There are 18 million people currently in Sales today in North America. Gartner Group predicts that only 4 million will be left by 2020. Is that likely? What we do know is that Sales is undergoing unprecedented transformation. As a sales manager, are you preparing your team for the seismic shifts ahead? When I started ... Read Post

If you are trying to sell in a B2B framework, you know that prospecting is a numbers game. Instead of making a few hundred calls every day and hitting upon 1 or 2 prospects ( at the best) business email addresses, sales professionals are leveraging social networks such as LinkedIn to microtarget and identify key ... Read Post

Tip #1: Prepare Mentally and Physically First, clear your desk and prepare yourself for each sales phone call by having everything you need within reach or eyesight. Use a headset, lean slightly forward while sitting in your chair and minimize or remove any distractions. Now, think of yourself as a sponge. Give undivided attention to ... Read Post

Introduction: “The Leads! The Leads!” There is one point that resonates with any salesperson who has seen the classic 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross: “It’s the leads!” In that film, veteran sales reps are saddled with sub-par leads for people who would never buy in a thousand years. The sales manager holds the good leads ... Read Post

Do you make arbitrary, split-second decisions about clicking on a headline to read? We all do it. Our attention spans are nada, zilch and non-existent.  Most people click on a headline based on a few words.  A few words …. that’s it.  If you are at a social networking event, what is it that a ... Read Post

A sales revolution is coming! The next decade will witness a sea change in the way large and medium-size businesses manage their sales functions. Companies that fail to adapt to the new realities and adopt the new practices risk falling behind their competitors who do. Author: Jenny Dearborn Data Driven: How Performance Analytics Delivers Extraordinary ... Read Post

Debate rages between sales experts that advocate cold calling is “dead” or “dying”, and those who see it as  “rising from the dead”, “not dead”, or only “semantically dead.” The truth is, sales tactics traditionally referred to as cold calling are still very much alive and is an important strategy utilized by sales management in high-growth companies (Profit ... Read Post

What do salespeople need to do in today’s tough business environment to catch the attention of decision makers? I recently uncovered some compelling data in a series of conversations I had with decision makers representing several industries, including: insurance services, publishing, hospitality, communications, manufacturing, hardware supplies, a post-secondary institution, and pharmaceuticals. I asked them the ... Read Post