This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
'Over the years, I have been very fortunate to work with a lot of very successful companies in many industries across the US. Over the years, I have found some very common responses to our sales and sales management training programs. Some of the responses I would consider legitimate and reasonable; others I put in the category of myths. Our standard operating procedure of beginning our work with a client is to evaluate their sales organization.
'I hear this all the time. “ Our competitor X is doing Y, we should do that too ” or “ X is market leader and they have Y, we need to have Y “ There are 2 key things wrong with it: The reason they have Y (menu, navigation, checkout, home page layout etc) the way it is, is probably random. In 50% cases it’s what their designer came up with (and most likely not because of a long, thorough analysis and testing) or they just copied another competitor.
'When I was a kid, I used to build forts. I loved it. We’d snag all the scrap building supplies from the houses going up in the neighborhood and build the elaborate forts. They were multi-story, multiroom shanties. These things were a kids paradise. You could never stand up in them, but they would have carpet from ceiling to floor. You’d be able to go from room to room through trap doors and secret cut outs.
'It’s clear we’re in a frenzy of networking and connecting. There seems to be a rush to establish connections, friends, whatever. People are reaching out, connecting, racking up the numbers. They’re using every channel possible–LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and more. But then there’s this odd phenomena. . Somehow, I’m under the mistaken opinion the purpose of networking and connecting is to form some sort of relationship.
Speaker: Jady West, VP of Hospitality & Chris Bennett, Head of Sales & Engineering
The modern hotel room is no longer just a place to stay—it’s an experience to remember. Today’s guests expect seamless 5G connectivity, personalized comfort, and high-tech convenience. From AI-powered smart room controls to in-room entertainment and app-based services, technology is redefining hospitality from the inside out. In this new session featuring industry pros Jady West and Chris Bennett, we’ll explore how high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity powers the innovations that are enabling
'Quit kidding yourself! You’re not making any money off the low-price customer, regardless of what you think. Let me give you 4 reasons. Reason 1: The customer who demands a lower price from you is also going to be the customer who nags at you all the way through the sales process and long afterward. Low-price customers are wired to think they can get everything cheap and they can get people to do for them whatever they ask.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan The NY Times posted a story on June 20 about Google, their recruiting efforts, and big data. The story really doesn''t reveal that much but there is an interesting quote (that I will get to shortly) that is relevent to hiring salespeople. When we help companies get the sales selection piece right there are several components that we tweak.
'What does sales experience have to do with sales success? "It depends" would be the most appropriate answer. If your experiences in sales - the wins, the losses and the close calls - provide you with lessons that help you grow and change, then your experiences can have a significant impact on your sales success and the rate at which you achieve that success.
'What does sales experience have to do with sales success? "It depends" would be the most appropriate answer. If your experiences in sales - the wins, the losses and the close calls - provide you with lessons that help you grow and change, then your experiences can have a significant impact on your sales success and the rate at which you achieve that success.
'At a recent high school track meet I cheered on our team in several heats of the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays and mused that we can look to track and field athletics for inspiration and tactics for marketing and sales alignment. Handoffs of qualified leads from marketing to sales can be as smooth and technically precise as those of the sprinters on a relay track team.
'Chad Malchow. I’m skipping this weeks WITCE Wednesday (I hate that name, so if someone could please offer another it would great.) to share a guest post. Chad Malchow is Sr. Vice President of North American Sales for Return Path and one smart cat. Return Path is a client and I have been working with Chad for a few months. As part of our work I asked Chad to think about leadership and the work we’re doing and put it into post form to be published here.
'“We don’t have the budget” strikes fear into the hearts of all sales people. Asking for budget is one of the standard BANT qualifying questions. No budget, we disqualify and move on. But in doing this, we walk away from huge opportunities. In fact, a huge number of sales result in situations where there has been no budget. If we are embracing the Insight Selling, many times we are making the customer aware of opportunities to grow, opportunities they may be missing, ways to
'Finding new customers is the bane of most salespeople, yet too many times, the reason it is so difficult is salespeople give up too easily. Really, I should say it’s not that salespeople give up too easily — it’s that they just don’t follow-up. For some reason, too many salespeople believe if they make one phone call, send one email or mail one letter to a prospect, then that is all it takes.
Documents are the backbone of enterprise operations, but they are also a common source of inefficiency. From buried insights to manual handoffs, document-based workflows can quietly stall decision-making and drain resources. For large, complex organizations, legacy systems and siloed processes create friction that AI is uniquely positioned to resolve.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan How many times has this happened to you? A salesperson tells you about a great looking opportunity that has been forecast to close this month. "We''re definitely getting this and it''s an awesome opportunity for us. We''re going to knock this one out of the park!". At the end of the month the deal hasn''t closed and you question your salesperson about it.
'Your sales people want to succeed! One of the best pieces of advice I''ve received about coaching came from Kim Ades, President of Frame of Mind Coaching. She said that when I am working with people and they are not performing in a way that is consistent with my expectations, the first thing I should do is "assume positive intent." This is huge! What does "assume positive intent" mean relative to the topic today?
'Privacy is a Myth on the Internet. Last week news broke globally that the US Government has unfettered access to most social networks and data stored by them. PRISM is a program/mandate that is supposed to protect the USA from outside threats but Germany and many other members of the EU are deeply concerned. This all began with a leaked PowerPoint outlining PRISM.
'I found this great post on the ten traits of extremely successful people. I thought the list was unique. Many of the traits were different from what we usually see. I also liked the list because it reinforced some of things I’ve talked about on this blog when it comes to hiring, making the sale, identifying talent etc. What do you think of the list?
