September, 2014

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Do You Have a Recipe for Sales Management Success?

Anthony Cole Training

'I’ve been trying to find a way to tie cooking to sales management. I love to cook (and eat) and I love selling and coaching sales management. I often tie sports stories, analogies and themes to sales and sales management, and I generally have at least one in the crowd that doesn’t/cannot relate because they have not played sports or are just simply not into sports.

Sports 200
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Can You Sell Yourself?

A Sales Guy

'I know you know you’re good at selling. But HOW do you know? What makes you so good? What is it specifically about how you sell that makes you so good? What is your sales philosophy ? What is your sales approach? What are your sales liabilities? What makes your prospecting so good? What makes your engagement skills so good? What is about how you sell that makes you good, I mean really good?

Sell 125
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Trending Sources

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A Step By Step Guide To Building Customer Journey Maps

ConversionXL

'“How do you get your customers to do what you want them to do on your website?”. Optimizers get asked this question all the time. Without realizing it, the businesses who want the secret sauce, the quick fix to more “conversions” are asking the wrong question. What they really should be asking is, “How do I help my customers achieve their goals on my website while still achieving mine?”.

Customers 127
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The Costs Of Doing Nothing

Partners in Excellence

'I suspect the biggest costs both we (individually and within our organizations) and our customers incur is not the spending on new programs, solutions, methods, or change; but rather the costs of doing nothing. Yet we very seldom analyze and quantify these issues. Sometimes, mistakenly we treat them as sunk, even though we keep paying and paying and paying.

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How to Improve Email Deliverability and Optimize Each Send

Learn how to optimize email deliverability and drive greater email ROI. What lands your email in the customer’s inbox? Understanding those factors, otherwise known as email deliverability, is critical to getting the most return on your campaign investments. But the “rules” around which factors land you in the spam folder aren’t always easy to keep up with.

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Taking Your Prospecting to the Next Level

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan. Do you ever wonder how selling evolved to where it is today? Do you ever think about how salespeople sold in the old, old days? All sales calls were face-to-face (no phones) and the sellers traveled by horse, canoe, boat and later, ship. That doesn''t sound like it was efficient - or fun. Over time, selling and our options for connecting with potential customers, moved to a new level.

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Change? Can You Handle It?

The Sales Hunter

'Does change drive you or do you drive it? I’ve always been one who loves change and embraces it. A good friend of mine, Micah Yost (www.MicahYost.com), sent me copy of his new book, Rhythm, and I’m excited to recommend it to you. As I read the book, two things kept getting pounded into […].

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Don’t Ever Trust This Sales Person

A Sales Guy

'When I ask a waitperson what they think about a dish, if they say it’s excellent, I say great and I then ask about another menu item. If they say that one is good too, I then ask about another. If the waiter also says that one is good, I switch my approach and ask, what’s not good. If they say everything is good, I get pissed inside and dismiss them and their responses.

Trust 123
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Statistical Significance Does Not Equal Validity (or Why You Get Imaginary Lifts)

ConversionXL

'A very common scenario: a business runs tens and tens of A/B tests over the course of a year, and many of them “win” Some tests get you 25% uplift in revenue, or even higher. Yet – when you roll out the change, the revenue does not increase 25%. And 12 months after running all those tests, the conversion rate is still pretty much the same.

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Never Apologize For Selling Or Being A Sales Professional!

Partners in Excellence

'I have to admit I get just rip roaring pissed off with a lot of the rhetoric–some from very smart people about selling and sales people. “We should stop selling and start serving… ” “We need to stop selling and be helpful…” “We’re not trying to sell you something, we’re trying to solve your problems… ” The madness goes on to what we call ourselves or refuse to call ourselves.

Sell 127
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7 New Ways to Motivate Salespeople Through 20 Old Hurdles

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan. Trust me when I say that this is a great article, but before we get to it, I have a few post-vacation links for you. This is important! We want you to be part of our next White Paper on Sales Force Effectiveness. Would you kindly take no more than 5 minutes to answer some questions about the sales force at your company?

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Brick & Mortar Retail Relevance: How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Speaker: Jay Black, Senior Account Executive

Let's set the record straight: in-store retail isn't dead - it's evolving! Faced with the digital age and the demands of omnichannel shopping, some retailers are thriving while others are struggling to adapt. Join Jay Black in this exclusive session as he explores the strategies that set successful stores apart, including: Crafting unique and unforgettable in-store experiences 🛍️ Mastering the art of retail demands 🛒 Navigating inventory challenges in today's climate 📦 an

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10 Tips for Successful Selling

The Sales Hunter

'Here are the 10 best tips for successful selling. I based these tips on my 30+ years of selling and working with hundreds of organizations and thousands of salespeople. In the end, it comes down to these 10: 1. Be consistent. Nothing will create more success than consistently taking one step forward each day. […].

