It would seem to be an easy question for a company to answer, but currently, a qualified business lead seems to depend on who is doing the qualifying: Marketing Qualified Leads Automation Qualified Leads Tele-Prospecting Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads A business lead used be either a qualified lead or an unqualified lead. Things seemed ... Read Post

“Emotional intelligence” and “sales” are not often mentioned together — they’re considered oil and water.  Sales leaders often mistakenly confuse emotional intelligence with being weak, which is far from the reality. Emotional intelligence is a crucial leadership skill, and the research supports its inclusion in a winning sales team. #1:  Emotional self-awareness. Are you the ... Read Post

“We liked your proposal, but…” Lose the Sale… Those five words said it all. The client proposal that I’d worked on tirelessly for weeks wasn’t good enough to close the sale. Once I heard, “we’re going with another company,” it was tough to hear anything else. When a client call starts like that, you’d probably rather ... Read Post

Social Listening: The process of proactively searching for trigger events that provide potential opportunities to improve your own customer service, intercept competitors’ customers, or engage a potential client early in their own buying process. Selling has always been about being a great listener… social selling is no different. But in modern selling there are many ... Read Post

S. Sterling Company of Atlanta, Georgia is a sales and distribution firm representing electrical component suppliers to U.S. vehicle and equipment manufacturers throughout a 14-state region including the South, Southeast, and Midwest. The company represents highly engineered products to vehicle manufacturers from recreational to heavy-duty. Clients include Airstream, Volvo Construction Equipment, Blue Bird Body Co., ... Read Post

As a stylist and coach I get asked all the time: “Catherine, what should I wear to sales and business meetings”. I love answering questions about style in business; however, this is an issue that goes deeper than wearing the right shirt or jacket. How many times have you found yourself trying to make a ... Read Post

Editor’s Note: Today we welcome Bill Carmody to our blogging community. I first noticed Bill’s crisp, direct, and useful sales outlook on LinkedIn, and immediately approached him to contribute to the Pipeliner sales blog. He and his team are impressive, both in their passion and in their curiosity. This is the first (of many!) posts ... Read Post

Black Book For Industry Conferences, Conventions, and In-Person Events ‘Tis the season for conferences! (But don’t go on your trek unprepared when you can take our practical and info-packed ebook with you!) That’s right — we’ve put together a great resource for you. Four seasoned attendees share their top techniques and tips for getting the most out of ... Read Post