Justin Bieber is the youngest person to ever sell out Madison Square Garden, and it only took him 22 minutes! While I know the likelihood of anyone reading this story to have been diagnosed with Bieber Fever is slim to none, if we’re all really being honest with ourselves, there is a part of each and every one of us who secretly admires him, respects his success or even REALLY likes him. I would even bet that if we stepped out of our comfort zone and removed our adult supersonic teen heartthrob repellant to take a closer look, we just might find the magic formula responsible for his unimaginable rise to global superstardom.
The quest for knowledge begins here, if you can step out of your comfort zone for a few minutes. Go ahead and remove your adult supersonic teen heartthrob repellant. You will become noticeably more curious and you might feel like eating a snack, that’s normal. Just keep reading, in a few seconds you’ll forget you care if anyone knows that Justin Bieber piques your curiosity.
Just like every other five year old tomboy, I loved frogs… especially the baby ones. And in my town, after it rained, momma frogs and baby frogs were everywhere. As soon as the downpour was tamed into a light sprinkle… my brother, sister and I couldn’t get outside fast enough to search for baby frogs. The big frogs were ok, but it was the teeny tiny baby frogs that we were after. 
Why, oh why, as salespeople, do we put ourselves in a position without access to the person who actually makes decisions on where dollars will be spent? Maybe it's important to look at why we aren't invited to the big kids’ table. It's because there are lots of people around us who have bad manners. They don't set agendas for meetings. They don't contract for next steps. They have nothing relevant to talk about, so they are perceived as time wasters (and they probably chew with their mouths open). 
The first time I heard this phrase was in 2000, I was watching the movie Boiler Room in Denver, Colorado. Ben Affleck’s character was trying to “motivate”—or better said— “scare the dickens” out of his rookie recruits. I vividly remember him leaning over the conference room table, squarely looking each and every recruit in the eye telling them with force… “sell or be sold… someone is always selling… either you are selling them on why they should buy OR they are selling you on why they won’t/can’t buy... ”
Last week, I had the chance to speak at a leadership conference for roughly 150 executives from the home furnishings industry, including manufacturers, designers, import/export specialists, and retailers. We talked about the state of the economy, the mood of consumers, and the challenges that lie ahead.
I bet you're thinking what does the phrase "don't give up" have to do with Elvis and what could this possibly be doing on a blog about Sales Strategy!!! Great questions, and in a second, I think it will all become very clear. Turns out, that Jerry Weintraub (Legendary Hollywood producer and promoter) practiced a principle that we talk about a lot at The Center: Don’t Give Up!
It's not often that you will see us post someone else's work on our blog but this one we could not pass up…. our good friend 
Every day last week, I received at least two flyers on my door and another two telemarketing calls from roofers trying to cash in on the hail damage claims in the Kansas City area. One of the vendors caught me outside and engaged me in this conversation, which made me think about The Budget Question when it comes to the sales process.
