15 Best & Worst Business Practices, According to a Sales Expert

Dan Hurwitz, my dad and a person I admire, has been a sales leader in the media and martech space for over 30 years and has had a handful of notable wins under his belt.

Having successfully hired and lead teams of Millennials, he regularly shares best and worst practices with me in an effort to help me improve my game. What follows is a list of several of them that are quite logical in nature but are often neglected. I couldn’t help but publishing…

1. Carry yourself like a champ: Stand tall, look confident, make eye contact, be positive.
2. Always make a connection.
3. Bring something to the table: It’s all about value. Everyone is looking for it. Bring it! A good joke, an article, a connection, a great idea. The result: “Whenever I meet with (insert your name), I always seem to benefit in some way.”
4. Prospects/customers want solutions to their problems. Take the time to understand these problems and focus your conversation on how you can help solve them. .
5. If you say it, do it! “Hey- let’s get together for a drink some time”. “I’ll call ya”.
6. Follow up is key: After a meeting, send a short note outlining the salient points of the meeting and action items. Then do your part.
7. Be on time. Being late will never get you a leg up. Lateness is a sign of disrespect of the other’s time as well as an indication that you don’t have your act together.
8. There are only results and excuses.
9. Speak your thoughts free of fillers. “Like, you know, ummmmmmmm, aaaaaaaah, know what I’m sayin?” They do not help your communication.
10. Finish the thought. Don’t speak in half sentences by beginning your thought, abandoning it, starting it from another angle, repeat, repeat. Slow down and communicate it from A to Z in the first place.
11. Answer the question directly- then elaborate. In other words, get to the point right away.
12. Never say “To be honest with you”.
13. Show up prepared. It’s easy to do your homework and know your facts.
14. Read one good newspaper or other periodical everyday: Favorites: NY Times, WSJ, BI. It will open up all kinds of doors.
15. Be curious. Ask a ton of smart questions. And don’t ask any before you’ve done EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN to find the answer on your own. You never want to waste other people’s time because you weren’t thoughtful enough to do a little homework.

Have a few more best & worst practices that you’d like to add to the list? We would love to hear from you in the comments below or in an e-mail: Jake@EyesightCollective.com