Leadership & Management
Mike Carroll
Coaching & Training
Balancing Short-Term Wins and Long-Term Growth in Sales Coaching
Every sales manager knows what it feels like to train for a marathon while competing in daily...Coaching & Training
No-Excuse Culture: How to Foster Accountability on Your Sales Team
In sales, the difference between good and great often comes down to one crucial factor:...Professional Development
The 90-Day Sales Manager Playbook: How to Start Strong and Succeed
As a new sales manager, your first 90 days will either set you up for success—or create challenges...Sales Hiring
Avoid Job Posting Clichés
Intelligent Conversations is not a salesperson recruiting company. We teach companies a different...Sales Techniques
The Importance of Questions
Just as salespeople can easily get wrapped around the gears of talking about features and benefits,...Sales Techniques
Coaching to Reach Decision Makers
It is obvious that more sales will happen if your team starts the conversation with people who have...Sales Techniques
Psyched to Sell
How excited is your sales team? How passionate are they about your product or service? There's...Qualification & Discovery
Cost Per Opportunity
As the old saying goes, management gets what management measures. What would happen if you put some...Sales Process
Sales Process Vs. Sales Methodology
How consistent is your sales process? Does every sales person understand what they need to do to...Sales Techniques
Re-framing Pricing Conversations
Salespeople run into many common challenges and a difficult one to artfully overcome is the pricing...Prospecting
Remote Selling In Era of 'Social Distancing'
Here are two videos I posted on LinkedIn as the coronavirus forced salespeople to work remotely....Sales Hiring
Is the MVP of Your Sales Team like Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Who is the MVP of your sales team? Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where our office is headquartered, happens...Sales Hiring
Self Limiting Beliefs in Sales and How to Coach Through Them
One of the common stumbling blocks we see holding salespeople back is self-limiting beliefs that...Qualification & Discovery
Creating a Client Scorecard
We have been working with a lot of our middle market clients lately on implementing or refining...Sales Methodologies
Coaching Ruts and How to Get Out of Them
Every sales manager we talk to says, "I coach my team all the time." But their idea of coaching...Sales Process
Goals-Based Coaching
Do your sales leaders keep it simple when it comes to setting goals for their team? One of the...Sales Techniques
Living in the Land of Ahs
One of the things that absolutely destroys sales is when the buyer perceives a lack of confidence...Sales Techniques
What Makes Your Sales Team Likable, Knowledgeable, and Memorable
Salespeople and sales leaders often ask us: "What can I do to stand out?" This is particularly...Sales Hiring
Creating a Healthy Coaching Environment in Sales
One of the barriers sales leaders encounter when trying to establish a consistent coaching rhythm...Sales Hiring
Wanted – Humble Sales People
One of the challenges when you're hiring salespeople (or coaching them) is the dichotomy between...Sales Techniques
Two Great Sales Lessons From the Film Free Solo
A few weeks ago I was flying across the country, and was able to watch the Oscar-winning film Free...Sales Hiring
Leveraging Sales Enablement Practices that Drive Performance
How much focus do your sales managers put on conversation speed and tonality when they coach their...Sales Hiring
How to Retain High Performing Sales People
Over the years you may have noticed a difficulty in keeping your highest performing sales people on...Professional Development
5 Old School Sales Habits of High Performers
I have the privilege every week of coaching and working with high performing sales people. I also...Professional Development
Everything you want to know about sales compensation, but were afraid to ask
For companies who operate on a calendar year, now is the time when sales leaders are asked to...Professional Development
It’s Sales, There Are No Participation Medals
New data from Objective Management Group (OMG) suggests that while the top 10% of millennials are...Sales Hiring
Building Your Virtual Bench
As we head into the fourth quarter you should have a pretty clear line of sight on how things are...Sales Hiring
Building a Culture of Sales Accountability
When we talk with CEOs about sales accountability at their companies, we usually hear stories about...Leadership & Management
Getting Ready for the Final Sales Push of 2016
In early August I wrote an article titled the Dog Days of Summer where I focused on how difficult...Professional Development
10 Activities Sales Managers Should Focus On
When I talk with CEOs, I often hear them complaining about how their sales managers are always...Coaching & Training
Where Should CEOs Invest Their Sales Training Dollars?
A question that I often hear when speaking with CEOs is where should they invest in training? When...Sales Hiring
What Should CEOs Worry About When Hiring a New Sales Manager?
