Have you ever walked by an employee who you know in your heart is a nice person, but they don’t sound that way when they’re talking with a customer? Perhaps they sound a little aggressive, argumentative, or not professional? If you, as a colleague or boss, are noticing this, as a customer service consultant, trainer, and keynote speaker, I can assure you that your customers are noticing it too.

Here are some phrases and words that will rub most customers the wrong way, and what your employees should be saying instead.

We’ve all experienced customer service that didn’t live up to our expectations. Unsatisfactory experiences are universal and negatively impact our lives—a bad customer experience (CX) can sour your mood or your whole day. Yet a good one can quickly turn it around. Whether it’s the friendly local barista or the head of a software company, positive experiences can spark enduring customer relationships for years to come.

That’s where human customer service comes in. Human customer service is about creating support experiences that are personalized, understanding, and efficient to build trust and loyalty with your customer base.

You can’t grow your business without increasing sales, whether by attracting new customers or getting satisfied customers to return. Sometimes, though, it might seem like you’re already doing everything you can to drive sales and aren’t getting results. If you’re stuck in such a cycle, it may be time to rethink your current approach — this guide will help you do just that.

Your current customers are your best bet to increase sales. After all, they’ve already used your products or services at least once before. So, it stands to reason they may need them again. If you stay in touch with these customers and provide the right incentives, it’s likely they’ll come back to buy from you in the future.

Consider two competing websites in the same niche. One presents three clear choices, while the other bombards you with 15. Which site is more likely to win your business? While it might seem contradictory, the streamlined site with fewer options is far more likely to convert visitors into paying customers.

We often assume that offering an abundance of options enhances the customer experience, but an excess of choices can be paralyzing. This concept, known as the “psychology of choice,” suggests that as options increase, our ability to make a decision decreases.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “underpromise and overdeliver.” Unfortunately, I often see businesses that tend to “overpromise and underdeliver,” failing to meet customers’ expectations.

For me, it all comes down to trust. Can I rely on a company to consistently meet and exceed my expectations? As entrepreneurs, this can be a difficult question to confront. However, if you’re unsure how to respond, it may be time to reflect on your practices.

Few topics dominate executive agendas like AI, and its influence on sales is only beginning to unfold.

From forecasting and pipeline management to pricing and customer engagement, AI is already changing how revenue teams work.

AI is high on leadership agendas, but that focus doesn’t always translate into readiness on the ground. For sales organizations, this gap shows up fast—tools get rolled out, dashboards multiply, but behaviors don’t change.

Most people begin the new year fresh. Not sales organizations. In 2026, they’re carrying forward economic uncertainty, aggressive growth expectations and a wave of AI that has already reshaped how sellers work.

“The new norm is uncertainty,” said Erik Fowler, chief revenue officer at Allego, provider of a sales enablement platform, during a recent webinar on the state of sales. “We still have aggressive growth expectations, we still have economic pressures and budget concerns, and we have AI that we all need to rapidly adopt and figure out how it changes our business.”

To succeed in selling, it is vital to understand who your customers are and what motivates them to spend their money. Psychology in selling involves zeroing in on customers’ emotional needs. Putting yourself in a customer’s shoes helps manage your sales pitch. Most individuals buy based on emotion rather than logic. There are six typical emotional responses to a sale and understanding these psychological attitudes relates directly to your marketing efforts.

Automation has a branding problem. Most founders want systems that run without depending on them, but somewhere along the way, “automated funnel” became synonymous with cold DMs, sales-y email sequences and the feeling that no actual human is paying attention.

The good news is this isn’t an either-or problem.

You can automate your lead funnel and still make people feel seen, supported and excited to work with you. In fact, when done well, automation is what creates space for more human connection.

Customer experience is the #1 priority for many of ASEAN’s service leaders, yet keeping up with changing customer expectations remains their toughest challenge. How exactly do you meet increasing demands for 24/7 support and tailored interactions while also contending with limited resources and high costs?

