Posts in Sales
The Art of "Mind Reading" in the World of Complex B2B Sales

It's more common than not that clients don't always know what they want or need, or cannot clearly articulate those needs. This reality means there are unique dynamics in "mind reading" or reading the "tea leaves" with B2B clients in these situations. 

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It IS a Dilemma - Remote vs. Hybrid vs. In-Person Sales Leadership

It is a tug-of-war between remote, hybrid, and traditional in-person models. This seismic shift has not only altered the dynamics of how buyers and sellers interact. It has also prompted a rapid evolution in the expectations and methodologies of sales leaders, and what factors business owners might consider when hiring.

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Moving Beyond the Founder – Making Sales the Key Catalyst to Growth

As a start-up gears up for a Series A investment, early-phase scaling becomes imperative to secure funding. In the absence of a foolproof playbook, the path forward is far from clear-cut or universally acknowledged. The typical playbook often suggests hiring a VP of Sales, a move fraught with challenges:

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What is the role of the CRO, really?

Most CRO’s are really focused primarily on New Logo Sales. Often, the CRO has a peer called the Chief Marketing Officer who is goaled on metrics related to Reputation and Demand Gen (leads).  There is another peer, the Chief Customer Officer or Head of Customer Success who is goaled on Adoption, Renewals, and sometimes Expansion.

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Build Partner/Channel Programs that Work – The First Time!

Partner/Channel programs fail for a variety of reasons, and the specific causes of failure can vary depending on the strategy or lack thereof. Based on my 30 years of partner/channel program strategy development and execution, here are the top five reasons why partner/channel programs fail:

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Turning Lemons into Lemonade in Sales

The world of sales – a place where every rejection feels like a lemon hurled at your face. But fear not, fellow sales warriors, for in the citrus-infused battlefield, there lies an art to turning those lemons into the sweetest lemonade.

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The Power of Fractionalizing Work: Right-Sizing Talent for Faster Growth

The player/coach model, once a prominent feature in professional sports, has experienced a decline over the past twenty years. This trend can be attributed to the increasing complexity and demands of modern sports, which require specialized coaching expertise.

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"I'm Looking for a Sales Leader with a Rolodex Who Can Hit the Ground Running"

I have conversations on a regular basis with business owners and founders who expect much more magic on the sales side of their businesses than they would otherwise with other functional areas like HR, Finance, or Engineering.

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Seven Practitioners on Why Sales is a Great Career

While there are multiple ways of getting into Sales, the key to a successful career is the joy and happiness you still experience after twenty or thirty years. And that takes the right person and personality. Sales requires grit, resilience, and a thick skin.

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The Human Side of Business -- More Important than Ever

In the fast-paced world of sales, commerce, and trade, the phrase "business is business" is often the expression of the cold and calculated nature of the corporate world. It suggests that emotions, empathy, and personal connections have no place in the realm of profit and loss.  

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