In an interview by Paul Watts for his show Sales Reinvented Podcast he asked me “What’s one thing you wish you knew earlier in your sales career?” My answer: “I wish I would have known to be more hardcore at pre-qualifying.” Yup. Pre-qualifying prospects is critical and when I think of all the thousands of...Read More

I’m following up on last week’s post, The Power of Feedback with my promise to show you the BIGGEST mistakes we’ve found when coaching you on Sales Phone Calls. We use call recording as a powerful way to help sellers improve their skills. This process is incredibly effective at assisting sellers to recognize their own challenges...Read More

I just came back from a phenomenal sales conference with my peer group, the Women Sales Pros. We have a public half-day conference and then two days of our private group learning and growing through shared expertise. It was my privilege to be tapped for a first-time session of “Cold Call Coaching” along with another...Read More

By the time a business hires me to assist with the sales program, they’re pretty frustrated. They’ve had sales growth and sales success but can’t seem to replicate or scale those efforts with sales hires. If this feels painfully familiar, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t mean you’re in good company because it’s a miserable...Read More

“They haven’t called me back.” It’s the most common response to “Where are we with prospect ABC?” This response, “They haven’t called me back,” lands with a thud at my feet like a bag of rocks when I hear it from a seller or business owner. I can feel the disappointment when they say it...Read More

As we are wishing for the cool weather of Pumpkin Spice Season (formerly called “fall” and “fourth quarter”), many of you are pushing hard to close out the year’s sales and have one eye on planning for next year too. For Sales Directors and Business Owners, this is that time when you start thinking of...Read More

Here’s a new approach to the profession of sales. For years, we’ve seen the reputation of sellers slide into a negative, “pushy” or “obnoxious” stereotype of the “don’t-take-no-always-be-closing” pushers portrayed in movies such as The Wolf of Wallstreet, The Boiler Room, and Glengarry Glen Ross. Personally, it pisses me off that so many sellers before...Read More

Let’s do a reality check. Your Customers Know If You’re Showing Up for All the Wrong Reasons. They can smell it. Even on the phone. Self-serving sellers show up for all the wrong reasons. It’s what goes through buyers’ minds when they pick up the phone: “Is this person going to waste my time?” We...Read More

Everywhere you look, artificial intelligence, automation, and technology are replacing interactions we once used to have with other human beings. Some of this we cheer – such as self-guided drivers’ license kiosks, bots or algorithms that predict which wine, books, or music we would like, or cars that guide you back to driving in your...Read More

I can usually diagnose problems pretty quickly. I work hard to do so because of that whole “time is money” theory. I like to think it’s a combination of listening, experience, perception, and intuition that makes me a keen consultant. Like a bloodhound for revenue issues . . . but one that loves a good...Read More