Responding to an ultimatum at work

What is your strategy for responding to an ultimatum? 
Your Rant: I work with a vendor who is always laying ultimatums on me. He’ll guarantee a low price for only a short period of time, etc. It drives me crazy.
911 Repair:
Your letter reminded me of a fight I recently read about at the 45th Precinct [...]

How much do you really know about your customers

Dear WW: I know that our annual report says that our customers are number one. But I just don’t think that customers are really on the radar screen for most of our employees. What can we do to change this? CUSTOMER SERVICE
Dear SERVICE,
A while back I wrote an entire blog at ABCnews.com on the most [...]

How to succeed with cold calls

Dear WW: Is anyone else having trouble getting through to people today? Is there something that other people are doing that I don’t know about? VERY COLD CALLS
Dear COLD,
I had an out of town guest visit me recently. We were listening to the Seattle weather report and she started laughing because of all the different [...]

I lost my customer. What can I do?

What are your strategies for a lost customer? 
Your Rant: I’ve just started working with a new company that doesn’t seem to care when they lose a customer. I’m sure there are things to do, but I don’t know what to suggest.
911 Repair:
When I read your e-mail, I thought of Shahimi Abdul Hamid. He’s a [...]

Can anyone manage a sales team?

What’s your strategy for managing a salespeople?
Your Rant: I’ve never had to manage salespeople before. They strike me as a different breed, so please tell me what I need to know to be successful.
911 Repair:
Recently, I learned an amazing trick that many people have turned into an art form. When asked a question [...]

No sale, what to do when a product isn’t selling

What do you do when your product isn’t selling
 Your Rant: I’m feeling that our product isn’t selling like it should be selling. We’ve tried everything to boost sales and nothing works. Any suggestions?
911 Repair,
Your email reminded me of Tony Alleyne. He tried to sell his apartment for two million dollars. Why so pricey? Alleyne [...]

Negotiations are non-negotiable-How can I negotiate?

What’s your strategy for contract negotiation?
Your Rant: I’d like the people in my company to do a better job of negotiating contracts with our customers, but most of the materials I’ve seen on negotiating are very complex. Can you suggest a simpler guide to negotiations?

911 Repair,
Merle Crossman filed a lawsuit against his fire insurance company [...]

Net gain, using the Internet to grow your business

What is your strategy for using the Internet to grow your business?
Your Rant: Like everyone else I’m drowning in spam. At the same time I think that the Internet can be a great way to market my business. Is there a way to market yourself on the Net responsibly?
911 Repair,
Speaking of spam, one of [...]

Managing to get ahead, sales team management strategies

What are your strategies for managing a sales team?
Your Rant: I’m new to sales management. I’ve got a huge team of sales people and I’m trying to have them focus on what’s really important. But some of them just aren’t getting it and my patience is really getting stretched. Can you give me some advice? [...]

Sales to the masses-group sales-scare me!

What’s your sales strategy for more than one person?
Your Rant I’ve always sold to one person. Suddenly I’m working our biggest account and I’m dealing with a committee. Help! 
911 Repair,
Spencer Tunick might just be the best salesman ever. He’s an artist and his specialty is taking photographs of nude crowds in urban settings. Yep, [...]