December, 2014

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"Old Tools" Work Really Well in Sales Management

Anthony Cole Training

'As I have written before, I grew up on a farm in Hammonton, NJ., the Blueberry Capital of the World. As a matter of fact, come this next Monday, I was born there 60 years ago at 7:14am on a Wednesday morning at the Esposito Home (A small, privately-run hospital). When growing up on a farm, it is beneficial to learn how to use certain tools. Learning what the tools are at an early age was extremely helpful especially when dad (Ray) was working underneath a pickup truck or in the middle of a trac

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Testing The Hamburger Icon for More Revenue

ConversionXL

'Mobile traffic is a significant part of most websites, and smooth navigation for mobile users is critical. Most websites use the hamburger navigation icon to display the menu as it’s become a default option for this. Is that a good idea? There’s a good chance that it’s not. . Lots of designers have made a compelling case against the hamburger.

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When’s The Last Time You.

A Sales Guy

'When’s the last time you read a book on sales? When’s the last time you found a new blog on sales or business? When’s the last time your refused to accept “no,” because you knew the other person was wrong? When’s the last time you helped out a fellow team member? When’s the last time you created a new process that helped you do your job better?

Process 126
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Attrition Is A Leadership Problem

Partners in Excellence

'Some time ago, I wrote, A Frightening Look At The “Cost Of Selling.” It has been one of the most widely read posts I’ve ever written, with 10’s of thousands of views and 100’s of tweets. The post generated lots of discussion and comments about the challenges of recruiting, hiring, onboarding, performance management, development planning.

Growth 125
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Smart Tools & Strong Teams: A People-First Approach to AI in Sales

Speaker: Matt Sunshine, CEO at The Center for Sales Strategy

AI isn’t replacing salespeople—it’s empowering them. The most forward-thinking sales organizations are using AI to enhance human performance rather than eliminate it. From coaching and messaging to prospecting and pipeline accountability, artificial intelligence is giving managers and SDRs the new tools they need to work smarter, sell better, and close more.

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Selling Value - Everything You Always Wanted to Know

Understanding the Sales Force

'Copyright: kchung / 123RF Stock Photo. Some news stories just don''t go away. Today those stories include Ferguson, Bill Cosby, ISIS and The NFL''s Domestic Abuse Problem. There is also Obamacare, Immigration and Ebola. They remain in the news more because the media continues to milk these stories than readers demand to know more. When we look at the sales stories of the recent past, the topics that sales experts continue writing about are Social Selling, Inbound Marketing, LinkedIn, Twitter, C

Sell 119
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Honesty Is The Best Policy

Engage Selling

'As salespeople, we spend many hours investing in our own knowledge. Workshops, conferences, coaching, books…the list goes on! The best sellers are always looking for new ways to increase their knowledge and expose themselves to new information. This is such an essential key for massive success in sales, but it won’t do you any good […].

Clients 117

More Trending

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5 A/B Tests You Should Be Running on Your Landing Page Opt-In Forms

ConversionXL

'In an iconic scene from Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) , Alec Baldwin lectures a group of salesmen about the correct way of doing business. In his motivational (read: foul-mouthed) speech, he highlights a very important strategy that still rings true today – especially in the world of conversion rate optimization : “Always be testing.”. That’s how it went, right?

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How Sales People Lie In A Way That Let’s Them Believe They Aren’t

A Sales Guy

'Some sales people lie but don’t believe they do. They lie to make a sale. They lie to get you to buy what they want you to buy. They lie to promote their agenda, not yours. They don’t believe they lie because they don’t give you false information. They don’t blatantly tell you a lie. They don’t tell you something that is straight up not true and so because the don’t directly lie; they’ve convinced themselves they aren’t lying.

Sales 123
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Top Performers: Obsessive Learning And Relentless Execution

Partners in Excellence

'At one point, I wanted to get better at golf (it’s hard to be worse than I am). I started reading a lot of “How To” books, watching videos, and taking lessons. As I stood, club in hand, looking down at the ball, I struggled to remember: “Keep your head down, bend your knees, keep evenly balanced, keep your back straight, shoulders level, reach straight back, keep your arm straight, watch your elbow……” I’d always end up twisted like a pretzel,

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Top 5 Keys to Select and Hire Great Salespeople in 2015

Understanding the Sales Force

'Copyright: swingvoodoo / 123RF Stock Photo. I''m always amused when an email comes through with a message that says something like, "Maybe we should target candidates that aren''t recommended" or "Why do so many candidates lack Commitment?" or "Your assessments are only recommending 1 out of every 5 candidates!" or "The questions don''t fit the role!

