Our customers can be incredibly demanding, right? I mean they just want so many things from us as sales people. Let’s take an inventory of all the “asks” that customers make of us. They want product demos, pricing, proof of concepts (PoCs), technical architecture reviews, cyber security reviews, regulatory compliance validations, performance guarantees, user experience…
As I gaze into my 2019 B2B Sales crystal ball, what do I see? Well, for enlightened B2B technology sales leaders I see a tremendous opportunity to improve their selling effectiveness and outperform their competitors. You are probably asking yourself but how, pray tell, is this possible in 2019 when it is harder than ever…
All too frequently I’m asked what is the single “silver bullet” for improving sales performance. They may use slightly different words, but in essence they are asking for the same thing. My answer is always the same. There is no silver bullet for improving your sales performance. It doesn’t exist. So, stop wasting your time…
Winning sales teams have a lot in common with winning sports teams. Great players, teams and coaches don’t make excuses. After the epic comeback loss in the 2017 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, one of the Atlanta Falcons top player’s (Mohamed Sanu) used the excuse that because the Super Bowl halftime show took…
“I understand.” This is just one of the many classic lines of dialog in the 1979 movie called: “Being There”. There was an amazing cast in the movie starring Peter Sellers giving his most sublime performance ever. The supporting cast included Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas and Jack Warden. The movie won numerous prestigious awards including:…
Are you losing deals due to a competitor’s feature? I talk to VPs of Sales and sales leaders every day. I’ve been in technology sales for over 25 years and it’s my passion in life. There is nothing that drives me crazier than when I hear a Sales Leader tell me one of their sales…
Why Do We Keep Accepting Failure in B2B Technology Sales? The statistics are sobering and can actually be downright depressing. Well regarded industry analysts keep sharing their research findings on the current state of B2B technology sales…and we’re failing. Badly. According to CSO Insights 2017 World Class Sales Practices Report, only 53% of sales people…
I had a breakfast meeting with a prominent Venture Capitalist this morning. Our topic of conversation was the state of technology sales. More specifically, how grossly inefficient the technology sales paradigm really is. And unfortunately, it’s only getting worse. Rather than regaling you with the sobering statistics and trends on technology sales performance, I thought…
Words matter. And if you are a sales professional, then they matter a lot. In fact, one word can make the difference between winning a new customer and losing a new customer. Great sales reps spend a lot of time thinking about the words that they will use with their customers. Mediocre sales reps don’t…
My Worst Day in Sales I remember it vividly, as if it were just yesterday. It was my worst day in sales. I had been selling software for 5-6 years at that point in my career. Still had a ton to learn and lots of room to grow as a sales professional. But I was…