Why You Should Keep an Objection-Handling Diary

By Jackie Cumo, Sales Consultant Keeping a log of the most frequent client and prospect objections you hear will help you have great responses at the ready. If you’re like me, you sometimes find yourself coming up with the best responses to an objection after you’ve already left the meeting. I’ve often found myself in the parking lot or on … Read More

Multi-Touch Approach for Prospecting Success

Is it better to contact 100 prospects one time each or ten prospects ten times each? Setting appointments today is very different than prospecting in the past. Gone are the days of picking up the phone and getting the decision-makers on the line. Today, very few people answer their phones; it’s getting harder and harder to get in touch with … Read More

BDU Welcomes Three New Team Members

Welcome Janet, Jeanne and Jackie!

  Business Development University is thrilled to announce the addition of our three newest team members! Janet Nankin, Managing Director, Southeast Region Janet spearheads BDU’s expansion to the southeast region, bringing a solid history of achievement in financial sales and entrepreneurship to help elevate the business environment in South Florida. Lisa Peskin, CEO and Founder of BDU, is so excited … Read More

Stop Wasting Time! Three Easy Strategies for Better Time Management

Stop wasting time with these tips from BDU

Did you know that the average person wastes about two and a half hours every day? If you take a five-day work week and add it up, this totals 650 hours of wasted time annually. If you divide that by 8-hour work days, you’re wasting around 81 days – or nearly 12 full weeks – every single year. Think of … Read More

Dear BDU: Lisa’s Guest Columns for Philadelphia Business Journal Online

Philadelphia Business Journal

Did you know that BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin has answered some pressing sales and business questions as a guest columnist for the Philadelphia Business Journal’s online magazine? In these “Dear BDU” posts, Lisa gave advice on getting the most from your sales team, how to best handle the pressure of a sales career and more. Check them out now! Help! … Read More

Every Result Needs an Activity, and Every Activity Needs a Result

You know that there are certain business development and sales activities you should be performing, but do you know why? Have you set clearly defined goals for the results you wish to achieve by doing everything you do? It’s so important to be purposeful in your activities so you know why you’re doing them. On the flip side, if you … Read More

Meeting Seating: Does Where You Sit Make a Difference?

Choose your meeting seat carefully

When meeting with clients and prospects, you know the importance of setting an agenda, effectively navigating negotiations and being prepared to handle objections. However, have you also considered where you’re going to sit when you enter the room? Where you – and others – are seated can be just as important to a meeting as what you say and how … Read More

How to Maximize Client Relationships and Opportunities This Summer

Tips for maximizing summer months to build client relationships

We’ve mentioned before that business activity shouldn’t stop just because it’s summertime. Not only are these warmer, more laid-back months a wonderful time to network and create new relationships, but summer can also provide the perfect chance to check in with your current clients and work on building existing relationships. As we approach the month of July – and with … Read More

The Six Key Components of a Successful Prospecting Call

Phone prospecting is difficult. It’s hard to get a person on the line, and when you finally do reach someone you want to make sure you’re doing all you can during the call to achieve your ultimate goal: setting an appointment. It’s not easy, which is why we’ve outlined six key components of successful prospecting calls to help you plan … Read More

Local CEOs Rank “Improving Sales Performance” as a Top Ten Priority This Year

CEO Think Tank once again published the findings of their annual growth strategies survey. This year’s results found that out of the top twenty priorities for CEOs in and around the Greater Philadelphia area, improving sales performance came in at #6. It’s not surprising at all. At BDU, we hear over and over again from CEOs, business owners and sales … Read More

The ONE Key Step Your Prospecting Meetings Should Always Include

Always set an agenda!

Appointments with prospects can be stressful. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and you have an idea of what you want to discuss and what you’re hoping to get out of the meeting. However, they don’t always end up going the way you envision. It’s easy to get off track, and sometimes when you reach the end of the … Read More

The Best Sales Methodology Out There: Be the Person You’d Want to Work With

There are many different sales methodologies out there, and if you’ve ever purchased something you’ve probably come across a variety. You’ve most likely experienced quite a few that were manipulative, pushy and a complete turn off. Instead of going through with the sale, you probably walked away vowing never to come back or work with that sales person again. It … Read More

Lisa’s Number One Secret for Upselling and Cross-Selling

We’ve said it numerous times before; we all know that it’s easier to keep an existing client or customer than to go out and find brand new business. If you can upsell or cross-sell to your current client base, that’s even better. How do you go about getting more business out of an existing client? Lisa’s number one secret for … Read More

5 Tips for Turning Happy Clients into Your Best Referral Sources

Five tips for asking happy clients for referrals

There are many reasons that your happy clients or customers can be some of your best sources for referrals. They know – and love – you and your company, and they can speak to the many ways in which you’ve helped them with your product or service. Since they’re thrilled with what you’ve provided, it’s easy for them to think … Read More

Meet Siddique: Conversation with CEO and Coach Lisa Peskin

Watch Lisa's interview on Meet Siddique now!

BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin had the recent opportunity to discuss her sales and business development advice with Muhammad Siddique, host of a web series that features industry professionals and business owners sharing tips and strategies for success. They talked about what inspired Lisa to build her business, her top three business growth success secrets and more. Watch Lisa’s interview now! Want Lisa … Read More

Too “Sales-y?” Make a Personal Connection

Make a real connection with your prospects with these tips from BDU!

