2015

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The #1 Reason Why Sales People Underperform - Taking Responsibility

Anthony Cole Training

'Without a doubt, Sales and Sales Management is an art and a science. On January 13 th , I posted the first article in the Series: Why Isn’t Your Sale Team Selling As Expected? In the 7 posts for the series, I’ve covered the following: The Pareto Principle & Perry Marshal l – 80% (approximately) of your sales results come from JUST 20% of the team.

Legal 239
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Using Thought Leadership to Fill Your Social Sales Funnel #Podcast

Closing Bigger

Today’s sales funnel and sales process has changed. Sales for many of us is now more about getting buy-in versus pitching our wares. This 15 minute sales and social selling podcast introduces the new sales funnel “The 5 Stages of Consent” and also dives into how content creation is not enough to get noticed – you need to have a thought leadership strategy to truly fill the new sales funnel.

Pitch 145
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Why Sorry Isn’t Enough and What People Really Want to Hear

A Sales Guy

What do you do when you f**k up? Do you apologize? Do you get defensive? Do you try to minimize it by avoiding the f**k up altogether? How do you handle it when you or your company screw up? There is only one way to respond when you make a mistake in sales or business, s**t in life, in general, and most people don’t do it right. The majority of people (a simple majority it seems) apologize.

Start-ups 144
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How to Make Buying Easier on Your Site

ConversionXL

Understanding what consumers want, what consumers need and why is a crucial part of conversion rate optimization. Earlier this year, BrandShop released the results of the 2015 Digital Consumer Preferences Survey , which revealed in no uncertain terms that consumers want (and need) buying online directly from brands to be easier. Why do consumers, despite the rise of eCommerce, find buying online difficult?

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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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When Things Dry Up!

Partners in Excellence

Marketing has been developing fantastic content. They are leveraging every analytic tool imaginable, they’ve got marketing automation tools, they’re active on social channels, doing everything possible to generate demand. Sales people wait for the coveted SQL–the Sales Qualified Lead. Regardless of what’s been agreed between marketing and sales, to a sales person the SQL is a buying ready (hopefully PO ready) lead.

SQL 129
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How Dramatically Has Selling Changed?

Understanding the Sales Force

'Image Copyright: 123RF Stock Photo. Yesterday, I was listening to a radio promotion when they said, "Take a selfie with a standie and then, using your smartphone or tablet, upload it to Facebook, or tweet your image using hashtag [something I can''t remember].". Now, pretend it''s 1995, and reread the quotation. Twenty years ago, would you have recognized any of the words other than "take", "and", "then", "using", "your", "or" and "to?

Sell 124

More Trending

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10 Ways to Increase Your Motivation and Your Sales

The Sales Hunter

Does your level of sales drive your motivation or does your motivation drive your sales? Yes, it is a chicken or egg type of question. In my mind they drive each other, but in the end I want to close as many sales as possible, so it means my motivation needs to be at […].

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Why Your Sales Team Isn't Performing As Expected - Part 4

Anthony Cole Training

'Sales teams perform based on two inputs - effort and execution. If your sales team isn''t performing as expected, you must ask the question - Why? Chances are you won''t know for sure but you can describe the symptoms: Anemic pipeline. Not closing enough. Sales taking too long. Not consistent in our prospecting. Chasing too many of the wrong deals.

Pipeline 222
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Who is Your Sales Competition?

Anthony Cole Training

'A Guest Blog By Mark Trinkle, Sales Development Expert, Anthony Cole Training Group. Hello, this is Mark Trinkle with Anthony Cole Training Group and I want to ask you one simple question. Who is your competition? That is a question that we ask our clients from time to time and the answer usually comes back in one of two ways: The name of another firm that competes in the same space and/or the same geography.

Consult 213
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Sales Managers - You Must Sweat the Small Stuff!

Anthony Cole Training

I’ve not read the book Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. It’s a catchy title and I’m sure a good read. If you are looking for a solution on how to keep from chasing every chicken you see then I’m sure there is good information to be gleaned from the book. But if you are a sales manager responsible for developing your people and for driving sales growth this is awful advice.

