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An EXTRA day to be extraordinary!

Every four years we get an extra day. A gift from the earth’s rotation around the sun. Do you think of it…

Carefully Consider Ideas vs. Dismissing Them

I’ve been thinking about this line from Adam Grant’s book Hidden Potential (Chapter 8 Mining for Gold Unearthing Collective Intelligence in Teams…

You Can’t Manage via Email!

This may come as no surprise but you can’t manage via email! Now I need you to stop for a moment and think about…

Managers can be Mentor Coaches – can’t they?

The best Sales Managers I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with had a skill that is tough to master and takes…

Trust the Process, Reap the Rewards

Over the last three weeks, we’ve tackled some big questions that begin with – what do I need to: Now, let’s chat about…

Elevate Your Inside Sales Game: The 15-Minute Daily Challenge

Now that you’ve made a little space in your day by STOPPING this week, let’s focus on a simple yet powerful commitment: Spend…

STOP… just STOP

As important as it is to choose to KEEP going with the things that are working – you have to wipe the…

KEEP going

Last week’s reKick-Off edition of A Chip off the Block expressed that you aren’t starting from scratch, you’re starting from where you were yesterday…

reKick-Off

Unless today’s your first day in sales, I feel like a new year needs a reKick-Off rather than a kick-off. Why? You aren’t…

Perception IS Reality

Years ago I did an exercise suggested by my colleague and friend Karin Bellantoni where I asked a selection of people for words they…

Inside Sales Solstice #video #LYNNSIGHT

December 21st at 10:27 p.m. becomes winter where I live. 9 hours, 15 minutes and 18 seconds of daylight. The shortest day of the year…

Motivation for PEOPLE not Mules

Here is an idea; Ditch methodology designed for mules and start motivating your team as PEOPLE. The traditional carrot vs. stick metaphor comes from urging a mule…

Quick #video #LYNNSIGHT on Planning

The new year is almost here with new prospects and new ideas. Your sales plan needs to reflect that. Don’t just cut…

STOP looking for “the decision maker”

2023 research shows “the average number of stakeholders contributing to a purchase decision is 11.4”in case you’re curious, 2016 it was 6.8……

Heartfelt Thanks

Too often we dive headfirst into the whirlwind of our day, with its promise of lofty goals and the thrilling chase to…

Harness the Essence of Time

Time, time, time; it’s all about time Each of us is allocated the same 1,440 minutes every day and 168 hours each…

Are you making sense?

Almost 28 years ago – I was in my very first sales meeting. Started my new job on January 7th which was also…

BEWARE the #InsideSales sugar crash!

Have you ever participated in an inside sales power hour? Where everyone has committed to have a message and call list prepared…

Are you wearing a sales manager costume or being yourself?

Last week we revisited the 2009 Spooktacular Edition of A Chip off the Block and asked, “Are you wearing a sales costume…

Are you wearing a sales costume or being yourself?

When starting my inside sales career, my first sales manager made me do the most difficult thing in the world (at least…

Asking Actions to Qualify Commitment #video

After posting You’ve Been Ghosted, a comment came in on LinkedIn: how do you qualify commitment? What a GREAT question! It got me thinking……

Revisiting – You’ve been GHOSTED #video

Probably because October is “the month of Lynn” (thanks to my friend Maxine and much to my husband’s chagrin) I was revisiting…

Mastering Focus and Priorities = #InsideSales #Success

In an era of constant distractions, where information overload is the norm, maintaining focus has never been more challenging! We’ve all experienced it—social…

Sales Equinox

This Saturday, September 23rd is the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere. When daylight and…

Effective Coaching and Training for Inside Sales Reps

In the fast-paced world of sales, inside sales representatives play a pivotal role in driving revenue and business growth. However, inside sales leaders…

Inside Sales Top 10 Activity List

A new inside salesperson asked me for a top 10 list of inside sales activities. If you’ve been around the inside sales game…

Are we THERE yet?

In every sales career there are times that make you ask “Are we THERE yet?” The crazy thing is it’s not only…

Embrace the Inside Sales Suck

A few weeks ago, the Chip off the Block newsletter Inspiration is the WOW behind your WHY talked about getting out of the drudgery…

Embracing Graciousness

Today, we’re going to talk about a magical quality that can turn the daily hustle and bustle of our jobs into something…

Reigniting Inspiration: A Guide for Inside Sales Managers

It’s not uncommon for even the most experienced Inside Sales Managers to face moments of difficulty and frustration. Throughout the year, you’ve tirelessly…

Inspiration is the WOW behind your WHY

In the hustle and bustle of our daily grind, it’s not uncommon to find ourselves yearning for a spark of inspiration. We’ve…

Unleash Your Inner Creativity – Find Inspiration in Unexpected Places!