People work with people they like. If you’re a sales person who is too “sales-y,” it’s going to be difficult to get ahead. At the end of the day, no one likes to be sold anything. They want to make a real connection with a real person, not a pushy sales person. BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin has had a flourishing … Read More

That Sales Show: Lisa Peskin on RVN TV

BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin recently sat down with Donna Valente, Executive Consultant and Sales Coach for BDU and host of “That Sales Show,” a weekly live segment featured on RVN TV. Lisa and Donna talked about what makes a sales team successful and how best to manage and coach even the most seasoned sales people. They also discussed the tools necessary … Read More

Meet Siddique: Conversation with BDU’s Speaker and Coach Tom Gill

BDU’s Sr. Sales Strategist and Trainer Tom Gill is a skilled speaker and coach with years of experience helping clients increase their top line. Recently, Tom had the opportunity to speak with Muhammad Siddique about how he landed in his role as a coach and facilitator, as well as his top three success secrets for building business. They also discussed … Read More

BDU’s Thirteen Practical Tips for Prospecting

Learn 13 practical prospecting tips from BDU

Do you have a strong network of referral sources and COIs introducing you to good, qualified prospects? Do you have a long list of potential clients or customers you’re planning to contact? This is a great start, but these referrals or contacts are not valuable until you convert them to net new appointments. Having difficulty with getting your foot in … Read More

Rainmaker’s Roundup: Lisa Peskin on RVN TV

Lisa on Rain Maker's Roundup

BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin recently sat down with Mark Iorio, host of “Rainmaker’s Roundup,” a weekly live segment featured on RVN TV. Lisa and Mark discussed the psychology behind sales, as well as the tools and systems necessary for success. They also talked about how to improve your sales team’s performance, how to fix common sales mistakes and more. Watch … Read More

Closing the Deal: The Number One Secret to Successfully Presenting Proposals

presenting proposals

You’ve gone through all of the steps necessary to successfully bring a prospect through to the final stages of the selling process, and you’re getting ready to present them with a proposal. Do you set a time to meet with them face-to-face to review what you’re offering or do you simply shoot out an email with your proposal attached? Which … Read More

Donna Valente Joins the BDU Team

Donna Valente joins BDU

Business Development University is pleased to announce that Donna Valente, Executive Consultant and Sales Coach, has recently joined the BDU team. Donna brings decades of sales, management and recruiting experience working for high-growth organizations, especially in the educational technology and e-learning markets. She has a reputation for being a sales professional who has generated substantial revenue growth for start-up companies. … Read More

Don’t Waste the Season: Fall Tips for Strong End-of-Year Results

Don’t Waste the Season: Fall Tips for Strong End-of-Year Results

Last month, we provided some tips for maximizing your summer business efforts to keep your progress moving forward despite the common myth that business doesn’t happen over the summer. Now, as we head towards September and prepare to enter the final third of the year, there are only a few more months left to hit your goals. In addition to … Read More

Don’t Waste the Season: Tips for Maximizing Your Summer Business Efforts

Maximize your summer business activities with these tips from BDU!

We’re in the middle of summer, and you may have heard over and over again that it’s a terrible season for business activity. We often hear that people are not motivated to move forward with new deals, sales are slow and everyone is on vacation. However, before you completely write off the summer months as a waste of time, flip … Read More

The Five Keys to an Effective Negotiation

During a recent visit to the gym, BDU’s CEO Lisa struck up a conversation with one of her workout buddies. The topic quickly turned to business, and Lisa’s friend excitedly shared with her that, after much negotiation, he had just signed a large contract for his company. This was a huge deal for him, and he was very proud of … Read More

Bizzy Mamas: Lisa Peskin on Fox29 Philadelphia

BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin was so excited to be featured on a recent episode of Karen Hepp’s “Bizzy Mamas” segment on Fox29 in Philadelphia! Lisa discussed some of the ways she and the BDU team analyze client needs to triage areas for improvement and develop an effective game plan. She also shared a few of her secrets for what it takes to really achieve … Read More

“Spring Cleaning” Your Business Development Efforts

Spring clean your business development efforts with these tips from BDU!

Consider doing a little “spring cleaning” on your business development efforts to remain focused and purposeful in your activities: Reevaluate and make a plan. Don’t just wing it. Be purposeful in your approach. Update your “to do” list. What items reoccur on your list week after week and don’t get accomplished? Does it still make sense to execute those tasks? … Read More

Sales: The Best Career Out There (If You’re Ready For It)!

Lisa at Temple's event

BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin had a wonderful time recently when she spoke with a group from the Professional Sales Organization of TU, a student-run association from Temple University. They held a Fox Sales Challenge event, breaking into groups of two to analyze a case study and showcase their presentation skills for a panel of judges. Lisa is very passionate about … Read More

Triage Your Sales Health: Lisa’s Interview on the Quotable Podcast

Quotable

Do you know what it takes to make the leap from being a good sales person to being a great one? It’s time to “triage” your sales health, a methodology developed by BDU to help individuals, sales teams and sales forces uncover what three areas, if improved upon, will have the biggest impact on performance. On Episode #88 of the … Read More