The Sales Blog
Whenever we find ourselves in a competitive sales situation, it never fails that we find ourselves competing on price. Our dream clients ask us to sharpen our pencils and, in an attempt to win, we sharpen it (sometimes down to a little tiny nub). But instead of sharpening our … [Read more...]
We tend to believe that the greatest levers we have to pull when it comes to improving salesforce performance are things like compensation structures and bonuses. And compensation is surely a critical component when it comes to building a high-performing sales organization. But … [Read more...]
As a leader, you are so mired down with work that there isn’t any hope of every truly being caught up. You can delegate and defer to your hearts delight, but the demands are unrelenting. It can feel like every time you get one activity that needs your attention under control … [Read more...]
Each of these four imperatives ensures that your sales force is effective at the individual level. They’re all necessary to building and sustaining a high performing sales force. A Prospecting Plan that Opens Opportunities: It’s one thing to expect your salespeople to … [Read more...]
Mark writes, “Can you write on the ‘How-to’s’ of hiring great sales managers, setting expectations, compensation packages, and key places to find this unicorn?" How to Hire Great Sales Managers Hiring well is an art form. If hiring is easy, you’re doing it wrong. If … [Read more...]
The military strategist Clausewitz described the fog of war as friction. For Clausewitz, war was different in practice than on paper. You can have a strategy, a plan, and well-rehearsed tactics, but as soon as you come into contact with the enemy, there are so many variables that … [Read more...]
A few years ago, I spoke to a big sales organization. Their leadership team was brilliant. They were all on message, and the message was powerful. But it fell flat with the sales force. I wasn’t sure why it didn’t inspire them. For some reason it just didn’t … [Read more...]
Your revenue numbers are up. Your profit is better than last year. You’re moving in the right direction. You should be pleased. But you shouldn’t necessarily be satisfied. The numbers may be positive, but it doesn’t always mean you are where should be. A sales organization … [Read more...]
When you take your team off the field make sure it is achieve the right outcomes. Too often sales organizations take their sales teams off the field to accomplish things that are better accomplished some other way. They take them off the field to cover administrative or … [Read more...]
Yesterday I wrote about ten things I wish I'd have known before I started selling professionally. Here are ten things that I wish I'd have known before I started managing a sales force. Balance activity and effectiveness. When I first managed salespeople, I was … [Read more...]
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