n today’s tough economy, sales managers who take over struggling sales organizations are under enormous pressure to perform. Those who don’t make visible progress toward a turnaround – and make it quickly – are likely to find themselves looking for another job. Yet despite the intensity of this environment, many managers do succeed – and […]

What is a “Sales Blazer?” A study on how to lead a sales increase reached out to 2,500 salespeople; the top two hundred performers were found—Sales Blazers. These leaders had extraordinary revenue increases that averaged 31% annual sales growth, compared to 5% for the status quo. We scrutinized the behavior of these Sales Blazers. We […]

I’m in Las Vegas at the mall. Not just anywhere. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. If you’re a storeowner, it’s the most expensive retail rental property in America.
I’m a shopper. I look inside of stores that are attractive to me or have something that I would like to purchase. And in this mall, […]

Based on a wealth of experience, many of today’s world wise corporate employees have adopted something of a “been there, done that” attitude about most organizational team building events. Don’t believe it? During your next sales incentive trip or national sales meeting, try telling everyone they’ll be doing a “trust fall,” and see what kind […]

During a decades long sales career in the high tech industry as a front line representative, sales manager and vice president of sales Steve Martin participated in more than a hundred sales kick off events. He’s witnessed the good, the bad, and a whole lot in between.
In an effort to help sales organizations put their […]

An excerpt from Jeffrey’s Sales Bible: New Edition
How do you feel about your competitors? You say, “I have a great relationship with my competitors.”
Right. If you needed $50,000 or your business would fold, I guarantee your friend (the competitor) would send you a bon voyage note.
GET REAL: Competitors may talk to you, they may be […]

We live in an age of mistrust. Consider, for instance, the results of a Persuasion Institute study that monitored persuasive situations and then asked both audience and persuader whether trust had been established. In it, just 12 percent of audience members said they trusted the persuaders while 88 percent of persuaders felt they’d established trust […]

A day in the life of most sales reps is inherently chaotic. They might arrive in the morning with a plan to do 10 things but then a big customer calls with a problem, three prospects email requests for arcane product details, a meeting runs a half-hour longer than scheduled, and by day’s end they […]

Unanticipated events, problems, and setbacks are a normal part of every sales manager’s day. What separates the great from the average manager is how he or she responds to these setbacks, these crises that come out of left field. “When you are a leader faced with a crisis, everyone watches you to see how you […]