Sales 209
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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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Our Funniest Sales Stories

Anthony Cole Training

'So, I was talking to my sister-in-law, Jeni, and she was telling us a story about when she went to Macy’s department store and a cicada flew up her skirt. She immediately jumped out of her chair and began wildly jumping and flapping her skirt up and down to get the cicada out of her dress. And …get this… she STILL got the sale! Hello, this is Tony Cole, President of Anthony Cole Training Group and welcome to the first ever, Tony Cole Unplugged.

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Get More Sales Opportunities With These 5 "Go To Green" Activities

Anthony Cole Training

'By Tony Cole, President, Anthony Cole Training Group. One of my favorite expressions is “You are tomorrow what you are planning for today.” My favorite thing to do is accomplish is accomplish goals and I’ve learned over the years that the best way for me to accomplish goals is to plan for them first. Hello, this is Tony Cole, LIVE from WWHQ and welcome to another edition of Tony Cole Unplugged.

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Why Your Sales Team Isn't Performing As Expected (Pt.5) - WIT

Anthony Cole Training

'WIT = Whatever It Takes! Successful selling is a WIT profession. Now, before you get sideways, I want you to assume that I am always working and speaking from a legal, ethical and moral standard. So, when I say WIT, I mean WIT within those boundaries. Here are some examples of doing WIT: Making calls – Regardless of how tired you are, how much you just sold last week, how difficult it is to handle the rejection – if you are going to be successful in selling, you have to pick up the phone and ca

Cold Call 198
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Your Sales Management Pitch to Hire Better Sales People

Anthony Cole Training

There isn’t a single sales manager, sales executive or company president that tells a prospective new hire that the compensation program is poor, there is a lack of support, the company does not occupy a strong position in the market and there is no chance for professional advancement!

Pitch 197
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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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Sales Habits – Coaching Bad Habits Out of Sales People

Anthony Cole Training

Let’s start with the premise that we all have at least 1 bad habit. As I stated in a previous article about habits, a bad habit is one that takes you away or keeps you from accomplishing your objectives and goals. We all have at least 1. With that in mind, let’s assume that even your best sales people have a habit or two that, if identified and corrected, would help them sell more, be more productive or more effective.

Sales 197
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March Madness Thursday and Selling

Anthony Cole Training

'This might be the biggest stretch ever in the history of my blog. How can I possibly tie the NCAA Basketball Tournament (also known as March Madness) to selling? Honestly, I’m not sure…so I will be making this up as I go. Let me begin by setting the stage for selling and how I see it is similar to the event of March Madness. Prospecting > games that are played by all Division I teams throughout the year.

Sell 197
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Why Are Your Sales People Not Selling As Expected? (Part 2)

Anthony Cole Training

'The Free Dictionary: fail. (f?l) v. failed , fail·ing , fails v.intr. 1. To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately: failed to fulfill their promises; failed in their attempt to reach the summit. Why are the people that you hire, train, coach, pay and invest in, failing to perform at levels that are less than expected? Generally, when you hire someone, fold them into your organization or acquire a team of sales people, what you think you are getting is: People that hav

Sell 194
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What Habits Support or Prohibit Effective Selling?

Anthony Cole Training

Sell 190
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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

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.

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Sales Success – It’s a Function of Beliefs, Habits and Skills

Anthony Cole Training

I’m going to skip over beliefs and skills today because, when I started thinking about this post, I decided I wanted to write about habits. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle. About 6 weeks ago, maybe longer than that, I developed a new habit – not blogging. It was an easy habit to develop. One day, I didn’t post a blog, and then I didn’t post one the next day, or the next, or the next and, the next thing you know, it’s June 1 st.

Negotiate 190
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Why Are Your Sales People Not Selling As Expected? (Part 1)

Anthony Cole Training

'Some of your sales people are selling as expected… and some of them are not. If we buy into the theories of Italian economist, Pareto, then we buy into the concept/ idea that 80 percent of the wealth is owned/managed/held by 20% of the people. Occasionally, someone (me) writes about this principal as it applies to selling and sales teams. My purpose over the next several blog posts will be to answer the question: Why Are Your Sales People Not Selling As Expected.

