In my last blog, I pointed out that today salespeople must be customer-centric: that is, placing the majority of focus on the buyer, their issues and needs instead of the seller’s product only. In this blog let’s discuss the need to be industry-specific in these efforts, and what that requires. So now we have a ... Read Post

Lead generation is a major factor in any B2B enterprise. Leads become opportunities, which become customers, which (if handled right) become repeat customers and referrers. Inbound and Outbound Leads fall under 2 major categories—inbound and outbound. Inbound leads are those caused by sources outside your company, such as blogs, referring websites, 3rd-party mentions, social media ... Read Post

Often the best mentors come from the most unlikely places. There are strong parallels between what Grandma does, the priorities she lives by, and the skills necessary to be a great sales leader. Here are 19 plays from Grandma’s playbook; you can decide what they mean to you. Grandma: 1. Is the matriarch. The family holds ... Read Post

The sale is closed, the check is in the mail, now what? Traditional sales wisdom suggests that a post sale follow-up emails are a must, but the wrong approach could undo your hard work. How can you avoid annoying or overstepping boundaries when you send a follow-up emails? Avoid these common errors and opt to be ... Read Post

In my last blog, I discussed how difficult building a sales team can be, especially for a startup. Your sales reps need to be entrepreneurial-minded (what I call salespreneurs) in order to help get the company truly off the ground and headed toward success. Now let’s take a look at how these salespreneurs should focus ... Read Post

Keeping in touch with your prospects after a sales call is more than just “touching base” or “checking in.” Here’s the deal. To keep sales momentum alive, you need to provide value on every interaction — even a quick follow-up call. That means you need to rethink your entire callback strategy. Here are three approaches ... Read Post

Tension is high, and anticipation is thick as the annual sales kickoff for DisruptaCorp begins. Employees at the young tech startup settle in their seats. Mobile devices are hurriedly silenced and stowed. Chatter dissolves into quiet. The CEO, Priya Neghandi, stands in front of the room alongside her VP of Business Development, Kelvin Wickersham. Without ... Read Post

In my last corporate role, I ran the Australian region for one of world’s biggest CRM software companies. It was my final role in a twenty-five year career working in the technology sector. Everywhere I worked I was always a ‘true believer’ in what I was selling – you have to be, to be successful. ... Read Post