Andrew Rudin
Andrew Rudin
Andrew (Andy) Rudin is Managing Principal of CONTRARY DOMINO, and faculty at George Mason University's School of Engineering and Information Technology. Andy provides comprehensive services to companies for sales governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC). Andy has a BS in marketing and an MS in information technology, both from the University of Virginia. In 2018, he was recognized as a Hall of Fame author on CustomerThink.
78% of All Sales Statistics Are Made Up
"Ninety percent of all sales people never bother to ask for the business." Fact? It's actually a wry quote from Lee Iacocca! But you'd never...
Asking “Where Are We in This Deal?” Won’t Give You a Clue
Sales Manager: So, where are we in the MegaCorp deal? What do we need to do to get them to the next step? Salesperson:...
Product Failures Create Great Sales Opportunities
Late last month, an IT failure crashed the administrative systems at agencies across the state of Virginia. Prisoners at state facilities couldn't be...
Fool’s Gold: Searching for The Most Important Step Will Ruin Your Sales Process
What's the most important system in your car? a. Engine b. Steering c. Braking d. Drive train e. Lubrication Assuming you want to drive it…
Honesty in Sales Has Never Been More Important!
Business development consultants are great opportunists. We never lack for creative ways to grow revenue. And when prospects lack compelling motivation to...
The Right Sales Questions Will Uncover Enterprise Risks and Golden Opportunities
Sales is a set of interconnected business processes. Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Got that out of the way! I hope the buzzword-encrusted introduction didn't turn you off....
Big Brother is Blogging: Survey Reveals Federal Adoption of Social Media
The administration is still wiping egg off its face after the social-media fueled Shirley Sherrod debacle. Bureaucrats demonstrated they're human—whipped into a frenzy...
More Choice Equals Less Value–for Consumers
Everyone in my family knows the one-adjective rule applies when I'm making the grocery run: if a product name includes more than one...
Proving the ROI Doesn’t Mean Squat without Disclosing Risks
Put a big, fat glob of risk in your product pitch, package it as "excitement," and you have a powerful sales tactic. Even...
Risky Business? Sales Strategies Must Avoid Becoming Disasters
Oil slicks, mine explosions, lost sales opportunities . . . Risks? What risks? Woulda, coulda, shoulda! By now we know...
Sales Motivation Through a Customer’s Eyes
Who do you want on your sales team? Hunter types with "street smarts," and a "sales personality?" Salespeople who are motivated, hungry,...
“But They Know Me!” How Close Ties Harm Sales Relationships
The brush-off all salespeople have experienced: "No thanks. We're completely satisfied with our current provider." Years ago, a sales trainer recommended this follow-on...
Are Salespeople Trigger Event Happy?
"That proposal you sent us last quarter . . . we need everything installed immediately! How quickly can you ship?" My prospect's...
“To an Octopus” Revisited: Empathy Meets Social CRM
Remember Denise, the top-producing software sales rep who could kick the fanny of your top producer? The one who awed me into exclaiming...
Social Media Privacy Loopholes: “Is This Real Life?”
In 2009, people who proclaimed that social media had shifted information power from producer to consumer weren't thinking Facebook in 2010. But social...
Will the Next Sales Achiever Need an MBA?
If your product or service is easy to sell, or if you avoid selling to senior executives, you don't need to read this blog....
Before I Sell to You, Tell Me–What IS Your Immigration Status?
"We discussed that you have the budget, and that your purchase time frame is 30 days, but tell me, what is your immigration status?"...
Sweep Your Sales Problems Under the Rug. Your Competitors Will Love You for It !
"Bring me sales, not excuses! Tell me what you are going to sell." Notorious demands from a VP of Sales whose identity...
Seven Sales Topics That Need to Die. And Seven That Need to be Heard.
Amber Naslund's rant, 9 Social Media Topics that Need to Die (March 25th), was an exhilarating slap to the head. Even though I...
Are You Smarter than a 52-year-old? Test Your Knowledge!
I'm on a roll writing a client's sales training certification test, so I wrote seven questions that test your business acumen, and that are...