Sell 190
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Non-Performing Salespeople and What to Do With Them

Anthony Cole Training

I have 30 years tenure with my wife, Linda. “Tenure” may not be the right way to put it, so I’ll say it the way I do when we celebrate our wedding anniversary – 30 years of “marital (I pronounce it myrtle) bliss”. And the future is looking really good for me - based on how Linda makes decisions about when to keep things and when to discard them.

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Is Your Opening Hurting Your Sales Closing?

Anthony Cole Training

(**To hear the audio version, click here! ). When I was in high school, I ran track. During my sophomore and junior years, I ran the 1-mile race. Though I normally like to take the lead early, I really wasn’t entirely focused on a “great start” because I had 5,280 feet to make up for a slow start. During my senior year, I ran the 880-yard event. Not a sprint, not the exhausting 440, but certainly a little more demanding of speed and a good start than what I needed when I ran the mile.

Closing 185
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The Intersection of AI and Sales: Personalization Without Compromise

Speaker: Jesse Hunter and Brynn Chadwick

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.

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Does Your Sales Team Have "Swagger"?

Anthony Cole Training

THE (WO)MAN IN THE ARENA. Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In A Republic" – Theodore Roosevelt, delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910.

Sales 180
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8 Steps to Becoming an Extraordinary Sales Closer

Anthony Cole Training

'Ok, so where do we begin? Let’s begin with this. We did another video on Laying the Foundations for the 8 Steps to More Effective Closing so that we can close more business more quickly with higher margins. And we talked about the foundation. Today we are going to get into the actual 8 Steps of Becoming an Extraordinary Closer. This is Tony Cole LIVE once again from the world-wide headquarters of Anthony Cole Training Group with another issue of Tony UPLUGGED.

Sales 181
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Why Sales Team Isn't Performing As Expected (Pt.7) - Sales Management

Anthony Cole Training

'To all those sales executives I work with, here is a topic near and dear to my heart - Managing/Leading/Motivating sales people to success by setting standards and expectations. Normally, this isn’t such a challenge for sales people to understand. If they sell more, they make more money, leverage the comp program or qualify for the "President''s reward" trip.

Sales 180
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8 Steps to Effectively Closing More Sales

Anthony Cole Training

'Ok, so where do we begin? Let’s begin with this. We did another video on Laying the Foundations for the 8 Steps to More Effective Closing so that we can close more business more quickly with higher margins. And we talked about the foundation. Today we are going to get into the actual 8 Steps of Becoming an Extraordinary Closer. This is Tony Cole LIVE once again from the world-wide headquarters of Anthony Cole Training Group with another issue of Tony UPLUGGED.

Closing 180
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AI Strategies for Sales Managers: How to Cut Down on Tedious Admin Work

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.

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5 Steps For Hiring Better Sales People

Anthony Cole Training

For additional information, please go to hirebettersalespeople.com. Sign up for our next workshop in the Extraordinary Sales Manager Series – Hire Better Sales People. Get a free pre-hire sales candidate assessment.

Sales 179
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Sales Management - Recruiting is just 1/5 of the Job

Anthony Cole Training

There are several things that an effective sales manager must do day in and day out to be successful.

Sales 177
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Sales Management: Want More Success? Set New Standards for Success

Anthony Cole Training

One of the problems facing many companies today is getting more from what they have. In a time of economic pressure to manage the profits companies have become very creative in finding solutions to manage the burn rate of their cash. The solution that many, if not most, struggle with is how to get the cash generation rate to meet and exceed the burn rate.

Sales 177
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Sales Teams Performing Below Expectations (#6) - The Challenger ?

Anthony Cole Training

'My purpose for brining the Challenger Sale into this series is to tie the concept of Challenger Sales People to the overall discussion. I read about the book a couple of years ago in a Harvard Businss Review article. I found it interesting then, and find the book interesting now. I know that doesn''t sound like a resounding endorsement but I''m all the way through the book and my purpose here isn''t to argue for or against the premise, findings and suggestions of the book.

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Prepare Now: 2025s Must-Know Trends For Product And Data Leaders

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.