Understanding the Sales Force

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Welcome to my annual list of the best sales and sales leadership content of 2023. This year’s list has thirteen entries, including articles, videos, and LinkedIn posts. There are several categories including Most Read, Most Liked, Most Engagement, Best Quality and Personal Favorite. Ready? 2023 saw more content than ever before and that certainly includes the sales space.

Sales Leadership 193

Sales Leadership Hiring Video LinkedIn 193

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Companies wants to use accurate sales assessments but are they accurate when the top and bottom salespeople have the same scores? The Analogy Have you ever searched for an item on Amazon and you not only found the item you were looking for, but found around 100 variations of the same product. They appear to be the exact same thing but since there is a huge difference in price, you look closely and learn that the cheapest products are Chinese rip-offs that don’t work, don’t last, and

Hiring 182

Hiring Analysis Exact Groups 182

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Most salespeople can improve sales effectiveness by changing their beliefs and moving out of their comfort zone. My wife took me to a Vegan restaurant for lunch and I ordered a sandwich that consisted of coconut, lettuce and tomato on multi-grain bread. I not only didn’t hate it, I liked it. I showed my wife that it had bacon in it and she swore it didn’t.

Proposal 193

Proposal Sales Training Conversion 193

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Team Photo of the American League Champion 1967 Boston Red Sox I frequently write about taking a consultative approach, where listening and asking questions are the keys for successful sales presentations. I’m not referring to the presentation step of the sales process, as much as I am using “sales presentations” as a replacement term for “sales calls.” While watching game 2 of the 2023 World Series, it occurred to me that while I still remember and can name every

Sales 344

Sales Follow-up Groups Prospecting 344

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 10, 2023

Do you know who said, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time?” It was Abraham Lincoln. And he should know. America had a civil war under his watch! Many outstanding leaders have been polarizing figures. Can you say Donald Trump?

Scale 193

Scale Twitter Policies Call-back 193

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

In July, I wrote about Dinger tearing his ACL , and how well the doctor executed her sales process. Dinger finally had his surgery and while going outside to do his business used to be quick and easy, it is currently takes much longer and is more difficult. Prior to surgery, when he asked, we would let him outside, he would do his thing, return, and knock on the door to come inside.

Sales Methodology 203

Sales Methodology Sales Process Proposal Objections 203

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

I’ve written more than 2,000 articles on my Understanding the Sales Force Blog and there are hundreds of other sales blogs. Some are written by sales experts. Some are written by marketing experts. Some are written by enablement experts. Some are experts at writing but without subject matter expertise. Some aren’t experts at anything but still they write.

Sales Leadership 203

Sales Leadership Hiring How To Account Based Marketing 203

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Three of this year’s (2023) Hurricanes took unusual paths for hurricanes. This past week, Hurricane Lee roared into Nova Scotia, becoming the first such storm to do so since 2003, although at the time it made landfall, Lee had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Earlier this summer, Hurricane Hillary became the first tropical storm to make landfall in Southern California.

Decision Maker 193

Decision Maker Insurance Insurance Call-back 193

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 28, 2023

If you grew up in the sixties and seventies like I did, then you remember when TV shows had theme songs that were so good, they were also hit songs. A few that come to mind are the theme songs from shows like Happy Days, LaVerne and Shirley, The Love Boat, Hawaii Five-O, Mission Impossible, All in the Family, Welcome Back Kotter, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Cheers.

Decision Maker 156

Decision Maker Compensation Sales Process Sales 156

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 8, 2023

We were at the Zoo when we came upon this particular monkey. He was holding on to the chainlink fence with both hands and both feet – probably not very unusual for a monkey, but he was sitting on a basketball! So the monkey is following a traditional methodology for hanging on, but being authentic, allowing his silly personality to come through, and getting those who were interacting with him to laugh.

Sales Process 257

Sales Process Sales 257

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 8, 2023

The landscaper called me over to look at a tree on our property. He showed me the enormous hole and I asked, "What did that?" "Woodpecker," he said. On one side of the tree we had this perfectly cut, huge hole, and the other side of the tree had many small holes. I learned that the Woodpecker that made the small holes were looking for food while the Woodpecker that made the huge hole was making a home.

Account 268

Account Opportunity Sales Sales Coaching 268

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 27, 2023

Our son's college baseball season is winding down and we think they'll make the playoffs for the second straight year. As I think back to high-school baseball, a couple of things came to mind that have a lot to do with sales development. Mike attended two high schools. His first high school baseball coach saw his potential, calling him up to play on the varsity team when he was still in the 8th grade.

Coaching 309

Coaching Sales Management Benefit Sports 309

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 7, 2023

What kind of car should you drive? Answering that question with anything other than, "It depends," is irresponsible because there are so many variables. Choosing a car depends on budget, family size, how much stuff you load into your car, the length of your drives, the logo/ego influence, fit and function, ergonomics, appearance, perceived value, reliability, cost to drive it (gas/electric/mileage), and so much more.

