It’s 4th quarter – the time when sales teams are looking at closing the gap on their goals and where they are year-to-date. For some of you, you’re okay and on track. Good for you on managing your pipeline, developing new business, or “crushing it” this year. For many of you, this is a panic...Read More

Road tripping this to a volleyball tournament a while back, I had 3 hours to spend in the car with my 12-year-old daughter. We listened to hundreds of songs on my iPod. Rolling through several decades of old and new ones. At one point, she marveled at how many songs she knew – as in...Read More

Sales is exhilarating. Selling is grueling. Sales is non-stop activity. Selling is exhausting. Sales is juggling competing priorities. Selling is chasing a constantly moving target. How do you keep filling your new business pipeline, juggling activities, reports, administrative stuff, client relationships, and AVOIDING burnout? Considering the recent (various) reports that suggest nearly 7 out of...Read More

Last week I decided to try something new with my sellers. I recognize this look of exasperation when I ask my sellers about their latest selling activity: prospecting, pre-qualifying, meetings, et cetera. For Account Executives or Account Managers, making time for Business Development can be incredibly tough with all they have to get done in...Read More

“Oh crap. Is it too late to resuscitate?” Recently, a sales team found out the hard way that a client was pissed about something that happened several months ago. Unfortunately, they found out because they are being shut out of an enormous opportunity. They were coming at the opportunity from several angles with several divisions....Read More

What do YOU think would be the response when asked, “What are the top challenges sellers and sales pros face today?” Up until 5 to 10 years ago, you might have heard a resounding, “Lack of leads!” coming from salespeople. Nowadays, in this lightning-fast digital world of social platforms and instant communication, that’s not so...Read More

Does this sound familiar? The last several years have been pretty good. Successful, even, in the arena of sales. Strong economy. Low unemployment. Customers have been buying. You’ve competed to keep your customers. Service them well. Then, out of the blue, COVID-19. A global pandemic blows up your business base. Everything is on hold. The...Read More

So, your field sales team has become an inside sales team AND they’re working at home? How do you make the transition? Inside sales teams right now have a slight advantage in that their tools, strategy, and processes are not likely to be wildly different – except for those that were centrally located and now...Read More

What does “Excellent” really look like in today’s Business Development efforts? When talking business development with new sales reps or sellers ramping up their efforts with new Biz Dev commitment, they are often stunned when I share with them the number of touches it might take to reach and compel a prospect to take a...Read More

Looking forward to the New Year, I’m thinking about the most important areas to focus on for my clients’ sales teams. Prospecting is always tough, closing is a priority, new business development is critical . . . What’s your data telling you to focus on? If you’re looking for specific places to focus on development,...Read More