May 16 2013

The Real Art to the Sales Pitch

If I had a dime for every boring power point presentation I’ve had to sit through I’d have retired a long time ago.  Bankers are in love with “decks” and love to show their prospects and customers how special they are through the use of the written word (or charts and graphs).

 

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Jan 07 2013

Should You Ever Let Your Employees Make Game Changing Decisions?

I’ve been a Redskin fan a long time, so for me, yesterday was just heartbreaking. The question on many people’s mind is why was our quarterback, rookie RGIII, allowed to continue to play with an obviously weakened, injured knee? According to the Washington Post, 

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Oct 26 2012

Stop Cold Calling! 5 Better Ways to Make a Sale

If you work for a company that has cold calling quotas, I feel your pain.  But from my experience, if you call 100 people, you’ll connect with maybe 20 and get maybe 2 appointments.  And you still haven’t made a sale. There're easier ways to make a sale.

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Jul 12 2012

Two Attributes Every Great Salesperson Must Have

The recent Harvard Business Review is all about sales.  The first article that caught my eye was about sale’s predictors of success. The other article that struck me was the one on what CEOs need to do to improve sales.  Both are excellent articles and they bring up salient points.  But not sure successful selling is all that complicated.

 

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Jun 06 2012

Are You Setting Your Salespeople Up for Failure?

Ever wonder how top salespeople become top salespeople? Are they just gifted or were they given advantages from the start? As managers, do we pre-determine success by how we dole out leads, territories or clients? What comes first, the opportunity or the success?

 

 

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Mar 08 2012

8 Characteristics of Great Salespeople

Managing salespeople is a lot like herding cats. If you can get them going in the same direction, you’ve won half the battle. But your sales force generates revenue and without them you can’t succeed. So when you’re trying to hire or identify talented salespeople, what should you look for?

 

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Nov 05 2011

3 Reasons Why Good Employees Don't Always Make Good Managers

Reading about MF Global declaring bankruptcy under former NJ Governor Jon Corzine's leadership made me think about the most common mishap in management: promoting a top performing employee right into failure. It is a common problem, but it is easier to prevent than you think...

 

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