In last week’s post we talked about growing your company to the point where it makes sense to hire...Sales Hiring
Top 5 Mistakes New Sales Managers Make
Is it time to provide some “adult supervision” for your sales people? Has your revenue grown to the...Sales Hiring
Why Sales Managers Suck at Hiring Sales People
Are your sales managers using sales recruiting as a growth strategy for your company? Are they...Professional Development
Are Your Sales Managers Having the Right Coaching Conversations?
Most sales managers believe they’re already having coaching conversations, but when we dig a little...Sales Hiring
Why Hiring Only for Skill Leads to High Turnover
When we talk with hiring managers, the number one thing they tell us they are looking for is...Prospecting
Dog Days of Summer
Are you accepting excuses from your sales team during the dog days of summer? When the weather...Sales Hiring
Is Your Hiring Process Stuck in 2014?
Two years ago there were more candidates available than positions available. It was fun! Hiring...Professional Development
Questions Your Sales Leaders Should Ask Halfway Through the Year
Yesterday marked the end of June, which means if your company runs on a calendar year you've hit...Coaching & Training
Are Your Sales Managers Acting Like Tony Soprano?
Paulie: “Here you go Tony. I know my envelope has been a little light these past few weeks, so this...Professional Development
Driving Growth through Goals-Based Coaching
How much do your managers know about the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of every member on their...Sales Process
Is This Sales Blind Spot Impacting Your High Performers?
Busy, highly-productive sales people move at a different pace. They generate more activity. They...Sales Hiring
What UNC Coach Dean Smith Taught Us About Sales Metrics
Legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith died on Saturday. Sales managers...Sales Hiring
Keeping Your Sales Team Focused through Goals-Based Coaching
As a follow up to our recent post “Is Your Sales Forecast Giving You a False Sense of Security” I...Sales Hiring
Wisconsin CEOs: Lessons Your Sales Team Should Learn from the Packer’s Stunning Defeat
I’m still shocked. The collapse I witnessed during the NFC Championship Game on Sunday is going to...Sales Process
Is Your Sales Forecast Giving You A False Sense of Security?
How many people in your sales department would enthusiastically endorse your Customer Relationship...Sales Hiring
What Can CEOs and Sales Leaders Learn from Barry Alvarez?
Many of you may not be following the recent developments on the University of Wisconsin football...Sales Techniques
Looking Back to Look Forward – Six Exercises to Help Develop Your 2015 Sales Plan
This is usually the time of year when I write a “Year End Sales Strategies” blog post outlining...Sales Hiring
Coaching Rhythm and Texting While Driving
My last post talked about the challenges of teaching my middle daughter, who recently got her...Coaching & Training
How Much To Budget For Sales Training
If you’re on a calendar year, your VP of Sales is probably preparing their budget for next year....Sales Hiring
Qualities Of An Over-Achieving Sales Team
With so many business issues and challenges beyond your control, Presidents, CEOs, and business...Coaching & Training
Using Sales Role Play To Spot Trends
One of the areas we focus on during our sales development programs is skills improvement through...Driving Sustainable Sales Growth through Employee Engagement
Take a moment to think about your top employees. Not just your leadership team – although you may...Sales Hiring
5 Steps to Hiring Your Best Salesperson
Making the decision to hire a new sales person can be the hardest part of the process. Once you get...Professional Development
Right Revenue vs. Wrong Revenue - Do Your Sales People Know The Difference?
Not all revenue is created equal. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as “bad revenue” and it...Professional Development
How to Get Sustained Sales Growth Over Time
Ask anyone in your sales departments if they’d rather have 10 appointments they booked themselves...Professional Development
How To Get Sales And Operations To Get Along
How many “customer facing” team members do you have in your company?Professional Development
A-Player Only Strategy: When Improving Sales Impacts Other Areas Of Your Business
What happens when you hire and develop A-player sales people and sales leaders? Your company grows...Coaching & Training
Why Managers Struggle When Holding People Accountable
Creating a “Culture of Accountability” is the cornerstone of building an over-achieving sales team....Sales Techniques
When Sales People Give Up Too Early or Celebrate Too Soon
The beauty of having an effective sales process is that it creates a level of consistency and...Sales Hiring
High Performing Sales People - How to Identify And Keep Them
High performing sales people are customer centric and have the ability to execute and produce...Professional Development
Slowing Down May Help Increase Revenue and Deal Velocity
In this fast paced world, a lot of sales teams have a high-speed mentality. But it turns out that...Sales Techniques
A Practical Story About Effective Sales Listening
I’d like to share a personal sales story to illustrate an issue we often see in our coaching...Sales Techniques
Why Your Sales People Fail to Listen Effectively
I love this cartoon because it is so true. The more you listen the more you sell. How effective are...Sales Techniques
Are Your Sales People Selling Beyond Their Comfort Zone?
