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My hairdresser (Elle) served a glass of whiskey on New Years Eve.  What a surprise that was at 11am!!  

I just love surprises in customer service.  I am a new customer of Elle's.  

As I usually share everyday experiences and link it to lessons in sales... this is my take on my move to a new hairdressers last year. 

I had to change hairdressers in July because Martina (my previous hairdresser) had to give up her craft after 25 years.  Her back just couldn't take it anymore.  

I was devastated (and shed a tear when she told me). Not only did she know how to do my thick and curly hair, I also had such a laugh going there. It was the real social hub of the village, and you could end up having a conversation on any topic and I met such diverse people when there, which I loved. 

The experience made me think about the complexities of changing suppliers – and the work salespeople need to do to “persuade” a buyer to...

It is the most important thing to do at a tradeshow.  Contrary to most people's beliefs that you do most of the talking.... the most important thing to do is to LISTEN. 

I teach a 4 step process on how to Lead a High Converting Client Conversation  - weather at a trade show, on sales calls, in a virtual meeting or on the phone.  Read more about my process here.

 Tip #4 for winning more business at trade shows:

Follow the hashtags for that particular event and engage in the conversation beforehand.

Anytime I am at a trade show I can't help but think that loads of potential clients are walking past me!  So, I have created this trade show tip to help avoid that wasted opportunity.

>> Start the conversation with them before the show.  See who's talking online.

>> Follow the #hashtag for the show.

>> Be present and active in any social media groups related to the show.

>> Post regularly on LinkedIn to let people know you will be there and would welcome a conversation.

I met a great contact a few years ago via Twitter and arranged to meet him at the trade show.  We met up for a glass of wine and I felt like I had known him for years. Why? Just because we had an online conversation first.

We've been great friends since. I subsequently interviewed him for my book and this year a business opportunity has...

This week I really want to talk about the client conversation and leading a client conversation.

There's a methodology that I teach that has 4 specific parts to it. We're talking about Step 1 of it today. It's about the importance of being able to take control and lead the conversation.

Has it ever happened to you that you get in a call with the client and they're in control, and all of a sudden they're asking, "tell me all about this", "I just want to know about this product/service" then they're asking you about price? You realise you are on the back foot a little bit -- you've probably lost the opportunity of a sale there.  It is frustrating. Well you can do something about that.

In this methodology, I'll teach you how to - in a very nice way -  take control of the conversation. 

You want to be able to lead them through certain stages to be able to set them off so you can understand what's important to them so that you can figure out how you can help them. The...