Outlasting Uncertain Times Comes Down to Talent – Fractional or Full Time?
Election years are historically among the most uncertain times for the American economy, and 2024 does not disappoint. With uncertainty comes a lot of questions. For one, “Hunker down or fuel your growth?” This is typically the first question most business leaders ask themselves when facing uncertain times. Hire up to scale marketing and sales […]
The Drawbacks of a Slow Recruiting Process
How fast is your hiring process? Many businesses have a legacy hiring process that moves glacially slow. It can take months to gather candidates, schedule four or five rounds of interviews, and then belabor the final decision. No one has that kind of time, especially not someone who is earnestly looking for a new job. [...]
Who is responsible for revenue within a B2B organization?
The right answer is everyone – From the CEO down, but the lion’s share of the responsibility falls on the sales organization. In most B2B companies today, sales still carries significant quotas, but marketing is becoming responsible for an ever-increasing amount of revenue. In the latest survey, 52% of mid-market and enterprise marketers said they are under [...]
How do I Know Who to Trust in Business
The crucial factor in any business relationship, or any relationship for that matter, is trust. It can be hard to understand how to evaluate who and when to trust someone you have just met. There is no simple formula for trust, but there are some general principles and practices that can help. Here are some [...]
How confident are you in closing your 4Q 2023 Forecast?
Sales leaders lack confidence in their forecasts, as well as the expertise to improve them. Unformalized forecasting processes are a likely culprit. 93% of sales leaders are unable to forecast revenue within 5 percent, even with two weeks left in the quarter. Studies show from 53% to 60% of forecasted deals do not close. 67 [...]
Forecasting – Objective or Subjective
As we enter the final quarter of 2023, sales leaders are once again facing the stressful task of closing out the year with accurate revenue forecasts. But for many, this yearly ritual brings more dread than confidence. Studies show that the vast majority of sales leaders lack faith in their team's ability to forecast revenue [...]
2024: Rehash Old Mistakes or Make Bold Moves?
Business Planning Thoughts and Considerations Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. But those who insist on plodding the same course also create no opportunities. Through the years, I have sat through hundreds of business planning processes. I've heard it all, from zero-effort plans like "slap a new date [...]
The Cost of a Bad Sales Hire
Too often today in sales, when an opening is available, there is a scramble to get the position filled quickly. The ability to hire new people who can succeed is a challenge. According to the latest CSO study of over 3000 hiring sales managers, over 50% believe they “need improvement” in this area. It is [...]
TRex Used to Wander the Earth…and Sales Reps Used to Prospect!
TRex did not wait for the kill to come to them – They went out and found it! The most important lesson learned in my 15 years of owning my own business? Prospecting is the lifeblood of revenue! That is why we work to help sales teams learn that being proactive in their territories will [...]
Sales Forecasting: More Accurate and Impactful
To say that forecasting is the bane of existence of most sales people, managers and leaders is a bit of an understatement. In working with sales organizations worldwide, it seems as though more time is spent in forecast meetings than actually meeting with clients and prospects! For most sales reps, the choice between working on [...]
Building a Territory Action Plan
“58.1% of all companies surveyed stated that the most important goal for 2015 is capturing new accounts” CSO Insights 2015 By developing and executing a territory business your company will experience stronger customer relationships, higher opportunity winning percentages, more balanced sales pipelines, more accurate sales forecasts and higher margins due to less discounting. But it takes [...]
Curiosity May Have Killed The Cat….But It Can Make The Sale!
In working with teams all over the world I am often asked what is the most critical trait for a successful sales person, and my answer is always the same, “Genuine Curiosity”. Curiosity is like one a Swiss Army Knife with all the attachments. It gets the job done in nearly every situation and is [...]
It’s not the ROI that Drives the Buy!
You may think arming yourself with facts and data will help you convert prospects into customers, but it’s more important that prospects believe you truly understand their business; the industry, the company, the LOB’s and the Individuals within the organization. This issue comes up time and time again in our interviews with clients, they want [...]
You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs…To Find the Right Sales Rep.
A recent Manpower study revealed that the most difficult position to fill is a Sales Representative and that is especially true in 2017. Why is finding top performing sales talent so tough? When recruiting the best salespeople, it is all about the details. Your “gut feeling” about an applicant is no guarantee of success. Carefully [...]
Don’t Focus on Your Product…Create Compelling Conversations
Your product is about you, and your client does not care about you, they care about improving their business outcomes. The critical focus should be on the quality of the conversations. Are the conversations respectful, intellectual, valuable, filled with new creative ideas, authentic, and thought provoking? Or are they directive, guarded, calculated, and non-engaging, addressing [...]
4th Quarter – A Five Step Plan to Finish Strong
This year is almost history and the ONLY that thing that matters now is your ability to finish the 4th quarter strong. Expecting to get better results from the same old behavior will only succeed in perpetuating your current situation. So, how can you crush it in the 4th quarter? What follows is your end-of-year [...]
Business Mpact Selling – Who Cares? The Client Does! And So Should You!
As a follow on to Seven Steps to Composing a Compelling Business Mpact Statement, Business Mpact Selling is a philosophy and approach to sales that will provide clients with solutions which truly improve the clients business outcomes, differentiates the unique characteristics of your offering, increase close rates, and provides increased sales margins. Working with thousands of sales [...]
What is “Sales Transformation” and Why Should You Care?
Seven Strategies to Accelerate Revenue Growth In its most basic form, Sales Transformation is ensuring you have equipped your sales team with the best skills, tools and sales infrastructure to enable successful and profitable sales campaigns. According to Wikipedia, sales transformation is a form of change management—realigning how assets and people are used to restructure a [...]
The Blueprint for Subscription Success in 2020
If you’re responsible for revenue at a SaaS, online subscription, or membership organization, this is for you. With 15+ years of experience in the online subscription space, I’ve built a tried and true framework for achieving organizational health for online recurring revenue businesses. If the following 5,000 or so words resonate with you, there’s a [...]
Fractional CRO
Unlocking Revenue Growth: What is a Fractional Chief Revenue Officer and What Can You Expect? As a business leader, you know that growing revenue is essential for scaling your company's success. However, actually making that happen can be incredibly challenging, especially if your sales and marketing teams seem stuck despite best efforts. That's why many [...]