In our consulting practice, we’ve been running a lot of “must win” deal workshops with our clients....Sales Process
Planning For 2014: 5 Things CEOs Must Focus On To Improve Sales
It’s the time of year when we take stock of where we are, and make plans for where we want to go....Coaching & Training
6 Questions Your Sales Managers Hope You Won't Ask...
...About Their Sales Forecasts and Pipeline Reports Many CEOs we work with either don't pay close...Professional Development
Coaching Drives Greater "Sales-Awareness" and Stronger Results
"What would happen to your revenue and profit margin if your sales organization became a...Sales Techniques
Building a Profitable Sales Process – Client Onboarding
In our previous article in this series on Building a Profitable Sales Process, we discussed the...Sales Process
Building a Profitable Sales Process - Asking for the Business
Continuing our series on Building a Profitable Sales Process, this post will address step 9 -...Qualification & Discovery
Building a Profitable Sales Process - Qualify the Opportunity
Here's a radical idea - let's have your sales team qualify opportunities before you prepare a...Qualification & Discovery
Building a Profitable Sales Process - Make Every Appointment Count
All of the work your sales people are doing at the front of the sales process (identifying the...Sales Techniques
Building a Profitable Sales Process - Making Initial Contact
Continuing our series on 10 Steps to Building a Profitable Sales Process, this post will address...Sales Process
Building a Profitable Sales Process - The Right List
If you have been reading our series of articles on "Building a Profitable Sales Process" and have...Sales Techniques
Building a Profitable Sales Process - Know Your Target
The first step in building a profitable sales process is to decide where to focus the prospecting...Qualification & Discovery
10 Steps to Building a Profitable Sales Process
Nearly every CEO we meet with struggles when we ask "Tell us about your sales process." If you have...Sales Techniques
Four Ideas to Shorten Your Sales Cycles and Keep Things on Track
One of the more common frustrations I hear when talking with Presidents, CEOs and Business Owners...Sales Hiring
5 Difficult Questions You Need to Ask About Your Sales Team
If you had the opportunity to really study your sales organization - to take a very diagnostic look...Prospecting
Are Your Boring Sales Meetings Driving Growth and Change?
How effective are your sales managers at running a good sales meeting? How engaged are your top...Professional Development
Creating a Culture of Accountability for Your Sales Team
Are your sales managers doing everything they can to create a culture of accountability for your...Sales Hiring
What is the Most Important Step in the Sales Hiring Process?
The most important step in the sales hiring process is not writing the perfect ad so you attract...Sales Methodologies
You Will Definitely Miss Your Sales Target This Year!
Did you hit your sales forecast right on the nose last year? Are your powers of predictive...Sales Techniques
Does Your Sales Team Have Consultative Selling Skills?
Our last article discussed how sales has changed over the past few years, why selling is so much...Sales Techniques
Is Selling More Difficult Today?
If you’re like many of the CEOs, Business Owners and Presidents we work with, one of your key...Sales Hiring
Do You Have the Right Sales People?
Getting the right sales people on your team and getting them to focus on the right activities can...Sales Hiring
Harvard Study Explains Why Sales People Talk Too Much
An article in today's Wall Street Journal caught my eye, "Science Reveals Why We Brag So Much." It...Qualification & Discovery
Top 5 Mistakes Your VP of Sales Makes at Trade Shows
If you are the person who signs the checks (the President, CEO or business owner) for all of the...Sales Hiring
Sales Leap Every Year!
What would your revenue look like if your sales team had one extra day to sell every year? This...Sales Techniques
Sales Vision - Gap Between What Is/hat Could Be
Here's another excellent Ted Talk with an important lesson for your sales team. In this 18-minute...Qualification & Discovery
Sales Focus - The $2,000 Cup of Coffee
My friend and client Bob Scherer took an exercise I had given to his sales team one step further...Sales Hiring
Focus on Sales Process, Not Outcomes
I recently finished reading Moneyball by Michael Lewis (I still look forward to watching the...Leadership & Management
Fast Start - Getting Your Sales Team Set for Strong 2012
Most of our clients have longer sales cycles, ranging from 2 to 3 months up to 6 months or longer....Sales Hiring
The 10 Keys to an Effective Sales Hiring Process
Our friend and mentor Dave Kurlan - a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, sales thought leader...Sales Hiring
Growing Your Sales Team On Purpose
Change is inevitable. Growth is intentional.Leadership & Management