Today, I want to challenge the notion that salespeople aren’t creative by asking you a simple question: “Do you see pictures in…

Creativity = Letting Out Your Inner Sales Child

13 years ago, something remarkable happened. As we gathered with company, enjoying a delightful hot dog roast, a minor inconvenience arose—the smoke…

Creativity out of Chaos

Embracing Chaos and Cultivating Creativity: A New Perspective Amidst the hustle and bustle of your week’s endeavors. I want to share a…

The Road to Sales Independence

As inside sales leaders, we all strive to create a thriving and high-performing team that achieves remarkable results. However, adopting ineffective management…

Wrapping Up Productivity

Today, think of all the steps you’ve taken in June to become more productive. Have you allocated your time appropriately? Do you want…

What will you STOP doing?

At the end of last week’s Amplification Factors, I mentioned making time for the things you’re working to amplify! Here is a story from way…

Amplification Factors

I’m a fan of the mock-umentary Spinal Tap and have talked about turning it up to 11 in the past. Which is…

If you hold on, you can’t move

Most people I know want to be productive. They get up, get ready for work, and would like to have a day…

before Productivity…

Right now, what “should” you be doing (rather than reading this week’s Chip off the Block newsletter)? I put “should” inside quotations purposefully…

ChatGPT and Inside Sales

I recently went to a training on ChatGPT… full disclosure, in preparation for the session I had to create an account –…

Listening with UpYourTeleSales

If you’ve been reading along this is a repeat – well it’s actually the table of contents list for listening; combining both…

Listening; 2nd – Remove Obstacles

Going from Duh to Do – The Listening Edition told you you’ll need to 2nd – Remove Obstacles JUDGEMENT I mentioned the biggest obstacle…

Listening, 1st – You Have to Care

In last week’s, Going from Duh to Do – The Listening Edition, I shared that to become a good listener 1st – you have to…

Going from Duh to Do – The Listening Edition

I’ve been speaking with salespeople about listening for years. In every new hire training program I’ve conducted, since 2005, I’ve asked “How many…

The Importance of Listening – Resource List

I was spending a lot of mental energy and time thinking of how to emphasize the importance of listening… but LOTS of…

Spotlight on Andrea Waltz

In March, A Chip off the Block was all about having a process to handle NO in prospecting: This may be why…

Conversational Resistance

A lot of salespeople talk about objections when they’re prospecting – BUT how can someone object if they have no idea what…

There are BAD Questions – Ask GOOD ones

Everyone’s heard the saying “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” I think it was Carl Sagan who said “there are…

Softening Changes How THEY Hear Questions

Softening statements at the beginning of a sales question helps make direct questions easier for the prospect or customer to hear and…

Never Underestimate the Power of Acknowledgement

When’s the last time you felt heard – REALLY heard? One of the top complaints about salespeople is that we don’t listen! Change this…

Something Needs Doing

For most people, right now there is a feeling of something they need to be doing. What may seem a little crazy is…

ME ME ME

We help you…I’d love to learn a little more about you…We’ve built a collaborative… That is how three messages began that I received…

Don’t Bother Asking… without LISTENING

Most salespeople understand that asking questions is important. What’s interesting, is most don’t realize that listening to the answers is even more…

Skill Building

What’s the last thing you read – listened to – watched that was specifically to become a better inside salesperson, manager, or…

Failing Forward

Today remember; the only way to NOT fail, is to do nothing – even then you will not achieve the results you…

Little Acts of Bravery

Sunday I rode the lift with a boy – not yet a teenager, while old enough to have a conversation. He looked…

Making Progress

I’m all for audacious goals! Setting goals and measuring progress – here’s what works. Once we set a goal, we usually write it…

If you haven’t, you need to…

Everyone talks about creating an ideal customer base… based on an ideal customer profile – yet the majority of organizations I work…

Now! Daily Resolve

I shared on the blog yesterday that my word for 2023 is Now! This fits right into my belief that we need to work…

Celebrate and START

Do you take responsibility for the things that happen in your life? I’m going to guess you answered YES. Now I’ll change…

The Soltice and Sales

Yesterday was the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. You may wonder what that has to do with sales. Everything! A traditional…

Status quo – a contrarian’s view

I will admit, I love the status quo… when it’s me! Other people will say that the status quo is the enemy, but…

Prospecting = EXCLUSIVE activity

No matter what you sell… no matter what your current forecast looks like… basically: no matter WHAT – sales and prospecting are…

What do THEY care about?

Every time a salesperson opens their mouth ~ even if the person they are talking with is already a customer ~ the…

3 Minutes on Saying Thank You

Inside sales is very metric-driven (not that I have to tell you that) and sometimes we forget the human side of our…

Exercise in Gratitude

Last week we talked about self-gratitude, with Looking Back with Gratitude. This week I’d like to suggest an exercise I heard about from my…

Looking Back with Gratitude

When we look around at all we are grateful for, we sometimes forget to spend a moment and show gratitude to ourselves….

