January, 2014

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Improve Sales Forecasting to Improve Sales Performance?

Anthony Cole Training

'Yes, the title, "Improve Sales Forecasting to Improve Sales Performance?" is a question. It remains a question despite the millions of dollars spent on CRM, sales force automation, training and hype. I was on LinkedIn this morning and saw an ad which read, "5 Keys to Improve Pipeline Forcasting Accuracy and Reduce Revenue Risk!". A couple of things.

Pipeline 186
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The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You’ve Always Had

ConversionXL

'What follows is a list of resources that can be applied specifically to landing page optimization, found here on ConversionXL & from other great websites around the web. We’ve organized everything to best simulate a visitor’s experience on a landing page from first click to final conversion. To get the most out of this guide, please use each resource to focus on one area of your landing page experience at a time.

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Trending Sources

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Are You Missing The Happy Exchange In Your Sales Conversations?

A Sales Guy

'Sometimes the most obvious is ignored especially when it comes to sales and overall business growth. The focus becomes so much on the desired results the emotions, the personal connectivity is lost or becomes the means to the end. Happy is not a word usually used within sales training. Even though people buy on emotions justified by logic, this emotion of happy is ignored and that is a potentially fatal mistake.

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How Do You Differentiate Yourself?

Partners in Excellence

'Data shows 53% of customer loyalty is a result of their personal experiences in the buying process. This means the value we, sales professionals, create in the buying process is critical to our ability to win. What are you doing to differentiated yourself? What are you doing to make yourself and the value you create unique to the customer? Some defined that value in relationships developed with customers–but the wrong kind–you know what I mean, “When the going gets tough, t

Quota 126
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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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Sales Selection Experiment - a Must Read Case Study

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan This kind of story doesn''t happen every day. One of Objective Management Group''s (OMG) most successful partners had an opportunity to work with young business leaders that had never sold. They were assessed with OMG''s tools, and assembled into 5 teams, all selling the exact same product. They had to go door-to-door, sell an overpriced luxury item, in the same market, over a 3-day period. 5 people were placed on each team based on the following car

Territory 116
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50 Ways to Score More Sales

Score More Sales

'Need some sales inspiration? A new twist on an old sales idea you’d like to do again? A quick sales jump-start this week? We’re pulling from a post originally published in November of 2008 – the ideas still stand, and there are LOTS more. The idea is to get inspired to take action. Which one does it for you? What are you already doing that IS working for you every day to be excited about contacting potential buyers?

Referrals 112

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12 A/B Split Testing Mistakes I See Businesses Make All The Time

ConversionXL

'A/B testing is fun. With so many easy-to-use tools around, anyone can (and should) do it. However, there’s actually more to it than just setting up a test. Tons of companies are wasting their time and money by making these 12 mistakes. Here are the top mistakes I see again and again. Are you guilty of making these mistakes? Read and find out. #1: A/B tests are called early.

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Most Sales People Use a CRM Like They Are Using the Broadside of a Hammer — Hello?

A Sales Guy

'Your CRM is a tool. That’s all. And, like most tools, you have to us it correctly if want get the most out of it. Have you ever seen a little kid use a hammer for the first time? They bang away at the nail, if you’re lucky it’s not a vase, your iPhone or the remote control, using the broad side of the hammer. If you think about it, it makes sense to a child to use the broadside, it has more surface area, it’s easier to swing and you can hit more stuff faster.

CRM 126
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Do You Deserve To Be A Manager?

Partners in Excellence

'I read a great post in HBR, If You’re Not Helping People Develop, You’re Not Management Material. It’s a fantastic article, definitely a must read for managers and non-managers alike. The job of the manager is to get things done through people! The best managers focus on maximizing the performance of each individual and of their teams–both in their current roles and developing them to grow and contribute further.

Meeting 123
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Who Makes the Better Salesperson? A Man or a Woman?

The Sales Hunter

'Many of you reading this would say I’m venturing into risky territory by talking about this, but I’m willing to discuss the elephant in the room. This question comes up a lot when I’m talking with both sales leaders and salespeople. The interesting thing about this issue is how little there is in actual writing about it. I find that interesting since the question comes up a lot.

Negotiate 111
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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.

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Global Warming, Social Selling and The Sales Force of Tomorrow

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Global Warming is a trend. Its impact on our future and the role that humans played are both hot topics and subjects of great debate. In my opinion, the globe has been warming since the end of the ice age. Humans, with their man-made factories and ozone-depleting products, had nothing to do with the origins of global warming.

