That’s the thing with sales. Even when you work hard and do everything right, sometimes it feels like winning needs a pinch of luck.

So we try to capture that luck. Manufacture that luck.

The belief that we can win is what keeps the wind in our sails, even though deep down we know we can’t control the outcome.

Why do you do what you do?

If you’re an entrepreneur, investors want to know why you founded your company.

Apply for a new job, and recruiters ask about your vision for your career.

If you’re a trusted salesperson, your clients are curious how you got started.

Why do we crave origin stories? Because they reveal character.

All great salespeople know when to ditch their slides and improvise.

Here’s a simple skill you can learn from stand-up comedians:

Never ignore non-verbal cues and blindly press on when you know you’ve missed the mark.

An essential yet simple sales lesson I learned from performing stand-up comedy for over a decade is this: always speak naturally instead of from memory.

Your audience knows the difference. Your prospects and clients are not captivated by the perfection of your delivery, but rather by your authentic connection.

Want to appear more confident in your next pitch?

Last year at this time we had no idea how Pitch Lab would survive.

Now Daniel and I have in-home studios, Snapchat filters and ridiculous promo videos like this one.

Great comedians open with their second-best joke and close with their best joke, so they start their set strong and end stronger.

Welp, for this episode of The Receptionist’s award winning podcast: FABRIC show, I did the exact opposite.

So to manage your expectations and/or pique your morbid curiosity, I did in fact bookend this gig with bombs. (They can’t all be homeruns… just ask Ricky Gervais 🔥).

Do you dream about standing on that infamous red dot?

It’s an exhilarating daydream. Speaking confidently, inspiring millions, from the TED stage.

If you’re goal is to give the “talk of your life” around the power of ideas, this Q&A with Pitch Lab pro, Daniel Reskin, will give you some helpful tips and tricks.

2021 is bright with optimism! Vaccines, another round of stimulus and pent-up demand are all powering a light at the end of the tunnel.

If your career has been affected by the pandemic, now’s the time to start putting your comeback plan in place.

The Commons on Champa invites you to our upcoming virtual workshop: Laugh, Learn, Land Your Dream Job!

Last week my kids discovered Looney Tunes -- the classics we grew up with.

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweety Bird are by far their favorites (even though they can’t quite understand what Tweety is saying most of the time).

Last night at dinner my 5-year-old son asked me, “Yosemite Sam and Tasmanian Devil are both doctors, right Dad?”

Why is sitting in uncomfortable silence so hard?

Early in my sales career, delivering an investment estimate to a prospect was the hardest part of the pitch.

I didn’t have the guts to pause for even one second to hear their reaction. I was too insecure that we were too expensive.

Over the years I’ve learned 2 things the hard way…