Inside Sales Credibility

If you don’t know Mitchell Levy’s idea of CPoP (because you know I love a great definition) The expression of one’s purpose…

Softening Statements

Have you ever asked a sales question that wasn’t received well? The person you asked may have: taken offense – been completely silent…

Ask More Questions on Timeframe – Priority – Commitment

thanks to Sarah Cashman for the picture October is known, at least among my friends, as the Month of Lynn (much to…

Customer Focused Questions

A while ago (4 pairs of glasses or 2013 depending on how you measure time) I created a quick video reminder on…

Communication is your responsibility! #pause

Have you ever fallen flat on your conversational back? The person you were speaking with may have: Given short answers Never been truly…

Routine vs. Unique

routine: of a commonplace or repetitious character: ORDINARY In sales, if you’re commonplace and ordinary it’s easy to ignore you. Here are three…

The Secret to Revenue Growth by Anthony Iannarino

With his latest book Leading Growth out now: today I’ve invited Anthony Iannarino to answer the question “Why do some sales organizations…

Sales Planning the Money View

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with salespeople and leaders who are thinking about their NEXT success – perhaps because of…

Salespeople are like POPCORN

Salespeople are like POPCORNapply a little heat and they EXPLODE into something better. Not enough and they stay kernels of potential success. Too much…

The One-Two-Three of Moving Past Objections

You have probably heard the Chinese Proverb Give a man a fish andyou feed him for a day.Teach a man to fish…

Moving PAST Conversational Resistance

Driving down our single-lane dirt road from the house has been interesting lately. If you’re leaving early enough, you will probably encounter…

Navigate AROUND Sales Obstacles

There are several definitions of navigation: To travel by water… To steer a course… To get around (movement)… Although the first is…

Can’t spell value without YOU

I believe that every single salesperson does something that is unique. Like Deloss Webber’s Blessings. If I told you that I’d just purchased…

Disqualification vs. Qualification

Hello, I was planning a whole long explanation of Disqualification vs. Qualification this week… yet the more I check out the birds’…

Take your own sales temperature

Years ago, a good friend of mine and I decided that if it’s 20° hotter or colder than you’re used to (or…

CANNONBALL

It’s a hot day, you’re at the pool. Running around, jumping… splashing… laughing. When someone yells CANNONBALL! Everyone turns to look, as a wave…

Sales Boondoggle

boon·​dog·​gle | \ ˈbün-ˌdä-gəl a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament a wasteful or impractical…

Go fly a kite

I am someone who has a kite in my car – just in case. Not that I’m expecting a kite emergency or anything,…

Map Your Competition (inspired by @iannarino Elite Sales Strategies ch 10)

I don’t know about you – but I’ve never had the pleasure of selling something TRULY unique. Something no one else sold….

More on Habits

In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character finds himself caught in a time loop, repeating the same day again and…

One Day of Practice

We’re busy, and adding new habits takes time. What if we gave ourselves one day to try out a new habit? Just ONE day. To…

4 Things to do RIGHT NOW

There is something holding you back, right now.  And by something, I mean SOME THING. Some THING is holding you back from getting…

Oh, the books I read

Hello, my name is Lynn, I’m a Book Wyrm (yes I spelled that correctly) a book DRAGON – hoarder – a woman…

The Best Time to Make Sales Calls (#video)

Here we are again, another company came out with the best time to call list. All right, I’m going to give it to…

Remember; Time & Attitude are yours to control!

ATTITUDE: I’m a firm believer in the Attitude by Charles Swindoll. I believe it is critical to success and that we get to…

Decisions require – brainpower, time, and money

Way back in 2017 I wrote a three-part blog post on WHAT someone needs to make a decision. The interesting thing is…

Scarcity vs. Abundance

Well I’m not so sureAbout either/orI’m more a fanOf both and andThere are times and placesIt’s the right choiceBut it’s used too oftenTo slice and…

Have multiple people on your sales call

Have you ever been driving and come over the top of a hill and said “ohhhhhh WOW” either out loud or to…

Time to buy Anthony Iannarino’s new book

It’s not often I write about a new book I’m reading before I am even out of the introduction! Yet here we are…….