Sales 115
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How to Coach Reps on Overcoming Sales Objections with Confidence

Speaker: Brendan Sweeney, VP of Global Sales and David Phelan, Account Executive

In a world where buyers are more informed and objections are more nuanced, confidence isn't optional—it’s a competitive advantage. In high-stakes conversations, knowing how to handle pushback can make or break the deal. Join industry experts Brendan Sweeney and David Phelan for a behind-the-scenes look at how teams are transforming sales coaching with real-time feedback, objection-handling role plays, and pre-call preparation that actually sticks.

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Manage Your Emails!

Engage Selling

'Do you turn your computer on each morning only to find a mountain of unread emails that need your attention? Email overload is an epidemic in the workplace. Most salespeople that we poll tell us that they spend up to 40% of their day just managing email correspondence between clients and internal partners. If this […].

Clients 107
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Commit To Sales Activity.and Stick To It

Anthony Cole Training

'Well…I already blew my goal to blog every day that I work in December. That happened when I failed to do so yesterday, December 1 st. But, I didn’t blow my commitment to making phone calls to prospects every day I work in December. As a rainmaker for Anthony Cole Training Group , I have a responsibility to keep an active pipeline of prospects. I made a choice.

Sales 229
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Website Redesign for Higher Conversions? Tread Lightly

ConversionXL

'Your conversion rate is not what it could be – and you know you need to do something about it. Should you redesign the whole website? Maybe. Probably not though. It depends. But if you are going to do it, you need to tread very lightly. Website redesigns only work if they are carefully managed and data-driven. Careful – radical website redesigns often backfire.

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Production Is The Name Of The Game

A Sales Guy

'You may not like it. It may not seem fair at times, but at the end of the day, production is the name of the game. Production is what we bring to the table, it’s our contribution to the business pot-luck. Production is our input, it’s our way of adding to the bigger picture, it’s our way of making a difference. But when we stop producing, not only are we not adding to the pie, we’re taking away.

Gaming 122
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Welcome to the Future of Hospitality: Smart Rooms Start Here

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

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What If You Shared Your Deal Strategy With Your Customer?

Partners in Excellence

'I had a fascinating conversation with Gerald Vanderpuye today. He shared what many of us would think as the Nightmare To End All Nightmares. He was working a huge deal, it was important to the company’s ability to make their numbers for the quarter. Deals like that get a lot of visibility all the way to top management, so as expected, top management in his company wanted to do a deal review.

Customers 114
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Approaching 2015 From a Sales Perspective

Understanding the Sales Force

'Copyright: 123RF Stock Photo. You’ve made your New Years resolutions to exercise, lay off the carbs, lose weight, be kind, leave the cell phone in another room at night, close the laptop by 7PM, and be an all around better person. You may have even set your goals for 2015. But what can you do to kick-off the New Year so that 2015 is your best sales year ever?

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5 Best Sales Closing Techniques

The Sales Hunter

' Salespeople are always asking me for the closing techniques that work the best. Here the five I have found work the best time and time again. What’s even better is the first three are great for the new salesperson or the “non-salesperson” who suddenly finds themselves having to sell. 1. Pick a Date Close […].

Technique 105
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Grab The Right End of the Problem For Effective Sales Management

Anthony Cole Training

'My dad used to tell me, “Anthony, sometimes you have to pick up the dirty end of the stick.” Well, actually, my dad’s quote was “Sometimes you have to pick up the shi**y end of the stick.” For the life of me, I had no idea what he was talking about then…and I still didn’t know what he meant until many years later. Why would I ever want to pick up the shi**y end of the stick when there was a perfectly clean end to grab?

Territory 206
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Breaking The Commerce Bottleneck: Your SAP Exit Plan Starts Now

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.

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How to Analyze Your A/B Test Results with Google Analytics

ConversionXL

'A/B testing tools like Optimizely or VWO make testing easy, and that’s about it. They’re tools to run tests, and not exactly designed for post-test analysis. Most testing tools have gotten better at it over the years, but still lack what you can do with Google Analytics – which is like everything. When you run a test until you’ve reached validity ( not the same as significance ), you have to do post-test analysis to decide on the way forward.

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Hey Look at Me! #sshour

A Sales Guy

'The title of this post is a double entendre. Dang, my s**t is good. 1) The first part of the double entendre “Hey look at me.” I’m on Social Sales Hour #sshour with @rachelloumiller and Brian Fanzo ( @isocialfanz ) we’re breaking down personal branding and why it’s important. 2) And the other half of the double entendre, “hey look at me” is regarding personal brand and the importance of standing out.

