Sales

If you’re a football fan, we sincerely hope that your favorite team – National Football League, college, high school, etc. – is off to a good start to the season. Similarly, we also hope your year-to-date sales projections, revenue goals and business plans are on track to meet, or exceed, your expectations. But, if you

By now, I’m guessing that your kids are in their classrooms (“Yay!”), the older ones have returned to campus and the digits on your credit cards are ground down to the nub after the back-to-school sales.  For students, it’s back to an environment of new experiences, new ideas and continuous learning, and development. But, as business

In working with thousands of sales professionals in hundreds of organizations through the years, our message to each of them has been simple, “You’re a consultant, so behave like one.” That means asking the right questions—then asking more questions—until you fully understand your buyer’s needs in achieving their desired outcome. A recently published Sandler white

New Year’s Day … Martin Luther King Jr. Day … Valentine’s Day … Super Bowl … President’s Day … St. Patrick’s Day … Passover … Easter … Kentucky Derby … Mother’s Day … Indy 500 … Memorial Day … Father’s Day (tick, tick, tick …).  If you’re like some of us, you’re wondering where has

For sellers of professional goods, and services, in today’s competitive business environment, it’s important to understand your buyer’s journey before they make a purchasing decision.   We find that there are four steps that play out, predictably, regardless of industry or location.  Buyers start talking, internally, about what they think they need. They share experiences about

Are we in the midst of – or are about to enter – a period of economic uncertainty? Who knows? But some high-achieving salespeople don’t just survive hard times – they create new “personal best” performance levels during potential down cycles in their business. How do they do it?  In a new white paper, the

The first month of the year is a classic time for business owners, and sales professionals, to identify and focus on their most important personal, and professional, goals. We’ve noticed, though, that the goal-setting behavior of an organization’s leaders during the month of January tends to have the biggest bottom-line impact on the year, as

The holiday season is already upon us and you might be wondering: “Where did 2022 go?” Maybe you and your company had a great year, blowing through your billing projections and setting revenue records. Or you might be asking yourself: “What went wrong and how do I prevent it from happening again?” But, before you

If you’re in sales, sales management or business development, here’s a reality check for you: Are you counting on closing a deal or projecting income from an opportunity that isn’t fully qualified? Whenever we ask sales professionals this powerful question, we often hear an awkward silence in response. Sometimes that silence is because the person,

For many organizations, and industries, the last quarter of the year is often considered the most important. It’s when budgets are met (or not), initiatives are decided upon and planning begins in earnest for the new year. Smart sellers know Q4 is when they can blow past their revenue goals, no matter how daunting they

Whether you are new in your role as a director of sales, or sales manager, or fancy yourself as an “old hand,” at my company, we believe there are five important skills a sales leader should develop over time to be successful: Be engaged. As the leader of your team, you’ve got to be engaged

If you’ve been keeping up with this column, you may have noticed a theme: the fact that it’s never a bad idea to “get back to the basics” and constantly hone your skills in an ever-demanding business development environment. For many professional sellers, the concepts, and ideas, to which they regularly adhere have been refined