- 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.

How One Intro Email Resulted in a Phone Call
Bill Farquharson sent an email to a prospect. The prospect called Bill right away. How did that happen? It has to do with something at the bottom of the email; something you can read about in this week’s blog.

How to Get a Vendor to Jump Through Hoops
You are in a huge jam and need a vendor’s help. The difference between yes and no comes down to one business practice Bill Farquharson believes in, lives by, and writes about in his blog this week.

The Essence of Sales
He is not real. His best friend is a tiger only he can see. He lives in an imaginary world but he sees life with clarity. His name is Calvin. His tiger is Hobbes. And in this week’s blog, Bill Farquharson shows how he perfectly defined sales in one line.

Why Paper Matters
A certified coach skillfully uses digital options to market her business. But in the end, it’s a paper choice that did what digital could not and resulted in an astonishing 100% success rate. Learn more in Bill Farquharson’s blog.

How to Make LinkedIn Content Readable
LinkedIn posts build a brand, tell a story, establish credibility, and get the phone ringing. But, if no one reads them, what difference does it make? Bill Farquharson’s blog this week details a few lessons he has learned along the way, including one that will grab you immediately.

Hey Social Media People…Calm Down
Bill Farquharson is all for Google reviews and thinks it is fine to email and ask for one. But to then ask again, and again, AND AGAIN, well, do that and you will read about yourself in one of his blogs. Speaking of which…

Ideal With a Capital “I”
There are two levels of ideal customer: Lower case “i” and capital “I.” This blog is about the latter and why you should always be seeking this rare relationship. Find out what Bill Farquharson is talking about in this week’s blog.

When That Much is Too Much
When it comes to communicating delivery details with a customer, don’t make the mistakes Bill Farquharson’s dentist makes else your clients might take the action Bill is planning for his reminder-heavy tooth factory.

Wait! That’s a Good LinkedIn Post!
Where do the best ideas come from for good LinkedIn posts? Read Bill Farquharson’s blog to find out. It’s a good one!

A Healthy Sales Tip
One thing a day. Just one. That is all it takes to be healthy, wealthy, and wise as a sales rep. Don’t wait your entire sales career to learn the lesson in Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

The Call-On-The-Top-Dog-Blog
Would you rather fight tooth and nail for an order or have it handed to you? Would you rather compete against 3 other vendors or be the chosen one? Would you rather wait for 5 people’s order approval or hear from one decision-maker? A recent news story exemplifies what Bill Farquharson has always believed: Call on the Top Dog.

Why Your Parents Are Geniuses
Small orders are frustrating. They take up a lot of time and don’t add up to much. But, if you apply a lesson from your childhood and listen to your parents, you might just find a small order to be a game-changer. Find out more from Bill Farquharson in this week’s blog.

An Assertive Sales Email
You’ve called and called. You’ve emailed and emailed. Nothing. Why not try something a bit more assertive? In his blog this week, Bill Farquharson offers an idea for a prospecting email that addresses your prospect’s question, “Why do I keep bugging you?”

Lazy New Business Selling
You’ve heard (and ignored) the advice regarding generating new business activity. It either goes in one ear and out the other, or you start to follow it but you don’t continue it. In this week’s blog, Bill Farquharson reminds you of the typical advice you’ve been given before, and then shares an activity to be done when all else fails.

A Little-Known LinkedIn Fail
Do you see the same people over and over again in your LinkedIn feed and wondered why that is? LinkedIn favors some members over others and its rule book both rewards and punishes. In his blog this week. Bill Farquharson shows you how to remove one factor that might be dragging you down.

Screw up. Own it. Be rewarded.
A waitress receives the biggest tip of her career despite the fact she completely forgot to enter the order for one diner at the table. You can benefit from her story in Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

Life Through the Sales Lens
Your landlord raises the rent. A cop pulls you over. Your want ice cream at 4pm but your mom says no. Sales is more than just convincing someone to buy your goods and service. It’s everywhere. Learn to use a sales lens and you open up a new world of “yes!” Read Bill’s blog this week.

Email Faux Pas
You email a question to a customer. In responding, the client adds a name to the CC line. That’s not newsworthy, unless…Find out more in Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

The Two Worst Selling Days
You are told not to make prospecting calls on Mondays. You are advised against Fridays as well. Bill Farquharson begs you to listen to this advice. In this week’s blog, find out why.

The Best Sales Management Question
When Bill Farquharson’s thumb started hurting, he visited a physical therapist. On their second visit, she asked him a question all sales managers need to apply to their sales meetings and one on ones. Learn more in this week’s blog.

Why You Should Disrespect Email
Bill Farquharson’s mom would send him an email and then call to make sure he got it. Find out why she was a genius for not trusting technology in this week’s blog.

The Benefit of Wasting Time
No one loves a good game of Solitaire better than Bill Farquharson, especially as part of good sales day. Find out how he gets away with that time-waster and still calls himself productive in this week’s blog.

Beware the “No Rush” Customer
A client calls and places a repeat order. You ask, “When do you need it?” and they respond, “No rush.” What you do next is the subject of Bill Farquharson’s blog this week.

Three Sales Fails
When a sales rep sizes up a potential customer on looks alone, bad things can happen. In this week’s blog, Bill Farquharson shares three true stories. Two are from years ago —the third one took place just weeks ago—that one stings.

What Sales/Production Needs to Say to Production/Sales
Sales and Production are on the same team, technically. But looking at the way they work together and hearing what they say about each other, that might not be obvious. So, let’s everyone just calm down, join hands, and read what Bill Farquharson has to say on the subject.