Articles by Deb Calvert

Market Share: Getting (and Keeping) Your Piece of the Pie

What will you do when faced with new competition?

For any type of product in any given market area, there’s a limit to how much business there is to go around. That total number is the “whole pie.” It’s determined by the buyers in your market area, by the demand for the product you sell.    Let’s say you sell haircuts. You and every other salon, barber shop and beauty parlor in your zip code are competing for the limited number of customers who will get haircuts each week. That number of total haircuts represents...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on July 30, 2013

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10 Surefire Ways to Get More Callbacks from Your Sales Prospects

If buyers avoid your calls, your process may be part of the problem.

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions It's not your imagination. It isn't only you. There isn't some new problem with your product, your company, or even your sales process. What's changed, for you and virtually every other seller, is your buyer. All buyers are immensely more empowered than they have ever been at any other time in history. In fact, buyers are so empowered that many don't even realize when and why they need sellers. That's why they avoid your...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on June 18, 2013

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7 Tips for Communicating with Clarity

These simple steps can make a big difference in your effectiveness.

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions Misunderstandings in the workplace cause productivity losses, hurt feelings, and unnecessary conflict. Communicating with clarity can prevent misunderstandings and keep things running smoothly and peaceably. Ensuring clarity in communication is the responsibility of each individual, particularly since our performance is so frequently appraised based on our ability to effectively communicate.   Here are Seven Tips for Improving the...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Communication Skills on January 2, 2013

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Learn to Use Delegation as a Tool to Develop & Engage Employees

8 Essential Steps to Develop Others Through Effective Delegation

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions You’re good at what you do, but you may be doing too much by hanging on to work that you shouldn’t be doing. No matter what your job title is, there are people around you who could take on some of your tasks.  Delegating some of your work to them will benefit you, them, and your company.   This isn’t about offloading work that you don’t like or feel is too big a burden. Thinking of delegating in that...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Communication Skills on March 12, 2013

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Building Trust with Co-Workers

What can you do to be sure you are universally and consistently viewed as someone others can trust?

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions   In the past decade, trust has become a hot topic in business. Maybe it’s a reaction to the big corporate scandals that rocked the U.S. and led to stringent accounting practices or to housing market declines and big business bailouts. Or maybe it’s the lack of trust in companies that rapidly inflate and can’t sustain their growth so they lay off thousands of people with barely the blink of an...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Communication Skills on September 10, 2012

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3 Types of Questions You Should Avoid Asking in Sales

Quality questions can make the difference between stalling out and advancing the sale.

After conducting research with sellers and buyers for over 20 years, I’ve concluded that there are five kinds of questions sellers should avoid.     1. Avoid Asking “If I Could…” Questions   This is an obvious set-up. The seller asks a question to fabricate a conditional commitment. Then the seller proceeds to deliver on the condition he or she set up with an expectation the buyer will proceed.    When nearing a close or in response to a sales...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on October 10, 2014

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Moving Up the Ladder: 4 Best Practices to Demonstrate Your Capability

There is a difference between expressing an interest in career growth and proving yourself ready.

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions You're at that crossroads… You'd like to get ahead, to take on some new responsibilities, to stretch to the next level. But how do you go about convincing the “powers that be” that you are, indeed, ready?   One way is to simply ask. There are many ways you can simply ask, stating your desire to move up the company ladder. You can toss your hat into the ring when a job opens up. During performance reviews, you can...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Professional Development on June 6, 2013

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Value, Value Added and Value Creation

Empowered buyers appreciate sellers who deliver value-Be that seller.

It used to be enough for a seller to deliver on the value that mattered most to the buyer. If a buyer expressed a preference for “made in the USA” and the seller had products manufactured in America, the value was recognized and the solution was sufficient. As competitive pressures increased, marketers began adding value to incentivize buyers. In addition to meeting preferences like “made in America,” companies began offering added value, everything from the old S&H Green...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on September 5, 2013

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How Vulnerable Are You?

28 different points of view about the importance of vulnerability in leadership.

Last year, 18 of the top 25 highest-grossing movies featured characters with super-human powers. Invincible leads like The Man of Steel, Iron Man and Thor appeal to us because we place such a high value on strength.    But there’s something different about the modern superhero. Even among the invincible, there is a decided vulnerability that we can relate to. In fact, it’s their very vulnerability that make Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games), Frozen’s Anna and Elsa, Dr. Ryan...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on April 8, 2014

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Ten Ways to Prepare for a Tough Negotiation

Learn to plan ahead or be at a huge disadvantage.

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions By the time two parties to a negotiation are sitting across the table from each other, the negotiation may already be over. If you didn’t plan ahead, chances are that you’ve walked in to a fait accompli, a done deal, a ship that’s already sailed. If the other party has prepared in these ten ways and you have not, then you’re at an extreme disadvantage. It’s unlikely that you can recover from this inferior...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on October 9, 2012

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