04
2014
How a business suffers when sales and marketing aren’t on the same page
In today’s challenging and competitive economy, it is more important than ever that a company’s sales and marketing efforts are productive, effective and efficient. Unfortunately, millions of dollars in business opportunities are lost or squandered every single day when these two seemingly close-linked departments get it wrong. Here are a few examples: Business opportunities are lost when the Sales Department… Doesn’t have access to the…
28
2013
Sales Content Challenges #1
This is the first article in a series on the value and challenges of producing the type of sales content that motivates customers to buy, drives cross selling and provides sales people with the type of content they need to be more effective and productive. I want to thank my good friend, Stephen Diorio of Profitable Channels, for this summary that was taken from…
23
2013
Death of a Salesman????
No, this isn’t an article about Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize winning play about Willy Loman. Instead, I want to put to bed that the need for sales people has diminished recently due to the paradigm shift in the sophistication of buyers. Granted, the Internet has allowed buyers to search for what they need long before they engage with a sales person. But, that takes into…
02
2013
How do you deal with the “I’m too busy” excuse?
Ever said or heard this: Sorry, I’m just too busy to consider taking on anything else right now! I’ve resurrected this article that was posted in early 2012 because it is one of the most sought after articles that I have posted, so I hope you enjoy it again. I’m sure that we all have seen similar cartoons that do a great job of exposing…
26
2013
Keeping your Sales & Marketing teams Accountable
Where does accountability lie within your organization and how do you go about holding people accountable for their performance, or lack thereof? I know a lot of organizations have annual reviews that are conducted by HR or an immediate supervisor of how an individual is performing. Depending on the organization these can be very helpful and detailed or just fluff. It all depends on who…
06
2013
Do You Have a Repeatable, Sustainable Profile for Success?
I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine recently and we were talking about how most organizations don’t have a repeatable, sustainable profile for how they achieve success. What we were referring to was the need for organizations to be able to have a clear understanding of how they are successful in winning business. For many organizations, they can give you an…
07
2013
Success is 90% Preparation, 10% Perspiration
We’ve all heard the adage “Success is 90% preparation and only 10% perspiration”. The great scientist Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind”. This is an area that I believe needs to be addressed more effectively by sales people and the organizations they work for today. So, let me start by asking: Are your sales people as prepared and effective as they need…
02
2013
Great Things Happen When People Collaborate
I’m not sure whether you have noticed the number of discussions, articles, webinars and postings around the whole concept of collaborating. Obviously, there is a lot of value in being able to do just that and it comes out in a number of different ways. One of the ways that we see collaboration working a lot is through the creation of something. That something could…
20
2013
Top 10 Reasons Why Your Marketing Team is Failing You and How To Fix Them
My good friend Michael Cannon, who is the CEO of the Silver Bullet Group (www.silverbulletgroup.com), is clearly one of the top people in the industry that I believe consistently has the inside track on what Marketing organizations can do to be more effective. With his permission, I am presenting his article and hope that you, too, will become a follower of Michael and the Silver Bullet…
30
2013
How to reduce ramp-up time for new sales hires
In a recent survey conducted by CSO Insights, some 70 % of companies claimed that the ramp-up time for new sales staff ranged from seven months to more than one year. This alarming statistic raises several interesting and important issues: Even though many companies claim to hire only experienced salespeople who can hit the street running, current research and data prove otherwise….