January is a time for new perspective and a fresh start, whether your sales year parallels the calendar year or fiscal ends in the middle of the summer. As a sales leader, your energy and insight are critical for the success of your team. You set the tempo. You set the tone. So here are […]
Read MoreLet me brutally honest with you. Salespeople hate going to meetings. There, I’ve said it. Here’s why. First, salespeople are action-oriented. They don’t like sitting in meetings. It’s not in their DNA. For most of your sellers, school was a painful experience for this very reason, and your sales team meetings remind them of being […]
Read MoreIt makes perfect sense. You’re good at sales. Perhaps, even, one of the best on your team. So, you should be a sales manager. The role comes with more money, greater visibility within the organization, increased power and prestige. What could possibly go wrong? Before I answer that question, let me explain the logic of […]
Read MoreEvery leader I know conducts some, or even most, of their team meetings online in a virtual environment. This is an inescapable reality in today’s business world. Not being live, in-person with your people, however, poses unique challenges for meeting effectiveness and leadership success in them. Here are six essentials for overcoming these challenges: Invest […]
Read MoreNeed more sales? Hire more salespeople. That’s been that strategy for the past decade in sales organizations large and small. Throw bodies at a number. But now that strategy is broken. Why? Three reasons: 1. More headcount is too costly. With rising salaries and the rapidly accelerating expense of health insurance (and other benefits), increased […]
Read MoreOne of the most frustrating sales management experiences happens when a rep who’s at the top of her game suddenly nosedives. A high performer who’s usually 150% of plan (or more) is now only producing 40% of plan (or less). As I write this article, it’s the middle of the year and many sales leaders […]
Read MoreIt’s great being a senior sales leader. There’s greater visibility within the organization and greater say in overall strategy. And, of course, there’s increased salary and status. That’s pretty great, too. But there’s one thing that’s not so great. You’re removed from the frontline, sometimes by as much as two to three levels. In fact, […]
Read MoreCulture! Culture! Culture! Culture! Everyone you follow these days, from business gurus to corporate executives, talks about the importance of organizational culture. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll find no less than two dozen articles that in some way address culture. It’s key to leadership and motivation. It’s key to hiring and […]
Read MoreChange, like death and taxes, is one thing you can always count on in life and leadership. Especially today in the dynamic marketplace in which we work, we must change or die. Just ask Research in Motion, the makers of Blackberry. The people dynamics of change, however, are extremely challenging, because we’re asking team members […]
Read MoreThere are laws that govern the physical universe and laws that govern the organizational universe. Sometimes these laws are exactly the same. Here’s one that rules both worlds: the law of entropy. Simply stated, the law of entropy declares that every system left to its own devices moves from order to disorder. True in the physical […]
Read More