You’ll win if you play by THEIR rules

You need to understand individual prospects’ buying process or you might be using Monopoly rules when they’re playing Yahtzee. Both games HAVE rules but…

Thinking is NOT Listening

I’ve had WAY more than one conversation over the last month with salespeople who are distracting themselves with worry, self-doubt, and sometimes…

Willful Ignorance (and other annoying traits)

I’ve been talking with a lot of internal support people lately. Salespeople, you know – the team of people that ensure your prospects…

Stop – Look – Think #LYNNSIGHT

A couple of weeks ago I ranted about poor LinkedIn sales behavior without giving you much information on what you should do…

Sláinte

I am not Irish, although I did use to live in a Syracuse NY neighborhood called Tipperary Hill. I do like a…

Just STOP (warning LinkedIn rant)

I’ve been doing a non-scientific, anecdotal sales behavior on a LinkedIn research project without telling anyone. The results have been less than…

Steeped in PASSION

Grit is defined as passion and perseverance for very long-term goals by Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth. Last week’s Revisiting Mental Gymnastics was about perseverance, so…

Revisiting Mental Gymnastics

Back in 2018, I gave you a Mental Gymnastics QuickTip – How to Get Moving When the Clock’s Ticking. This isn’t the…

Got Grit?

Are you curious about the difference between being a success and a failure? Have you seen salespeople with a load of talent that…

YOU are the differentiator!

This week’s Inside Sales Leadership Corner implores you to Share YOUR Unique Talents. That led to What makes YOU different? But you still may…

A LITTLE at a time

Are you tired of talking about incremental improvement – about changing one thing at a time? I can’t help it – from…

Holding Jell-O

“Sales is a game of holding Jell-O” ~ Patti Dwyer I’ll admit I BURST out laughing when Patti said “Sales is a game…

In case you missed it. Nope, I deleted you… Did you check out our offer last week? I have ZERO recollection of…

For the love of serendipity

(shout out to @realAndyPaul) I love serendipity, like coming out of the clouds on a chairlift into the bright sunshine of a…

How do you begin?

Most people seem to think of sales as a game of endings, probably because how you finish is what is ultimately measured….

Join me January 4th (sign up now)

I’m so excited to be racing into the new year with my friend and colleague Debbie Mrazek, president of The Sales Company! 7…

BELIEF is a huge piece of sales success

Last week I shared the math of the alphabet which shows H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K at 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98% K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E with 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96% A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E being 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5…

The Math of the Alphabet

I saw the math of the alphabet 10 years ago and stumbled across it again recently. It goes like this: A B…

Call Plans = Recipe for #InsideSales #Success

I don’t cook. That doesn’t mean I am unable, to quote my Mom “if you can read and do math – you can…

Video, Video, Video… Resource List

This latest video montage started off with my Spotlight on Look Me In The Eye by Julie Hansen. Granted it still seems odd to…

What are you thankful for?

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States – which is a time for gratitude. Which is why today I’m asking you to…

STOP Hiding Behind Email (part 2 of 2) #video

Tone and inflection share your intent. Different tones, different inflections, different intents. Maybe. Or maybe you just sent an email that was read…

STOP Hiding Behind Email (part 1 of 2)

“It’s so hard to get a follow-up meeting.” “I sent the information they requested, now I can’t get ahold of them.” “No…

Asking Actions to Qualify Commitment #video

After posting, You’ve Been Ghosted, a comment came in on LinkedIn: how do you qualify commitment? What a GREAT question! It got me thinking……

You’ve been GHOSTED (video)

Has it happened to you? You send a proposal off… then crickets, nothing, voicemail jail, you’ve been GHOSTED! Check out this video…

How do you imagine the unimaginable?

One of my prospective coaching clients asked a very interesting career question – the conversation was that she didn’t find her current…

Are your sales stuck in the mud of your own making??

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of mud or being stuck. Especially the feeling that I’m sitting…

Spotlight on Look Me In The Eye by Julie Hansen

For years you’ve heard me talk about making your sales calls feel like you’re having coffee with the prospect. NOW Julie Hansen…

Don’t just GO to training – GET something out of it!

In a conversation for a class I was co-leading for a client, the other instructor and I were talking about the sales…

What are you going to do with it?

“What are you going to do with it?” may sound like a trainer’s lament. For the moment I’ll blame pg 169 of Sell Different by…

Good vs. Bad Habits

Habits, are they good or bad? Too often people talk about “habit” like it is a dirty word. I don’t know about you…

Spotlight on Sell Different by Lee Salz

You want to be successful, which in sales means you want to WIN. While everyone around you is saying how competition has…

Today’s Sales Leadership Question = Because – With – In spite of

Here is an end-of-summer reflection for you. Are the salespeople on your team where they are today:because of you, with you, or…

WHY are you asking that question?

The purpose and “why” behind even bothering to ask questions is something we don’t talk about often in sales. Today I’m asking…

Sales Joyfulness

Play – Enthusiasm – Joyfulness: perhaps you’ve been thinking that the past month of Chip off the Block newsletters seem overly happy…

Enthusiasm #LYNNSIGHT

When people say “mustering” enthusiasm, they make it sound like going to war. I like to say “mastering” enthusiasm because a little…

enˈTH(y)o͞ozēˌazəm/ resources

Yup, that is me, eating maple sugar cotton candy for breakfast. A strange thing to be enthusiastic about, perhaps. Yet once a…

Crack the Whip

A friend was telling me a story about her childhood. She changed schools often and found it hard to make new friends….

