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'What is a BHAG? A BHAD defined is a big, hairy, audacious goal: B-H-A-G. In a BHAG, there are two things to remember. Number #1 – According to Wikipedia, the term BHAG was coined by Jim Collins in his article, Building Your Company’s Vision. Number #2 - We must attempt to define “audacious” as used in the term BHAG. The word "audacious" as defined by Dictionary.com simply means this: Extremely bold or daring.
'My boy Koka and his team over at Linkedin put out this SlideShare the other day and I love it. It’s got some great quotes from some great social selling and business thought leaders I respect and know well. My favorite quote is from Seth Godin; Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t. 50 Sales and Social Business Quotes You Need to Hang in Your Office from LinkedIn Sales Solutions.
'In 2012, I launched a kind of ‘Groupon deal for musicians’, where I gave away $1,250 worth of products, including recording time, iTunes distribution, and a guitar string endorsement deal for just $69 for 100 hours only. There were only 5,000 packages available. I had invested a lot into this campaign. Not only had I spent four months putting the campaign together, but I had also put a significant amount of my personal savings into ensuring that this campaign was everywhere during those 100 hou
'As sales people, we know relationships are important. I hear comments all the time, “Sales is a relationship business.” “Sales is a people business.” We are learning the importance of networking to increase the breadth and depth of our relationships. We nurture those relationships to build trust and confidence with out customers.
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.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan The May issue of Top Sales Magazine is now available and in addition to my monthly article, this month''s issue is loaded with important reading on sales and selling. Bob Terson posted my article, Are Your Salespeople Still Cold Calling - The Ugly Truth over at the Selling Fearlessly Blog. When marketers and writers tell us that cold calling is dead, they never remember to qualify what they are trying to sell us.
'The main reason that the results from CRM initiatives are suboptimal in most organizations with a field sales force is that the main stakeholder, the sales rep, doesn’t get the “WIIFM” (“What’s in it for me?”). CRM may have been well intentioned—meant to centralize information—but it wasn’t designed specifically for sales.
'For those of you who subscribe to our weekly Sales Brew and monthly newsletter , you know that I always end my audio Brew with the phrase, Have a perfect day. Have you ever wondered about the origin of that phrase? Several years ago, I received a book from a client. The book was The Art of Possibility written by a husband and wife team, Rosamund Stone Zander, a family therapist, and Benjamin Zander, the conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.
'For those of you who subscribe to our weekly Sales Brew and monthly newsletter , you know that I always end my audio Brew with the phrase, Have a perfect day. Have you ever wondered about the origin of that phrase? Several years ago, I received a book from a client. The book was The Art of Possibility written by a husband and wife team, Rosamund Stone Zander, a family therapist, and Benjamin Zander, the conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.
'Sales isn’t easy. It if were, trust me, everyone would be doing it. It amazes me how so many non sales people in an organization think sales is some sort of lottery ticket , where sales people sit around making mounds of money they didn’t deserve. BTW: I always welcome those people to put 1/2 their salary on the line and join the ranks of sales.
'From image carousels to social media logins, trends spread like wildfire in the eCommerce industry. But, have you ever stopped to question the business implications of following these trends? ‘Everyone has that thing on their website,’ you think, “So it must be working!”. But that logic is flawed. Chances are, the sites you’re copying from are as clueless about the effectiveness of such trends as you are.
'I talk to all sorts of sales people and sometimes notice an “impatience.” When I ask, I get responses like: “Would you just give us the formula to [insert whatever you want--prospect, get meetings with execs, close, handle this/that objection, fill my pipeline.]?” “What’s the script?” “If I just had a killer pitch!
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Everything is going along great, your prospect seems quite interested, they''ve agreed with your points, accepted your pushback, you got them qualified and you''re heading for the home stretch. It doesn''t matter if this has all occurred in the last 45 minutes, or if this took place over a series of meetings, calls and months.
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.
'Last Saturday I gathered with a few close friends (38,000+) to listen to Warren Buffett and his sidekick Charlie Munger answer questions for 6 hours at the annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway. Let’s skip past what the news media had to say about the event (yes, there was plenty of coverage). Here are the 7 […].
'I was born to be a coach. I have a bias towards coaching. I spent my youth playing for great coaches and for some "not so great" coaches. Even so, I improved as a player as a result of both types of coaches. Coach Vince wasn''t much of a technical coach, nor was he great at strategy. He excelled as a position coach; but, more importantly, he helped my get my head in the game prior to each game for 3 straight years at Hammonton High School.
'Price “should” have a direct correlation to value. The right value drives the right price. The higher the perceived value, the higher the acceptable price. The lower the perceived value, the lower tolerance for price. It’s really simple. If you want to keep your prospects and customers buying, make sure the value in what your selling is commiserate with what they are paying AND that they see it.
'Here’s something that won’t come as a shock to people who work for big companies: not everyone is on-board with the idea of conversion optimization and testing. In an ideal world, everyone would be excited by a data-driven approach & the idea of building a conversion culture is something the entire organization would be excited about from day one.
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.
'Probably more “selling,” happens outside the sales profession than within the profession. That “selling,” isn’t measured by revenue or quote, but it happens every minute of every hour of every day. Think about it—it’s getting buy-in to your idea in the company. It’s getting people on your team to want to be on your team, share your vision, help you achieve the goal.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Yesterday I was on three separate calls with sales managers whose salespeople needed to fill their pipelines but hadn''t. They needed those salespeople to schedule meetings but they weren''t doing it. They needed those salespeople to make calls but they wouldn''t make them. They needed to get those salespeople moving but those salespeople were stuck.
