Leadership
The Academics of Selling and Women in Sales Leadership
I recently sat down with Stefanie Boyer, a professor at Bryant University, to discuss the academic side of selling, the importance of women in sales leadership roles, and how practice makes perfect in a selling career. While working on her dissertation for her PhD, Stefanie studied how to train people more effectively in sales.…
Read MoreLessons in Conversation from Forensic Interrogation Specialist Michael Reddington
One of the most critical aspects of a sales rep’s role is being able to effectively guide conversation and uncover information through good questioning techniques. There are many ways to unpack this topic, but I thought it would be interesting to look at questioning, or interrogation, from another perspective. To do so, I sat down…
Read MoreWhy and How to Determine the ROI of Your Sales Training Program
Sales training programs are just one of many ways to spend company resources to grow sales. A finite number of dollars is available for a seemingly infinite number of priorities, including product improvement and development, marketing, hiring quality employees, and more. When companies choose to invest in sales training programs, they should have clear and…
Read MoreTales from the Frontlines of Sales Leadership with Charles Forsgard
Every so often, we like to highlight stories from frontline sellers and sales leaders to discuss the applications of sales philosophy and methodology not just in theory, but in practice. I sat down with Charles Forsgard, VP of Global Sales at Honeywell, to discuss his own experience on the frontlines of sales leadership. You can…
Read MoreThe 4 Stages of Building a New Capability
Building a new capability or skill can be a challenge – whether you’re a sales rep, sales manager, sales leader, or someone just getting back into the gym (quarantine workouts were nonexistent, at least for me). There has been a great deal of research done on what it takes to form a new habit or…
Read MoreEvery Employee is a Salesperson
This pandemic has leveled the playing field in sales. The way we previously operated no longer works. What used to set us apart as the top player in our space has changed. Demands and needs have shifted. The way we approach and engage our customers has been altered, perhaps permanently. In talking with sales organizations…
Read MoreIncrease Your Sales Force Staff Without Adding People
Every company needs sales. As Mark Cuban from Shark Tank once concisely put it, “No sales, no company.” That’s why you have an expert team of sales professionals, ready to close the big deals. It is important to keep in mind, however, that selling does not end with your sales team. If you want your…
Read More8 Steps to Selecting a Quality Sales Training Company
Your company leadership has decided that business results could be better, and they’ve identified top-line (sales and service) as where the improvement needs to come from. After careful scrutiny, it is observed that sales force execution has either stagnated or has never met expectations in the first place. Somewhere, there’s a sales execution gap that…
Read MoreSales Coaching Lessons from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s Coach
In the midst of basketball season, this take on coaching seemed particularly fun and relevant. I realize that not all of our readers are basketball fans, so I opted not to title this piece “Sales Coaching Lessons from Phil Jackson” – for fear that those of you who don’t know that Phil Jackson coached both…
Read MoreThe Secret to Building a Coachable Sales Team
I think I found the secret to building a teachable team. You know that imaginary world where everyone on your team is open and receptive to feedback, where defensiveness dies, and the goal shifts from self-image preservation to a hunger for constructive input? How do we get to that dream world? The answer might surprise…
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