Simplify Inside Sales

“Simplify, then add lightness” is a quote by Colin Chapman who founded Lotus back in the 50s While I was racing (I drove a…

What’s the WORST thing that can happen?

Last week’s Chip off the Block brought up the idea of Underlying Automatic Commitments (beliefs or judgments which we hold on to about…

Click Retry… see what happens

Salesperson: I’ve tried that it doesn’t work.Lynn: Oh, how many times did you try it?Salesperson: Once. As people, we know that mastery of anything takes:…

Are you earning your Sales Independence?

Sunday will be Independence Day in the United States. A celebration filled with fireworks, parades, boating, or grilling in the backyard (your welcome…

Inspiration + Perspiration = Magic

I get it, you’re busy! Requests coming at you, metrics to hit, the life of a career salesperson. You know that fresh…

Happy Birthday @EiSelling for Sales Leadership

Well, if there was a year that needed emotional intelligence, this past year certainly qualifies HIGH on the list! On the 1st birthday…

Pick ONE focus in customer conversations!

Last week’s Chip off the Block What are you focused on? talked about focus inside your organization. This week, let’s shift our attention to conversations…

What are you focused on?

When taking pictures, you know that what you focus on will be clear and the rest of the image blurry. Likewise, what…

Sales Process Labyrinth vs. Maze

Sales professionals know how important having a repeatable sales process is to their success, as well as working hard to bringing their…

Inside Sales – Daily Dial Expectations

Sales leaders and managers are always trying to figure out what the “right” number of calls, to hold an inside sales team…

A million little things about building trust!

Everyone knows that people buy from people they trust, as well as understanding that taking the right actions is required to earn…

You are what you READ

I’m sure you’ve heard or even said “you are what you eat.” Of course, I had to look up the origin – we have…

STOP making excuses! GET Started.

I had to ask myself a question recently: What is stopping me from getting started? As soon as I began to think about…

Can managers ACTUALLY coach?

I was having a conversation with Janice Mars of Sales Latitude and Meshell Baker who Ignites Confidence about sales and sales leadership. When I made the…

EVERYONE is Crazy Busy!

I’m a huge fan of Jill Konrath’s book SNAP Selling! Then one of my clients asked about a training class to teach salespeople…

Mistake or My Take?

I was talking with a friend of mine about things that, when they happened were considered mistakes or failures. My personal favorite…

Thinking – just stop doing it

I think I’ve figured it out, all we have to do is stop thinking to make our lives easier. Don’t you see,…

For leadership success, it’s critical to define what leadership means to YOU.

Leadership is an interesting concept. It is almost easier to talk about what it’s not than to define what it is. It’s…

Please STOP calling them bluebirds

It KEEPS HAPPENING *sigh* – another salesperson talking with me about the “bluebird” deal that just happened to magically come in. I…

11 Ideas for Revenue Growth

Eleven Ideas that grow front-line revenues (in no particular order): Decide what ‘revenue growth’ you’re looking for!  Create your ideal customer profile…

March Method vs. Madness

Before you begin smiling & dialing your way through March – it is time to take a step back! Ideal Customer Profile…

What AREN’T You Asking Yourself

I recently had to confront… myself. I will not get into specifics – there is something I’m not doing and I know…

Increase your sales win rate

Video Tip: Don’t forget to CHOOSE your background when making sales video emails. Join me for more important tips on “How to Use…

Use what you know and GO!

Sometimes you have to use what you know and make a decision… don’t give in to fear, keep moving forward. You may…

Growing Wide and Deep for a Stable Base

I once heard a great analogy relating life to trees. That many times it’s what you don’t see that makes things what…

Demystify

I am lucky to know really smart people! When I was speaking with Caroline Tien-Spaulding on creativity, work, and more – she said, “we mystify…

Reap the rewards

I was sending a note to a client and after I wrote it realized it’s an important message for everyone to remember!…

Because failure is always an option

I have a piece of steel on my desk engraved with the sentence What would you attempt to do if you knew…

Sales is all about PERSPECTIVE

On a clear day from Skyward at Whiteface Mountain it feels like you can see forever. I wish my sales vision were…

Reflection & Anticipation

One of the things I love about the turning of the year is taking the time to reflect on what has happened…

Happy Holidays

The Lost Art of Lollygagging

Between the stress created by the pandemic (and all its byproducts), the 24-hour news cycle, plus the stupid idea that people need…

Are you enthusiastic about sales?

