Key Learnings from the Sales Enablement Forum
Like many other sales leaders, the sense that tectonic shifts in the dynamics between buyers and salespeople are happening has been palpable to me for a number of years. Researching these changes is...
View ArticleUnderstanding How Value Adds Up for Buyers
Lots of leaders believe that their sales force (and marketers, product developers, etc.) know their buyers. I disagree. Well, they may know their names and titles and a bit more. But let's get real. Do...
View ArticleYour New #1 Competitor
Who is your company's Number One competitor? Actually, it's not who you think it is. In fact, it's probably not "who" at all, but rather "what" that is the taking away the most sales from your sales...
View Article[Poll] As a Sales leader, when your CEO has directed you to add salespeople,...
* Immediately followed the CEO's directive and initiated action to add salespeople. * Recommended an alternative strategy to the CEO after I analyzed impact to the bottom line. * Added salespeople, but...
View ArticleThe CEO Says Hire Salespeople! What's Next?
Your CEO just gave you your marching orders. "We're going to organically grow the top line and profits by 30% over the next year. We're going to grow the sales force to make this happen. I've discussed...
View ArticleWhy Growing the Sales Force May Not Be Your Best Investment Strategy for...
In a recent post, I introduced on a common scenario that Sales leaders encounter whereby the CEO asks the Chief Sales Officer to substantially add salespeople to the sales force to grow the bottom...
View ArticleUnderstanding Value for Buyers in Complex Sales
Who do you sell to? That's a simple question that we've asked thousands of salespeople over the past few years. The answers are always interesting and typically focus on either a description of a...
View ArticleWhere Have All The Good Times Gone? The party is dying out for companies...
In his recent report, Competitive Strategy In The Age Of The Customer, Forrester's David Cooperstein notes that in regard to successful business strategy:"It's no longer sufficient to say that you are...
View ArticleWhat Do Reps Believe Makes A Meeting Successful?
Do salespeople in different roles (e.g., strategic accounts, geographic, inside sales) and with different levels of experience have different perspectives on selling? Not significantly, according to...
View ArticleSales Leaders are Ignoring An Effective Strategy to Gain Access to Executive...
In our research, executive buyers tell us that that referrals are far more effective than other approaches for gaining access to them. Yet the referral strategy is being ignored in most corporate sales...
View ArticleSales Experience — An Obsolete Hiring Criterion
Sales Managers Err In Biasing Toward Years Of Sales Experience In Making Hiring DecisionsThousands of sales managers, and the human resources (HR) teams that support them, consider years of relevant...
View ArticleTo Win Against Increasing Competition, Equip Your Salespeople With A Deeper...
Last week I spoke with the VP of Sales for a tech company that used to have the hottest product in his market. In housing terms, they used to be an exclusive and much sought after neighborhood, but now...
View ArticleBeware The "Buyers Already Know What They Want" Myth
A new and pernicious myth as taken hold in many B2B Sales and Marketing organizations. The myth - that buyers are 60-70% of the way through their buying cycle before they talk with a salesperson - is...
View ArticleWho Says That Sales Training Improves Sales Performance?
Sales enablement professionals with responsibility for sales training clearly have a conflict: the desire to help salespeople be successful, and the demands of the organizational leaders who request...
View ArticleIs Your Sales Force Performing Like Watered-Down Whiskey?
I'm not a whiskey drinker, but I do love history, and selling. So when I read this quote from the October 16, 1861 Memphis Daily Appeal in a University of North Carolina blog recently, I couldn't help...
View ArticleWhy Don’t Buyers Want To Meet With Your Salespeople?
Recently, I spoke with the CEO of a company who grumbled about the dozens of calls he receives from salespeople each week that land in his voicemail. He told me, "They clearly don't even understand...
View ArticleIncrease Key Account Revenue With Better Process and Technologies
As sales forces in many organizations face a busy fiscal year-end, they are also planning for how to grow revenues in 2015. I've been working with clients who are looking for insights and ideas on how...
View ArticleYour New #1 Competitor
Who is your company’s Number One competitor? Actually, it’s not who you think it is. In fact, it’s probably not “who” at all, but rather “what” that is taking away the most sales from your sales...
View ArticleWhat Do Reps Believe Makes A Meeting Successful?
Do salespeople in different roles (e.g., strategic accounts, geographic, inside sales) and with different levels of experience have different perspectives on selling? Not significantly, according to...
View ArticleSales Leaders Are Ignoring An Effective Strategy To Gain Access To Executive...
In our research, executive buyers tell us that referrals are far more effective than other approaches for gaining access to them. Yet the referral strategy is ignored in most corporate sales...
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