Influencer 280

Influencer Closing Company Consultative Selling 280

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 4, 2023

CEOs, Sales Leaders, Sales Managers and HR Directors are under water when it comes to sales selection. They get it right about 50% of the time and that includes salespeople who stay but underperform. After reading Malcom Gladwell's book, Talking to Strangers , I can finally explain why the success rate is so low.

Hiring 296

Hiring Sales Sales Management Tools 296

Understanding the Sales Force

DECEMBER 12, 2022

Each week we can read multiple lists of the top new movies and TV shows to stream at home. Lists of the Top SUV's, Sedans, and Coupes are also prevalent right now. And of course, as we move ever closer to the holidays, there are lists aplenty on the Top Gadgets, Luxury Items, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him and Gifts for Kids to peruse. But it's also the time of year when I publish my list of the Top 10 Sales and Sales Leadership Articles of the year.

Sales Leadership 322

Sales Leadership Hiring Course Sales 322

Understanding the Sales Force

DECEMBER 6, 2022

You're driving down the highway and you approach a road sign which says Chicago (South), Green Bay (North). Smart people know that taking the appropriate exit puts you on the road TO one of those cities and that you are NOT IN one of those cities. Morons think they have arrived. The sales version of that occurrence is the single most common challenge we observe when watching salespeople "sell.

Consultative Selling 291

Consultative Selling Data Face-to-face Groups 291

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

Brad Bolino emailed me a link from a recent Wall Street Journal article titled, " Millennials are Changing What it Means to be Successful in Sales.". I read the article three times to make sure I wasn't rushing to judgement, didn't experience an inappropriate knee-jerk reaction, and that I correctly interpreted what the article implied: The journal relied on anecdotal evidence from a handful of millennial salespeople and buyers to suggest that millennials are transforming the sales profession.

Journal 156

Journal Buyer Sales Decision Maker 156

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

For the longest time, my local Panera in Westboro Massachusetts was awful. Like phone company awful. And cable company awful. The problem was chronic. The half and half was always empty. The supplies of cup insulators and trays were nowhere to be found. The wait at the drive-through was intolerable. Online orders were never ready at or even close to the time they provided for pickup.

Sales Management 295

Sales Management Hiring Course Account 295

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

I was reviewing stats from the 2022 World Series between the World-Champion Houston Astros and the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies might have had a two-man wrecking crew in Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper but it wasn't nearly enough. Over the entire 6-game series, the Astros' batting average was 43% higher (good), their pitchers' ERA (earned runs allowed per 9 Innings Pitched) was 26% lower (good) and WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) was 19% lower (good), the

Quota 284

Quota Sales Management Pivotal Coaching 284

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

Isn't it awesome when you learn about new tricks your computer, phone or software can do that you weren't previously aware of? I've been using a number of new widgets on the home screen of my iPhone 13 and I love how quickly I can get or enter information! Isn't it fascinating when you thought you knew what a product was all about but you were wrong?

Software 261

Software Software Follow-up Groups 261

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

The Sony PlayStation, Gorilla Glue, Aquafina, and The George Forman Grill were all introduced in 1994. You've heard of those but have you heard of Vamp Nail Polish or KoronaPay? They were also introduced in 1994.

Hiring 156

Hiring Sales 156

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 25, 2022

While you don't need to know a single thing about Baseball to read this, it is another article with a baseball analogy. If you don't enjoy reading my baseball analogies, you can ignore this but I must warn you that today's analogy will reveal the two underlying causes for sales opportunities getting stuck in the pipeline and not reaching a close. If you don't care about that then bye-bye until the next article.

Closing 296

Closing Pipeline Opportunity Sales 296

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 8, 2022

If your car was manufactured in the last few years, you probably have a rear camera that helps you see your surroundings when you need to back up, back into a parking space, or drive backwards on the interstate at 65 MPH. Okay, maybe not the last one. Somehow, my Genesis GV80 always knows to display its rear and overhead cameras when I'm pulling into the garage.

Pivotal 293

Pivotal Closing Sales Comparison 293

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 3, 2022

I do my own weeding and that "hobby" takes up a lot of my free time. Weeding is like playing the arcade game wack-a-mole where you pull the weed, use a weed wacker, or poison the weed on Monday and two more weeds appear in its place on Tuesday. If you think about territory sales or sales into a specific vertical, reps should be calling on the same customers and prospects all the time.

Churn 296

Churn Account Territories Consumer 296

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 1, 2022

Several OMG's Partners reached out to me asking if I had seen the email that was circulating about the Top 20 Attributes of Successful Salespeople. "I have," was my response and, "Look for a blistering review on Monday.". The article was 100% junk science and to use the word science would be a disservice to the word junk.

