You’ve been disappointed. Someone let you down. You had a deal fall through. Nearly all of us have experienced the unsettling surprise of what we hadn’t planned and, even more so, didn’t want to have happen. And yet each of us also has the ability to overcome disappointment, get ourselves up and then create new … Read more

Hard to believe, but January will be here before you know it. As a leader, this might mean the implementation of strategically necessary change initiatives that affect the sales team in the New Year, such as the restructuring of territories or the revision of the team comp plan. Technically, of course, there’s no reason these … Read more

If you have traveled in the last decade, for work, pleasure or both, you might wonder if manners matter and if courtesy is in question. Great news: Mindfulness matters and kindness is considerate, not overrated. Just because others may seem to have given good behaviors a break doesn’t mean allowing your “best foot forward” approach … Read more

Believe it or not, it’s already the fourth quarter of 2019. With the end of the year approaching, sales professionals in every industry are eager to lay a solid foundation for success in 2020. One of the most common business-related New Year’s resolutions among managers is this: “I will hold more one-on-one coaching sessions with … Read more

It can be tempting for companies, and salespeople, to simply coast through the slow, late weeks of summer. Customers and prospects are trying to squeeze in those last few vacation days and that requires more effort on the part of salespeople to keep the pipeline full, successfully close sales and see profit from those efforts. … Read more

In May, my two-year term as chairman of the board for St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts came to a close. I’ve sat on the MFA’s board of trustees since 2014. Of all the boards I had been asked to join, the museum was high on my bucket list. As a leader giving back to … Read more

Today fewer than 20 percent of the approximate S&P board seats are currently held by women. At the same time, the Nielsen Company is reporting that almost all income growth in the United States in the past 15 years is generated by women exercising their growing economic influence. If women control about $20 trillion in … Read more

“Culture, more than rule books, determines how an organization behaves.” – Warren Buffett With headlines increasingly calling out egregious behaviors by corporate leaders, company culture has moved from its once relegated home in human resources to the top of many corporate board’s agendas. As bad behavior by individuals puts companies at risk (think: Les Moonves … Read more

While recently speaking with members of a women’s business association, I was asked about ways to break down the barriers faced by female sales professionals. My answer: Regardless of gender, a critical step is recognizing that how we perceive ourselves before, during and after sales conversations always will have the most dramatic impact on our ability … Read more