- This Week's Blog
- The Sales Challenge Blog Archives
- by Bill Farquharson
The Sales Challenge Blog
New blog articles by Bill Farquharson released every Tuesday. Search by topic below or read this week’s blog now.

Why You’re Not Getting Second Dates
If you knew a customer was going to ghost you, what might you do differently? Bill Farquharson’s blog answers that question.

You’re Doing Too Much That Doesn’t Matter
A busy day feels good. It makes us believe we accomplished things and maybe we did. But did any of it matter? Learn a hard truth in Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

Your Sales System Is Incomplete
If you asked anyone in any given profession, “What’s your plan to succeed?” and the answer came back, “I’m just going to wing it,” what chance would you give him/her to be in that job 6 months from now?

The Hidden Cost of Being Sales-Reactive
When is it a bad idea to fill your day with quote requests and problem-solving and incoming phone calls? It feels like the right thing to do. After all, you are busy. But not all sales actions are the best use of your time, as Bill Farquharson points out in this week’s blog.

How to Ask for Referrals Without Making It Weird
Asking for a referral is like asking someone for a date. Who doesn’t remember the awkwardness of that experience? Let’s make the referral request easier with this week’s blog by Bill Farquharson.

Why Your Emails Aren’t Getting Responses (And How to Fix It)
Sadly, we can’t control the actions of our clients. For some strange reason, our priorities are not their priorities. So, when we send an email and get no response, it’s a little frustrating. While we can’t reach through the computer and change that, there are changes we can make on our end that just might make a difference.

How Often Should You Really Be Reaching Out?
It’s hard for sales people when you can’t see the sales needle move. You are putting in the efforts but think it’s failing because there is no result to hang their hat on. If you only knew the value of your efforts. After reading Bill Farquharson’s Blog, you will.

What Prospecting Is and Isn’t
Most new sales reps see prospecting and trying to make a sale. But that definition comes with a lot of unnecessary pressure. After reading Bill Farquharson’s blog, you’ll have a different definition and a different viewpoint.

You’re Not Inconsistent. You Just Need a Trigger.
When “I’ll do it first thing” becomes “I’ll do it at lunch” becomes “I’ll do it before I leave” becomes “I’ll do it in the morning,” you’ve got more than a consistency problem. You’ve got a problem Bill Farquharson solves in this week’s blog.

How to Ask for More Business Without Feeling Awkward
What’s more awkward than asking an existing account for more work? You might have to think back to an 8th grade dance for the answer. But to get around any hesitation, follow Bill Farquharson’s advice in this week’s blog.

The One Question That Changes Every Sales Conversation
Sales magic happens when the rep says something that gets the customer talking. In this week’s blog, Bill Farquharson shares the magic words that lead to that moment.

What to Do Every Day When You Don’t Have a Sales Manager
While it’s great to be the owner, without someone telling you want to do, your sales efforts can wane to the point where they don’t exist. In this week’s blog, Bill Farquharson has some sales advice for the one-person sales force.

I Hate Selling…But I Need Sales
Sales growth comes from a lot of different actions, but there is a way to grow sales casually and to the point where opportunities find you. Interested? Read on in this week’s blog.

Your Pipeline is Emotional
It’s the difference between the successful rep and the struggling rep. And it’s the topic of Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

What New Reps Get Wrong
It’s 5pm and you accomplished very little. No sales, just busy work. What’s missing? The answer is in Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

Phone Phobia
If you sell print or promotional products and still struggle with cold calling, you’re not afraid of the phone. You’re afraid of what might happen when someone answers. If you want to know how to overcome call reluctance and start booking more qualified sales appointments, read Bill Farquharson’s blog.

How to Sell Print Without Competing on Price
Most print and promotional product reps are still trying to figure out how to overcome price objections — when price isn’t the real problem. The real problem is…what Bill Farquharson writes about in this week’s blog.

Ditch Selling. Cue Curiosity.
On a recent call with a selling owner, the man lamented over a lack of formal sales trainer. Bill Farquharson, a formally trained sales professional told him not to worry, that there was something far more useful. Read about in this week’s blog (1 min read).

Surely, You Can’t Be Serious, Tim
At the ASI show in Orlando, Bill Farquharson sat down with Tim Andrews, ASI President and CEO, for a quick conversation. The chat almost didn’t get past Tim’s first comment, as outlined here in this week’s blog.

The One Sentence Email Challenge
Want to get a client to respond to your email? Try the innovative approach outlined in Bill Farquharson’s blog.

You Screwed Up an Order!
The premise of Bill Farquharson’s blog is bizarre: The goal of the screwed up order is to come away better off than if everything went smoothly.

Sales Lessons From the Mouse That Ate My Car
When a mouse did thousands of dollars of damage to Bill Farquharson’s car, one benefit was a sales lesson. Read more in his blog this week.

The Learning Hour
What if you took an hour a week to get better? By the time you read this week’s blog by Bill Farquharson, he will have done just that for half of January. Find out what he is up to and then come back next month to hear the results.

Stop Lobbing My Groceries
Two recent interactions with entry-level workers serve as the source for Bill Farquharson’s blog this week. Do you remember your first/worst job? You will after this quick read.

When a Client Meeting Makes a Statement
As you read these words, Bill Farquharson is headed to a client meeting so important, he is taking the unnecessary step of flying 6 hours in one day when he could have clicked a Zoom link instead. The difference? One makes a statement reserved for Big Fish. Read more in Bill’s blog.