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You negotiate for far more than the final deal or agreement as a sales rep. You negotiate to get access to speak to a prospect, for their time, for the information you need to advance the sale and to talk to those on the buying team. The whole process is a negotiation to create a win-win situation for your organization and your prospect.

Closing is perhaps the easiest commitment to acquire. But for this to be true, you need to gain a number of commitments. In 2016, after publishing The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need, I had already started writing The Lost Art of Closing: Winning the 10 Commitments That Drive Sales on my flight from a meeting with the publisher in New York.

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You may not remember the time when large, enterprise-level organizations required you to complete an RFP (request for proposal). However, you wouldn’t be the only salesperson competing for the client’s business. Depending on the size of the opportunity, you might have a dozen or more rivals answering the same questions and prompts. If you find yourself in a situation where you must respond to an RFP, you may be asked to complete the same RFP two or three times, even though the company has made no changes.

My brother, Jake, is a comedian. It’s the only career he’s pursued since high school. In third grade, he had to write about the kind of work he wanted to do when he grew up. At the top of the paper, he wrote, “Comedy Man.” I’ve always wanted to introduce him on stage, but instead, he told me to do a 10-minute set. My wife and kids bought tickets to the show. My youngest was worried about my first comedy performance, despite my frequent use of humor when I speak at events and Sales Kickoffs.

There is way too much on cold calling. On any day, you can find all kinds of self-proclaimed experts publishing posts about cold calling. Occasionally, you will find these experts arguing over the best way to make a cold call. One expert will focus on how you introduce yourself, while another will claim that they can improve your chances of a conversation and acquiring a first meeting. It is rare to see the cold call expert offer anything important outside of their chosen area of focus.

As a B2B SaaS content strategist, I‘ve found myself on the receiving end of countless cold calls, especially after signing up for industry reports. It’s always a strange experience that keeps surprising me. Just last week, after downloading a marketing automation whitepaper, my phone lit up with calls from eager software representatives.

In media sales, your ability to connect with clients on a personal level can make all the difference. Whether you’re pitching to a high-stakes client or nurturing a long-term relationship, mastering body language is essential. While words can convey information, your body language often speaks louder than anything you say, influencing how clients perceive your confidence, credibility, and trustworthiness. Here are some expert tips to help media sales professionals leverage body language for more successful interactions.

Are your cold calls falling flat because you’re making simple mistakes? The salesperson called me, but I couldn’t talk at that moment. I was busy focused on something and was unwilling to stop, although I usually take cold calls. If you make cold calls, you should take them because you may learn from different approaches.

The ability to read body language signals and respond accordingly is an important weapon in a salesperson’s arsenal. As a salesperson, you should be actively seeking to “hear” your prospect’s body language, as much as you’re listening to the words they’re saying. ‍When you see someone smile, you know instinctively that they’re happy (or at least indicating positive feelings to you). You know the proper response is most often to smile back.

Used strategically, body language can emphasize your argument and make it resonate with your audience. Want to really drive a point home with your prospect? Consider walking a few steps toward them. Nodding, smiling, and maintaining eye contact will create a positive and receptive atmosphere. And making small, restrained gestures can project an air of authority and confidence.

No, this isn’t a post on the importance of retention/renewal/expansion, though the underlying principles can impact retention/renewal/expansion. It’s a very different focus on our customers, what they mean to us and what we mean to them. This came up in a discussion, someone was asking about Partners In EXCELLENCE, our GTM process, and our strategies. I mentioned, offhandedly, that we have a principle underlying everything we do. I said, “We are driven by creating customers for life!”