Sales 118
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You Can’t Get What You Want By Focusing On What YOU Want

Partners in Excellence

'Bear with me on my word play in the title. I was just doing some deal reviews with a very frustrated sales person. He had a deal that was very important to him. He’d been working it for a long time, he needed it to make his numbers, he was in the closing stage of the process. Apparently, he was winning the deal, but he couldn’t get the PO.

Closing 108
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Sales Prospecting in Beast Mode

Score More Sales

'As the year draws to a close, it can be challenging to find inspiration to be productive when there are so many distractions going on. Want to make the most of your days through the end of the year? Just think Beast Mode. Yesterday, Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks went “Beast Mode” on the Arizona Cardinals and ran for a 79 yard touchdown.

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Automation, Evolved: Your New Playbook for Smarter Knowledge Work

Speaker: Frank Taliano

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.

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The Most Important Sales Issues Heading into 2015

Understanding the Sales Force

'Copyright: zimmytws / 123RF Stock Photo. As we approach the end of the year, do you pass judgement on the personal contributions you made to your wallet, family, friends, co-workers, customers, community, industry, religion, and the world during the past year? How did you do? If you''re like me, you did really well in some areas, and in others, not very good.

Sales 103
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Time Is Short – Get It Right

Anthony Cole Training

'Occasionally, maybe 3 or 4 times since I started blogging, I write about something that is bigger than managing sales people, sales growth, sales coaching or selling. Something happens that is meaningful to me and I feel compelled to write about it. Maybe it’s my way of dealing with the event. Often, the event is when someone in my life (or our lives) is lost.

Clients 202
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Top 10 Articles on ConversionXL In 2014

ConversionXL

'Another one bites the dust. Here are our most read articles for 2014. Make sure you didn’t miss any. . 10#: The Science of Storytelling & Memory and Their Impact on CRO. If your website isn’t converting well, it’s likely the story you’re telling your customer’s journey through the marketing funnel isn’t resonating on some emotional level.

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The Only First Impression A Salesperson Needs To Make – Ever

A Sales Guy

'There is only one first impression you need to make as a sales person. It’s the impression you can deliver value. Any other impression is immaterial. The next time you meet a buyer for the first time, you’re only goal should be to get the buyer to say, Man that person was impressive, they could make a serious impact on my organization. You can make other impressions.

Meeting 117
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Get Higher-Quality B2B Leads That Convert!

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.

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Questions We Are Afraid To Ask

Partners in Excellence

'Often, in talking about deals with sales people, there are things that just don’t make sense. The customer is doing things that don’t make sense–they are very far off our normal experience in similar sales situations. They may be responding in a very unusual manner. They may be asking things that are really wrong–perhaps missing critical issues they should be looking at, demonstrating real misunderstanding of the issues they should be considering for a solution, or foc

Customers 107
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2 Things You MUST Know to Kickstart the New Year

The Sales Hunter

'Here are two things you must know to kickstart the New Year: If you think you’re good, it may prevent you from becoming great! Failure can be a foundation for becoming great. You may have had a very good year. If so, congratulations! But at the same time, don’t think for a moment 2014′s performance […].

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Sales Success in 2015

Engage Selling

'“This year is going to be MY year.” Almost without fail, each year we all hear phrases like this leading into January. It’s a good thing. It shows that most people have a genuine interest in being successful. Unfortunately, interest alone is not enough to follow through with creating real success. You must develop an unwavering […].

Sales 102
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Key Sales Strategies for December

Understanding the Sales Force

'Copyright mreco99 / 123RF Stock Photo. It''s hard to believe that it''s December already. It seems like only yesterday that I made my annual reposting of one of my most popular articles of all time - a terrific holiday article that is worth a read even if you read it each of the previous 4 Decembers. Top 3 Lessons from Tchaikovsky''s The Nutcracker.

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New Research-Backed Strategies to Empower Managers as Culture & Engagement Leaders

Speaker: Beth Sunshine, SVP, Up Your Culture

When culture isn’t consistently lived out across the organization, engagement suffers—and it often starts with a disconnect at the top. In this session, Beth Sunshine, SVP of Up Your Culture at The Center for Sales Strategy, will reveal how HR and executive leaders can close the gap between vision and execution by equipping frontline and mid-level managers to become culture carriers.