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.
Is Sales Necessary? … Or Necessarily Evil?
Salespeople fight a "guilty until proven innocent" reputation when working with customers. I know, because as a salesperson I've battled it for over...
A Sales Team Needs More Than “High ROI” and “Low TCO” To Compete
"How will your IT solution help me sell more pizza?" That was the opening question from one COO recently when he met with a team...
Goofus and Gallant Make CRM Decisions
For those who may not be familiar with Goofus and Gallant, the Highlights Magazine feature contrasts how two children—Goofus, who is bad, and Gallant,...
To An Octopus, “50” Means Nothing: Why Empathy Matters
What qualities make a salesperson a top performer? Being young and energetic? Money-motivated? Aggressive? Outgoing and gregarious? Or having strong product knowledge, and experience...
The Hidden Risks of Social Networks
Not to throw cold water on anyone's exuberance, but social networks could destroy your sales strategy, and your company along with it. Why? Because...
Getting to “No” U: The Higher Education of Qualification Strategy
"There's nothing wrong with learning a prospect can't or won't buy, as long as you learn it early in the sales process." This admonition came...
A Tsunami of New Social Connectedness Is on the Way
Five years from now, which sales strategies and tactics will matter? Will familiar terms such as "cold calling," "individual contributor" and "lead lists" ultimately...
Six Ways Companies Promote Sales Failure
Every day I learn about field-tested sales tactics. Some are innovative and effective. Others--well, I just have to ask "and how's that...
Your Next Cell Phone Rant Could Become the Subject of a Blog
When I was at the gym last week, I eavesdropped as a distraught salesperson spoke on his cell phone to an unknown listener—and to...
Your Cutting-Edge Strategy Won’t Cut It in 2012
Which of these definitions comports with your beliefs? "Salesmanship is a battle of organized knowledge against unorganized knowledge or ignorance." or "Salesmanship is the ability…
The Curse of Knowledge
"We need people with industry experience working on our new product launch. A person new to our market would never understand the nuances...
The Right Sales Questions Will Get the Right Answers
What happens when we make assumptions? The movie, The Return of the Pink Panther, provides a great lesson. Peter Sellers, playing the immortal...
Marketing Resources Minus Empathy = Zero
A brief rant, then questions: Earlier this year I received an e-newsletter with a press release about a new risk management software product developed by...
How Humor and Eavesdropping Combine To Win Sales
I was in midway through writing an article with the dour title "Prospecting Doesn't Matter" (owing to Nicholas Carr's 2003 Harvard Business Review article...
“On My Honor, as a Salesperson . . .”: Why Sales Ethics Matter
Which business risk represents the greatest threat to shareholder value? Natural disasters? Terrorism? Product defects? Piracy? Patent infringement? Lack of ethical boundaries? If you answered...
Why Sears Customers Continue To Suffer
Sears--the retailing powerhouse that broke down paradigms for how consumers purchase hardgoods hasn't figured out how to maintain their visionary edge. Many would...