Coaching & Training
Posts about Leadership & Management
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 Techniques
Coaching to Reach Decision Makers
It is obvious that more sales will happen if your team starts the conversation with people who have...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...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
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...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...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
Is Your Hiring Process Stuck in 2014?
Two years ago there were more candidates available than positions available. It was fun! Hiring...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
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...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 Sales And Operations To Get Along
How many “customer facing” team members do you have in your company?Coaching & Training
Why Managers Struggle When Holding People Accountable
Creating a “Culture of Accountability” is the cornerstone of building an over-achieving sales team....Professional Development
Improve Results By Investing A Day To Plan
This week the Intelligent Conversations team is taking a full day out of the office to evaluate our...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 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...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 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...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 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
Free Sales Seminar - The Ultimate Sales Call
There are only a few seats remaining for our upcoming free seminar, "The Ultimate Sales Call, Five...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 Process
Focus on Sales Activity
I enjoyed reading another great post by Anthony Iannarino last week, The Case for Activity Goals...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.Sales Techniques
Sales Winners and Sales Losers
Top producing sales people understand that every sales win - just like every sales loss - is...Leadership & Management
Golden Rule of Sales Leadership
Do you remember the golden rule you learned in 1st grade?Qualification & Discovery
Customer 2.0 - Death of Your Sales Team?
When Dave Kurlan spoke to a group of Milwaukee CEO's a few weeks ago, one of the key points many...Sales Hiring
Building An Over-Achieving Sales Team - Relentless Prospecting
As a general rule I tell our sales force development clients that a new sales person should spend...Sales Hiring
Building An Over-Achieving Sales Team - Outlook & Attitude
Take a moment to write down the last time you made a major purchase from someone you didn't like....Sales Hiring
Building An Over-Achieving Sales Team - Responsibility
Your ability to build an over-achieving sales team at your company is directly proportional to the...Sales Hiring
Building An Over-Achieving Sales Team - Commitment
How committed is your sales team? Are they willing to go the extra mile? Will they do whatever it...Prospecting
Sales Systems and Super Bowl Champions
What a great Super Bowl game last night! As a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan it was especially...Sales Hiring
Building An Over-Achieving Sales Team - Passion for Sales
With so many business issues and challenges beyond your control, Presidents, CEOs, and business...Sales Hiring
Building An Over-Achieving Sales Team
When it comes to growing your company, the list of business issues and challenges you cannot...Prospecting
Does Your Attitude Support Sales?
"Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines...Sales Hiring
Will Increasing Sales Increase Company Value?
What is your company worth? If you wanted to sell your company in 2011, what could you reasonably...Sales Hiring
Proven Sales Growth Strategy for 2011
Hiring superior sales people is a proven sales strategy that can put your company on an entirely...Prospecting
Cold Call Strategies – How to Overcome Your Sales Call Reluctance
Believe it or not, there are sales people who absolutely thrive on making cold calls. But for most...Professional Development
Sales Accountability Plan for 2011
In working with sales professionals for the past 21 years – as a business consultant and sales...Prospecting
Year End Sales Focus – Mad Dash or Building Relationships?
Is your sales manager frantic this week or relaxed? Is your sales team focused on a final year-end...Qualification & Discovery
Sales Forecast Management - How Strong Is Your Revenue Pipeline?
How accurate are your sales forecasts? I met with a CEO last week who told me that when he cuts...Sales Hiring
Optimizing Your Strategic Alignment for Massive Growth in 2011
Ensuring your sales force is aligned with your strategies is imperative for massive growth. Start...Sales Hiring
Optimizing Your Sales Management for Massive Growth in 2011
Your sales management team is critical to massive growth within your company. Now is the time to...Sales Hiring
Optimize Your Sales Force by Mapping Your Sales Process
A clear sales process is key to optimizing your sales force in 2011. By mapping your sales process...Sales Hiring
Optimizing your Sales Team for 2011
When optimizing your salesforce you must first look at your team to ensure that you have the right...Sales Hiring
Optimize Your Sales Team for Massive Results in 2011
With graditude to Dave Kurlan and his team at Objective Management Group, let's talk about the...Retention & Expansion
What Is Your Sales Team Selling – Transactions or Relationships?
The next time you review your new accounts report with your Vice President of Sales, pick a few and...Sales Methodologies
The 7 Devastating Sales Mistakes #7-Sales Managers Being Reactive Instead of Proactive
Sales managers often are so busy running around trying to fix existing problems that they forget to...Sales Hiring
Crucial Step #3 For Hiring a Sales Person
Crucial Step #3: Evaluate every candidate with a sales-specific assessment tool and confirm the...Sales Hiring
Crucial Step #1 For Hiring a Sales Person
Crucial Step #1: Be very clear about what you want in a sales person. Think carefully about what...Sales Hiring
Hiring a Sales Superstar: 3 Crucial Steps
Congratulations! You finally got your budget to hire a new sales person approved and you’re ready...Sales Hiring
Are Your Sales Managers Controlling Their Emotions?
I was having a conversation with my colleague Tim Hagan this morning about the tendency for sales...Sales Process
Are You Flying Blind?
I was in a conversation with a CEO last week asking questions about their sales organization, the...Professional Development
CEO Views on Sales
According to a recent study by SpencerStuart, the most common path executives take before becoming...Sales Methodologies
The 7 Devastating Sales Mistakes #6 - Hidden Weaknesses
Most sales managers overlook the devastating hidden weaknesses that are crippling their team. While...Sales Hiring
What do you wish you knew that you know now?
What do you wish you knew that you know now?Professional Development
Catch Them Being Good
My wife is a pre-school teacher and is always taking classes and reading articles on early...Sales Hiring