Things are very exciting in New England! The Patriots are in the playoffs! I know; not a huge surprise, given the team's talent and coaching. But, one of the things they do well is executing their plan. For you, it's a new year. There is a new sales plan and new goals. But, despite [...]
Force Multiplier: A capability that, when added to and employed by a (combat) sales force, significantly increases that force's (combat) sales potential and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment. (JP 3-05.1) – "Official definition of the United States Department of Defense military term "force multiplier." In a competitive, data-rich, knowledge-based economy, we [...]
"In the moments before a word is spoken, anything is possible" Barbara Brown Taylor Cold Calls v. Intelligent Phone Prospecting Using the telephone to connect with prospective customers has been accused as inefficient. "Cold calling is dead" has been the proclamation. But, unfortunately, many sales teams take this proclamation as a license to avoid [...]
Employee engagement numbers remain pretty bleak. The Gallup State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report noted that only 21% of all employees are engaged. The engagement level in 2022 is well below the 32.5% engagement we first reported in 2016. While these numbers refer to people across organizations, it does beg the question...what about sales [...]
The ugly truth is that we, as humans, lie. We do it all the time for various reasons. A study by the University of Massachusetts found that in a 60-minute conversation, most of us lie at least once! Add time pressure and self-interest to every sales situation, and you have a recipe for disaster. [...]
There's a lot of talk about how coaching makes all the difference in sales team performance. But do you really know the power of performance coaching? Most sales managers don't. The most typical scenario looks like this - the sales manager knows what numbers need to be met so he/she talks to the team [...]
In negotiations, our previous discussions emphasized the significance of "who speaks first." However, recent groundbreaking research in negotiation science has shed light on a new aspect: the divergent impact of pre-negotiation "small talk" on men and women negotiators. Brooke A. Shaughnessy, Alexandra A. Mislin, and Tanja Hentschel, esteemed researchers in this field, delve into [...]
Working with our client sales teams, the topic of selling "style" is typically something we encounter. "That's my style," "what I am comfortable with," or "I am just that kind of person"….is usually part of the description. Influence style "Selling style," or Influence Style, is critical to successful sales outcomes. It is that mix [...]
In the realm of sales, the question of how to measure performance is a ubiquitous one. When posed to our clients, the responses we receive often revolve around outcome-based control system measurements such as meeting revenue and profit goals, as well as acquiring new customers. These metrics, while important, represent a traditional approach that [...]
In the rapidly evolving landscape of sales, the tactics and strategies of the past have lost their effectiveness. In addition, the rise of the Economy 2.0 has ushered in a new era of buyer expectations and demands, presenting unique challenges for sales teams striving to meet revenue targets using outdated Economy 1.0 approaches. The [...]
