The Sales Heretic
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
“When I attend a trade show, I only stop at booths that have candy dishes. Because, if you have candy, you must be a terrific company. And the greater the variety of candy you have, the more likely I am to buy your product or service.” This sentiment has never been expressed by anyone, ever. [.].
SBI Growth
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
In 2012 our consultants attended 438 live sales calls. Two weeks ago, we participated in the worst sales call of the year. I thought I would share this story with you. I hope to help you avoid some mistakes. The story begins with the EVP of Sales of a large technology company. He hired our firm. The purpose of the engagement was to understand why The Challenger Sale was not working.
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The Pipeline
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
What’s the old saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? Well there should be a variation of that for sales people and how their road to failure is paved with plans not captured. Every day sales people set out “to do things” that have to be done to succeed, some they like, others (like cold calling) they don’t. Some they see as important, these get scheduled, and get done; ones they don’t see as important, or do not like to do, do not get scheduled, and guess what.
Bernadette McClelland
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
'Do You Fit The Mold? As the author of the recently published book ‘The First Sale Is ALWAYS To Yourself’, I firmly believe that success for business people who sell, comes down to two factors: Conviction in your purpose and therefore your intention. Conviction in yourself and therefore your execution of that intention. As someone who has been in B2B selling for three decades, I have personally witnessed the staged transitions from product based sales, relationship sales, solution sa
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Longer sales cycles. Increasingly discerning buyers. More meetings. Intensifying competition. Economic uncertainty. Go-to-market teams of every size, in every industry, are grappling with these challenges firsthand. Thankfully, there’s an answer. We’ve developed an entirely new way for GTM leaders to identify and execute proven, data-driven strategies that drive revenue.
MTD Sales Training
NOVEMBER 28, 2012
You are all ready to go. You have all of your leads for the day prepared and lined up in front of you. You have all of your rebuttals ready, and you have rehearsed your main talking points. You are. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]].
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The Pipeline
NOVEMBER 28, 2012
While it is still early days, there are some definite ways social media is impacting selling and buying; some of this is good and has helped sellers better understand and meet the needs of buyers, others, well really not worth fostering, and should be nipped in the bud now. One specific practice brings with it some risk for sellers, especially new younger sellers targeting more mature decision makers, even those active on social media, centers around communicating.
No More Cold Calling
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
No matter what our technical communication capability and comfort, we must be confident in the original medium—in person. Susan RoAne is The Mingling Maven®, and my go-to person for tips on networking and building strong connections. Susan understands that when we network effectively (as she teaches in her seven books), we build strong connections, increase sales, and easily identify referral opportunities.
MTD Sales Training
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
“Momma told me there would be days like this…” is sometimes all you can say when it looks like nothing is working. Suddenly, you can’t seem to close, leads have dried up and you don’t know what is. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]].
SBI Growth
NOVEMBER 25, 2012
This post is written for the marketing leader in a 25-100M revenue company trying to do more with less to drive more leads. A common theme I hear from my peers is, “We are maxed out but we need to drive more leads”. When marketers are maxed out, they focus on getting more out of their marketing channels and automation. This can only go so far once all the short term quick win optimizations have been made.
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The Pipeline
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
While the sales industry continues to improve and move the dial on “pitching” less, and asking more questions, adopting the “Don’t Ask – Don’t Sell” [link] philosophy. But many are still asking questions that serve their purposes only, not so much for the buyer’s, and even when they do they seem to lack the skills or courage to deep enough with their question to truly make a difference for either.
Score More Sales
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
Working hard in sales but not accomplishing enough? Last week I was interviewed on the OpenView Lab blog about ways to keep focus through the end of the year. If you’re bogged down by lack of closed business, upcoming holidays, relatives, and distractions like Cyber Monday, you might want to listen to the interview since it is audio and easy to listen to.
MTD Sales Training
NOVEMBER 27, 2012
Often during the sales process it is necessary to send email to the prospect, and usually the prospect is in the middle of the decision making process. The email correspondence you send during this. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]].
SBI Growth
NOVEMBER 24, 2012
The purpose of every incentive compensation plan is to influence the actions of sales reps. But an internally-focused plan can encourage behavior that works against the customer. This destroys trust. Today's post will help you evaluate the impact of the behaviors your plan rewards. You still have time before 2013 to fix any blatant disconnects. The post offers tools to make longer-lasting corrections, too.
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In this guide, discover 8 use cases for how a customer data platform can tackle common challenges faced by marketing, commerce, service, and sales teams. With helpful diagrams and simple explanations in each use case, see how Salesforce’s CDP, Data Cloud for Marketing, powers personalized, real-time experiences across marketing, with capabilities that include: Optimizing ad spend Powering dynamic website content Increasing upselling and cross-selling Resolving service cases with marketing data B
The Pipeline
NOVEMBER 25, 2012
This is the last week for voting in The Sales Lead Management Association ’s 50 Most Influential Sales Lead Management for 2012 , and as you may be aware I am one of the nominees. I am once again asking for your vote if you have not yet done so. BTW, if you have – Thank You! It only takes a minute, but the impact is forever, or at least until next year at this time.
Understanding the Sales Force
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Perhaps you watched the Thursday night Thanksgiving Day football masacre between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. The Patriots scored 35 unaswered points in the second period and in one 52 second timeframe, scored 3 touchdowns. Unbelievable! Incredible! Unheard of! The more common reaction though is, "How quickly it all unraveled for the Jets".
