You can make the reasonable assumption that when your sales team moves an opportunity to the “no decision” column in your CRM, it isn’t the first or the last time. According to research from Sales Benchmark Index as well as other reputable sales research companies, as many as 60 percent of sales opportunities end up ... Read Post

While this might seem a strange title for a blog post, having a clear difference between these two terms in mind can mean a great deal to your sales reps, your sales team and you company. It can also have a profound influence on the choice of a CRM solution. Sales Funnel You’ve seen a ... Read Post

When I walk into a room full of outside salespeople, there are 2 reasons I'll get squirmy: the sales reps are all there, and it’s way too quiet. Read Post

Salespeople very often say, “I don’t like to be micromanaged.” You can’t blame them–nobody likes it when someone is constantly checking or double-checking their activities. But if you’re a salesperson, you might want to ask yourself this: Does your selling behavior invite your sales manager micromanaging you? Last week I delivered a 2-day course to ... Read Post

Top Line Tips by Lisa Magnuson None of us want epic failures, especially when it comes to one of the most important sales activities – executive engagement. However, the road to executive selling is littered with tons of potholes that you might encounter on your journey to develop and maintain positive relationships with the key ... Read Post

Most businesses rely on one of two systems to power their call center. The first being the on-premise call center solution that houses your communication hardware, software and infrastructure within the confines of your office. The second system is the cloud-based call center solution which is hosted in the cloud–that is, computing services are brought ... Read Post

What exactly is a sales pipeline? Having a precise answer to this question can spell the difference between success and failure for a sales team. Put simply, a sales pipeline is a precise expression of a company’s sales process. It consists of the individual steps taken by salespeople from the initial contact with a prospect, ... Read Post

I believe there are two ways to negotiate: manipulatively and collaboratively. You could call it “win‑win” versus “win‑lose.” Manipulative negotiating sees the participants as adversaries. Tactics include exerting power, using subterfuge and hiding your own nonverbal communications. There is a lot of mistrust, tension, and suspicion. The manipulative negotiator’s goal is to win. There are ... Read Post