Growth Through Learning Blog

Anytime a new client comes to me for help in my coaching business, I make sure I give them the benefit of the doubt. I begin by assuming they’re mature, responsible, and serious about seeing a meaningful improvement. You would think this would be a safe assumption considering they’re the ones coming to me for help, however..

Personal branding is largely about differentiating yourself from others. Having a strong and consistent character helps you stand out from the crowd and gain the trust of those who may be considering you for a job, raise, or promotion. Use the following four-question self-assessment to evaluate how you can strengthen your personal brand by..

An analogy I’ve found helpful when talking to clients about personal branding is bumper stickers. These short, clever statements and slogans seen on the back of vehicles as they drive by are able to powerfully communicate someone’s view of the world in a matter of seconds – a level of efficiency of communication that should not be overlooked. For this reason, I often like to ask..

The number one way to make yourself more valuable – both to your organization and to the clients you serve – is to increase the value of the solutions that you’re able to provide for them. However, before you set out to increase the value of your offers, you’ll need to begin by assessing how valuable the solutions you currently provide really are. To provide you with the perspective..

The best way to uncover new opportunities, increase your influence, and advance your career is to develop a strong professional network. As you go about building your network, however, you need to be aware of the potential blind-spots that can keep you from success. In order to help you overcome these blind spots, we’ve put together the following 3-step process for developing a stronger professional network.

Your clients want to deal with a winner as much as you do. When you look for a solution you don’t set out looking to find the second best option. You’re going to choose to do business with whoever you determine to be the best, because you know the results you’ll receive depend on the quality of your choice. The same is true for the clients you seek to serve. If you don’t stand out to them as the best possible option for them to..

Many new salespeople experience anxiety when it comes to asking for a buying decision. This self-imposed pressure is often enough to prevent them from closing the deal entirely. Often, they do everything right in terms of providing sufficient information, demonstrating technical expertise, and talking about their success with similar previous projects, but when it comes to asking for the sale..

One event I speak at regularly is the Young Engineers of ASHRAE (YEA) Leadership Weekend. Every time I speak at one of these Weekends, I’m always encouraged by the deeper insights the attendees take away. It makes me feel good knowing they’ll return to their respective employers asking better questions. During one of these Weekends, an insightful young engineer from Calgary shared his thoughts on the challenge of..

Shadows are a great place to seek refuge from the sun on a hot and blistering day, but they’re no place to reside if you’re intent on advancing your career. It may feel “safe” to simply put your head down, do your work, report to your boss as scheduled and trust that others will champion your career on your behalf, but playing it safe is not an option if you’re serious about advancing your career. Instead, you’ll need to take conscious and decisive action to..

While there are arguably hundreds or even thousands of individual sales tactics and strategies, there are only two high-level approaches to sales: a fixed approach and a collaborative approach. I would like to make the point here that, when possible, a collaborative approach to selling should be used.

Getting better at sales doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of the basics and what’s really important. Here are 8 quick tips that you can begin implementing today to see an immediate improvement to your sales effectiveness.

While good salespeople search for what they can add to their sales process, great salespeople are also keeping an eye out for what they might need to remove. Unfortunately.. knowing which behaviors and tactics to get rid of isn’t always easy.