This year we had the opportunity to work with the fine folks at NAVCO to improve their sales performance. Continue reading
Millennials and Sales: can this generation sell?
We are often asked if we think the Millennial Generation has what it takes to be successful in sales. It’s been my experience that they are often the BEST salespeople – as long as you set up the system to ensure their success. You can read my observations on that here.
Hiring Best Practices
We suggest you make two very important lists before hiring. Make one list of requirements to be successful in the job and another list of traits that will ensure failure. Once you are clear about what you want – and what you don’t – the right candidate will become clear. Continue reading
Improve Your Cold-Call Conversions by 5x or More
Cold-calling is by far the most controversial topic in sales. Does it work? Is it worth it? We have a few practical tips that we can almost guarantee will improve your results by five times – or more. Spoiler: call them again. Read the tips>>>>
The Familiarity Scale
There is one thing we believe helps move the needle in sales more than anything else; it’s called Familiarity. The more familiarity we build – with our brand, our product, our services – the easier it becomes to drive the sales process. Continue reading>>>>
Aligning Sales & Marketing
Have you ever had a time when sales didn’t leverage the tools that marketing built? Has there ever been a time when the tools that marketing built didn’t create any uplift in sales? Most of us have. These scenarios are unfortunately all too common for most companies. Organizations that successfully align sales and marketing efforts will see big returns. Learn …
Our Perspective is the Root of Success or Failure
When we are leading, influencing, being called upon as trusted advisors or salespeople, the perspective we choose to take in a situation is fundamentally linked to our success or failure in that situation. Perspective tends to drive how we react instinctively, and our reactions drive our attitudes and our behaviors which then drive our outcomes.
Cold Calling is a CEO Agenda Item
Cold Calling is a CEO agenda item. I have become convinced of this as I work with various companies in a broad variety of businesses. As leaders of our companies, if we don’t establish the culture of picking up the phone and calling people we don’t know, it just doesn’t happen.
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Prospecting and Selling are Different Things!
Prospecting, (“cold calling”), has been a hot topic 
with our clients this year. A few months ago we launched a prospecting crash course to help companies build this essential skill on their teams. One of the key aha moments in the workshops has occurred when we discuss the idea that Prospecting and Selling are two completely separate processes with different intents, approaches and measures for success.
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Selling in Today’s World – 3 Imperatives
As 2012 comes to an end, I’ve found our business shifting to accommodate the changes in the business and economic landscapes. I’m doing a lot more coaching and advising at an executive level. This combined with my own experience of running a business has brought to light some of the fundamental changes that I’m seeing in selling these days. Namely, decisions are being made differently. Decisions are made more slowly, they are made with far more scrutiny, and they require an almost absolute guarantee of a successful outcome (typically short term ROI) before being signed off. It is harder to sell big complex products and services right now than it has been over the past 15 years. Here are three “selling” imperatives I’ve found to be important for the companies with whom I’m working:
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