Sell 110
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Why Evaluate Potential Sales Talent? - A Great New Case Study

Anthony Cole Training

'This kind of story doesn''t happen every day. One of Objective Management Group’s (OMG) partners, Market Sense, in Austin, Texas, had an opportunity to work with 15 MBA students that had never sold. They were evaluated with OMG''s sales person assessment, and assembled into 5 teams, all selling the exact same product. Over a 3-day period, they had to go door-to-door in the same market and sell an overpriced luxury item.

Territory 181
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How To Come Up With A Value Proposition When What You Sell ISN’T Unique

ConversionXL

'“ How do I come up with a unique value proposition? What I sell isn’t unique. ” If you’re working on improving your business, you know there’s no shortage about why you need a unique value proposition. You’ve probably even seen a handful of solid examples, but when you go to write your own, you hit a wall. You’ve got too many competitors, they’re selling the same stuff, and it looks like all the good value propositions are taken.

Up-sell 129
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5 Ways to Exercise Your Change Muscle

A Sales Guy

'You are a few weeks into the brand new year. You wrote out your goals and got all excited about your 2014 plan. I want to know. What is different about 2014? That is the question I have been asking salespeople and entrepreneurs the last few weeks. Most people look at me with a strange face and say; Oh it’s better already! Does it feel like the same old start to you?

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Don't Let AI Pass You By: The New Era of Personalized Sales Coaching & Development

Speaker: Brendan Sweeney, VP of Sales & Devyn Blume, Sr. Account Executive

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!

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Trust, Deception, LinkedIn

Partners in Excellence

'I guess it’s the new standard. Great tools end up being subverted for deceptive—or in the very least tragically bad practices. LinkedIn has increasingly been a channel for SPAM and other just bad marketing/sales approaches. I’ve learned to deal with the unwanted pitches coming through InMail, invitations, and some group communications.

Trust 122
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VIDEO SALES TIP: First Word to Say After Giving Your Proposal

The Sales Hunter

'The first word you should say after you give your proposal? NOTHING! That’s right! You shouldn’t say one word at all. Use silence to your advantage. Too many salespeople sabotage their profit by wavering on their confidence in their price. To see what I mean, check out this video: Copyright 2014, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. .

Technique 103
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What Percentage of Sales Candidates are Worthy of Being Hired?

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan It’s an interesting question and one that has more than one answer. I wrote an article back in September of 2013 that asked the question, Are Sales and Sales Management Candidates Getting Worse? Consider the way that most companies hire people for sales roles. They skim through resumes, select only those that have the experience they look for, do some preliminary phone interviewing, and bring in the best for a series of face-to-face interviews.

Represent 109
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Sales Best Practices - Why is CRM SO Important to Sales Success?

Anthony Cole Training

'It’s not! Let me clarify. CRM, as a sales enablement tool IS NOT SO important to sales success even though it does contribute, aid, help and enable sales people to manage prospects and accounts. But, clearly it has little or nothing to do with the execution of the sales process - from finding prospects to getting them to make a decision to buy from you.

CRM 181
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How to Optimize Call Monitoring: Automate QA and Elevate Customer Experience

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!

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How & Why You Should Invest In Getting Good Testimonials w/ Examples

ConversionXL

'Testimonials & word of mouth are the driving force behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions , and yet only about ? of businesses are actively seeking & collecting customer reviews on an ongoing basis. If you’re not investing in testimonials right now, you need to read this. Why? Well, for starters recent behavioral research by Granify revealed that “social proof” is often more important to online buyers than “low prices.” when influencing purchasing decisions.

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Your Sales Message Stinks

A Sales Guy

'There, I said it. Your message stinks. Technology has made it cheaper and faster to get in front of prospects, but somebody forgot to make sure you understood that what you say and how you say it wins the e-ticket ride to the next step in the sales process – OR NOT. Competition for your prospects attention is tougher than ever. You know that.

Sales 121
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Don’t Bother Me With Process!

Partners in Excellence

'Maureen Blanford challenged me with an interesting question, “What do you do with a person that consistently makes their numbers, but refuses to use the process?” It’s a great question, here’s my take. First, some set up. The sales process represents our organization’s best practices in winning business. We develop the sales process by looking at what our top performers consistently do to win deals, analyzing past wins and losses, and making sure what we do throu

Process 119
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Lead Generation Lies That are Wreaking Havoc with Your Sales

Pointclear

'Last August I wrote a blog for Top Sales World titled “Lead Generation Hogwash: The Top 7 Lies.”. I detailed 7 lies to be aware of to avoid a lead generation disaster (read the blog for the specifics): Any list will do. Voicemails are a waste of time. Outbound calling is interruption marketing. Write it and they will come. Automated systems accurately score (prioritize) leads.

