Why Sales Data Matters to Your Success!
W Edwards Deming made two profound statements “Without data you’re just another person with an opinion” and “In God we trust, all others must bring data.” If you believe this mantra, why is it that BODs, CEOs and Sales Leaders ignore the sales industry data or delay using the data that is readily available to […]
I Am a B2B Sales Professional & Proud of It?
People often ask me what I do for a living. Here is my personal response. “I am a highly trained professional who has spent years honing my craft through the school of ‘wins & losses.’ People often approach me to help them buy a product, service or solution. I provide them with insights on how […]
10 Things Sales Reps Hate with Passion!
Sales professionals are a rare breed. Most are self-starters, personable, inquisitive, intuitive and passionate about their craft. They enjoy selling and revel when they are in contact with prospects or customers. They thrive on challenges and relish the benefits of being the CEO of their territory. When faced with a constant change, they welcome the […]
Build Your Professional Brand. Know These Lagging Indicators!
Every B-B sales professional needs to prove their intrinsic value. It goes beyond making President’s Club. Sales representatives should think in terms of building their personal “brand” to improve their corporate visibility, increase their income and position themselves for advancement within their own organization or another. To build your brand think like a “sales leader” […]
Some Friendly Advice for Every Sales Professional
Within the last month, we have had several very talented sales professionals contact us for advice and assistance because they were suddenly out of work. The common thread ……none saw it coming. If your saying to yourself this couldn’t happen to me…read on! One was a Vice President of Sales Operations. He had been hired […]
Are You Customer Centric in Words Only?
Ask a company executive if their organization is customer-centric and you will receive a resounding and emphatic “YES” followed by several concrete examples. Is this reality or fantasy? Customer-centricity can have different nuances of meaning. First, it can mean that an organization places the customer at the center of their universe and realizes that without […]
How Sales Professionals Can Overcome the Forgetting Curve
Are you a sales professional that just finished attending a great sales training program? Perhaps your marketing team sponsored an educational webinar that was sensational? How about a riveting guest speaker who spoke on industry trends? Maybe a webcast from your company on a new product that has disruptive technology? Perhaps you just finished reading […]
Selling from the Third Platform: Challenges for the Sales Executive
The Pillars of Sales Transformation In November 2013 International Data Corporation (IDC) published a seminal article entitled “The 3rd Platform: Enabling Digital Transformation.” This white paper explored the confluence of four transformational technologies that serve as the foundation for the 3rd platform: cloud computing, social, Big Data and mobile. IDC pointed out that we have […]
12 Ways to Make Sales Training Stick!
Every year organizations spend billions of dollars on training and professional development, yet there are still pundits that say “sales training doesn’t work.” Why is it that a sales training program works well for some organizations while others struggle to gain a measurable ROI? We have some answers. Ensure it’s the Right Solution – There […]
Getting Inside the Black Box: Harsh Realities of Selling to a Committee
“Committees” are the mysterious black boxes of the sales universe. Sellers often assume they know what’s inside the box only to find that it was not at all what they suspected. The word “committee” is often used to cloak a buying process in secrecy. One individual’s “committee” is another’s team or group. When executives are […]