Sell 106
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The Selling Process – Do We Have It Right?

Anthony Cole Training

'I just finished reading a chapter from the book – Harvard Business Review on Strategic Sales Management. The chapter is “Understanding What Your Sales Manager Is Up Against” by Barry Trailer and Jim Dickie. I enjoy reading HBR publications even though some of the research findings they provide are way over my head. The various contributors always get me thinking and re-thinking about what I think I know about sales and sales management.

Process 182
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Switching From The Competition

A Sales Guy

'I’m a RedBull drinker. I don’t do Monster or 5 Hour Energy. I’m a Mac (Apple) guy, not much of a fan of Microsoft or Android. I’m on my second Audi and have never had a BMW or a Mercedes. I’ve been with AT&T for 15 of the last 17 years. I fly United 99% of the time. I’m pretty happy with the choices I make and I’m a fairly loyal customer, but in spite of my loyalty, there is always a little fire inside me that is open to something else.

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How Is Cloud Computing Helping Productivity

Score More Sales

'The “cloud” has been around for a number of years now, but it really has been the past 3 or 4 that it seems everyone is cloud focused (or working to get there). As an early adopter of cloud-based CRM, we were storing data in the cloud ten years ago – 12 years ago. It has been more lately though that we are seeing every app created a piece of the cloud.

Product 99
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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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Can You Show Me Your Plan For This Interview?

Partners in Excellence

'Recently I was asked to my views on the best interview questions for sales hires. It was published in a great ebook from Openview Ventures. Be sure to take a look at it, there are some great questions from some very smart people. One of my favorite questions for an interview is, “Can you show me your plan for this interview?” The reason I like it is that we know research and preparation for a sales call is critical to our effectiveness.

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Building an Inside Sales Lab: 10 Essential Tips for Success

Pointclear

'Why build an Inside Sales Lab in your own office? Testing is an excellent way to grow sales. Most firms with significant inside sales already test alternative scripts, lists, and/or prices, but they do so casually as part of day-to-day activities. A lab concentrates this function into a small, well-disciplined group with the right tools to capture subtle improvements.

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Average Salespeople Sell Features. Great Salespeople Sell Themselves.

The Sales Hunter

'Recently I was having a conversation with a VP of Sales and the top two salespeople for their company. The objective of the call was to discuss the attributes of what they do and how we could take those items and get the rest of the organization to implement them too. What became very […].

Sell 105
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Do Your Sales Contracts Have An "I Love Selling" Clause?

Anthony Cole Training

'This is an unusual sales management blog post from me because it will be short. It is short because, this morning, I’m short on time. I am scheduled for a meeting at the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank at 8:00am. From there, I go to the airport to fly to Hershey, Pa., where I will be presenting 3 Keys to a More Productive Sales Force and then I’ll be on my way to NJ.

Contract 175
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1st, 2nd, and 3rd Party Intent Data: Which Is Right for You?

How do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party intent data compare? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party data each have specific advantages and disadvantages. It comes down to four factors: accuracy, cost, control and quantity. This infographic explains the pros and cons of each and helps you understand which one is best for meeting your business objectives. Intent data can be a great way to fill your pipeline and close more deals.

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Funny How, Funny Like A Clown? Do I Amuse You?

A Sales Guy

'One of the best movie lines ever is Joe Pesci’s from Good Fellas. “Funny how? I mean, funny like I’m a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh?” In my world, I don’t care how you’re funny, like a clown, like a comedian, like a comic, as long as you’re funny. When it comes to being funny, in the world of sales and business, Stu Heinecke amuses me.

Campaign 119
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Keys to Improved Sales Performance - Part 1 of 4

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan. This is the first in a four-part series that will run this week. If you are like most folks, you were away for at least part of the summer, took as many long weekends as you could, and worked fewer hours on the days you actually did work. As part of getting the work done, you deleted as many emails as you could where a reply wasn''t required and visited fewer websites and Blogs.

Up-sell 97
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Relationships Are Rooted In Action

Partners in Excellence

'Relationships are important in selling. However, I think too many are have the wrong idea about what relationships are. Too many think relationships are rooted in the pleasant manner of a sales person, the quick smile, great conversation, quick wit, a slap on the back, supported by the occasional lunch or golf game. But relationships are really different, they are rooted in action.