The #LYNNSIGHT definition of enthusiasm = real & genuine excitement about what is going on RIGHT NOW. Add to that the #LYNNSIGHT…

Enthusiasm Quiz

Got a moment for a quiz? When you wake up most mornings what is your first thought? SNOOZE Oh, great… Let’s get…

Adopt an Abundance Mindset

Taking an attitude of abundance means that every time you meet a new sales prospect, your brain believes that there are enough…

UpYourTeleSales Sales Bell Curve Manifesto

What would your production look like if 68% of the people on your team made goal one more month next year than…

Are you too “busy” to be GREAT?

I’ve had a few experiences lately that have convinced me that many (perhaps most) frontline sales managers & inside sales leaders are B…

Don’t (s)mother your team members

“Out of curiosity, what have you tried?” When your sales team is blocked, telling all may not be the best approach. In my…

Four Strategic Self-Belief Questions

Positive Belief is one of the six traits that are part of your Success Toolbox. Positive belief isn’t viewing the world through rose-colored…

Your Success Toolbox

It’s important to have the right tool for the job. The work is so much easier when your toolbox has the perfect…

Commitment is an inside job

For those of us in the sales profession, we have the visible signs of our work and our “worth” – lists, phone…

PIVOT it’s what everyone’s talking about

Everyone is talking about how important it is to pivot right now. Blog posts, webinars, articles, the word “pivot” is EVERYWHERE. It’s…

You’ve GOT this!

I wish I knew who said, “Whatever you’re doing today do it with the confidence of a 4-year old in a Superman…

I wish I’d said that…

“No better time than now to embrace what 2020 is; a challenge… The Main Thing I would like you to remember:  2020 is NOT cancelled”…

BUT how? (make one more call)

In the ONE call can change EVERYTHING Chip off the Block newsletter I said “when you DON’T want to make another call… it is…

Are you a salesperson or sales-player?

In July you may have read The Game of Sales and The Game of Sales Leadership. If gamification is to be your way of work…

Coming Back

After the LOG out and UNPLUG issue of A Chip off the Block – I received some feedback – next, you need to provide a solution…

LOG out and UNPLUG

In the past few weeks, I’ve spoken to salespeople and leaders who told me they were taking time off AND IN THE…

One call can change EVERYTHING (video)

It may sound bold to say one call can change EVERYTHING. I believe it’s true!!! One Helpful Person Who answers your question……

How to get business like a… BEE!

How often have you seen a salesperson portrayed as a… … Hunter (and the prospect is the one being “hunted”) — or…

The Game of Sales

Inside sales is a difficult job. It is hard to stay motivated… especially on the days where you feel like you’ve been…

Prospecting Process Model

In inside sales, no one will be surprised to hear that prospecting as a process significantly impacts business. You will also not…

The Science of Sales

When thinking about sales as a science, I think the #1 place that salespeople and organizations fall down is when it comes…

The Art of Sales

Years ago I read an article on What Makes Art, Art? and I’m going to start with three ideas from there on…

The art – science – game of sales

You may have heard that sales is an art, maybe a science, or even a game. Join me as I share: how…

Earning Your Sales Independence

Saturday will be Independence Day in the United States. A celebration filled with fireworks, parades, boating, or grilling in the backyard (your…

6 Success Commonalities

I have to share that when people say they are going to share the “secret to success” I am instantly on guard….

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

In Colleen Stanley’s new book Emotional Intelligence for Sales Leaders, this line struck me as critical! “When you dig deeper in the root cause…

Stressed = Desserts spelled backwards

Lately I’d say the societal situation we are in plus the pandemic means many people have a higher base level of anxiety…

Enthusiasm #LYNNSIGHT

When people say “mustering” enthusiasm, they make it sound like going to war. I like to say “mastering” enthusiasm because a little…

Help them inspire themselves!

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.”~ Buddha…

My 30-Day Challenge Lessons

I love music, lots of genres – artists – songs, which made it easy to play along with one of those silly…

Appreciation Edition

I write notes to myself… all of the time. I just came across one; “When I think of _____________, I appreciate X,…

Success Bingo

If you enjoyed last week’s Frustration Bingo you may see this flip side option as a great game. Let’s talk about SUCCESS. I truly…

Frustration Bingo

I believe sales is not only a profession, an art, and a science… it is also a game. Frustration Bingo is a…

Navigating the sales maze

It might be fun to try navigating and escaping a maze during your leisure time. Most people don’t feel the same when…

6 Sales Tips Learned from Jr High Cheerleading Tryouts

In Junior High School there were two girls I really, really wanted to be friends with (no, I don’t know why). They…

Gratitude – Everyone Can Do It!

