I came across some interesting questions in a Teacher’s Guide to the Penguin Edition of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – that timeless portrayal of the common man as a tragic figure. The questions that the teachers are encouraged to ask of their students before they begin studying the play are: What is your definition of ... Read Post

A quick overview of the Pipeliner CRM Targets: The Pipeliner CRM Weighted Target The Weighted Target is the sum of opportunities’ values according to their sales step position (its percentage of probability). For example, I have a deal worth $100,000 at my Value Proposition stage with a win rate of 60%. This would be viewed ... Read Post

We have all heard that Sales is in the middle of a huge transformation, focused on buyers, their concerns, their worries, and their patterns. There are many evolving theories and approaches, some of which will bear the test of time and others which will fall by the wayside. While all of this new construction is ... Read Post

When it comes to CRM, why does visualization matter? Is it just because visualization makes things “look cool”? Or are there deeper reasons? The Old Way: A Spreadsheet on Steroids Let’s take a look at what our CRM solutions have looked like for the past 20-some years. While they’ve become enormously complex—evolving from mere contact ... Read Post

Don’t be weighed down by an inaccurate sales forecast.  There is a better way. The Problem with Probability Probability is the measure of the likeliness that an event will occur.  It’s very common for sales leaders to use probability to measure the likeliness that revenue will occur.  It’s an easy, but highly inaccurate method of ... Read Post

Recently I came across a very interesting bit of research.  It proved something that we all suspected.  And it also revealed something new and important. The research was about the impact of using big words. In The Language of Success, I make the point that you can dramatically improve the clarity of your writing if ... Read Post

What type of relationship do you want with your customers?  How do you want them to perceive you?  Are you typically relegated to those who manage projects or do you get regular meetings in the C-suite?  Much of this depends on the types of conversations you are having with your customers and can be a ... Read Post

Years from now, will salespeople have been driven into extinction, victims from over-predation by cost-cutting CFO’s and empowered buyers? Will anyone remember the once-glorious meaning of Individual Contributor? Will the selling profession be able to extract itself from the festering primordial swamp that sustains negative sales stereotypes? Well, the siren has sounded. In 2012, Gerhard ... Read Post