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How to Improve Email Deliverability and Optimize Each Send

Learn how to optimize email deliverability and drive greater email ROI. What lands your email in the customer’s inbox? Understanding those factors, otherwise known as email deliverability, is critical to getting the most return on your campaign investments. But the “rules” around which factors land you in the spam folder aren’t always easy to keep up with.

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Why Doesn't Sales Methodology Get More Attention?

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan According to FreeDictionary.com , the original definition of Methodology is, "the theoretical analysis of the methods appropriate to a field of study or to the body of methods and principles particular to a branch of knowledge." Over time, the definition has changed and one present day version is, "A body of practices, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a discipline.".

Negotiate 108
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Selling & Practice Management - Firing Friends

Anthony Cole Training

'How important is it for you to succeed? The answer to that question will determine how you approach a difficult business decision you might face if someone you work with is also a friend. This question not only applies to someone in management that has people reporting to them. It also applies sales professionals who have developed great friendships with clients that are no longer additive to their book of business.

Sell 179
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Should I Lower My Prices To Compete?

ConversionXL

'Most people shop online to find lower prices, right? I mean, let’s look at the research. A study from eMarketer.com suggests that 38% of people shop online because of lower prices. Forrester also found that 27% of consumers will sacrifice their shopping cart in the name of a better deal. If competitor’s prices have been dropping & your cart abandonment rates have been getting higher, don’t panic.

Price 117
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The Difference Between Performance Reviews and Sales Coaching

A Sales Guy

'Every time I ask a V.P. of Sales/CSO or even a sales manager if they have coaching methodology in place, I always get a similar answer; “Yes, we do them once or twice a year.” I then ask, are those your “performance reviews” and of course, the answer is yes. Let me help everyone out — doing performance reviews is NOT coaching.

Sales 120
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Brick & Mortar Retail Relevance: How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Speaker: Jay Black, Senior Account Executive

Let's set the record straight: in-store retail isn't dead - it's evolving! Faced with the digital age and the demands of omnichannel shopping, some retailers are thriving while others are struggling to adapt. Join Jay Black in this exclusive session as he explores the strategies that set successful stores apart, including: Crafting unique and unforgettable in-store experiences 🛍️ Mastering the art of retail demands 🛒 Navigating inventory challenges in today's climate 📦 an

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Reclaiming The Performance Planning Process

Partners in Excellence

'I recently wrote a post: Poor Performers Probably Don’t Know. It kicked off a fascinating round of discussions on Performance Plans and Performance Management. I believe the Performance Plan and the Performance Planning Process is one of the most powerful tools for managers and subordinates to align expectations, priorities, and goals; then subsequently monitor performance against those goals.

Process 119
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6 Negotiating Mistakes: Are You Making Them?

The Sales Hunter

'We’ve all blown it at one time or another. We’ve made negotiating mistakes that cost us more than we could have imagined. It’s time we get them out on the table, and hopefully as a result, we can avoid making these negotiating mistakes in the future. Are you making these 6 negotiating mistakes? 1. Not knowing when to walk away. If we don’t know at what point it makes sense to walk away, then we’re destined to make a commitment that simply does not make sense.

Negotiate 101
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What is the Best Sales Model for Your Sales Force?

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan. This is the 10th article in a January series on the Architecture of the Sales Force. Here are the others: Organic Sales Growth and Its Impact on Sales Architecture. Overlooked Conversation Between Sales Managers and Salespeople. Do Technical Salespeople Need Sales Training? Why Doesn''t Sales Methodology Get More Attention?

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Managing Your Selling Priorities

Anthony Cole Training

'Priorities Get Done; Everything Else is JUST Talk! When you are in an airplane, you may or may not pay much attention to what is going on in the cockpit. You may happen to glance at the massive control panel (dashboard) with all the switches, gauges, nobs and buttons, but it’s just a glance. before you hustle on to your seat to get settled in for the flight.

Sell 176
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How to Prove Marketing Value: Demonstrate Content ROI and Contribution to Sales

Every marketer knows how important it is to prove their efforts drive sales opportunities, but that’s easier said than done. When problems like sales and marketing misalignment, lack of data, and wasted efforts persist, marketers can’t measure, prove, or increase their impact on revenue at a time when demonstrating marketing value is critical. Using analyst and expert data, this guide to marketing impact and content attribution explains: How B2B buyers use content The most common types of conten