The changing skill set of the modern sales person

To be successful in B2B sales, you need to do a lot of things right. Unfortunately, research shows that few organizations are executing with excellence. We spend too much time on deals that do not close; less than 50% of forecasted deals close at the estimated time for the projected amount; and only a select few sales organizations adopt a sales process that they actually execute in the field.

How to Reverse a Global Sales Effectiveness Crisis

Last week, a sales executive at a large manufacturing company told me that his phones have stopped ringing. “We have the best products in the world,” he said, “but we’re losing ground.”

7 sales trends to follow during 2016

Are you looking forward to what 2016 has to offer? Like most sales leaders, I’m sure you are eager to dive once again into managing your B2B sales team. Whether you plan to redesign your sales compensation plan, increase the headcount of your sales team or implement a new sales process, one thing is certain: next year will be an exciting journey.

Learn from the Best, Move the Middle, Recycle the Rest

According to Sales Benchmark Index, across the industry as a whole, 83% of sales revenues are generated by only 13% of the sales population. And even if the asymmetry within your own sales organisation is less pronounced, it’s a reasonably safe assumption that there is some sort of significant imbalance between the best and the rest.

The Wild West or 2016: 5 Ways to Figure Out if Your Sales Team is Behind The Curve

As I engage with sales organizations around the globe, I’m sometimes surprised how respectable companies lack a modern sales infrastructure and accept old (bad) habits, causing yearly losses in the millions.

3 Pieces to Building a Healthy Sales Culture

Building a strong sales culture is one of the first steps to building a strong sales team.

What do your salespeople talk about when they aren’t actively selling? If they aren’t walking around talking about what to sell next, how to grow the business, or how to improve their closing rate, you don’t have a sales culture.