I'm really enjoying Maestro, the program in which a selection of Dutch celebrities compete to become conductor. With a real golden baton. Why? It's about connecting on so many levels. What I see: The wannabe conductors are from “all walks of life” and everyone, despite the weekly dropout, encourages each other to the final The audience shares a laugh and a tear with the candidate conductor during the performance, which is truly an exam moment. And the PHILharmonic Orchestra m

I don't know any salespeople or consultants who take the train. They're all in company cars. And that means they're stuck in traffic. Why? "I have to go to multiple locations. And be presentable to customers." Nonsense. Now that we're conducting interviews online, how often do you need to be at multiple locations in a single day? And how many customers see your car or ride along? When I rush past the traffic jam on the train, I only see 1 driver per car. After years of drivin

It's not what you do that sells, but what you bring. The biggest mistake I see sales consultants make? When they're allowed to pitch something... They explain how they do something, rather than what they offer. And they do this very early in the sales process. Understandable! Because you have expertise or great technology to offer. But nobody wants that. In fact, if you do it too quickly, you'll give your prospect every reason to say, "Yes, but," or "That won't work here," or

You would think that after 30 years it would become routine. I've been involved in consultative sales for about 30 years now, and as a sales coach for 19 years. Thousands of sales and coaching conversations conducted, hundreds of deals closed, but certainly also many missed opportunities. And you know what I like most about it? I'm still learning every day. That's why I think it's important to keep doing sales myself. How else can you train and coach someone? The pitfall of m