn’t going to be as easy as … Read More

Elon Musk-- master of business and business writing

The Tesla Master Plan and Business Writing

Business writing tends to be sloppy, crappy, and confusing. Have you noticed that some people don’t have time for that, because they are in a hurry to change the world’s transportation and energy infrastructure, while also going to Mars? Elon … Read More

Bob's Discount Heart Surgery Price Competition

Price Competition How to Avoid It and How to Win It

Price competition can seem scary, but many of the wounds are self-inflicted. While that sounds discouraging, it’s actually good, because it means you can take control of them, avoid them, and win deals at better price points. Pricing is the … Read More