These challenges and how to solve them are explored in our latest State of Service report, based on learnings from 6,500 service professionals, including respondents from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Chief revenue officers — a demanding title with a hefty responsibility to run an organization optimally. From in-house collaborations to leveraging data in decision-making, CROs handle the nitty-gritty of cost operations above and beyond.

The real challenge that can hinder their growth is the lack of up-to-date technological integrations. With the advancement of emerging platforms, we can equip the existing systems with exceptional analytical data processing power hubs. These hubs can perform complex tasks and are even a no-brainer for CROs.

Sales teams operate at their best when each team member is motivated, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the products and services they’re selling. That attitude isn’t something that just happens by chance, but rather is cultivated by managers and employers. Building a better sales culture involves a deliberate strategy and understanding what motivates your salespeople, and it can be a vital aspect of your business’s success.

Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about the link between trust and the customer experience. I’ve come to the conclusion that if a customer doesn’t trust you, it doesn’t matter how great your customer service or customer experience (CX) is. Customers expect you to deliver on your promises. If you promise overnight delivery, it better show up the next day. If you promise to reach out to them in an hour, you must do so. The moment you don’t do what is promised and/or expected, you start to lose the customer’s trust.

Rarely do I meet a business owner who isn’t looking to increase sales. There’s never quite enough work, right? The backlog only stretches so far — and beyond that lies the abyss.

The truth is, there’s no magic bullet for growing revenue. But there is one report you should be reviewing every single week that will dramatically help: the pipeline report. Do you have one? You should.

The key to building a successful business is growing your customer base. It’s normal for some customers to stop buying from you. After all, people move, and their needs may change over time. But if you’re constantly losing customers, especially if they head to your competitors, you have a problem.

Businesses must avoid getting complacent with current customers. We’ll explore retention strategies to help you engage better with customers and keep them happy, as well as share customer retention mistakes to avoid.

If you’ve been in sales for longer than five minutes, you know the old rules don’t hold up anymore. Cold outreach is colder than ever. Buyers are savvier. And the “show up and throw up” pitch approach is just a fast track to a closed tab.

Today, the best sales teams are shifting their energy— and fast. The secret isn’t just about more calls or better scripts but about smarter prep. Let’s unpack why sales prep is becoming the ultimate competitive edge and what that actually looks like behind the scenes.

The sales landscape is changing faster than ever. As innovation reshapes the industry, traditional tools and strategies are losing their edge. The future belongs to those who can combine the power of artificial intelligence with the irreplaceable value of human connection.

Success will not come from choosing between technology and relationships — but from mastering both.

For most of my career, I’ve lived in two worlds, the human one and the selling one. In the human world, people crave connection, understanding and a sense of belonging. In the seller’s world, teams are taught to chase numbers, say what the customer wants to hear and close deals. For too long, these worlds were treated as separate. They’re not. They never were.

If there’s one truth I’ve learned through the years, it’s this: sales isn’t about persuasion; it’s about resonance. The goal isn’t to convince someone of your value, it’s to remind them of their own.

For decades, sales training revolved around one idea: master the technique and the numbers will follow.

Scripts. Objection handling. Closing strategies.

For a while, that worked. But today’s business environment has shifted faster than traditional sales models can adapt.

Buyers are more informed. Pressure is higher. Burnout is rampant. And the same playbook that once produced results now leaves even top performers running on fumes.

Should companies provide sales training for their salespeople and sales management training for their sales leaders? Should individuals be expected to have mastery in the 21 Sales Core Competencies by the time they are hired? Let’s use sports as an example and then return to sales.

Any kid can go to the sandlot with a bat, ball and glove, and figure out how to play baseball. Some will play Little League. The boys who love it, want to continue playing, and are serious about getting better, will get lessons and/or play travel ball, practice every day, and hope to play in high school, college and beyond.