Do you find yourself pulling out your smartphone while you are in a store to check pricing, ratings or get details on the product? You aren’t alone if you do. The Internet has changed the way consumers buy and smart companies have figured out how to adapt to that shift.

New technologies have allowed buyers to learn more about companies and industries than ever before. As a result, buyers are self-educated and post-pone interactions with salespeople. When they do decide to take the next step, their focus is more on price. This has created a commodities market in which companies believe have to be the low price leader instead of finding new ways to differentiate themselves.

Buyers have changed dramatically. Technology has created information about industries and companies that buyers previously haven’t had access to. With the advent of the internet, information is immediately accessible to anyone interested in buying.

After my business began to hemorrhage money during the recession, my marriage and my personal relationships took a back seat in my life. I poured everything into my failing business and abandoned all other distractions. Soon, I found myself with nowhere to turn. I knew I had to find a way out of the hole I had dug for myself.

The road to success was more of a roller coaster for me. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be successful and wealthy, but I didn’t have a plan to get there. I pursued several business ventures through college and in the years following graduation before finding success in print and direct mail.

What kind of turnover do you experience in your company? In the U.S., 71% of workers are disengaged. As millennials enter the workforce, they’re job-hopping. On average, they’re changing jobs every 18 months. How are you going to compete and keep good talent?

When interacting with your customers, are you selling a product or are you selling what that product will do to make their lives easier? In other words, are you providing value? I have ten keys to selling in a commodities-driven world that will help you sell on value, not price.

You don’t sell 100,000 cookies without the help and support of a few friends! When I first decided to beat the world record for cookie selling, I didn’t know the journey it would set me on. After I beat the state record with 7,482 cookie sales in 2012, I decided to sell more than 18,000 cookies to beat the world record. I achieved my goal in 2014 with 21,477 cookie sales.

Everything girls do in Girl Scouting is designed to help us grow into leaders of courage, confidence and character. The five skills we learn through the Girl Scout Cookie Program is an important ingredient in the Girl Scout leadership experience. On the side of every cookie box is a list of five skills every Girl Scout learns from cookie sales…

If I get a chance to meet with a prospective client face-to-face, I close the deal 8 out of 10 times. I’m able to do that using two strategies that work very well for me.