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7 Steps to Gain the Market Share You Deserve (& Sometimes Don't!)

Pointclear

'Similar to De Tocqueville’s famous comment, “People get the government they deserve,” I think companies get the market share they deserve based on their ability to market. We can agree that without marketing (the ability to create demand and sell) no company succeeds, and yet so many companies fail to succeed as marketers. They may create a terrific product and learn how to manufacture it efficiently, and yet they approach marketing as an afterthought.

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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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Why Businesses Really Fail

The Sales Hunter

'“Businesses fail not due to a lack of financial resources, but due to a lack of intellectual resources.” When a business fails, the first person that tends to get blamed is the banker. I’ve heard this far too often and I have to ask myself, “If the business was a good business with potential, […].

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Sales Managers - Are You Thinking Presidentially?

Anthony Cole Training

'Not the Obama, Bush, Lincoln, Washington kind of presidential. More like the presidential thinking of Larry Ellison, Alan Mulally, and Beth Mooney. All are or were chiefs, and, at one time, were also presidents. But, prior to that, at some time in their careers, they were managers of something. What separated them, I’m guessing, is that they thought presidentially - they looked at the role of manager through the eyes of a president.

Contract 169
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What Leaders Should Do, But Don’t!

A Sales Guy

'Watching the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints game the other night reminded me of the Drew Breeze trade from the San Diego Chargers back in 2005. For you non-football fans or those of you who don’t remember, Drew was traded to New Orleans after the 2005 season in which he broke his shoulder. As a result, San Diego ships him off to New Orleans and Philip Rivers becomes San Diego’s new starting quarterback.

Sports 119
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Free Conversion Optimization Course #ConversionOctober

ConversionXL

'New business season has kicked-off. It’s time to get the revenue up, conversions rocking. And I want to help you master the essentials of conversion optimization. So – this October I’m offering a 100% free conversion optimization course. The course is over email: you will get 10 carefully crafted lessons delivered to your inbox. Topic covered in this course: Mindset of an optimizer: getting the basics right.

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How to Leverage Intent Data for Better Outcomes

Speaker: Susan Spencer, Principal of Spencer Communications

Intent signal data can go a long way toward shortening sales cycles and closing more deals. The challenge is deciding which is the best type of intent data to help your company meet its sales and marketing goals. In this webinar, Susan Spencer, fractional CMO and principal of Spencer Communications, will unpack the differences between contact-level and company-level intent signals.

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Are You Creating Value In Every Customer Interaction?

Partners in Excellence

'In an outstanding post, Why Sales People Need To Create Value, Not Just Communicate, Bob Apollo cites a data point from Forrester: “Prospects say only 1 in 8 conversations with sales people are useful!” It’s a staggering number! 87.5% of the conversations customers are having with sales people are a waste of time! Think of the massive losses in productivity and costs that are incurred both on the part of customers and within our own sales organizations.

Customers 124
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Keys to Improved Sales Performance - Part 2 of 4

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan. This is the second in a four-part series that will run this week. See Part 1 here. This is Part 2. If you are like most folks, you were away for at least part of the summer, took as many long weekends as you could, and worked fewer hours on the days you actually did work. As part of getting the work done, you deleted as many emails as you could where a reply wasn''t required and visited fewer websites and Blogs.

Sales 94
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7 Tips for Fourth Quarter Sales Success

The Sales Hunter

'Fourth quarter. There is no quarter that poses more opportunities and, at the same time, more obstacles as this one. I’ve always felt you need to have one strategy for the year and another one for the 4th quarter, due to how different it is. Below are 7 tips to help make it successful: 1. […].

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"American Icon" Has It Right for Sales Managers

Anthony Cole Training

'Alan Mulally was an unlikely hero in American Industry when he took over Ford in 2006. Not unlikely because he was unqualified, but because he wasn’t a car guy. If you read the book, American Icon , you will enjoy a great story about guts, determination as well as unbelievable leadership and management. I started reading the book about 18 months ago, but then got sidetracked by other books and my own business needs.

Teamwork 169
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5 Inspiring B2B Marketing Campaigns to Take Yours to the Next Level

Your next big B2B marketing idea starts here. Get inspired with these five successful B2B marketing campaigns. Ready to generate more leads, interest, and revenue with your B2B marketing? In this comprehensive eBook, you’ll get: In-depth studies of five successful B2B marketing campaigns spanning a wide range of industries Key takeaways and lessons from each story to implement in your own strategy Resources to help your own B2B marketing thrive By submitting this form, you agree to have your con