sales management
Shared Sheets to Nowhere (vs Proactive Insights): A Conversation with Mike Murtaugh
I share most of my complex sales articles to LinkedIn, and I read every comment they receive there. I was recently intrigued by one in particular by Mike Murtaugh, Director of Business Development at Cushman & Wakefield. He said he reads my blog every week, and hasn’t yet seen me talk about something critical: Real time versus reporting.
Stop Giving Information and Start Building Meaning
Imagine this. A salesperson is working a complex sale and currently in a room with all of the stakeholders at a potential customer company.
You Have to Get Vulnerable and Push Back
We are firmly in the age of AI now, with all its exciting sales tools and supports. At Membrain, we’ve got our own take on it that we’re excited to be unfolding for you. And here I am, as I often am, reminding us that yes, we need the technologies to support complex sales. But we also need our humanity.
Where’s The Biggest AI Bang for Buck in Complex Sales?
AI tools are here to stay, as we all know, and they can be powerful allies for sales teams. But, as we all also know, not all sales teams are the same. Complex B2B sales require different approaches than transactional sales, and that means we need different AI tools. When used badly, AI and automation can generate friction, noise, and headaches. When used well, they can be a game changer.
“The Hard Part Is Where You Grow”
Yes, I’m a more than a little obsessed about our propensity to avoid the hard work, constantly hitting the “Easy Button,” but this is probably one of the most critical issues we face as individuals and within our organizations. I’ve written about one aspect of this–hitting the easy button is really about avoidance.
Selling Isn’t Easy, So Why Do We Keep Hitting The Easy Button?
We all know that selling is hard. It’s not just that buyers are overwhelmed, it’s not just the disruption/change everyone faces, it’s not the unpredictability we and our customers face. Just doing it right takes effort. Focus, discipline, mastery, relentless execution.
