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We have been directing our sales managers to spend more time in the field with their reps this year. I am always surprised at how much anxiety they have about these ride alongs, or coaching visits. Reps are understandably nervous the first few times a manager spends the day with them, but after t Read More

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again and again… Every h-Rep needs an e-Rep. That is, every human sales rep needs an electronic alter-ego; a highly personalized, customized, electronic version of him or herself. I repeat the refrain for two reasons:

1. It is unequivocally true Read More

My colleague Todd Schnick is a smart guy. While I can’t lay claim to thinking up the “14 arrows” I talk about in today’s podcast, I sure as heck can use them to generate marketing muscle! If you want to read about them, check Dreamland Interactive. Read More

Let me first state a few aspects of my opinion about sales forecasts:

* They are the only rational basis for setting the priority of items on your ToDo list
* They are therefore indispensably essential
* They must be updated continuously; by every sales rep, manager and executive
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There is no excuse to not quantify the value you can deliver to a customer. Collaboration and trade always produce value for both parties in the deal. Think through the following. Read More

Here’s the scenario: The company is a B2B distributor of printing equipment and supplies. It was founded by a team of three people with a financial backer 14 years ago. In 2010, their 52 sales reps brought in just over $60 million in revenue. Annual sales growth has settled in right around 18%. Read More

The idea of “Pull” as applied to the sales process is very counter-intuitive at first. And realize, by the way, that to really make it sing, you first need a “perfect process,” which of course none of us has. So it’s not a silver bullet. It is, however, a dramatically different way to look at yo Read More

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more dedicated to KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) than me. Nike’s “Just do it” campaign, for example, is brilliant. Easy to remember; obvious point; extremely effective. The blog Simple + Bold provides example after striking example of simplicity. Simple expl Read More

“Confusion is always the most honest response.” – - Marty Indik

It’s OK to not know everything. Think of it this way, division of labor is THE fundamental key to all human progress. Ditto for knowledge. Going it alone is simply not the best strategy. Read More

Readers of this blog have seen a lot about the indispensable value of metrics. First, ya’ gotta’ have a defined process. Then ya’ gotta’ measure it. That’s the only way to know if improvement has occurred or not, and at what rate. It’s the only way you can prove your dedication to continuous im Read More