During a recent class sponsored by the Troy Chamber of Commerce, Michelle found herself fascinated by the insights of presenter Dave Tear – who has spent the past 30 years helping people achieve their goals in sales.

It turned out the feeling was mutual. When Dave invited the participants to engage in a sales exercise, guess who performed so well that Dave declared her “the best salesperson here”.

Of course. Our own Michelle.

Dave’s insights are game changers for any organization trying to effectively prospect, fill pipelines and close deals. So we’re thrilled to feature him this month as our guest on Six Questions with Dan and Michelle!

We put a lot of emphasis here on the necessity of marketing supporting sales. We don’t think anyone should just “put content out” for the vague notion of establishing their reputation. And we emphasize that a lot when we talk to prospective clients.

It does create a conundrum in some situations, though. If the priority of content is supporting sales, why should anyone hire us if they’ve got all the business they need?

To support sales. That’s why.

“Huh?”

Fair question. But stay with us.

Sales is not merely the pursuit of customers you don’t already have. Successful organizations have always understood: The most important companies to engage in your sales efforts are your existing customers.

We’re not talking about upselling here. We’re talking about solidifying existing relationships.

If you look at your customer list and tell yourself you have all you need – great! That’s wonderful.

Quality communication is one of the ways you nurture that asset.

Even if your customer list was so solid that you would never need to find a new customer for the rest of the time you’re in business, then there is no one you should be talking to more.

Regular communication with existing customers not only helps you upsell – although it certainly can do that – but it can also remind your great and satisfied customers about why they find so much value in working with you.

Communicating is always the smartest thing to do.

Need new customers? Tell the market why they should be working with you.

Don’t need new customers because you already have so many good ones? Stay engaged with them so both sides get even more out of the relationship.

And of course, we’re here to help.

In March we welcomed new client Taziki’s Mediterranean Café. Based in Alabama with more than 100 locations, Taziki’s recently established its first Michigan location in Rochester Hills. This fantastic restaurant serves Mediterranean fare with a touch of the American Deep South. (Intrigued? We know. You’ve got to try it.) And it’s all fresh – there’s not a fryer or a microwave to be found on site. You can find them here: 3792 S. Rochester Rd., Rochester Hills, MI 48307

As part of our engagement with Atlanta-based Lead Coverage, Dan served as host of a series of interviews on the Citybiz platform with tech company executives serving the trucking industry.  This one with Grace Maher, COO of OTR Solutions, was especially well received.

Speaking of which, that cool-looking podcast microphone Dan is using belongs to Michelle, and he needs to give it back.

This is Holy Week, and it’s holy because Jesus rose from the dead and won the victory over sin and death.

About that Holy Week thing:

We just finished the account of the resurrection in the Gospel of Mark. One thing we notice in this account is that the women who first discover Jesus’s resurrection, are instructed to go tell His disciples – with a specific mention of Peter.

That’s the same Peter who just had one of his lowest moments in denying Jesus. Jesus had seen this coming before the previous night, of course. He told Peter in Luke 22:31-34 that “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” And Jesus didn’t stop Satan from doing that. He knew Peter’s testing was necessary, and he simply told Peter that He was praying for his faith not to fail, and for him to be fully restored upon turning back.

That’s exactly what happened. The Peter who emerges in Acts 2 and Acts 3 is bold, courageous and wise. He blew it on the night Jesus was arrested, but that was not the end of Peter’s story. Not by a long shot.