Quite a while ago Alice Kemper @BestSalesTips mentioned a practice that transformed a sales team’s performance from the bottom of the list…

Prospecting in a COVID-19 world

You may be concerned about how prospecting will be perceived when you pick up the phone, but still – it’s your job….

Listening Skill Snap #Video (3-minute or less)

Welcome to the Listening 3-Minute (or less) Skill Snap series. In these videos I’ll be giving you a truly actionable idea in…

UpYourTeleSales Work-From-Home Tips

Here is a repost of my LinkedIn St. Patrick’s day post, if you’re not used to working-from-home I hope they help. Check it…

Ignore the numbers

Forced inactivity LAST ski season resulted in… It’s Saturday, Thursday I fell skiing -> not a huge horrific crash, rather one that…

Lose Gracefully

Unfortunately, I was reminded recently about the importance of losing gracefully.  The opportunity is was one I’ve been working toward for truly…

Listening for dissatisfaction

I’m about to ask you to THINK… Think of someone you personally BUY from… do business with…  Who do you really LIKE?…

Strategies for Dealing with External Idea Gatekeepers (Part 2)

Last week I told you about how the topic of “idea gatekeepers” came up in a conversation with Babette Ten Haken, Nancy Nardin and Tim Ohai. To…

Internal Idea Gatekeepers – Here’s what to do when you run into one

I was in a conversation with Babette Ten Haken, Nancy Nardin, and Tim Ohai and, not surprisingly, it was about sales, plus working with lots of different…

Self-Respect

I’ll admit, to you and myself, I did NOT feel like writing when I arrived home from a weeklong business trip to…

Lynn’s List & Some Resources

If you’ve been playing along after reading Procrastination Rationalization last week. I’m sure you will agree that to not use your top…

Procrastination Rationalization

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by procrastination. I have three things that I NEED to be doing, BUT… one I don’t…

Make ONE really scary call

What if every single day you picked one call you were afraid to make, created a call plan, engaged any resources that…

Releasing Yourself from Mental Captivity

Some days we end up in a position where we aren’t in control… ok perhaps we aren’t ever in control – but…

2020 Hindsight 3 min 33 sec Video #LYNNSIGHT

When you look back with 2020 hindsight there are three things to be ready for: to celebrate making your goals… which means…

Sales passion WITHOUT emotional attachment

Years ago this idea came into my universe – success in both sales and leadership come from being passionate WITHOUT becoming emotionally…

Objections aren’t questions – STOP answering them

“Objections Aren’t Questions – Don’t Answer Them!”~ Pete Morrissey I have to start with; I’m not 100% sure that Pete Morrissey is…

It’s not an objection – it’s conversational resistance

Conversational resistance is NOT an objection to doing business with you. They can’t object to doing business with you if they haven’t…

Work to Fill Your Commitment Gap

Back in June 2017 when “Commitment is an inside job” was first published, someone replied with “Power packed.. and sometimes tough questions…

Being Thankful on Thanksgiving

Inside sales is very metric driven (not that I have to tell you that) and sometimes we forget the human side of…

Invasion of the Sales-bots

One day I was sitting back thinking of why some salespeople are FANTASTIC at what they do and others, well frankly just aren’t. Not…

When is the right time?

I was talking with a customer the other day and when I said, “It’s never the right time…” he replied, “to do…

One more hour…

One more hour… Recently it seems I’ve been having conversations that frequently include “if I had one more hour…” … of daylight…

One-minute video on Inside Sales and Halloween

Inside sales is the best career ever! Why? Because we can be in Halloween drag at work and nobody would ever know,…

Account Base Building Blocks

What are you using for building materials in your account base? As salespeople start to either build new, renovate, or add on…

Abundance Mindset Resource Cornucopia

Last week’s Account List Abundance Planning newsletter brought a lot of questions about my favorite resources to build an abundance mindset –…

Account List Abundance Planning

Steven Covey introduced most of us to the idea of having an Abundance Mindset (the belief there is plenty out there for…

Community of Experts – Women SalesPros

This week I’m hanging out with what someone has described as “an awesome group of BAD mamajammas” along with “women you want…

BURSTfocus® to the beat

Can music help you concentrate? There has been so much work done in the field of the human brain. The brain loves patterns,…

Read to Lead

I truly believe the more you read, the better leader you become. It doesn’t matter if you’re leading a Company – Division…

Focused Sales Conversation Resource List

I’ve always believed that effective communication is the salesperson’s responsibility. Here are some communication tips to help you connect with your prospects…

(Video) 7 Sales Lessons from Vacation in 11 Minutes

Well – summer is unofficially over. Or so it seems where I live – after Labor Day in the US my town…

#BeingYourBest Giving in ISN’T giving UP

In the beginning of this series I shared that #BeingYourBest comes from conversations I’ve had with salespeople… mangers… leaders this year, that…

#BeingYourBest Ignore it!

