The request for quota predictions brings fear into the hearts of novice salespeople, particularly those new to the profession. It brings to mind the game of ‘Truth or Dare’ along with ideas for minimizing the damage that could potentially take place. Every new sales employee is shocked to learn that they are expected to precisely ... Read Post

By clearly understanding your unique ‘why’, you will have the required confidence to overcome any doubts or fears associated with active executive access. When calling on c-suite executives, intent matters. If your intention is to sell them something, then you will probably be shut down. If your aim is to go over your current contact’s ... Read Post

If you want to make an impression with prospects and deliver sales presentations with impact, you’re going to have to do A LOT more than repeat researched numbers! Today, it’s extremely important to make an emotional connection with the PEOPLE in the room. But the good news is that there is a science to this ... Read Post

Continuing our series on the comparison between the American War of Independence and today’s world of sales and commerce, let’s now take a look at what it really takes to engage in battle and war–and win. Endurance To start with, no such conflict is won (or, for that matter, lost) overnight. The American Revolution lasted ... Read Post

Before you can change the status quo, you must understand it. I want clients who do more than just buy from me. This isn’t heresy, it’s just good business. These days, in B2B sales, customers buy more than just our products and services. They buy our ideas, our knowledge, and our insights—our visions for scaling ... Read Post

My definition: a prospect is an individual who has (according to a predefined set of criteria) exhibited the potential to benefit from a product or service offered by an organization. The challenge is to turn the potential to deliver an economic benefit to the organization into a reality. How do you do it? First let’s ... Read Post

It’s a pair of classic scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street. Former stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played exceedingly well by Leonardo DiCaprio, challenges top sales executives to sell him the pen he has just extracted from his pocket. On the surface, it appears to be a major challenge for any sales professional, the kind of ... Read Post

An age-old business maxim is to “know your customer,” but today’s customer experience professional must turn to big data and analytics to fill in the gaps. Read Post