Sales Enablement 290

Sales Enablement Sales 290

Understanding the Sales Force

JULY 11, 2022

On a recent Saturday I was running errands which took me through 3 local towns and a nearby city. Even though I have traveled this route more than 5,000 times, it was the first time I noticed the difference in the various business signs along the road. All of the national brands, chains, franchises, and well known businesses had professionally designed and recognizable logos.

Company 333

Company Strategy Advertising Advertising 333

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 4, 2022

I find ideas and material for this Blog everywhere, especially when I'm not looking for them. Yesterday I received a daily email from a Paul Reddick, a baseball coach who was drumming up some business for his baseball institute. It resonated - not for its baseball coaching - but as sales coaching. Here's what it said: If your coach is talking about any of the pitching flaws that you see listed above….

Coaching 295

Coaching Exact Sales Coaching Sales 295

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 15, 2022

So there will be Major League Baseball in 2022. Suddenly the b g and moaning about the owners has stopped and everyone is just happy that baseball is back. Speaking of baseball and bringing sales into the discussion, let's talk about coaching. First the baseball. When my son was home for winter break, I asked him to rank all of his baseball coaches, an exercise that he found quite interesting.

Coaching 308

Coaching Sales Management Pivotal Exercises 308

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

I bought my first cell phone in 1985. The enormous device was hard wired to the car, connected to a heavy metal box, and cost $2,000 to install. All calls in and out were billed by the minute and my bill averaged around $1,500 per month. The coverage was so spotty that most calls were dropped several times per conversation. The only practical way to use the "car phone" was to find a coverage area, find a place to park in that area, and then have a conversation.

Marketing 295

Marketing Conversion Account Prospecting 295

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 5, 2022

My articles begin with analogies so we'll start by asking, has baseball changed?

B2B 296

B2B Inbound Consultative Selling Outbound 296

Understanding the Sales Force

DECEMBER 13, 2021

This is my annual nutcracker post. I first wrote the article in 2011 and people loved the analogy between the Nutcracker and a sales call. I make minor modifications to the article each year as current trends, best practices, and recent data dictate. Last year, The Boston Ballet cancelled their performance of the Nutcracker but we will be in attendance month and look forward to continuing the tradition.

Cancellation 295

Cancellation Trends Data Sales 295

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

Today is moving day for Objective Management Group. When we first toured our new space, John Pattison , OMG's COO said, "It looks like something the 1980's barfed up!" I'm happy to report that thanks to big-time help from PENTA Marketing CEO Deborah Penta , our new space is bright, cheery, modern, energetic, open and functional! Thinking about the 80's got me thinking.

Groups 344

Groups Objections Report Examples 344

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 29, 2021

There has been much talk in the news about forecasts - and while most have been wrong they are still more accurate than Fortune Cookies! Thanks to satellites, computer modeling and doppler radar, weather forecasts are more reliable than ever before. Yet despite those advances, they are still guessing - educated guesses to be sure - but guessing about what will happen, when it will happen, and where it will happen.

Forecasting 322

Forecasting Sales Forecasts Education Course 322

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 30, 2021

The CDC is back to focusing on COVID case numbers. Earlier this summer, Massachusetts was reporting fewer than 100 new cases each day but more 1,000 new cases per day have been reported for the past two weeks. That particular metric supports the narrative that the Delta variant is spreading but it does not tell the real story that allows us to assess our risk.

Report 170

Report How To Exact Sales 170

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 9, 2021

When it comes to navigation I usually opt for Waze but sometimes Siri can find a way out of traffic that Waze can't. On the other hand, try asking Siri to dial a phone number while she's navigating and you'll quickly learn that she can't multi-task. If you are navigating using Apple maps in CarPlay, then Siri will navigate to the address you asked her to call.

Closing 310

Closing Decision Maker Groups Objections 310

Understanding the Sales Force

JULY 21, 2021

We were watching an episode of the hilarious comedy series The Goldbergs and one of the themes of episode 4 in season 3 was about authenticity. In this episode, Barry and Erica, the two oldest children, accused each other of being posers. The bottom 50% of all salespeople are posers too. In an article last week we discussed how data can help you hire the ideal salespeople.

Decision Maker 310

Decision Maker Hiring Analysis Data 310

Understanding the Sales Force

JUNE 24, 2021

We are finally doing things we haven't done for quite a while including dining inside restaurants, flying, staying in hotels, going to and hosting parties, attending packed stadiums for sporting events and more. Something else we haven't done for quite a while is revisit Objective Management Group's (OMG) sales selection statistics on the percentage of people that are recommended for various selling and sales management roles.

Hotels 272

Hotels Sports Groups Objections 272