'Many times the sale is won or lost based on the ability of you, the salesperson, to develop an effective relationship. This applies whether it be B2B or B2C. Having an effective relationship with the customer can go a long ways to closing the sale and, more importantly, to closing sale after sale through an […].
'I was born to be a coach. I have a bias towards coaching. I spent my youth playing for great coaches and for some "not so great" coaches. Even so, I improved as a player as a result of both types of coaches. Coach Vince wasn''t much of a technical coach, nor was he great at strategy. He excelled as a position coach; but, more importantly, he helped my get my head in the game prior to each game for 3 straight years at Hammonton High School.
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.
'If you didn’t make quota, own it. If you lost the deal, own it. If the customer is threatening to leave over price, own it. It you missed your forecast, own it. If the competition is creeping into the account, own it. If your pipeline isn’t big enough, own it. If you don’t understand your customer’s business very well, own it.
'Wondering how to write “compelling” copy? Consider this. According to a 2012 psychological study conducted in France by psychologist Remi Radel , humans can perceive the meaning of words in as little as 1/300th of a second. Researchers recruited students for the test, asking all of them to arrive at the lab without having eaten for at least 3 or 4 hours.
'Growing up, I always thought of being a scientist/engineer. I learned that math, physics, science are based on certain underlying principles. 2+2 always equals 4, the fundamental laws of physics, thermodynamics, and so forth always apply. The basic principles remain the same. Research has caused us to learn more about the principles, our understanding of the behavior of things at a subatomic level has been enhance.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan During the past 9 years I have written the occasional Top 5, Top 10 and Top 20 Articles and we have now put them into a series of their own. In no particular order they are: Top 10 Sales Competencies. Top 10 Sales Management Functions. Top 10 Indicators That You Have a Trustworthy Sales Prospect. Top 10 Ways Salespeople are Selling in the Dark.
Are you curious about how artificial intelligence is reshaping sales coaching, learning, and development? Join Brendan Sweeney and Devyn Blume of Allego for an engaging new webinar exploring AI's transformative role in sales coaching and performance improvement! Brendan and Devyn will share actionable insights and strategies for integrating AI into coaching and development - ensuring personalized, effective, and scalable training!
'If you are a sales leader — or want to be one someday — below are the questions you must habitually ask yourself. These are the questions that separate true leaders from those who talk a good talk, but fail to grasp authentic leadership. 1. How will I apply today what I learned yesterday? Leaders […].
'A guest post by Walt Gerano, Sales Development Expert with Anthony Cole Training Group. Cinco de Mayo originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.
'Sales coaching is the most valuable element of a sales team. If you don’t buy in to this, you can stop reading. This post is about getting the most out of coaching your people to become the best they can be. If coaching is one of those things that just seems to get in the way, then you are NOT going to like this post. Fifty seven percent (57%) of sales people say they want more coaching.
'According to a study by Bain & Company , 80% of companies say they’re customer centric, yet only 8% of customers agree. Think about that for a second. How many of your customers do you think would agree that you are customer centric? Do you know for sure? This is important because according to a study by Monetate , 79% of customers will buy from a company again if the experience is good, but 89% of them would switch to a competitor if the experience wasn’t satisfactory.
Speaker: Laura Noonan, Chief Revenue Officer at CallFinder + Angie Kronlage, Director of Program Success at Working Solutions + April Wiita, Vice President of Program Success at Working Solutions
Are you still manually reviewing calls? 🤔 It's time for a change! The traditional method of manual call monitoring is no longer cutting it in today's fast-paced call center environment. Industry experts Angie Kronlage and April Wiita from Working Solutions are here to explore the power of innovative automation to revolutionize outdated call review processes!
'Like any sales/business professional, our customers are very dear to us. We spend a lot of time prospecting to find them. We work to identify how we can help them solve their problems, grow, address new opportunities, or improve. We try to create great value, and, in turn develop highly profitable relationships. But every once in a while, those relationships may no longer make sense.
'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Before we discuss how to improve sales training, a quick promo for the latest and greatest taking place over at the ever improving Top Sales World. The June issue of Top Sales Magazine has been published and you can download it here. Among all of the important articles this month is mine on The Top 5 Reasons Salespeople Fail to Meet Quota and the Common Link to All 5 Reasons.
'Yeah, right. And you’re probably thinking, “Mark Hunter has the solution?!” I don’t have the only solution, but on May 20, I will join 3 others in an open, candid discussion about how to close more sales faster. Forget the cheesy sales pitches and the typical stuff you hear. This one hour conversation is about […].
'Today''s guest post is by Christopher Hosford, editor-in-chief and head writer at HosfordGroup LLC, a New York City-based content marketing agency. He is former East Coast Bureau Chief of Crain''s "BtoB" magazine, and former editor-in-chief of Nielsen''s "Sales & Marketing Management" magazine. He is a regular contributor to ViewPoint and can be reached at chris@hosfordgroup.com.
ZoomInfo customers aren’t just selling — they’re winning. Revenue teams using our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform grew pipeline by 32%, increased deal sizes by 40%, and booked 55% more meetings. Download this report to see what 11,000+ customers say about our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform and how it impacts their bottom line. The data speaks for itself!
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