I had to call a time out on an inside salesperson rant the other day. They were just shy of an all-out…

#BeingYourBest Forecast for yourself

Too many salespeople think of forecasting as something they HAVE to do, or SHOULD do – when in fact it is something…

#BeingYourBest Time Self-management, part 2

If you’ve REALLY figured out your when(s) and understand your priorities, it’s time to move on to part 2. Play Take what you…

#BeingYourBest Time Self-management, part 1

I must admit, it’s before 6:00am on a Sunday morning and I’m on my second cup of coffee, writing this newsletter. Not…

#BeingYourBest, the series begins

I wonder if book authors determine they need a preamble like I did – after they begin writing something and realize it…

Connections Matter

I guess the question is, are you connected? When I look at LinkedIn, on the surface it is like everyone putting their…

#SalesTruth Spotlight on Mike Weinberg

There is so much packed into #SalesTruth by Mike Weinberg that it’s hard to think about how to write one newsletter on all of…

Sales Independence

To celebrate America’s Independence Day, we do an edition of A Chip off the Block about exerting your Sales Independence! Susan B….

Resource List – Sales Professionalism

Now that you’ve decided sales is where you want to be! After reading my series on professionalism, I hope you agree that success…

Professionalism Tips

Every time I dive into a topic, such as professionalism, I never actually know where I’m going to end up. That –…

Prospect’s Perceptions on Professionalism

Last week A Chip off the Block talked about the difference between being an Amateur vs. Professional. Which sparked a conversation around the…

Amateur vs. Professional

If we go by the Merriam Webster definitions: Amateur is – one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather…

Are you REALLY listening? (video)

My definition of a conversation is an exchange of ideas between people. Exchange – means the other person has to be listening…

How to Stand Out (in a good way)

As always, the goal of a resource list from UpYourTeleSales is to give you great ideas from other people. When looking online…

Ask Insightful Questions

I’ve been working with a lot of sales teams lately to craft INSIGHTFUL question Merriam-Webster gives us two definitions of insight: the…

Spotlight on Jill Konrath

A director of sales who used to work for me quotes something I used to say to HER with the salespeople on…

Spotlight on Colleen Stanley

Years ago, I took the CliftonStrengths Assessment. Back then it was called StrengthsFinder, where you are rated on a list of 34…

Shining the Spotlight on Karyn Greenstreet

When I first started training salespeople, I realized that having a methodology and process were critical to my success. Luckily (for everyone),…

Shining the spotlight on James Muir

I LOVE a good workbook. Okay, it’s true – I like books in general… yet there is something about a workbook that,…

Sales Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is a real thing! For some, spring cleaning is a drastic event, where people pull everything out of the closet…

Piling Habits Too High?

My friend tossed my coat on the back of a wooden bench in her foyer. Timber-r-r-r-r! In slow motion, the bench tipped…

Use your Voice-to-Brain connection

Today we are going do voice exercises. No, not like the ones actors do to get warmed up. These are voice-to-brain exercises….

An UpYourTeleSales #LYNNSIGHT

How to get business like a… BEE!

How often have you seen a salesperson portrayed as a… … Hunter (and the prospect is the one being “hunted”) — or…

Resource List for Leaders

Last month I laid out four things that are true for both salespeople and sale leaders which is really only the beginning if you…

Communication is YOUR Responsibility (video)

YEARS ago I created the UpYourTeleSales communication trilogy, and that was when I started saying the phrase, “Effective communication – it’s your…

Conversations are crucial (video)

Earlier this month I wrote a blog post about the “appearance of distraction” versus “I’m here and present.” The more and more…

Integrity is Everything (video)

Typically, I don’t like to define something by what it’s not. Today I’ll let you go to Merriam Webster online and read…

Trust is built in SMALL increments (video)

Last year I had a conversation with Gretchen Gordon of Braveheart Sales Performance on the difference in core competencies for success between sales LEADER…

Sorry, what?? (multitasking resources redux)

These days most people have bought into the MYTH of “multi-tasking.” Yes, it’s a myth, and back in 2008 Dave Crenshaw wrote…

Three Things for Daily Success

Surprise! There is no genie in this lamp. Sorry. I don’t have three wishes, three things, or three answers for you. In…

BURSTfocus® Revisited

You’ve probably read my view on multitasking and “Why BURSTfocus® Boosts Inside Sales Productivity” — yet like building any habit, it bears…

Daily Resolve

With good cheer,Lynn

New Year’s Resolutions = Permission To Fail (video)

Last week I told you how much I love starting over. Well here we are… starting a new year. Now I feel compelled…

Brrr, a refreshing reset awaits!

Every year around this time, a salesperson (usually someone who is having an awesome year), laments about starting at zero come the…