Learning Sales from the MoviesJust about every sales person has been to a kick-off meeting or team builder where a movie clip was used to add some entertainment and emphasize the presenter’s vision. The Sales Challenger Blog just ran their Best Five Sales-Themed Movies. I was happy to see two of my favorites, Tommy Boy and Glengarry Glen Ross appear on the list. Read more
New Sales Enablement Ideas – SAVO’s AMPs, Part 1 – Consultative ServicesIf you are in charge of improving your sales team’s performance, you undoubtedly have hundreds of vendors calling to sell you the next greatest sales enablement or sales 2.0 products. That’s good news, because 10 years ago, no one was calling! Read more
Relationships do matter in salesA quick search of Amazon for books about how to sell will give you access to nearly 700,000 ideas about how a sales person can win faster and more often. One topic receiving little press lately is the value of the relationship between buyer and seller. The days of stopping by with donuts in hand and getting the decision maker to place an order are probably gone, but strategic relationship plays are alive and well. Read more
Choose your customers wiselyIn the mid 1960s, a small local bank named Crocker Bank was determined to expand their business. They had a prominent and wealthy clientele but also an aging group of customers. They wanted to diversify and attract other customer segments. This is not unlike many businesses today, but the questions looms: Are all customers good customers? Read more
Black Belt, schmack belt, why Six Sigma?A quick Google search says we have over 50,000 options for sales seminars to teach sellers how to win more deals. Of all the options, would you expect to find the General Electric (GE) system known as Lean Six Sigma to be included? You should. Xerox’s recent success with 8,000-plus sellers is rooted in these principles. Read more
Three important components relevant to sales enablementI recently met Sharon Little, Director, Global Field Communications, VMware, Inc. She writes a blog called SalesCraft. Sharon shared a post about establishing sales enablement within organizations and the challenge of creating a unique identity separate from sales operations, sales readiness and marketing programs. She notes, “It’s the internal selling that often makes the difference between success and failure.” Read more
Football season brings sales playbooksSales used to be a lot easier – and I’m talking about the late 1990s, not the 1950s. You built relationships with customers and stood out when you presented enterprise solutions vs. single products and services. Read more