The Emotional Journey of Buying and Selling
When someone makes Prospect Theory generalizations—saying that buyers either over-weight gains or over-weight losses—Blair wants us to remember that both are true at different times during the sales process, and we need to adjust accordingly at the right times to close the sale.
Hard Lines, Soft Lines
Inspired by some observations of what sometimes happens to people on the journey from vendor to expert, Blair sees some newbie Win Without Pitching devotees going too far–power tripping.
Designing Your Service Offerings
Does your list of service offerings look like a Cheesecake Factory menu? David identifies five hallmarks of poor service design along with five principles of effective service offering design.
Secrets Behind the Killer Website
In a follow-up to the popular “Secrets Behind the Killer Proposal” episode, David unloads everything firms can do to make sure their website is locked and loaded for winning over new clients (wink wink).
Why All My Content Is Ungated
David has seven reasons for removing all barriers on his website for readers and prospects to access what he writes - but admits that it may not be for everyone.
Selling to Different Buyer Types
Blair details each buyer type (Convenience, Relationship, Price, Value, and Poker Player), and demonstrates how your proposal should do the negotiating work for you regardless of which type of buyer you’re selling to.
The Power of Process
Blair discusses what they mean by having a process, how to develop it, what to avoid, and how your process at its highest level can be turned into valuable IP.
What Would YOUR Employee Review Look Like?
Would you fire yourself based on the firm's results? Fortunately, David cannot fire you. Unfortunately, David cannot fire you.
Secrets Behind the Killer Proposal
WARNING: If you only listen to only one episode of 2Bobs it should NOT be this one. In this send up of the ridiculous things people put in their proposals David and Blair give exactly the WRONG advice, hoping you get the joke.
Six Hidden Benefits of Client Concentration
Every firm will face the possibility of a client concentration challenge, and every client should probably say “yes” to that opportunity in spite of the warnings going off in their heads.
Everything Can Change in One Conversation
Blair identifies six variables that can change the trajectory of the sale conversation with your prospective client.
Languishing
The most-read New York Times story of 2021 was about the dominant emotion many of us felt. Blair and David just hit record for this episode, without any plan for this conversation about the pandemic and how they feel about the new year.
Your Job Is the Future—Theirs Is to Keep You Honest in the Present
Blair has David expand on his recent article titled “You’re A Dictatorship That Gathers Individual Democracies—Good For You.”
Sales Clichés and the Damage Done
Blair tears down seven common sales advice statements that B2B creative firms should actually avoid following in their new business engagements.
Ten Set Pieces
Blair provides some modeling language in a sales context. While using scripts for a sales conversation is not advised, there are some “set piece” phrases that are handy to have at the ready.
Collecting From Deadbeat Clients
If you ever need to go to war over not being paid, David has some bombs you can lob over your enemy’s front lines.
Firing a Client
Blair interviews David on why dropping a client is sometimes necessary and how to best approach letting them go.
Attribution Errors
Where did the new client come from? Who gets credit? Should the new business person be involved in growing existing accounts? How should they, and/or the account people be compensated? Blair addresses all of these sales attribution questions.