B2B marketers face a number of challenges, including: continuously generating great leads converting leads to active sales prospects finding vendors that deliver real results Aggregage has proven content syndication, webinar, online advertising and intent signal marketing programs that deliver higher-quality leads. More than 700 companies have already benefited from our programs.
'The post, “ What’s All This About Social Selling,” provoked a lot of reaction. As I started reading the discussions, I started thinking more. Do the “social tools,” make us less social? As you know from the article, I believe “social selling” or “social business” starts with a set of beliefs or values about how you want to connect with, engage, and create value for the customer and prospects.
'If you want to close more sales, you better first do something about these 8 reasons your customers don’t care: 1. Why should they care about you when you don’t care about them? Don’t even try faking it. If you do try to fake that you care, your customer will throw you out even faster. Successful salespeople care about their customers. 2.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan The Pipeline, The Funnel and the Inaccurate Forecast - It gets a bit scary when people who are experts in one thing write about another. Today''s example was sent to me by OMG partner Mike Shannon. He sent along a recent BtoBonline.com post by Jeff Perkins. Jeff suggests that the sales funnel is a thing of the past but his examples, and therefore reasons, are way off base.
'What does sales experience have to do with sales success? "It depends" would be the most appropriate answer. If your experiences in sales - the wins, the losses and the close calls - provide you with lessons that help you grow and change, then your experiences can have a significant impact on your sales success and the rate at which you achieve that success.
AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.
'If I could give you a sales team of enthusiastic champions to build your visibility and ultimately your revenues without writing a check, would that be helpful? That is exactly what happens through the powerful strategies of connecting to the right people for the right reasons. I am convinced that with the power of connection, nearly anything is possible.
'Unless you’ve been under a rock in sales, you’re keenly aware of the growing popularity of the Challenger Selling approach. The Challenger selling approach is the result of a substantial study by the CEC (Corporate Executive Board) that showed; sales people who challenged their customers and prospects out performed those who didn’t.
'So much of the writing about lean focuses on waste reduction. That’s great stuff, we want to make sure we aren’t doing unnecessary work or producing waste. But, at least for marketing and sales professionals, that’s not the real reason to start your lean journey. (I know I have some lean professionals groaning, but hang in there).
'What parts of your sales process are you still using that your customer couldn’t care less about? Below are 6 questions you must ask yourself about your selling process: 1. What percentage of my customers have done research on the internet before meeting with me? At what point during the sales process are they doing this? If they’re doing it before you meet with them, I would refer to this as exploratory.
Today’s buyers expect more than generic outreach–they want relevant, personalized interactions that address their specific needs. For sales teams managing hundreds or thousands of prospects, however, delivering this level of personalization without automation is nearly impossible. The key is integrating AI in a way that enhances customer engagement rather than making it feel robotic.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan A recent article in Columbus Business First discussed background checks and use of personality tests. The most important line in the article read, " Personality often is the best insight into whether a person is a good cultural fit for a specific company.". Notice that they didn''t say that personality is the best insight into whether a person will succeed in sales.
'You can read more from Jonathan over at his award winning blog The JF Blogit , which attracts thousands of visitors every day, and of course you will constantly find fresh resources on Top Sales World. I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with my colleague and friend Jonathan Farrington. Jonathan is Senior Partner for Jonathan Farrington Associates and CEO of Top Sales World, based in Paris and London.
'In a world where business people and sellers are working to stand out and make a difference, there are a lot more people telling then showing exactly how to do so. It must have been fate that got me in front of new author Porter Gale at the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit held recently in Nashville. She gave a wonderful keynote talk on the main stage and then I listened to her talk at the IBM Superwomen’s Group Luncheon where she was a panelist.
'There are two types of hiring criteria; the sourcing criteria and the selection criteria and too often we get them confused. When were looking to hire our next “A” player or that new CSO, we create a list of the things we want in the person. It usually looks like this: 10 years of selling experience. At least 5 years in XYZ industry. Experience managing large enterprise accounts.
What if you could help your sellers stop wasting 72% of their day on non-selling activities and focus on bringing in revenue? Incorporating AI in your enablement workflows can help you cut down on busy work, get projects done faster, and let your team (and you!) focus on making a bigger impact. We put together this guide to show you how to use AI to cut time and costs for projects, including collateral creation, development of training videos, and automating tedious processes.
'I’ve been writing a several posts about social technologies and social selling (“ Hiding” Behind Social Selling and What’s All This About Social Selling ). One of the key points of the articles and the many great comments is, social selling and social technologies are different. Selling is social–regardless of the technology we use.
'Why would anyone pay more for something? Unless they see some sort of value or benefit in it, they wouldn’t. This is why customers simply won’t pay more for anything they view as a commodity or — in sales terms — ”a feature.” If that is the case, then why do so many salespeople spend their time doing nothing but selling product features to customers?
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan World-Class Sales Organization. We hear those words a lot. Some companies aspire to it. Others claim to be there already. You are more likely to hear claims like those from a large enterprise, but you have better odds of actually finding it in a small to midsize company. World-Class Sales Organization. Some would say it''s a description of a company''s people.
'Keeping up to date on the latest innovations and opinions in sales can be time-consuming, especially in the the digital space. Sales Sphere features relevant blog articles from PointClear''s online B2B sales circles. Will Google Glass Revolutionize Buying and Selling? In this article, Gerhard Gschwandtner raises an interesting question about Google’s latest technology, Google Glass.
Speaker: Jay Allardyce, Deepak Vittal, Terrence Sheflin, and Mahyar Ghasemali
As we look ahead to 2025, business intelligence and data analytics are set to play pivotal roles in shaping success. Organizations are already starting to face a host of transformative trends as the year comes to a close, including the integration of AI in data analytics, an increased emphasis on real-time data insights, and the growing importance of user experience in BI solutions.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 26,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
202 
Let's personalize your content