Sales and Marketing Management
NOVEMBER 25, 2012
Issue Date: 2012-11-01. Author: Sam Gaddis. Teaser: Would you shed a tear at PowerPoint’s imaginary funeral? Would you miss the days of creating slide builds over building relationships? Yeah, me neither. Would you shed a tear at PowerPoint’s imaginary funeral? Would you miss the days of creating slide builds over building relationships?
SBI Growth
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
78% of Sales VPs during our research tour asked us the same question. “What is the optimal Span of Control for their sales managers and themselves?” They are under pressure to perform in today’s virtual world. Register here to get the insight around the recent Span of Control best practices. Determining span of control is different today. It requires some new fundamentals to properly calculate it.
Speaker: Andrew Regan, Managing Partner at BlueSeed Retail Ltd.
Did you know that 70% of new retail technology fails to deliver expected benefits and can often decrease customer value, service, and experience? With that in mind, how can we empower our store associates to leverage new technology to optimize the customer experience and boost productivity? This exclusive webinar with Andrew Regan will dive into strategies to empower retail associates for success with new technology.
The Sales Hunter
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
Have you ever wondered what types of customers are attracted by certain types of salespeople? Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit hundreds of companies and dig deep into their business. Without a doubt, I can say the reason some companies wind up with more bad customers than others is because they have more bad salespeople than others.
Score More Sales
NOVEMBER 27, 2012
It is always great to speak with current and former Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) and Chief Sales Officers for their perspectives and insight. Recently I talked with Jeff Lehman, former CRO, CEO and multiple award-winning author. Our conversation about the 3 rd edition of his book, “The Sales Manager’s Mentor – 365 Tips on the Art of Sales leadership” turned into an interview for a post.
Pointclear
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
James Obermayer, Executive Director and CEO of the Sales Lead Management Association and President of Sales Leakage Consulting is a regular guest blogger with ViewPoint. “So, what do you want from Marketing?” I asked the gathered salespeople. “Don’t hold back; tell me like it is. Don’t be shy; open up and let me have it.” And that is how the conversation went with me saying very little for the next hour.
Sales and Marketing Management
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
Issue Date: 2012-11-01. Author: Herb Greenberg and Patrick Sweeney. Teaser: The authors of "How to Hire & Develop Your Next Top Performer" want to know how you think you can hire effective salespeople when you haven't taken the time to write out a job description -- a real job description. The authors of "How to Hire & Develop Your Next Top Performer" want to know how you think you can hire effective salespeople when you haven't taken the time to write out a j
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Even in today’s data-driven sales world, cold calling remains a fact of life for many go-to-market professionals. Fortunately, today’s sales leaders have a crucial advantage over their predecessors: market intelligence and outreach platforms that can warm up virtually any introduction.
The Sales Hunter
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
We can all say we’re ready, but when it happens, we’re still moved. I had heard Zig Ziglar was ill and his time on this earth was not long, but Wednesday when I heard of his passing, I couldn’t help but pause and reflect on one of the greatest people I’ve ever had the privilege to know. If by chance you don’t know who Zig Ziiglar is, then you owe it yourself to do some checking around on the internet and become immersed in his views and perspectives.
Score More Sales
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
It’s the time of year when you might be thinking of something for your favorite sales professional or sales leader. There are a number of reasons to give a tangible gift or a gift of time or energy. Whether this person is: your colleague [cool, fun item]. your boss [professional, thoughtful]. your prospect [helpful, value-added]. your strategic partner [innovative, smart]. or even. your vendor [memorable].
No More Cold Calling
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
Referrals and networking—these business-development activities look different, feel different, and are different. Networking and referrals are related, and there is a big difference between them. Showing Up Counts. Networking is what we do to expand our connections, get ourselves and our brand known, and exchange ideas. You network to make friends, sell a product, promote your company, find a job, find new clients, learn the latest from others, or gain more visibility in the business community.
Understanding the Sales Force
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan I was driving to a meeting when I became frustrated with the car in front of me. The driver was traveling much too slowly and, despite the fact that I had plenty of time to get to my meeting, I could feel the developing anxiety. As I thought about the irony of not being late, yet feeling anxious anyway, my thoughts turned to selling.
Speaker: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach®
Niche markets represent a huge opportunity for the financial services industry in America. From college students and women to communities of color and low-to-moderate-income households, niche populations have specialized financial needs – but they often underutilize many valuable financial products and services. How can you better connect with these consumers?
The Sales Hunter
NOVEMBER 27, 2012
Is Monday a good day to sell or a bad day? This is a question that has been around for years but here’s the bigger problem I have with Mondays. Too many Mondays are flat out wasted regardless if the person thinks it’s a good day to sell or a bad day. When a salesperson uses Monday to organize themselves for the week or has to endure sitting through a boring sales meeting to review the numbers and countless other things, it’s no wonder Mondays wind up killing sales.
Anthony Cole Training
NOVEMBER 27, 2012
Ernesto Sirolli does a wonderful job of helping us understand that in order to get more of what we want we need to learn to do 3 things: Ask. Shut Up. Listen. It's not a complicated lesson but one that is abused daily by sales manager and sales people that claim to know better. I don't mean to be critical so let me explain. I've been coaching and training sales people for over 20 years now.
Pointclear
NOVEMBER 27, 2012
Today's guest blogger is Jeff Molander. Jeff is the authority on making social media sell, adjunct faculty at Loyola University business school, author of Off the Hook Marketing: How to make social media sell and a social sales training speaker. In 2008 LinkedIn introduced Groups and for years now B2B marketers have been tortured by inappropriate, low-value comments and linking—people trying to promote "their thing.
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