In Sandler Enterprise Selling, the sales cycle is represented by a continuous process consisting of six stages. And continuity is the key as selling to and serving large enterprise accounts through streams of transactions over time in long-term relationships really has no end. That’s the enterprise world. The sixth and last stage in the enterprise ... Read More

Why does the sales profession get a bad rap? What’s the number one reason many people don’t want to be approached by a seller? Is it that we think they’re too pushy? Is it that we don’t want to be confronted with a choice or have to reject someone? Is it because we think they’re ... Read More

My eyes glaze over when I read articles on sales ethics. There is a huge volume of content out there on the topic, and there are almost a limitless number of prescriptions on how salespeople can adopt a better moral code — every writer has their own take on the subject. I find that the ... Read More

I learned a great deal working for Xerox. They certainly taught me how to sell, but the two greatest programs I was involved in had little to do with selling. These two programs taught me the answer to a question that has puzzled many. The question is, can sales ethics be taught, and you’ll find ... Read More

What do you think of sales ethics of personalization? Have you used personalization in your business? With all the consumer data now available, you could potentially know almost everything about the next person who walks into your store or visits your website. But should you use that information? Strangely enough, that last question is one ... Read More

Every year companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on training their sales teams in areas like prospecting, questioning and closing more sales/deals. While this type of training is clearly valuable, it fails to address a key factor impacting sales performance. That is, the ability of the salesperson to manage the rejection they face on ... Read More

It’s certainly no surprise that the landscape of sales is changing dramatically. Neil Rackham of SPIN selling talks about the new landscape for sales and the outlook is not pretty. Transactional business is quickly being squeezed through the hiring of low cost offshore groups, as well as technology and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. It should ... Read More

In addition to being a top contributor to SalesPOP!, Andy Rudin has been writing about sales and selling for over ten years. For him, writing is actually an educational experience. “I write so that I can learn,” Andy explains. “For me, finding an edgy or innovative biz-dev idea is like finding a diamond in the ... Read More

There was a headline I saw that very much interested me. Okay, admittedly, it actually excited me. It read, “How to handle gatekeepers and reach decision-makers.” This, I thought, is an online article that would be great to share with my B2B sales team. It contained tips on dealing with personal assistants, receptionists, and others ... Read More

Account management is a considerable job—and one of the most important for a sales professional. Account management consists of several key functions, all of which actually add up to happy customers. Account management is most precisely conducted through CRM. Existing accounts are the foundation and stability of a company. Moreover, it is far less complex ... Read More

It almost goes without saying that salespeople should have integrity and come from a place of truth, but why is it that we always have to spell that out? “He is a salesperson, but you can trust him” is something that I hear way too often and I always wonder why. I get it, of ... Read More

In a world of increasing scandal, with institutions playing fast and loose with the truth and people slapping “fake news” labels on content with increasing frequency, success must come from telling the truth. Always. Every day it seems like there are new headlines describing how a company or institution has used technology in a nefarious ... Read More