Human nature is complex and at times counterproductive. Take our general resistance to change; our innate fear of stepping out of our comfort zone, even when common sense dictates there are easier ways to do things. We embrace our habits like they are a lifeline. All too often we will go down with the ship, rather than jump [...]

The Traditional Sales “Strategy”: There’s a vicious cycle that plagues a lot of sales efforts today. It looks kind of like this: Caffeinate – Slug back 20 oz coffee and give yourself a pep-talk. Today is the day. Wing it – Work like a person on fire and hope “the flow” will just happen. Rejection – [...]

The Great Pyramid of Giza built in 2584 BC; the beautiful Sistine Chapel constructed in 1473, and our own White House, whose cornerstone was laid in 1792, would have undoubtedly never stood against time, without a building plan. Greatness requires a plan, but how many sales people shortcut the planning stage in their day? Exactly what is [...]

Sales conversations inevitably follow a specific course, down one topical path. It is a well-worn and often quite predictable track called “product and price.”  To improve your chances for a sale, you may try to steer the conversation in other, more intellectual directions. Your intention of course is to engage the buyer in a higher quality discussion that [...]

One of the great and productive functionalities of CRM is the ability for sales managers to track the activity levels and performance benchmarks of their team members. If reps are not conducting or managing enough phone calls, follow-ups, and sales meetings, you will know about it-and so will they. blog10_graphicHaving this indispensable tool to monitor key metrics makes [...]

Email may not seem like an ideal communications medium when it comes to increasing sales productivity and captivating prospects.  It is, however, how most sellers and buyers communicate today.  More than likely your reps rely on emails as a follow-up to phone conversations and to communicate throughout the sales cycle.  Because email follow-up, while necessary, takes away from [...]

Speed and impact are two critical and decisive factors when you are in the sales profession, especially when your activities are being scrutinized by the ‘time-is-money’ shot-clock. Your reps must consistently be on top of their game if they want to meet or exceed quota. On a revenue-weighted scale of all-out performance, what you really want for them [...]

By estimate, there will be approximately 70,000 people at this week’s spectacular Dreamforce event, Salesforce.com’s annual conference and expo being held in San Francisco. Its impressive agenda is all about how the social revolution is changing the way we do business. The event will impact and illustrate how business trends are adjusting to and dictating emerging technologies. There [...]