Tips and advice for salespeople and sales managers.
Today I chuckled to myself as I read the title of a blog entry: Is “Process” an Ugly Word in your Sales Department (http://bit.ly/8c1YtR). The writer gives three common reasons for why companies don’t have “a formally defined sales process.” In even broader terms, many SMBs resist formalizing much
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Why do CRMs so often fail to meet expectations? I’ve known many companies to launch CRMs with such excitement and hope, only to be bitterly disappointed within months of the launch. Recognizing the difficulty companies have with change management and with CRM implementation and ongoing use, salesfor
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In a meeting last week one of the people I spoke with used the term “blocking and tackling” to describe the basic yet essential tasks and duties a sales person or sales manager does. At the same company the CEO spoke about the importance of being detail-oriented and understanding the business in dep
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This morning I read a spot-on article by Wendy Weiss on using success stories to help close deals (see http://bit.ly/tJjjt). Along the same lines, success stories in every day selling can provide salespeople and sales managers with powerful testimonials and evidence of their company’s effectiveness
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Yesterday I read a good post on the Eyes on Sales web site titled “Call Me Back Next Month! Putting an End to the End-of-Quarter Blues” (http://bit.ly/3st8AJ). The author, Colleen Francis, gives some good tips on how to overcome resistance when you’re trying to close deals at the end of
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Last week I ran across a picture of my old sales team taken during a white water rafting outing. I scanned it and posted it on Facebook so I could share it with some of them. It brought a smile to my face as I remembered how much fun we had that day. I was [...]
In past sales management roles, I’ve conducted a situation analysis early in my tenure to determine where the opportunities and threats are. By digging deep to learn everything I could about my company, sales team, customers, competitors, and industry, I’ve been able to get my bearings early on and
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Sales training can be a much needed attempt to bring improvement to a sales force. Although often maligned, sales training can introduce a sales team to a particular sales methodology, help to reinforce or strengthen skills needed in the sales process, or improve soft skills needed in the daily rout
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In one of my roles as sales manager, I was hired clandestinely before my predecessor had been notified of their demotion. Throughout my first week I took an intensive German language class to brush up on my German skills. The second week was very awkward because I spent the week in the boardroom rev
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I’m coaching a client on how best to deal with a renter that is in arrears on his rent. My client is a sweet, generous person, and she has had a hard time being firm with the renter. Consequently, the situation has become progressively worse in the past few months. The client now recognizes the [...
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